David Lee Tharrington
July 6, 1943 – October 28, 2022
David Lee Tharrington, 79, passed away Friday, October 28, 2022, after a brief but valiant fight against lymphoma. He was born in Rocky Mount, NC on July 6, 1943, and was preceded in death by his parents, George and Mildred Tharrington.
David was a proud graduate of Atlantic Christian College(Barton) where he majored in business and retired from Carolina Telephone/Sprint after 40 years of service in the Commercial and Regulatory Affairs Department. He enjoyed his retirement especially the monthly breakfast meetings with former coworkers. In addition to spending time with his breakfast group, he used his retirement to serve on the board for his beach condominium and as a Deacon at Zebulon Baptist Church, a position he had also held at First Baptist Church Tarboro, prior to the family’s move.
David could be found weekly doing yardwork not only at his house but also for his children, as he loved being outside and took immense satisfaction in a yard well done. He also loved dinners with his family though he would often bemoan the lack of a good place to get vegetables since the closure of the Cameron Village K&W in Raleigh. That request for vegetables was most often accomplished in Rocky Mount but did lead to adventures in dining in Raleigh.
David was an avid sports fan and passionate NCSU football fan. He never missed a home game and persevered through hurricanes, freezing temperatures, and heat waves to cheer on the Wolfpack. His last night was spent with the NCSU-VT game on in the background, how he would have loved to have seen that comeback in person.
Left to cherish his memory are his wife of 55 years, Joann, his daughter- Lee Ann, son- Joseph, brother- Steve(Gail), brother-in-law- David(Judy), cousins, an extended international family of au pairs, and the sparkle in his eye, his granddaughter, HalleAnn. During David’s first bout with lymphoma in 2015 she would rub his bald head for luck and for his hair to grow back.
David was a true and humble gentleman and described by many as the kindest man they ever met. A description he would decline as whenever he was asked how he was doing he would reply, “Doing better than I deserve.”
A celebration of his life will be held on Thursday, November 3, 2022, at 2pm at Zebulon Baptist Church followed by a brief graveside service at Red Oak Baptist Cemetery. The family will receive visitors at the Zebulon Baptist Church parlor at 12:30pm prior to the service.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given to Zebulon Baptist Church or the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Heartfelt thank yous to Rex and those that provided support to the family through David’s illness.
5 Comments
My prayers and thoughts are with you and your family during this time. David was a great person and you and David are good friends of my sister Susan Craver and my brother in law John Craver.
Condolences to the Tharrington Family, I enjoyed having conversations with Mr. Tharrington while doing work in his yard or while he was at Joseph home. (Great family man)
My condolences to David’s family. I worked with David off and on while he was in the Commercial and regulatory areas with Carolina Telephone when I was on staff in Tarboro and in the field. Scripture says “to have friends, you have to be a friend”. That was certainly David! He was a friend. When you were around him, he was always talking about his friends or his family and their experiences-It was never about him.. David was the one that invited me to the monthly retiree breakfasts in Wake Forest and always sent out reminders. I will always treasure my relationship with him. Blessings! Doug Herrin, Oxford, NC ..
David and his brother Steve gave me the pleasure of handling, as a Realtor, the sale of their parent’s home on Peach Tree Street in Rocky Mount. David was very considerate through out the transaction and was a gentlemen in every respect. Most of my contact was with him. He was very good to work with and wanted to be fair to the purchasers in every way. For years his dad had a huge garden on the corner of Grace and Peach Tree Streets. It was always manicured and was the talk of the town. That must be where he got his love for fresh vegetables. David will be missed by many.
I worked with David at CT&T back in the late ’60s to mid ’70s. He was a very fine gentleman.
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