Carlton Ray Debnam
January 3, 1939 ~ April 4, 2019
Born in:
Rocky Mount, NC
Resided in:
Asheville, NC
Asheville Butterfly TrailCarlton Ray Debnam, 80, passed away Thursday, April 4th, at Mission Hospital surrounded by his family.
He is survived by three children, Bob Debnam and wife Michele, of Colleyville, TX; Jill Engstrom and husband David, of Wilson, NC; and Sam Debnam and wife Shelley, of Coppell, TX; brother, Dennis Debnam and wife Yvonne, of Zebulon, NC; and four grandsons, Michael, Brent, Blake and Ben. Mr. Debnam was preceded in death by his parents, Charlie and Dolly Debnam, and brother, Ronnie Debnam.
Born and raised in Zebulon, Carl worked on the family farm, graduating from Wakelon High School in 1959. He attended Atlantic Christian College, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Chowan Community College, obtaining a degree in Accounting. At UNC, he was a member of the track and field team and played basketball at Chowan.
Mr. Debnam was a 54-year-long resident of Asheville, finishing out his work career as comptroller at NCI, Inc., where he was employed 24 years.
He was a long-time member of First Baptist Church of Asheville, where he served on the endowment committee. Known for his bright smile and outgoing personality, he was a member of the Mountain Shag Club of Asheville, and the Mountain Empire Shag Society of Johnson City. He was also a member of the Men’s Garden Club of Asheville, and an avid golfer and fisherman. He will be greatly missed!
A celebration of his life will be held at 2:00 p.m. Monday in the Sanctuary of First Baptist Church. The family will receive friends from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. prior to the service, and again following the service at a reception in the church dining room for a time of sharing stories and remembrances. Burial will be at a later date in Zebulon.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Men’s Garden Club of Asheville or the missions fund of First Baptist Church of Asheville.
Services
Celebration of Life: April 8, 2019 2:00 pm
First Baptist Church
5 Oak Street
Asheville, NC 28801
252-4781
Funeral Home Assisting The Family:
Groce Funeral Home - Patton Ave.
1401 Patton Ave.
Asheville, NC 28806
(828)252-3535
http://www.grocefuneralhome.com
My sincere condolences to the family, Carl was a great friend and example of a Christian Man.
We will all miss him.
Bill
So sorry to hear the sad news. Carl will be greatly missed. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family🙏We all Loved Carl he was a great guy🙏
I have many happy memories of Carl, he was a very special man who brought joy with him when he was in your presence. My prayer for his family is that the happy memories you have will get you through this difficult time.
Arlene
Carl you will missed.
I only met Carl once, seven years ago . He was a delight. Sweet gentle man.
My condolences to his family.
You were a good friend to everyone you knew. And always a smile on your face.Many of us will miss you.
I am so sorry for your loss. Carl taught us to play Dominos and then proceeded to beat us every time we played for years. A friend said that when she heard the news she knew Carl was in Heaven, with our Shag buddy Lois, teaching everyone to dance. I agree. You will be truly missed my friend. Thanks for the Cha-Cha’s.
We’re sure he’s still dancing…
Met coral many years ago when his wife worked with me at Beverly Hanks that would be the mother of his children . A great family and I believe that they remained friends after a certain time. Carl and another group started a singles holiday party that was often held at the Biltmore Forest town Hall lots of fun for all ! Carl always had a big smile on his face
And kept all of the shag club ladies dancing
A special man that will be missed by all especially his family….condolences to each of you!
I have so many wonderful memories of spending time with Carl. Two step lessons, skiing at Beech mtn with friends, golf with the golf singles group, and working on the Cardinal open charity golf tournament. Carl is one of the nicest people I have ever met and always had a smile and made everyone feel special. You will be missed but I know you are dancing in heaven.
Carl was the perfect southern Gentleman. We met through the Shag Club. He never made me feel the fact I had two left feet. Always an encouraging dance partner. Last summer Carl brought me a beautiful sign he had made. It was in the shape of North Carolina with a “Tarheel”. He told me the wood was from the family farm in Zebulon. I will cherish my sign and see Carl’s smile. Rest in Peace my sweet man. Prayers to your family.
