Wesley Drew Whitehead

Wesley Drew Whitehead, 54, passed away July 3, 2023. He was born February 4, 1969. He leaves to cherish his memory, his wife of 27 years, Tammie Whitehead; daughter Hannah Garciga (Douglas); son Wesley D. Whitehead II; parents Charles W. Whitehead Jr. and Patricia Drew Whitehead; sisters Robin Howell (Randy) and Erin Sommers (Keith); nieces and nephews, Morgan Pittman (Walter), Laker Howell (Madison), Oakley Howell, Ty Sommers and Luke Sommers; mother-in-law Betty Dixon; sister-in-law Leslie Pittman and his loyal dog Buddy; many aunts, uncles and cousins. Wes was born on Feb. 4, 1969. He grew up fishing, hunting and trapping with his father. He grew up surrounded by aunts, uncles and cousins. He made sure to watch over his sisters Robin and Erin. They all three grew up playing sports either in the side yard or at school. Charles and Tricia made sure all the children knew how to work hard and play hard. Wes loved his sisters very much but that did not stop him from causing mischief when the opportunity presented itself. He graduated from Hobgood Academy, Nash Community College and North Carolina State University. While at NCC, he met Tammie in a calculus class taught by Mrs. Peacock. They were married in July of 1995 surrounded by family and friends. In September of 1998, they welcome a daughter, Hannah. When Wes first saw Hannah during the ultrasound he said, “this is better than winning 40,000 dollars fishing”. Ten years later, Wesley joined our family, and we were complete. Wes loved to spend time with his family. He taught both children to hunt and fish. He and Tammie even finished 2nd in a Fisher of Men charity tournament. Wes taught his children the value of hard work, thinking on your feet and having a personal relationship with the Lord. Wes was a behind the scenes person. He did not like being the center of attention unless it was Feb. Since Feb was a short month, Wes felt he should celebrate his birthday the entire month. Wes would give strangers a ride, food and water and so much more. Wes proudly served in the United States Air Force. He worked on the fighter planes during the Gulf War. He was blessed that all his planes and their pilots returned safely. He worked the last 20 plus years at Pfizer in various areas. He was a lab analyst and tested heparin for the last eleven years. His coworkers became his second family. Wes’ greatest joy was sharing a meal with family and sharing stories. He loved to hear how his niece and nephews were doing. He enjoyed catching up with fishing buddies and the guys at the hunting club. As Wes grew older, he enjoyed watching the deer more and shooting less. For their 25th wedding anniversary, Wes and Tammie went to the Outer Banks. It was on this trip that Tammie discovered the bear refuge, and the rest is history. Wes loved to take his family to see the bears. His family came to his home for many meals and laughs. In Oct 2021, Hannah met Douglas. He soon joined the group at our dinner table. Charles, Tricia, Betty and Ray shared many meals at Wes’ house. Wes loved to cook, and he has passed that joy on to Wesley. Wes was truly thankful for everyone who helped him during the last 13 months. From the doctors, nurses, case managers, housekeepers, rehab aides, and neighbors. Wes would want everyone to know that they are called by name to be “The Lord’s kid too.” A celebration of life will be held at 2:00pm on Saturday, July 15, 2023 at Cornerstone Funeral Home with Rev. Chris Fowler officiating. A visitation will be held one hour prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, donations in Wes’ memory may be made to Red Oak Baptist Church: 4861 Church Street, Battleboro, NC 27809.

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Wesley Drew Whitehead

February 4, 1969 - July 3, 2023