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Longtime N.C. Baptist leader, Dewey Hobbs, dies
BR staff
February 07, 2014
3 MIN READ TIME

Longtime N.C. Baptist leader, Dewey Hobbs, dies

Longtime N.C. Baptist leader, Dewey Hobbs, dies
BR staff
February 07, 2014

Joseph Dewey Hobbs Jr., 88, of Winston-Salem, died Feb. 5. He was born on March 2, 1925, in Wilmington and was the son of J.D. Hobbs Sr. and Mamie Kirk Hobbs.

Surviving him are his wife, Virginia Gilley Hobbs; daughters Cathy Hobbs Powell of Winston-Salem and Alice Hobbs Little of Marion. A son, Warren E. Hobbs, preceded him in death in 2002. Four grandchildren also survive him: Nathan Powell of Winston-Salem; Cate Powell Sawyer (Dan Sawyer) of Chapel Hill; Mary Little Apicella (Jason Apicella) of Granby, Conn.; and Sally Little of Asheville; also surviving him are a great-grandson, Eli Daniel Sawyer and another great-grandson expected in May.

Hobbs_portrait.jpg

Contributed photo

Dewey Hobbs is known throughout North Carolina “as a visionary and statesman,” said Milton Hollifield, executive director-treasurer of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina.

“Dewey Hobbs had a long and influential ministry in North Carolina. He loved this state and its people. Dewey will be remembered as a visionary and statesman,” said Milton Hollifield, executive director-treasurer of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSC).

“I had a deep respect for him and was honored to call him my friend. The influence of his life and the things he accomplished will long be remembered by North Carolina Baptists.”

Hobbs served for 11 years as the director of North Carolina Baptist Hospital’s Department of Pastoral Care.

He pastored at First Baptist Church in Marion, Wingate Baptist Church in Wingate, Center Grove Baptist Church in Kershaw, S.C., and Harrods Creek Baptist Church in Brownsboro, Ky.

He is remembered for his service at the BSC, where he served as first vice president of the convention and as president of the BSC General Board.

He was a trustee emeritus of his alma mater, Wake Forest University, and he also served two terms as a trustee of Wingate University.

He earned a doctor of divinity from Wake Forest University in 1989. At Wake Forest College, he was the first-team tackle on the football team. He also was a member of the 1946 Wake Forest team that played in the very first Gator Bowl where Wake Forest beat South Carolina, 26-14.

In addition to graduating from Wake Forest University, he was also a graduate of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest with a doctor of ministry and a graduate of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.

Hobbs was a member of Knollwood Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, where a memorial service will be conducted on Tuesday, Feb. 11 at 2:00. A memorial service will also be held at First Baptist Church in Marion at 4:00 on Thursday, Feb. 13.

Memorials may be made to the Pastoral Care Family Assistance Fund of N.C. Baptist Hospital, c/o Jay Foster, Wake Forest Baptist Health, Medical Center Blvd, Winston-Salem, NC 27157; Knollwood Baptist Church, 330 Knollwood Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27104; Salemtowne Retirement Community, Resident Assistance Fund, 1000 Salemtowne Drive, Winston-Salem, NC 27106; or First Baptist Church, 99 N. Main Street, Marion, NC 28752.