Bob Denny
July 29, 1917 — July 28, 2014
WILSON - Robert Lee "Bob" Denny died July 28, 2014, in Wilson, one day before his 97th birthday.
A Celebration of Life will be Saturday, September 27, 11 AM, at First United Methodist Church. Inurnment will be in Maplewood Cemetery. The family will be at Wilson Memorial Service, Friday, 6-7 PM.
He was married to the late Amy Leslie Harris Denny of Wilson.
He is survived by his son, Robert Lee Denny II, an environmental consultant living in Lithuania; his daughter, Eva Gayle Haley of Boiling Springs Lakes in Southport; two grandchildren, Rebecca S. Meacham, an art educator in Burlington and E. Kendra Denny, an artist in Camden, Maine; and two great grandchildren, Sophie and Faith Meacham of Burlington,
Bob's extensive family in the Wilson area includes his brother-in-law; Marion Pool of Wilson; niece, Martha Darden of Stantonsburg; nephews, Jim B. Batts III and D. Michael Killette of Wilson, Felix Killette of Selma, Phillip Killette of Zebulon and John William Finch of Elm City.
Mr. Denny's professional life was devoted to advancing the quality of life for the developmentally disabled. He was a pioneer in the establishment of North Carolina's Developmental Disabilities Program in 1964, serving as the first director of the North Carolina Council on Mental Retardation - now the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities (NCCDD). He was also the first Director of Planning and Development at the Baddour Center for the developmentally disabled in Senatobia, MS. After returning to Wilson for retirement, he and wife Amy continued to donate their time to mental health understanding and compassion to those affected.
Mr. Denny collected numerous honors over his career, including a Presidential Award for Meritorious Service for his work in the field of employment of the handicapped, the Alumni Achievement Award (Atlantic Christian College, now Barton College) and recognition from the United Cerebral Palsy Association for his contributions in his field.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to First United Methodist Church, PO Box 1423, Wilson, NC 27894-1423.