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 Oct. 1, 1939 - Oct. 8, 2021
Mickey Wilson Dry, 82, was born in Albemarle, North Carolina. He graduated from Albemarle High School, Lenoir-Rhyne College (now Lenoir-Rhyne University), and School of Banking of the South at Louisiana State University. He completed the Executive Program at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. Mickey also served in the NC Air National Guard for six years before being honorably discharged in 1967.
He was married for almost 60 years to Dorothy Dry, his college sweetheart, whom he met when they were both students at Lenoir-Rhyne, class of 1961. He retired January 2001 after 39 years of employment with the Wachovia Corporation, as the Chief Credit Officer and Senior Executive Vice President. Mickey has resided in Albemarle, Shelby, Charlotte, Kinston, Greenville, Raleigh, and Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and Singer Island and Port St. Lucie, Florida. Mickey treasured the relationships he developed in all of these places, and happily maintained them over the years.
A lot of what Mickey enjoyed centered around his appreciation of nature and the beauty of the outdoors. In his days of living in eastern North Carolina he enjoyed sailing with his family and friends. He always liked hiking and traveling to U.S. National Parks. When Mickey and Dorothy moved to Florida, one of their favorite activities was walking on the beach together. He loved spending time with his family and was there to celebrate milestones, including grandchildren’s birthdays. He also valued being part of the smaller, everyday moments, such as watching them play sports, sharing a good book, or just hearing about their day. For 20 years, Mickey and Dot had a cabin in Meadows of Dan, Virginia, and he delighted in hosting his grandchildren for visits and exploring the area together by hiking, fishing, and canoeing. As an engaged member of his larger community, Mickey served on numerous boards and was part of many organizations. He was formerly on the boards of Winston-Salem State University, Piedmont Regional Trauma Board, and Old Hickory Council of Boy Scouts of America. As an alum, he was deeply involved with Lenoir-Rhyne, serving as Chairman of the Board of Visitors, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, and President of the Greenville Area Alumni Association. He was an active member of the Lutheran churches in the communities where he resided.
Mickey is survived by his loving wife Dorothy; son Todd and daughter-in-law Nita; daughter Tracy and son-in-law Gavin; and grandsons Brandon, Chandler, Bryce, Garrett, and Sterling. He was preceded in death by his parents, Myron and Clara Dry of Albemarle, North Carolina. One of the things we’ll miss most was how present and engaged he was with all of us. He always provided unconditional love and support to each one of us.
Something close to his heart was providing educational opportunities for children of all ages. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Lenoir-Rhyne University at https://www.lr.edu/give, or the Holy Spirit Lutheran Church Preschool, Juno Beach at https://www.hslcjuno.org/donate.
A Funeral Service will be held on Thursday, October 14, 2021 at 10:00 AM at Holy Spirit Lutheran Church, 13301 Ellison Wilson Rd, Juno Beach, FL 33408. Following the funeral service will be a committal service at Riverside Memorial Park, 19351 SE County Line Road, Tequesta, FL 33469.
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David Cotterill
I was shocked and deeply saddened when I reeived the "Gang" email this AM and learned the sad news.
Mickey was a great guy, easy to be around with a "dry" sense of humor.
Very competent , very involved in the community and his church. Dot was a special loving wife to him and they were a great couple. I feel being around him made me a better person. We all will miss him terribly..
Darrell Newton
Mickey and I grew up in the same small hometown during the heyday of textile mills. At Wachovia we never called each other by name, we just called each other “linthead”, even after we had both retired. Mickey was a very smart person and extremely personable. David Cotterill is correct, Mickey had a very ‘dry’ sense of humor and always with a unique smile. He helped mentor many Wachovians. We have lost a great friend. Prayers for Dot and family.
Sam Tallman
Mickey was always a kind & gentle man, and as a senior colleague, he was always supportive & negaged personally with those he worked with. A true Wachovian that makes us all gratified to have been part of it.
Jerry Ayers
I didn't know Mickey well, but always found him easy to talk with and a person who showed genuine interest in whatever I wanted to discuss. I forget how it came about, but the topic of spicy peppers was something we often bantered around .He always wowed the insurance underwriters I arranged meetings with as he covered the ways Wachovia managed its credit risk. And when it came to that Wachovia mantra of "soundness, profitability and growth", he was the king of soundness. Not only professionally, but personally. So sad he's no longer with us.
Ken McAllister
Mickey Dry was a man of duty, honor, faith and family. He was the kind of Wachovian and person we all wished we could be. He was a thoroughly "Good Man" at every level, at every depth and in every dimension of his life. His example made us all better.
Thank you Mickey for your inner bright light of warmth and faith and integrity. That special light shall burn bright always in my memory.
Our prayers abide with Dot and your family.
John McLean
I had the pleasure to know and work with Mickey in some capacity over our careers. Whether criscrossing paths in Loan Administration or later as I drifted to other areas, he was always smart, witty, mild mannered, respectful, down to earth, and full of common sense. I never met a single person that did not enjoy working with him- a real gentleman. He was a true Wachovian. I will miss him.
Charles Blocker
I learned so much from Mickey about the core credit culture of Wachovia, assessing business risk and the importance of people in business dealings. Mickey also had a very warm and personable side and always staying in touch with his people and their families. He will be missed.
Jim Watson
During my first week working with Wachovia in Charlotte, I was assigned to Mickey Dry to learn how to make time payment loans. Yep--it was a long time ago. One of the first applications that I processed was from an applicant that did not qualify for a loan. Mickey instructed me to calll the customer and decline the loan. I followed his instructions. Here is the conversation and Mickey's response: "Mr. XXX. I am calling about your loan application. I have bad news for you. We are not going to make you this loan.".
I will never forget Mickey's reaacttion after I hung up. "Jim, that was TERRIBLE.'. Never say "We have bad news for you.". That was insulting and inappropriate. You must learn to be kind and pleasant to your customers ALWAYS. That resposnse was not kind and pleasant."
Well, I learned that lesson and many other lessons from Mickey. Mickey was a wonderful teacher and friend. We will miss him forever. Jim Watson
Pam White
In all my interactions with Mickey, he made me feel that what I was doing was important, regardless of the issue. He was a true gentleman, with a remarkable, yet sometimes mysterious, sense of humor. It was an honor to know him.
Don Truslow
I was both shocked and saddened when I saw the notice about Mickey this morning. I had the privilege and pleasure of working for him in the early 1990’s when Wachovia merged with South Carolina National. Besides being a talented banker, Mickey was a patient teacher, a caring mentor, a devoted friend, and just a wonderful person. He had a great sense of humor and a hearty laugh which I heard often.