N. Hunter Wyche, Jr. died on Thursday, February 7, 2019. Hunter was born in Greensboro, NC on May 12, 1951. He spent his formative years in Mt. Airy, NC, where he graduated from Mt. Airy High School in 1969. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was a member of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity. Hunter graduated from Campbell University in 1976 with a BA in Business Administration. He received his law degree in 1980 from Campbell University Law School and was a member of the second graduating class.
Hunter had a distinguished career as an attorney practicing in the fields of bankruptcy and commercial litigation. Hunter was a member of the first class of attorneys to be recognized as a specialist in consumer and business bankruptcy law by the NC State Bar Board of Specialization when the program originated in 1987. He served on the Board’s Committee on Specialization in Bankruptcy from 1989 to 1991 and as a Chair of that committee from 1992 to 1994. He was also certified in Business Bankruptcy Law by the American Board of Certification. Hunter was a member of the NC Bar Association (Member, Committee on Specialization in Bankruptcy Law 1991-1994, Chairman, 1993-1995, Vice Chair, Grievance Committee, 1987-1995, Chairman, 1994-1995). He was also a member of the Commercial Law League of America (Vice-Chairman, Bankruptcy Law Committee, 1986) and the American Bankruptcy Institute and the American Bar Association. He served as a NC State Bar Councillor and was the Vice Chair of the Grievance Committee. Most recently, Hunter served on the Disciplinary Hearing Commission of the NC State Bar. Hunter was recognized as one of North Carolina’s Legal Elite Bankruptcy attorneys and received the Super Lawyer designation. He also served as an adjunct Professor of Debtor/Creditor Law at Campbell University Law School.
Hunter was always very involved in his church and community. Growing up, he received the outstanding attendance award for attending church every Sunday for twelve consecutive years. He served on the vestry and as a chalice bearer at St. Micheal’s Episcopal Church and on the Sunday School Committee and as a chalice bearer at Christ Episcopal Church. Hunter was a supporter of many non-profits including St. Saviour’s Center where he served on the board for seven years and as the President in 2016. He also devoted significant time to the YMCA’s We Build People Campaign, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and various professional pro-bono organizations.
Hunter was a devoted and loving husband and father who adored his wife and children. He was fondly known as “Patches" to his grandchildren. He fought a brave battle against his cancer with determination and positivity, the same way he lived his whole life. Hunter was kind-hearted, jovial, and never met a stranger. He was an enlightened man with a sharp and dry wit. He had an incredible sense of humor and never missed an opportunity to share a good joke. He was extremely proud of his family and treasured his many friends, neighbors, and colleagues. Hunter was as passionate about the practice of law as he was about going to the beach and being out on his boat every chance he got.
He is predeceased in death by his parents, Nannie Lee York and Norman Hunter Wyche of Mt. Airy, NC, and his sister, Patricia Wyche Smith. He is survived by his wife, Susan Grady Wyche, his three children, Cameron Wyche Jones and husband, Jack, of Raleigh and their children Forrest and Gray; Hunt Wyche and wife, Sarah, of Raleigh and their children Ford and Sally; and Lucy York Wyche, also of Raleigh; and his sister, Constance Wyche Gambill and husband, Jimmy, of Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
The family is grateful for the medical support and guidance of Dr. Jared Weiss and his oncology team at the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and the kind and caring nursing staff of UNC-CH Cancer Hospital and Transitions LifeCare in Raleigh.
The funeral service will be held on Monday, February 11, 2019 at 2pm at Christ Episcopal Church in Raleigh, with the Rev. Jim Adams officiating. The family will greet friends to celebrate Hunter’s life from 6pm – 8pm on Sunday, February 10th at the Brown-Wynne Funeral Home at 300 St. Mary’s Street in Raleigh.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Hunter’s name to the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, CB#7295 UNC-CH, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7295 or St. Saviour’s Center, 616 Tucker Street, Raleigh, NC 27603.