Harry Sledge

GREENSBORO Harry Augustus (Buddy) Sledge, Jr. passed away on Tuesday, March 21, early in the morning, surrounded by family. He was born on February 8, 1933 in Savannah, Georgia, the first child of five to Harry A. Sledge, Sr. and Margaret Austin Sledge. He served in the US Army from 1953 to 1955 and graduated from Georgia Tech in 1958. In that same year, he married Marion Alexander, to whom he remained married to for 59 years, until his passing. He settled in Greensboro, NC, to start a family and career. He worked in the clothing industry, selling everything from neckties to Hawaiian shirts to topcoats. Any occasion was a good occasion to dress in a sharp looking suit and tie. In 1976, he served as president of the trade association The Men's Apparel Club of the Carolinas. Harry retired in 1996. He was an avid fly-fisher and handyman and a great lover of trips to the streams and mountains of the Blue Ridge. With Marion as his navigator and companion, they also frequented the Canadian Maritimes, the North Carolina Outer Banks, and Alaska. He passed on this love of the outdoors and a passion for music to his sons. He was a member of the Nat Green Fly Fishers, a volunteer coach to the Senior Net computer program, and a member of the St. Pius X congregation. The family thanks all those who worked so hard to extend Harry's life at the Cone health Cancer Center, especially Dr. Firas Shadad and his staff; also the kind people of Wesley Long Hospital, nurses, techs, schedulers, valet; also not to be forgotten are the efforts of the EMS and ER folks who served him so well on many unscheduled visits. For his final weeks, special appreciation is felt for the nurses and staff of hospice, who provided warmth, cheer, and attention to the small details of a patient's dwindling existence assuring him that he was indeed a person much loved and deserving of every comfort. He was a beloved and devoted father and husband. Harry is survived by his wife Marion, his sons Martin and wife Tiffany and Robert and wife Heath, and his grandson Henry Archer (Archie) Sledge. We hope that there is good fishing in Heaven. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to Hospice and Palliative Care of Greensboro, 2500 Summit Ave, Greensboro, NC. 27405, or to St. Pius X Church, P.O. Box 13588, Greensboro, NC 27415. A memorial will be held at St.Pius X Catholic church, 2210 N. Elm St., Greensboro, NC on Monday, March 27 at 11 a.m.