- Date Of Birth: April 30, 1920
- Date Of Death: April 21, 2016
- State: North Carolina
CREEDMOOR Gerald Elmer Eccleston, upon his request and after waiting patiently for God to call him home, joined the fold of God’s loving arms on Thursday, April 21, 2016. He is predeceased by his wife of 50 years, Patricia Angeline Cornell Eccleston; his sons, Robert and Vincent Eccleston; and his daughter, Sharon Eccleston Kunz. He leaves behind his sisters Ruth Nichols (NY), Esther Shafer (NY) and Lillian Passett (OH); sons Gene Eccleston (wife Tina) and David Eccleston (wife Kathy); and his daughters Carol Lawton (husband Dennis); Cindy Radford (husband Kenneth); Brenda Mangum (husband Gregory); and Sue Thompson (husband Michael) in addition to many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Gerald was born just prior to the onset of the Great Depression. He graduated from Binghamton Central High School and attended Alliance Missionary Technical Institute, now known as Nyack College, to pursue the career of a musical evangelist. While at the university at the age of 17, Gerald heard a roommate playing the musical saw and purchased one immediately.
Gerald lived an amazing testament to God’s grace. In addition to growing up during the Great Depression, his first professional career was for IBM in NY. He followed IBM’s relocation to RTP in 1965 and retired 41 years ago, still with multiple school age children. He then worked as a security guard for Overnight Trucking Company and after that, a driver for Colorcraft. His final career was for the Wake County Public School System as a school bus driver. The parents of his bus riders said they could set their watches by the time he picked up their children.
Gerald lost his wife 8 years ago, yet he maintained a fierce independence. As his children cared for him in his final days, he was lucid and competent and he assisted them consistently by letting them know precisely what he needed, all the while maintaining a sense of humor.
Gerald’s children wish to tell the world what an honor it has been to be raised by such an amazing Christian father and to care for him in his final days at his home.
