Mr. Samuel Mallette Gattis III died Saturday, January 23, 2010. He was the son of Samuel Mallette Gattis II and Virginia Parris Gattis and the grandson of Samuel Mallette Gattis and Margaret Parish Gattis.
Mr. Gattis graduated from Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with a degree in business/commerce. While at UNC, he was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps (1943-46) with the Fifth Amphibious Field Artillery and the 155th Howitzer Battalion on Leyte, Philippine Islands.
In 1951, Mr. Gattis became assistant clerk of the Superior Court in Orange County, N.C. In 1953, he was appointed Orange County accountant and tax supervisor. In 1963, he became the first county manager of Orange County. He retired after 30 years of service. During his tenure, he was named N.C. County Manager of the Year.
Mr. Gattis was a member of St. Matthews Episcopal Church, Hillsborough, N.C., where he was a Sunday school teacher for many years. He was a graduate of the UNC School of Government Municipal Administration Program. He was a member of the Board of Trustees of the NC Local Government Employees’ Retirement System. Mr. Gattis was a licensed private pilot and a certified scuba diver. He enjoyed spending time boating and fishing on the beaches of North Carolina, playing golf and spending time with his beloved grandchildren.
Surviving are his daughter, Susan Owen Gattis, of Efland; his son, David Alexander Gattis, and wife, Dana, of Hillsborough; his daughter, Margaret Gattis Newton, of Mountain Brook, Ala.; grandchildren Lucy Owen Newton, Anne Parks Newton, Blair Amber Gattis, Hope Alexis Gattis and Megan Elizabeth Gattis. Mr. Gattis was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Susan Robertson Gattis, his son, Samuel Mallette Gattis IV, and his sister, Virginia Charles Gattis.