William Scott Totten

William Scott Totten, age 82, died Tuesday, March 8, 2011 at Hospice at the Meadowlands in Hillsborough. A Durham native, Bill was the son of the late Walter Lavaille and Callie Tilley Totten. He proudly served his country during WWII while stationed in the U.S. Marine Corps. Bill has been a REALTOR in Durham since January of 1950. He began his career working for Continental Realty and Mortgage Company of Durham. In 1952 he opened his own office starting out ineeneral real estate, including mortgage lending when FHA and VA loan programs became popular after WW II. In 1959 he began a business relationship with Joe Berini , founder and then owner of Joe F. Berini Construction Company. Bill sold Joe's houses exclusively for 30 years. In 1970 he obtained membership in the American Institute of Real Estate Appraisers AIREA. His appraisal work included residential, commercial and industrial. He performed over 1000 appraisals for the Department of Transportation. He was twice president of the Durham Board of Realtors in 1959 and 1969 . Bill was need REALTOR of the Year in 1970 and also served as vice chairman of the Durham County Planning Board that same year. He received the designation of REALTOR Emeritus from the National Association of REALTORS in 2000. Bill is survived by his loving and devoted wife of 62 years, Elsie Browning Totten of Durham; son, William S. "Billy" Totten, Jr. and wife, Sandra, of Durham; daughter, Betsy Totten Mincey and husband, Warren "Rusty", of Yanceyville; sisters, Sibyl Clayton and husband, Kenneth; Nancy T. Sorrell and husband, Bertice; and brother Phillip R. Totten, all of Durham; four grandchildren: Ashley and Callie Totten and Scott and Aneew Mincey. He was preceded ineeath by his older brother, W. Lavaille Totten. Funeral services will be held 12:00 PM Friday, March 11, 2011, at Mt. Bethel Presbyterian Church, 3541 Rose of Sharon Rd., with the Reverend Ingram Hedgpeth presiding. Burial with military honors will follow in Maplewood Cemetery, Section 2. Friends may visit one hour prior to the service from 11:00-12:00 PM in the church. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Bill's memory may be made to the American Diabetes Association, P.O. Box 11454, Alexandria, VA 22312 or the Patrick Swayze Paneeas cancer Research Fund, Stanford Cancer Center Development Office, 2700 Sand Hill Rd., Menlo Park, CA 94025. On-line memorials: www.hallwynne.com. Select obituaries. Arrangements for the Totten family are under the care of Hall-Wynne Funeral Service in Durham.