Edwin "Ed" Emery Utley

He was preceded in death by his parents Edwin Emory and Stella Ray Utley of Moncure, NC and his loving wife and sweetheart Hellon Lawrence Utley of Raleigh.

He is survived by his four children, Nancy and husband Dr. Thomas Hutchins of Raleigh, Sharon and husband Dave Weigle of Chapin, SC, James Emory Utley and wife Jackie of Raleigh, and Douglas Edwin Utley of Raleigh; grandchildren, Melissa Hutchins Edlin and husband Brian, Ryan Hutchins and wife Erin, Paul Hough, Brandon Utley, all of Raleigh, Natalie Weigle of Greenville, SC and Jill Weigle DuPre and husband Dan of Irmo, SC; great-grandchildren, Scott Edlin, Caroline and Charlotte Hutchins, and Emery and Madelyn DuPre; and dear friend, Jeanette Bennett of Raleigh.

Ed grew up in Moncure, NC where he attended Moncure High School and was president of his Class of 1941, which included 25 students. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1943. He served through the end of WWII on the Destroyer USS Irwin with Admiral Halsey’s group at Leyte Gulf, Okinawa, Saipan and Iwo Jima. He was in Tokyo Bay during the signing of the surrender.

After attending Louisburg College and NC State University, he worked on construction of power plants and joined Carolina Power and Light Company in 1951 as an electrician at the Lee Plant in Goldsboro. He subsequently was superintendent of Weatherspoon Plant in Lumberton and Lee Plant in Goldsboro and the start up of the Roxboro Plant. He moved to Raleigh in 1966 as production and results engineer and was promoted to manager of generation and system operations in 1970. He was promoted to VP in 1972, senior vice president in 1977, executive vice president in 1979 and continued his rise to become senior executive vice president and a director of the Company. He was responsible for the engineering and construction of new generating and transmission facilities, the purchase of fuel and other materials, and the operation and maintenance of generating plants and transmission facilities.

Ed was a dedicated husband and father of four children. He delighted in working on projects with his children, maintaining home and cars, planting trees and flowers and grooming his lawn, and touring the U.S. and world. He is deeply loved and respected for his faith, self-discipline, leadership and guidance.

He retired from CP&L in 1989 and enjoyed fishing at Emerald Isle, gardening and maintenance at the family farm in Brickhaven, and golfing and socializing at North Ridge Country Club. He was an active member of Kiwanis, ASME, EEI, AEIC Power Generation Committee, and the North Carolina Society of Engineers. He was active at St. Mark’s UMC and assisted Meals on Wheels for several years.

A service of celebration will be held at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, 4801 Six Forks Rd., Raleigh. on Wednesday, July 13th at 11:00 am. After the service, the family will host a reception at North Ridge Country Club from 12:30-2:30 pm, all are invited. A public burial service will be held at Haywood Cemetery near Moncure, NC at 10:00 am on Thursday, July 14th.

The family wishes to thank the Cypress of Raleigh, especially the Home Care workers, for their love and care of Ed in recent months.

In lieu of flowers, the family request donations to the Alzheimer’s Association, 5171 Glenwood Ave #101, Raleigh, NC 27612 or a charity of choice in Ed’s memory.

Service arrangements by Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, 300 Saint Mary's St. Raleigh, NC.