Bobby Ray Guyton

Bobby Ray Guyton, age 82, passed away peacefully on July 21, after a long battle with a generative blood cancer. Bobby was born on June 27, 1943, in Dublin, North Carolina to Emmett and Geneva Guyton. He married his high school sweetheart, Janice Edge Guyton on June 2, 1963, and she preceded him in death.

Bobby loved music, politics, spinning records at Ocean Drive, and bragging about his grandchildren. Bobby grew up on a farm in Dublin, North Carolina, and he credited the farm with creating his love for being indoors, listening to music and dancing. He played football at Elizabethtown High School, where as a tri-captain he helped lead the Yellowjackets to the 1960 Waccamaw Conference Championship, and he shared the lessons he learned from Coach Charlie Regan for the rest of his life. Bobby loved White Lake, North Carolina and Ocean Drive Beach, South Carolina more than any other places on earth. He prided himself on being inducted into the Beach Music Hall of Fame as a DJ, and continued to attend SOS Weekends until his health limited his activity.

He loved the time he spent serving his community, both in Elizabethtown and the State of North Carolina, which included the Elizabethtown Jaycees for many years where he also served a term as President, serving on the North Carolina Zoological Council from 1975-1981 which concluded with the opening of the North Carolina Zoological Park (now the North Carolina Zoo), and serving on the Town of Elizabethtown Planning Board 1981-1997, which kept him involved in shaping the future of his hometown.

For most of his career, Bobby worked in the insurance industry, specializing in group health plans for larger employers, but his real passion was his real estate speculation. He enjoyed finding a underutilized property and bringing it back to life. He also insisted on making his tenants happy, even when it didn’t make economic sense. If you were trying to track Bobby down, the odds were pretty good you would find him piddling around one of his buildings, always with a new idea, with the plans and financial model written by hand on his trusty yellow note pad.

Bobby’s children and grandchildren remember his unique form of discipline, which usually included a trip to the store for some candy after Janice had handled the real discipline. He rarely missed a ball game, whether it was his children, his grandchildren or one of the many children from Elizabethtown that he considered his children as well. He volunteered as the voice of the Cougars at East Bladen High School for many years, and later as the voice of the Saints at Christian Academy in Myrtle Beach.

Bobby’s life was full of contradictions, he was a devout democrat, who started in politics working with Jesse Helms. He loved White Lake, but didn’t enjoy being outside. He loved fresh vegetables, but wouldn’t have considered picking them. He tried to be healthy, but couldn’t pass up a good hotdog or bologna sandwich. He prided himself on his wardrobe in his earlier years, but settled for flannel shirts and a ball cap later in life. Despite those contradictions, he made sure everyone knew how much he loved his wife Janice, his two children, his five grandchildren and his five great grandchildren.

Bobby is survived by his brother Donald Guyton and his wife Connie, his sister-in-law Sue Guyton, his cousins of both the Guyton and Carroll families, his son Shep Guyton and wife Kelly, his daughter Jan (Guyton) Potter and husband Tommy, his grandchildren Austin Guyton and wife Natalia, their daughter and Bobby’s great-grandchild Addison Harper, Miller (Guyton) Howenstine, and husband John, their two daughters and Bobby’s great-grandchildren Hadley Eloise and Averie May, Quan Luddley and his son and Bobby’s great-grandchild Easton, Robert Guyton and his wife Hannah, their son and Bobby’s great-grandchild Robert Shepherd II and Davis Guyton, his many nieces, nephews, cousins and all of those he and his wife Janice called family.

The family would like to express their sincere gratitude for the loving care extended to Bobby and his family by Christie Bowen, Katie Guyton Taylor, Camryn Horton, and others with Liberty Hospice of Whiteville.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Elizabethtown Presbyterian Church Columbarium Fund or the Cape Fear Valley Health Foundation. The family plans a celebration of life at a later date.