William "Carey" Darr

William Carey Darr, Sr. passed away surrounded by his children, a host of neighbors and friends, golfing buddies, and his beloved church family.

Known for his expertise with tools and love of making things work, Carey had a fulfilling 37-year career as a maintenance engineer for AT&T.  When he retired at age 57 his children gave him a golf membership to Lexington Country Club, though he had only played one golf round prior.  He felt obliged to learn to play golf really well and enjoyed playing weekly with his buddies until last fall.  At 81 he finally made a hole in one on that golf course and the ball and trophy still adorn the mantle in his home of 67 years in Welcome.

After retiring, Carey ‘s greatest enjoyment was spending time with his loving wife Peggy and family at Barefoot Campgrounds, Myrtle Beach where they were part-time residents. He loved driving his golf cart to tote grandkids to the lazy river or the beach and attending live concerts and shows at the local venues.

Carey was Welcome’s original handy man whose outdoor sheds housed power tools of all sizes.  He built go-carts in his spare time and was often the first person that family and neighbors called when they needed help with a project, boat motors, lawn mowers or a car-engines which he could quickly rebuild or diagnose the most complex problems.  He gained a certification in refrigeration from Forsyth Tech after retirement so he could better repair air-conditioners and refrigerators and if any funds accepted went to his church tithe or to help someone else.

He was also a story teller and loved a good fishing trip with family members which informed laugh out loud stories around Thanksgiving tables and his bedside prior to his passing.

Playing games and sports, Carey could be found around a large dining table with family dealing cards and winning board games.  He and Peggy played daily through their marriage and taught grandkids some of their best math skills over Yahtzee.  Only the brave would challenge him for horseshoes or a game of backyard basketball with he and Peggy. (Peggy would often win.)

Carey graduated from Churchland School, where he won a 4th grade talent show by tap dancing for the first and last time in his life, and played Basketball through his senior year.  His love of playing sports and attending sporting events continued as a parent and grandparent of North Davidson High School students.  He held season tickets for Friday night lights.  He was also a raving fan of UNC Tarheels, particularly the basketball team.  He and Peggy helped host a fried chicken dinner for UNC team members in Summer of 1977 after a Billy Graham sponsored service tour featured player Mike O’Koren who spoke alongside other evangelists.

A long-term Deacon of First Baptist Church of Welcome, Carey taught Sunday School for over 40 years, sang in the choir, and continued to read his Bible and daily devotions until his passing. He was curious, questioning the inner working of things like his pastor Jonathan Goodman’s 12-String guitar over the past few months.  He sang along with Jonathon, family and choir members who visited him daily at Greyson Creek until his last breath.  His curiosity, love of God & family, favorite music and Bible were guides for a life well lived.

Carey is preceded by his parents, William Adam and Jessie Ila (Potts) Darr of Churchland, and his wife Peggy of 66 years, and he is survived by his 93-year-old brother - Lester Thales Darr (Ann), one of 8 siblings, and his children, Precious Darelyn Darr (Barry Mitsch) of Cary, Nikki Darr Schmalfeldt (Scott) of Charlotte/Naples, William Carey “Billy” Darr, Jr., Terrance “Terry” James Darr (Gina), his grandchildren:  Kristie, Scott, Jessica, Hank, Courtney, Brandon and Conard, and great-grandchildren, Carey Joseph - “CJ”, Beau, Christian, and Avril.

A service will be held at First Baptist Church of Welcome on Thursday, May 26 ^th at 10:45AM followed by a graveside service immediately following for family and friends. Carey will lie in state from 10-10:45AM prior to the service.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to :

First Baptist Church, 404 Welcome-Arcadia Rd, Lexington, NC 27295 https://www.fbcwelcome.org/give

The Darr Family Memorial Fund