Charles David Atkinson

Charles David Atkinson, known to his friends and family as David, grew up in a working-class neighborhood of Norfolk, Virginia. Although raised there, his parents were both from Wilmington, North Carolina. Regular summer visits to Wilmington allowed him to develop close ties with his extended family and a lasting affection for the city that would become his home during the final third of his life.

David's lifelong passions for nature and music began in childhood. He was fascinated by the natural world, a fascination that never left him.

As a teenager, he also developed an enduring admiration for Frank Sinatra, to whom he bore a striking resemblance. By middle age he had assembled every Frank Sinatra recording ever released. His musical tastes extended across what is often called the Great American Songbook, embracing artists such as Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Tony Bennett and Chet Baker. His vast record collection, encyclopedic musical knowledge, and infectious enthusiasm for sharing it remained constants throughout his life.

After graduating from college with a teaching degree in Norfolk, David began teaching elementary school. Beginning his teaching career at just twenty-one, David's youthful energy made him especially approachable. His students affectionately knew him as "Mister A."

He filled his classroom with terrariums containing snakes and lizards, aquariums teeming with fish, and endless opportunities to spark curiosity. His lessons on the Titanic became legendary among his students. David possessed the rare gift of making learning exciting, and generations of children benefited from his warmth, humor and enthusiasm. Many former students stayed in touch with him throughout their lives, right up until his passing.

Seeking a new adventure, David moved to San Francisco in 1969. Supporting himself as a substitute teacher, he pursued his ambitions as a singer and actor. He found work as an extra, stand-in and commercial actor, enjoying the creative energy of the city while continuing to teach.

David also possessed a deep interest in psychology. His perceptiveness, openness and willingness to be vulnerable made him an unusually generous and understanding friend. Coupled with his lively, spontaneous sense of humor, these qualities drew people to him and inspired creative interests, including photography.

Beginning in the mid-1970s, David embarked on an intense exploration of consciousness and spirituality that remained central to his life for the next fifty years. It became as much a part of who he was as teaching, music, acting or his love of nature.

When cassette tapes became popular in the late 1970s, David found another outlet for his passion for music. Under the self-appointed title of "DJ Dave," he created meticulously curated compilation tapes for friends. Over the decades that followed, the cassette compilations gave way to carefully selected YouTube links, ensuring that he continued introducing friends to forgotten classics and hidden gems well into the digital age.

In the 1980s, David moved to Los Angeles to pursue his performing ambitions further. Later, when his beloved mother, Lennie, retired to Wilmington, he returned to the East Coast. She was the single most important person in his life and being close to her mattered deeply.

Back in Wilmington, David created a haven for himself on two secluded acres along Market Street. His woodland garden became an extension of his love of nature. Deer, raccoons and feral cats all knew they would find food on his porch, and he delighted in sharing his little sanctuary with them.

His final teaching chapter was with the English as a Second Language program at Cape Fear Community College. At this stage of life, he found teaching adults especially rewarding. He enjoyed learning about his students' cultures as much as they enjoyed learning English, and he admired their determination and eagerness to build new lives.

Eventually, the expansion of commercial development near the Interstate 95 corridor brought an end to his peaceful woodland retreat. David embraced retirement by moving to Historic Downtown Wilmington, where he transformed a tiny garden into another magical refuge. Behind a distinctive Wilmington brick wall, trellises overflowed with greenery, fountains trickled, bird feeders attracted constant visitors, and soft lights created a welcoming atmosphere. Squirrels became regular guests, wandering into his sitting room each day for peanuts, while neighborhood cats somehow always found their way into his life—and often into his home.

From his favorite armchair, David maintained friendships that stretched across every stage of his remarkable life. Though scattered around the world, he and his friends had reunited often, travelling together through Europe, California, Wilmington and the historic cities of Savannah, Charleston and Williamsburg. Those shared journeys became some of the happiest and most enduring memories of their friendship.

David's wit, curiosity, and remarkable gift for connecting with people made him someone others naturally gravitated toward. Whether introducing a friend to a forgotten song, encouraging a struggling student, sharing a philosophical conversation late into the evening, or quietly caring for an animal that wandered into his garden, he enriched countless lives through his generosity, humor, warmth and enthusiasm.

He will be remembered with great affection by all who were fortunate enough to know him.

A graveside funeral service will be held at 11:00AM Wednesday, July 29, 2026, at Barlow Vista Baptist Church Cemetery, 22340 US Hwy 17N, Hampstead, NC 28443.