Cover photo for Donald Sanborn Redding's Obituary
Donald Sanborn Redding Profile Photo
Donald

Donald Sanborn Redding

d. June 2, 2019

Donald S. Redding, Sr. was devoted to his family and to his faith, to Carolina sports and to his career as a banker. He was a storyteller, a teacher, and a listener who brought joy to the many circles of his long and wonderful life. On Sunday, June 2, 2019, Don died peacefully in his sleep following a recent, late-stage cancer diagnosis and complications from heart valve replacement surgery. He was 82.

Don was Tar Heel born on May 5, 1937 in Asheboro, North Carolina. It is a community he held close to his heart his entire life and it is where he will be buried in a family plot at Oaklawn Cemetery on Wednesday, June 12 following an 11 a.m. graveside service.

Don was Tar Heel bred. As a child in Asheboro, Don and his older brother "Smoke" put up a basketball goal in a vacant lot next to their house. They played deep into the night under the glow of a street light. It was a boyhood enriched by Scouts and centered at Central United Methodist Church. He went to "big church" with his Dad and remembered fondly how his Dad would put his arm around him and hold him close. As a teenager, Don worked at his Dad's business, Southern Crown Milling. It was hard, physical work, 56 hours a week for 15 cents an hour. He eventually earned the right to go on deliveries, recalling "the warm summer days when perspiration came easily while unloading at grocery stores, and then cooled when the truck was moving again, the chance to sleep as the trucks traveled from one town to another, the chance to eat brown bag lunches and talk with 'real men" who had many earthy stories intriguing to a teenager."

The job made him strong. That paid off during his storied career as a star of Asheboro High School's football and basketball teams, earning All-State accolades in both. He played fullback and linebacker and was a three-year starter. In a game against Barium Springs, he gained 200 yards of offense while scoring three touchdowns. In basketball, Asheboro High won the state championship in 1955 with Don scoring 37 points in the title game. Don was inducted into Asheboro High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.

Of course, Don went to college 'neath the oaks. At his beloved University of North Carolina, he excelled athletically, was selected to play in the Hula Bowl and was then drafted by the NFL. But he also excelled academically and chose that path. He was named to two All-Conference Academic teams, inducted in 1959 into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society, and received numerous awards for scholarship and leadership.

Don was a Tar Heel for life. For years, he went to virtually every home and away football game, hundreds of basketball games, and supported scores of student-athletes through a scholarship in his name. In order to get access to road game tickets, he joined the booster clubs of other ACC schools, even Duke.

After earning his undergraduate degree and MBA at UNC, he began a long and successful career in banking, culminating in 32 years with Bank of America and its precursors in several locations. He served as a Commercial Loan Services Division Executive, specializing in training loan officers and developing unique programs to assist troubled lenders and was ultimately promoted to Senior Vice President at the bank. Don loved to teach finance and instructed hundreds of students during 16 years at the Stonier Graduate School of Banking and at seven other universities. For his professional and community contributions, Don received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine in 1978, bestowed by North Carolina's governor.

Most of Don's professional and retirement years were spent in Charlotte. He was a member of Myers Park United Methodist Church, serving in several leadership positions and taking great joy in continually learning more about his faith and sharing that knowledge with the members of his Owenby Sunday School Class that he adored. In addition to the graveside service in Asheboro, a memorial service to honor Don's life will also be held at Myers Park United Methodist Church on Monday, June 24, 2019, at 2pm.

Don loved Charlotte. He never forgot the fun of dressing up in a tux for the Hornets' first game, eagerly took friends to Green's for a hot dog, and beamed when his grandchildren joined him at Panthers games. But his greatest joy was going to Carolina games in Chapel Hill accompanied by his son Buzzy and friends from the bank and church.

Don was pre-deceased by his parents, William Frank Redding, Jr. and Viola Sanborn Redding, by his brother William Frank Redding III ("Smoke"), and by his son Donald Jr. ("Buzzy"). He is survived by his longtime and loving companion Linda Myers of Charlotte, daughters Julie (Jules) Szabo Schotzinger (Robert Schotzinger) of Raleigh and Sally Redding Hanchett (Jim Hanchett) of Bloomington, Indiana, by seven grandchildren (Christopher, Jessie, Katie, Jackson, Logan, Benjamin and Kara), by his brother Milton Redding (Linda Redding) of Asheboro, his sister-in-law Joan Redding, and his nieces Rebecca, Marianne, Nancy, and Elizabeth. Jules, Buzzy, and Sally are the children of Don and his high school sweetheart, Frances Strickland Redding, originally from Asheboro. Don and Frances remained cordial friends and parenting partners long after the end of their marriage.

Every person in Don's life has wonderful stories to tell about him, including when he dressed up as Santa Claus in his Carolina Blue Santa suit; when he drove his treasured red TR3B convertible; when he snapped photos at every possible opportunity and used his fine computer skills to catalog and share those photos with friends and family; and when he captivated his audience, big or small, with well-prepared speeches and supporting diagrams. Don always brought light into the room and filled our hearts with love.

Don would want this story to end with a cheer, not a tear. So, as the chorus of Hark the Sound demands of those who are Tar Heel born and Tar Heel bred, let the time-worn walls give back their echo: RAH! RAH! Car'lina. RAH! RAH! RAH!

A graveside service will be held Wednesday, June 12, 2019 at 11:00 AM at Oaklawn Cemetery, 737 Albemarle Road, Asheboro, NC with Melvin McIntosh officiating.

A memorial service will be held Monday, June 24, 2019 at 2:00 PM at Myers Park United Methodist Church, 1507 Queens Rd. Charlotte, NC 28207 with Bill Roth officiating.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions be made to Asheboro City Schools Education Foundation. The legend in the check should read "Lee J. Stone Fund in memory of Don Redding." Mailing address: P.O. Box 1103, Asheboro, NC 27204.

To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Donald Sanborn Redding, please visit our flower store.

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