Theodore "Ted" Lanier

Theodore Bailey Lanier August 31, 1934 – July 9, 2025

Theodore (Ted) Bailey Lanier, 90, of Sanford, passed away peacefully the morning of July 9, 2025, after a lengthy illness. Throughout his last weeks and months, he was surrounded by a steady stream of family members, friends, neighbors, devoted caregivers, and especially his beloved wife, Peggy.

Ted was born August 31, 1934, the fifth of six children. His parents, like most in their Edgecombe County community, were a farming family, and often he and his brothers would be sent to work on neighboring farms. He would recall they were not sent to be paid, but because help was needed, and it was the right thing to do. Those values would inform the rest of his life—professionally, personally, in his community, and in carrying out his faith.

Ted graduated from West Edgecombe High School in 1952, excelling academically and athletically. As a student, he was asked to drive the bus carrying his fellow classmates to school. He played point guard on the West Edgecombe state basketball championship team and was catcher for the baseball team. Even in his earliest years, he was the coach on the field.

Ted spent a year at Duke University playing JV basketball and baseball before joining the Army. He recalled that he got on a plane bound for Korea, but the war ended before he could arrive, and he wound up instead at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii. He spent time there as a military policeman and, by his telling, mostly broke up bar fights—reinforcing his lifelong preference for teetotaling. He served his country with duty and diligence and was honorably discharged as a Staff Sergeant.

Returning home, Ted began working his way through East Carolina College in almost every imaginable way. He worked odd jobs: a surveyor, a basketball referee, a mailman, a tutor. In 1958, he graduated with an accounting degree and began working as a CPA in Tarboro, NC.

It was in Tarboro where Ted met a young Carolina Telephone employee named Peggy Tyner. Whether he asked her out or she “picked him up off the street” was a longstanding family controversy that was never definitively settled. What can be agreed upon is that they were married at the First Baptist Church of Tarboro on April 23, 1961, embarking on a 64-year marriage marked by deep love and devotion.

Ted and Peggy settled in Rocky Mount, where he was asked to serve in the trust department at Planters National Bank. He worked in various executive roles at Planters for the next decade and also found time to obtain a professional degree from the Stonier School of Banking in 1971. He was active at West Edgecombe Baptist Church and in innumerable community activities in Rocky Mount. Most importantly to him, he and Peggy welcomed their children Patricia, LuAnne, and Joe into the family.

In 1971, Ted was invited to relocate to Sanford to assume an executive role at The Carolina Bank. He became President and CEO in 1973, guiding the bank through a period of strong, consistent growth throughout the Sandhills area and beyond. He loved his profession, especially helping good people establish successful businesses. He also enjoyed participating with the North Carolina School of Banking, where he was an instructor and occasionally served as Dean.

Ted agreed to multiple community advisory roles, joining the Board of Directors at the Chamber of Commerce, Lee County Industries, the United Fund, the Rotary Club, and the Advisory Board of Central Carolina Community College. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Gifted and Talented Program in Lee County Schools and served on the Lee County Board of Elections.

At First Baptist Church, Sanford, Ted was deeply involved—anchored by his faith and an unfailing sense of duty. He chaired pastor search, finance, and building fund committees, and taught youth and adult Sunday School classes. If the church doors were open, he was there, and he made sure his family was too.

In 1977, Ted and Peggy suffered the loss of their beloved daughter LuAnne after a brief illness. True to his nature, Ted channeled his deep grief into service, helping recruit a new pediatric specialty practice to Sanford. Ted and Peggy also endowed a scholarship at East Carolina University in LuAnne’s memory, which has since helped numerous students in Lee and Edgecombe counties.

Ted’s commitment to Lee County never wavered. He coached youth basketball in city and church leagues for years, often showing up directly from the office in business attire. Astute observers noted that this gave the lifelong Duke fan a passing resemblance to Dean Smith—endlessly delighting his Tar Heel friends, though deeply annoying Ted.

In 1984, Ted joined BB&T as an Executive Vice President and Director after its acquisition of The Carolina Bank. After helping to ensure the smooth success of the merger, he transitioned to a consulting role, advising banks throughout the Southeast during merger transactions. He also turned to corporate board work as Lead Director of National Retail Properties, and partnerships at Platinum Corral, LLC and FLW Investments. From 1989–1991, he led the founding and served as the first President and CEO of Triangle Bank in Raleigh, NC.

For the rest of his life, Ted used his considerable energy for volunteer efforts. He served for many years as Vice-Chairman of the Board and Finance Chairman at the Baptist Children’s Home in Thomasville, NC. Locally, he led the Baptist Children’s Home effort to successfully create thriving group homes for men and women with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Sanford.

Ted had a special place in his heart for the Salvation Army of Lee County, serving as Chairman and Board Member for many years. He was especially delighted by organizing the holiday bell-ringing program. In the Lanier home, it was not Christmas unless Ted was riding around town taking hot chocolate to volunteers, meticulously charting the revenue streams from each location to ensure optimal volunteer time, and never forgetting to “salt the pot” by providing his own contribution for each volunteer shift change.

Ted’s contributions to the community were recognized by the Lee County Community Foundation in 2015, when it named him Man of the Year in appreciation of his lifelong service. His favorite part of the ceremony was not the recognition—which he always avoided—but that he was able to have his two young granddaughters at his side.

Any list of Ted’s community contributions and career success pales in comparison to the countless small kindnesses and common-sense advice he provided freely and happily to family, friends, neighbors, strangers, or just anyone who asked. His regular walks around the neighborhood were full of observations about new families moving to town, deliveries of newspapers all the way to the front door, and a kind word for everyone he saw.

Ted found ways to help everywhere he looked. Neighbors might spot him in the yard with his cherished beat-up lawnmower or pushing it a half mile down Wilkins Drive to clean up the neighborhood sign, simply because “it looked sloppy.” And Ted Lanier did not abide sloppiness.

Ted is survived by his wife Peggy; his children Patricia Johnson (Keith) of Durham and Joe Lanier (Amy) of Raleigh; his four grandchildren, Mary, Lily, Harrison, and Jack; and a much-loved extended family of nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his four brothers, Carlton, Tim, Henry, and Horace; his sister, Betty; and his beloved daughter, LuAnne.

In his last years, Ted was most focused on Peggy and his four grandchildren. Even in declining health, he never failed to be kind, full of gratitude, and delighted simply to be alive. His most cherished possession was a coffee cup given to him by his grandchildren, which read: “Papa: The Man, the Myth, the Legend.” Ted was all of those things, and then some.

A service of gratitude and celebration of Ted’s life will be held at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, July 16, at First Baptist Church in Sanford, with visitation to follow in the church parlor. The family remembers with gratefulness and love the health care provided by the wonderful staff of Parkview In-Home Aid and Amedisys Hospice. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Ted’s favorite charitable organizations: the Salvation Army of Lee County, the Baptist Children’s Home, and First Baptist Church of Sanford.