Met Carl at a shag dance when I first moved to Etowah a couple of years ago. He was always cheerful and welcoming. I will miss his warm smile and gentle disposition.
What a great guy, friend to so many! Had privilege of playing in the same golf group with him for years! RIP and very proud to have been friends! Well done Carl!
When remembering Carl, one thinks of his kindness, his smiling face, and his ability to make dancing fun for all us ladies! Such a gentleman, and a special person! He is truly missed. Our shag club was so honored to have him as one of our favorite persons.
Take care of Abby until we see both of you again.
Love, Shelley
So sorry my prayers are with all the family
I know he will be missed by all of you,
But he will be watching over you always. 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
I was sitting home one night in November 2009 feeling sorry for myself. I was waiting out the one year requirement for a divorce to be final. I decided that night I wasn’t going to wait any longer and looked up places to dance. Sure enough a place called Boscos was just a few miles away. When I walked in I thought WHAT kind of dance was that (shag dancing). In just a few minutes this tall, good looking gentleman with white hair came over and asked me to dance and yes he had that great grin on his face. That was the first night I “tried” to dance the shag. Thanks for the memories Carl and save me a dance up there!
Carl was a Blessing to many people and will be sorely missed. His smile and welcoming nature was a huge part of Mountain Shag Club. We will miss him.
Terry Brisson
Uncle Carl was a great guy. He is waiting in heaven now for the rest of the family and friends. He will be missed.
I first met Carl Debnam when I joined the Men’s Garden Club of Asheville and over the years was fortunate to see his smile and cheerful personality many times. Carl always brought a breath of fresh air to every event and meeting!
Love,
Jeff and Jane
What a wonderful blessing Carl was to his friends. His welcoming smile was the first sign of his big, loving heart!. Carl was truly filled with Jesus! You knew this by his love for his fellow man, the joy that was always flowing from his spirit and the generosity he bestowed by his giving. Carl would light up the faces of all the ladies he danced with, he would laugh with the men and give hugs when you needed one. What a treasure you were to all of us that knew you and danced with you. We will see you again dancing in heaven. Our prayers are with the family. May the Lord fill you with His peace and may your hearts be lifted by the memories shared by all who knew and loved Carl.
So sorry for your loss, Bob & Michele. Our prays to you and your family
When we joined the Mountain Shag Club 15 years ago, one of the friendliest and most welcoming individuals we met was Carl Debnam. Always a big smile, a warm handshake or hug and a friendly word. We have worked on many Shag Club projects with Carl over these years and he was always a pleasure to know. We never heard him utter an unkind word about anyone and if there ever was an individual we would try to emulate, Carl would be the one. Rest in Peace our dear friend. Lee Galloway and Nancy Thompson
Remembering Carl as a fellow Tar Heel who was a man of class and high integrity. So sorry to hear of his passing. My condolences to Carl’s family and friends.
Martha Brock Hill
You will be missed. You were warm and welcoming. Your warm smile and hospitality greeted Dave Engstrom and I whenever we stopped in to visit. Heaven’s gain is our loss.
My thoughts and prayers are with the family during this sad time. He loved his children so much. Carl was the most caring, kind, loving, generous, fun loving, happy go lucky man I have ever known. There was only one of him. No one was a stranger. His smile was contagious, his love of life and the people in it was so obvious. I will miss him. He was special to me. He helped me when I was down. I love you my friend. Rest now. I know you will be watching over all of us.
We are so sorry for your loss. Carl was such a happy, loving gentleman and a wonderful dancer. He will be greatly missed and so fondly remembered.
Sorry for your loss. Carl was always so sweet and gracious. He always helped us learning to dance. He had the best smile. He will be missed.
He truly knew what was important in life and that was very evident by all the people who loved him.
He was kind, gentle, loving, compassionate, genuine and yes very adventurous.
God used him in many ways to help heal the hearts of others. He has left a wonderful legacy.
I will miss you greatly my friend.
I look forward to seeing you again and dancing with you through eternity.
Love, thoughts, and prayers to the family.