Mr. Vinton Carr Bruton III, 73, of Roanoke Rapids, NC passed away Thursday night, October 15, 2020 at The Pearl at Watkins Center in Midlothian, Virginia due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease. Mr. Bruton, known as V. C. since childhood, was born June 22, 1947 in Montgomery County, one of three children born to the late Vinton Carr Bruton, Jr. and Nancy Wade Burkhead Bruton. He was raised in Mount Gilead, NC, near his large extended family including his grandparents Mary Haywood and Vinton Carr Bruton, Sr. and Carlyle Wade and Nancy Kerns Burkhead.
V. C. graduated from Wake Forest University in 1969 and became a Certified Public Accountant in 1970. He joined Haney, Vann, Bruton & Crawford in Roanoke Rapids in 1976, where he became a partner. Known for his hard work, integrity, humility, and character, V.C. was an active member of the community, serving in the Chamber of Commerce, Jaycees, Rotary, and RRHS Athletic Boosters clubs.
His love affair with golf was marked by a strict adherence to the rules and a great sense of humor regardless of the score. He was a fixture at Chocoyotte Country Club, where he scored a hole in one in 1992, thus saving him the ever difficult chore of putting.
He was also an avid sports fan, known for loudly cheering for his children, grandchildren, Red Sox and Demon Deacons through thick and thin. He was always game for any adventure with his family, including whitewater rafting, hunting, skiing, and travelling.
V. C. was a faithful Christian, worshiping as a member of First United Methodist Church, First Christian Church and most recently at Calvary Baptist in Roanoke Rapids. He exercised his faith in many ways including through his generosity and by treating everyone he met with dignity and respect. He served on many committees in the church and was a trustee at First Christian.
He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Dianne Gardner Bruton of the home. He is also survived by two sons and a daughter and their spouses, Vinton and Marla Bruton of Saint George, VA, Katie and Chris Greene of Midlothian, VA and David and Stephanie Bruton of Crozet, VA. He counted among his blessings 11 grandchildren: Conrad, Caroline, and Madeline Bruton; Rebecca, Jack, Virginia, and Libby Greene; Sadie, Anastasia, Micah, and Silas Bruton. He is also survived by his sisters and their husbands, Nancy Bruton-Maree and Ben Maree and Frances and Charles Hunsucker; his sister-in-law Debbie Gardner, brother-in-law Dale Gardner and his wife Marian, sister-in-law Dana Villalba and her husband Ivan, as well as many cousins, nieces and nephews.
A private graveside service will be held on Thursday, October 22 at 2:00 pm at Westhampton Memorial Gardens in Richmond, VA. There will also be a memorial service at a later date in Roanoke Rapids. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association or Heartland Hospice of Richmond.
