Thomas Edgar Hartis' Obituary
Surrounded by family, Thomas Edgar “Tom” Hartis passed away peacefully at home on Friday, January 13, 2017. He was born September 29, 1933 in Kannapolis, NC, the son of the late Randolph Hartis and Lois Bonds Hartis.
A memorial service is scheduled for Monday, January 16, 2017 at 2:00 pm at First Baptist Church. Rev. Dr. Thomas Cabaniss will officiate. The family will receive friends from 12:30 to 1:45 pm Monday prior to the service at the church.
A 1951 alumni of Cannon High School, he went on to graduate from Wake Forest College and attended Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary before becoming pastor of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Pittsboro, NC.
After relocating back to the Kannapolis area, he began a career in education and taught 6th and 7th grade students at Jackson Park, Cannon Jr. High School and GW Carver. During the summer breaks, he worked for Cannon Mills in various positions, later accepting a full time position with the mill before retiring from Fieldcrest Cannon in 1995.
An active member in the community and the church, he attended First Baptist and served as a deacon, Sunday School teacher, Adult IV director, numerous committees and was a faithful member of the choir. He was a long time member of the Motts Y’s Men’s Club serving in various officer positions, including president, and you would often find him at the club’s various fund raising projects, including the Christmas tree lot, mowing the Kannapolis Cemetery and the “world famous” pancake sale.
His other passions in life were pulling for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and weekly trips to Rolling Hills Golf Course in Salisbury.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by two sisters Harriett Barringer Brown and Phyllis Odell; and stepson, Reid Campbell.
In addition to his wife Shirley, he is survived by son, Thomas R. Hartis of Raleigh (Stacy); stepson, Gerald “Jerry” Campbell of Kannapolis; four grandchildren; three great grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to First Baptist Church Building Fund, 101 N. Main Street, Kannapolis, NC 28081 or to Hospice & Palliative Care of Cabarrus County, 5003 Hospice Lane, Kannapolis, NC 28081.
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