Andy Dembicks, 81, of Raleigh passed away on Friday, February 24, 2023. He was an engineer, an entrepreneur, and a loving father. He was born in New York City in 1941, was educated at Newark College of Engineering. Andy went to see Dave Brubeck all the time in Greenwich Village, NYC. He relocated to Raleigh, NC in 1974 to found the company, Southern Case, Inc.
His passions included fencing, gourmet cooking, sailing on his sailboat, and extensive traveling. He won cooking competitions with his original recipes and was among the first citizens of Raleigh to install a professional kitchen in his personal residence. He enjoyed membership in Young Presidents Organization and supported fellow businessmen in the Triangle Area in their business forum.
His loyal employees at Southern Case, Inc, once the largest private employer in Raleigh, loved working under his leadership due to his “generous personnel policies” according to a 1992 article written about the company in the Triangle Business Journal. Southern Case, Inc. manufactured blow molded plastic carrying cases for products ranging from Sears Toolboxes to Atari Gaming cases to lunch boxes and gun cases.
Andy was preceded in death by his parents, Michael and Olga Dembicks and his sister, Andrea Stewart.
He is survived by three children, Paige D. McLaurin of Raleigh, Jill D. Samelson and husband, David of Hong Kong and Tyler J. Dembicks and wife, Amanda of Raleigh; eight grandchildren; one great-granddaughter; and his former wives, Gail Dembicks and Shelley Castleberry.
A visitation will be held Sunday, March 5th from 1-3pm at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, 300 Saint Mary's St. Raleigh, NC.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Dementia Alliance of North Carolina, 9131 Anson Way Suite 206, Raleigh, NC 27615.
