David Wayne Oglesby

David Wayne Oglesby, 71, of Durham, NC passed away on November 4, 2022 after a brief illness.

David was born on August 21, 1951, to David Eugene and Lillie Mae Oglesby, of Mill Creek, North Carolina where he was raised on the estuarine shoreline of the Newport River. His early years were spent reading in the intervals between trawling drags on long nights on his Dad’s shrimp boat in Core Sound, active in as many sports as were available, and catching ‘Puppy Drum’ in Haystacks Marshes. He graduated from West Carteret High School, where he played basketball, ran track and found his passion in the Future Farmers of America, presiding over the local chapter and its championship Parliamentary Procedure team. This interest in agriculture was a continuation of his connection to the earth, which would continue into his first degree in college and serve him well in his later career.

David attended North Carolina State University, where he earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, and continued on to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he earned his J.D. and spent many years of his career in an office best suited to a true Wolfpack fan, “looking down on the Dean Dome.” David forged a unique career path, from scrubbing UPS trucks, selling timber and working for the Nature Conservancy to working with RTI and the NC DHHS. David found a work-life integration that allowed him to circle the world many times as he negotiated international contracts, devote hours to his community through organizations like SOSA and Midnight Basketball but still make it to all the soccer games, basketball tournaments, cross-country meets, plays, and Grandparent’s Days.

To know David was to love him and to be loved, and likely to set aside at least thirty minutes to listen to his sage advice, his silly songs and rhymes or for him to lend an ear and find a solution to your troubles. He was a man of quiet, steadfast faith, quick wit and a consummate counselor, teacher and raconteur. David’s legacy continues with the hearts he left behind: his wife Linda; children, Beth (Andy), and David; grandchildren Mae Wallace and Murphy; along with his sisters and nieces and nephew.

A memorial service and reception will be held Friday, December 16 at 4:30 pm at Enon Baptist Church, 2298 Enon Rd, Oxford, NC 27565. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Society of St. Andrews in Big Island, Virginia or Urban Harvest Gardens in Houston, Texas.

Arrangements by Gentry-Newell & Vaughan in Oxford, NC.