Remembering the notable Charlotte and NC people we lost in 2023

Every death leaves a hole in somebody’s heart. Some people’s deaths leave a hole in the community fabric. Here’s a look back at a number of notable people from the Charlotte region and the state who died this year after achieving great things in their lifetimes.

James Black

James Black grew up in Charlotte, taught himself how to play golf while caddying for white men and went on to break Tiger Woods-level barriers for Black professional golfers. He died in June at 81.

Molly Broad

Molly Corbett Broad served as president of North Carolina’s public university system from 1997 through 2005, the first woman to serve in that role. She died in January at age 81.

Ed Brown III

Ed Brown III worked at Bank of America for more than three decades, including as president of global corporate and investment banking, before becoming CEO of Hendrick Automotive. He died in April at 74.

Hodding Carter III

Hodding Carter III was a journalist who served as the U.S. State Department spokesman during the Carter administration and later led the Knight Foundation before becoming a professor at UNC Chapel Hill. He died in May at 88.

Wayland Cato Jr.

Wayland Cato Jr. co-founded Cato Corp., a Charlotte-based women’s clothing business with stores across the United States. He died in November at 100.

Steve Crump

Steve Crump spent nearly four decades as a journalist at WBTV and was admired for his powerful documentaries. He died in September at 65.

Lauch Faircloth

Lauch Faircloth served one term as a U.S. senator from North Carolina after being elected in 1992. He died in September at 95.

Jean Faut

Jean Faut of Rock Hill was one of the greatest pitchers in the All American Girls Professional Baseball League, featured in the hit movie “A League of Their Own”. She died in February at 98.

Shirley Fulton

Shirley Fulton served as senior resident Superior Court judge, the most powerful judicial seat in the Mecklenburg courthouse, and was the first Black woman to win a Superior Court seat in North Carolina. She died in February at 71.

Parks Helms

Parks Helms served in the North Carolina General Assembly for 10 years and on the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners for 16 years. He died in March at 87.

Patricia Hinton Sims

Patricia Hinton Sims was a lifelong civil rights champion, including as a member of Rock Hill’s “City Girls” who marched in the 1960s. She died in August at 79.

David Hoyle

David Hoyle served as a state senator from Gaston County from 1992 to 2010. He died in March at 84.

Graeme Keith

Graeme Keith co-founded with his son The Keith Corporation, a prominent commercial real estate firm. He died in March at 90.

Leon Levine

Leon Levine founded the Family Dollar store chain and became one of North Carolina’s leading philanthropists, giving away hundreds of millions of dollars to a variety of causes. He died in April at 85.

Eric Montross

Eric Montross was a star basketball player at UNC in the 1990s who later became a radio broadcaster for the team. He died Dec. 17 at 52.

Conen Morgan

Conen Morgan was a highly sought-after political strategist and former president of the Young Democrats of North Carolina. He died in May at 42.

Rolfe Neill

Rolfe Neill was the long-time publisher of The Charlotte Observer who partnered with other business leaders to build Charlotte into the city it is today. He died in July at 90.

Fountain Odom

Fountain Odom served as a Mecklenburg County commissioner for six years and a state senator for 14 years. He died in November at 85.

Billy Packer

Billy Packer played in a Final Four for Wake Forest, then broadcast 34 more of them as a TV analyst. He died in January at 82.

Ernest Perry

Ernest Perry founded Perry’s Diamonds and Estate Jewelry and raised millions for charity as arguably the city’s leading auctioneer. He died in July at 78.

Walker Reid

Walker Reid spent 22 years serving as Gastonia’s mayor pro tem and as a City Council member before being elected Gastonia’s first Black mayor in 2017. He died in November at 66.

Jerry Richardson

Jerry Richardson landed the Carolina Panthers NFL franchise for Charlotte and owned the team for 25 years. He died in March at 86.

Tom Smith

Tom Smith was the CEO of Food Lion who became well-known in part for his humorous television commercials. He died in June at 82.

Sarah Stevenson

Sarah Stevenson was a Charlotte civil rights pioneer, the first Black woman elected to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board and a founder of an influential forum for political and social dialogue on the city’s westside. She died in September at 97.

Anton Walkes

Anton Walkes was a professional soccer player who played one season with Charlotte FC. He died in January at 25.

Alista “Cozzie” Watkins

Cozzie Watkins was president of the Democratic Women of Mecklenburg County whose speech during the Democratic National Convention’s roll call went viral in 2020. She died in March at 71.