Carl Duncan Price

Garner- Dr. Carl Duncan Price, 92, of Garner, passed away Tuesday, December 13. He lived a life of service to his family, church and community, and his legacy will continue.

He was born on May 4, 1930, the youngest of seven children of Dalley Henry and Essie Campbell Price, in the Johnston County community of Thanksgiving. He grew up working on the family farm and graduated from Corinth Holders High School in 1948. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in agronomy from North Carolina State University in 1953. Carl returned to NCSU twice to also earn his master’s (1957) and his doctorate in Education (1971).

After serving in the US Army in Korea from 1953 to 1955, Carl returned to Johnston County and married Faye Driver, and would have been married to her for 67 years on December 26.

In 1964, Carl began working with the North Carolina Community College System, which became his passion. He started as a teacher at Fayetteville Technical Institute, was selected as a Community College Intern Fellow in the NCSU Adult and Community College Education Department in 1966, and moved his family to Warsaw, NC, to be the Dean of Instruction at James Sprunt Community College in Kenansville, NC in 1968. Five years later, he became President at James Sprunt. One of his proudest achievements while at the school was establishing the nursing program there. In 1989, he moved to Garner and became the Executive Vice President of Wake Tech Community College in Raleigh, NC, from which he retired in 1997. He also received the I.E. Ready Award for effective leadership in NC community colleges in 1995.

While in Warsaw, Carl and Faye raised their three children and established enduring friendships. There he took up the sport of golf, which he enjoyed into his late 80s.

A major part of Carl’s life centered around church. Carl was an active member of Warsaw Baptist Church and later, Aversboro Road Baptist Church in Garner. During this time, he was a Sunday school teacher and a deacon, and served in other leadership positions. He also enjoyed working on community projects with the Warsaw Rotary Club, where he served as President in 1975, and with the Garner Civitans. For his contributions to the community college system and his community, Carl was awarded North Carolina’s highest honor, the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, in 2002.

Playing and watching sports was a passion for Carl all his life. He was an avid NY Yankees fan, and persistent Wolfpack fan, having at one time season tickets to NC State football, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball. Once starting to play golf in Warsaw, he became an avid golfer. He was very proud of his six holes-in-one and shooting his age at least once in each of the last 14 years he played golf until age 85. He enjoyed sharing his love of Jesus, golf and the Wolfpack with his four grandchildren and attending their ballgames and performances.

Carl was preceded in death by his parents; his brothers Arnold, Elbert, and Dwight Price; his sisters Inez Price, Eunice Harwell, and Ovelia Rockwell; and his daughter, Carla Price.

He is survived by his wife, Faye, and his children, Todd and wife Amy of New Bern, and Nila Warren and husband Phil of New Hill. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Duncan Price and wife Carly of Raleigh, Emily Powell and husband Thomas of Garner, and Matthew and Trent Warren of New Hill.

After a private graveside service at Thanksgiving Baptist Church, a memorial service will be held in Garner, NC, at Aversboro Road Baptist Church on Monday, December 19, at 2:00 p.m. The family will receive friends immediately following the memorial service.

Gifts to honor the memory of Dr. Price may be made to the Carla G. Price Endowed Memorial Scholarship at Wake Tech Foundation (www.waketech.edu/wake-tech-foundation), or to Aversboro Road Baptist Church.