Joseph D. Wheliss, age 86, passed away Tuesday, October 29, 2019, in the Coventry Assisted Living Facility at St. Josephs of the Pines in Southern Pines, N.C. He was born March 1, 1933, in Rockingham, N.C. to John Grover Wheliss and Nannie Spivey Wheliss.
After attending Rockingham High School, Joe graduated first from Davidson College in 1955, followed by the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Business School in 1957. He worked for American Trust (Nations Bank) before moving to Thomasville in 1963, where he worked for Gray Concrete Pipe Company until his retirement in 1986.
He held numerous leadership roles throughout his life, both in governmental and civic duty. As a member of First Presbyterian Church followed by Memorial Methodist Church, Joe served as both an Elder and a Deacon, among other roles in both churches.
He also served in numerous civic leadership roles in Thomasville, with many organizations including the Thomasville Community Foundation, the Thomasville City Council, the Brown A. Finch YMCA, the Thomasville General Hospital Board, the Thomasville Chamber of Commerce and the Thomasville Rotary Club, where he was a Paul Harris Fellow.
He is survived by his wife Ruth Gray Wheliss of Southern Pines, a daughter Sarah Wheliss Bosher and her husband Monroe of Greensboro, N.C. and a son Joseph Denson Wheliss, Jr., and his wife Maggie of Nashville, TN.
He has three grandchildren, Joseph Ryland Wheliss, John Hill Gray Wheliss and Sarah Eleanor Wheliss, and two step-grandchildren, Monroe Montgomery Bosher and Morris Gates Baxley. Joe also has numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Martha Wheliss Boswell and his brother John Angus Wheliss.
A Memorial Service will be held in the Memorial Methodist Church Chapel in Thomasville on Tuesday, November 5th at 11:30 a.m. with a reception to follow. Memorials may be directed to the donor’s Choice.
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