Wilbur Hoke Currie Jr.

Published 9:00 am Friday, October 4, 2024

Wilbur Hoke Currie Jr. was a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, cousin and friend to many. He was an avid sports fan and never missed a UNC football or basketball game if he could help it. Hoke passed away at the age of 75 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina from a sudden and unexpected illness.

Hoke was born in Carthage, North Carolina in 1949 to Wilbur Hoke Currie Sr. and Margaret Willcox Currie. He was the youngest of eight children and relished being the baby of his family. Hoke attended Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina and majored in English. He later pursued a master’s in Sports Administration at The Ohio State University.

Hoke met Nancy Kachadoorian after reading a newspaper article showcasing her as the new librarian of Wadesboro, North Carolina and calling her up for a date. The two were married in 1975 and had two children, Margaret “Meg” Keteon Currie and Jacob “Jake” Willcox Currie. They later settled in Farmville.

Hoke served as Longwood University’s first full-time sports information director until 1997, chronicling the spectacular accomplishments of Longwood’s student-athletes. He was a member of the College Sports Information Directors Association (CoSIDA) and was a founding member of the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID). His work received 21 citations of excellence in publications from CoSIDA.

Hoke also provided a wealth of material for the recently released biography of basketball star Jerome Kersey, Overcoming the Odds, written by Kerry Eggers. The book was built on the work that he provided, including interviews with Kersey that helped make it possible.

Inspired by a missionary trip to Central America after Hurricane Mitch, Hoke became very involved in his local community and decided it was time for a career change. In 2001, he was named as the first coordinator for Heart of Virginia Meals on Wheels. Later, as Meals on Wheels merged with SCOPE (Senior Citizens of Prince Edward), he was named Director of Operations, serving in the role for 10 years.

Upon their retirements, Hoke and Nancy moved to Lewisville, North Carolina to be closer to their daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren. Hoke enjoyed spending time with his family, watching sports, reading Dick Francis books, listening to good music and playing bridge. Tragically, his son Jacob passed away in 2023 after battling leukemia for nearly 2 years. This was truly heartbreaking for the family.

In early 2024, Hoke received an honor of his lifetime when he was inducted in the Longwood University Athletics Hall of Fame. He will always be remembered for his passion for sports, his care for others, his love of community and the environment, and his faith in the Lord.

Hoke was preceded in death by both of his parents; his sister, Elizabeth Currie Shoenfelt; his brother, John Lauchlin Currie, and his son, Jacob.

He is survived by his wife, Nancy; his daughter, Margaret; his son-in-law, Luis Coyoy and his beloved grandchildren, Emilio and Marisol.

Per his last wishes, Hoke will be cremated and his ashes spread in Montreat, North Carolina. The family will host a celebration of life service at Clemmons Presbyterian Church in Clemmons, North Carolina on Saturday, Nov. 2, at 3 p.m. Please RSVP here: https://form.jotform. com/242735236066154.

To honor Hoke, donations can be made to the Longwood University W. Hoke Currie Athletics Scholarship: https://give.longwood.edu/. Select “other” on the drop down and type “Hoke Currie Scholarship” as the designation, or call 434-395-2130. This scholarship serves to support the mission of Longwood, as well as the financial needs of its students.