Robert Earl Dedmon Jr.'s Obituary
Robert E. Dedmon, Jr. known as Earl or Bob, was truly one of a kind who lived his life, or his 9 lives as the case may be, absolutely to the fullest. Earl passed away on Saturday, June 14, 2025, in Albemarle, North Carolina at the age of 74.
The family will receive friends on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, from 6 pm until 8 pm at Stanly Funeral and Cremation Care, Albemarle. A Celebration of Life will be held on Thursday, June 19, 2025, at 11 am in the Stanly Funeral Home Chapel.
Earl was born in Jacksonville, Florida in 1950 to Robert (Bobby) E. Dedmon, Sr. and Juanita Gevedon. He was a graduate of N.B. Forrest High School, attended the University of Florida where he was a member of Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity and graduated from the University of North Florida with a degree in Construction Engineering. He worked for the Jacksonville Port Authority, owned and operated the Londonaire Lounge with his father and worked for Daytona International Airport. After moving to North Carolina, Earl worked with his father at Construction and Preventative Maintenance, Inc., owned RED Eagle Contracting, Inc. with his daughters and worked as a consultant for CERmet, Inc. For his final hoorah, the family opened Armadillo Axe Throwing, Inc. and he was especially proud to be a part of the axe throwing community. Earl was passionate about community involvement and strived to always make sure he gave back in both Florida and in North Carolina. Earl was a lifelong bicyclist and collected armadillos. He loved camping with his family, grilling and the Florida Gators. Earl could build almost anything, fix almost anything, and if he couldn’t, he figured out how and always made it happen, especially for his girls. His go to phrase for every milestone, celebration, win, birth and anniversary was “Go Gators!”
Earl is survived by his loving wife of almost 55 years, Mary E. (Edie) Rountree Dedmon. After meeting in 1969, they eloped to Beaufort, South Carolina in September of 1970, and started their family in the spring of 1971. Earl and Edie happily defied all odds over the years to create an incredible family filled with love. Earl loved Edie and his daughters with all of his heart and was extremely proud of them. The legacy he and Edie started is evident in the families that their girls have built. Melissa and D.J., Carrie and Bryan, and Erin and Andy loved Earl as much as he loved them. Earl is also survived by six loving grandchildren; Abigail (Matt), Zachary, Bryce, Lillian (Reagan), Ellison, Annabelle; one great-grandchild, Rosemary and Sunny, his beloved cat. Earl was an incredibly proud father and grandfather who encouraged and supported them in following their dreams.
Earl is also survived by 5 siblings; Karen (Gary), Eric, Steve (Suzanne), Scott, Dena (Joey), his sister-in-law, Kathy (Charlie), brother-in-law Jimmy (Tammy) and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents.
Earl will always be remembered for his love of a good time and would say to everyone he met “I’m lookin’ for a party, can you help me out?” He was a great friend to so many people and we could not have asked for a better husband, father and grandfather and know that his memory will live on in the hearts of all those who loved him.
Flowers are appreciated but if you would rather, donations may be made to the American Heart Association at heart.org or to Breakthrough T1D (American Diabetes Association) at diabetes.org .
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