Obituary of Frank Fearrington

Chapel Hill Frank Wynne Fearrington, 90, of Chapel Hill, died peacefully Thursday morning, April 20, 2017. A native of Chapel Hill, Frank was the son of the late Lenna Holleman Fearrington and George Edward Fearrington. He entered the U.S. Navy at age 18, was discharged as a Seaman First Class, and then returned home to work in storerooms and supplies at UNC-Chapel Hill, eventually serving as Purchasing Director. At the end of his 42-year career, a university publication admired his decades of service as a triumph of patience and cooperation. Patient and cooperative truly characterize the Frank his friends and family knew and loved. He was steadfast in all areas of life: his relationships, his faith, and his hobbies. As a young man, Frank and his wife, Jeanette Sloan Fearrington, were active and social. He and his friends built their own boat and skis to waterski at Hogan Lake, and they liked to bowl and golf. Golf was a lifelong love, and Frank could shoot his age on the course well into his eighties. Frank was dapper, clever, and handy. He could fix any and everything; loved to tinker and invent helpful gadgets; and was a talented craftsman, architectural sketcher, and oil painter. No matter his task, Frank always arrived with combed hair, a pressed shirt, and - in his later years - bright, spunky socks. He was quick to crack a joke, right up to his final day. Frank is survived by his wife of 65 years, Jeanette; their children, Steve Fearrington and Jeanette Fearrington Ammons; and "his treasure," five grandchildren, Taylor Fearrington, Jessie Ammons, Jason Fearrington, Drew Ammons, and Max Ammons. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at University Baptist Church in Chapel Hill, where Frank was born and baptized. Frank's family and friends will receive visitors in the church's Great Hall following the service.