Carl Sapp

1923 - 2021

Carl Sapp
June 5, 1923 - March 15, 2021
Durham, North Carolina - Carl Freeman Sapp
"Beware the ides of March." On March 15, Carl Freeman Sapp, 97, departed from this life. Veteran, star athlete, public speaker, humorist, Shakespeare lover, devoted family man and the best of men, Carl died peacefully in the presence of his family, at his home. Carl was born to Victoria Pearl Davis Sapp and Junius Albert Sapp, in Raleigh on June 5, 1923 in the Oakwood section. He had one brother, Junius Albert Sapp, Jr. ("Al"). He attended public schools in Raleigh, graduating from Broughton HS in 1941, where he was captain of the basketball team and an All-State player. In WWII, Carl served as a Naval aviator in the Pacific; he was co-pilot of a 4-engine plane. He always said, "If they shot at me—they missed." After the war, Carl entered Duke University on a basketball scholarship and played three years. He was also president of the Kappa Alpha Fraternity. Always the entertainer, he planned and gave regular campus shows. When asked if he graduated cum laude, he answered, "No, laude how cum?" Carl graduated from Duke in 1949 and soon after started his 35-year career in the N.C. telephone industry, retiring in the 1990s. Carl is pre-deceased by his wife of 64 years, Dorothy Gaddy Sapp ("Dot") and his son, Gregory Davis Sapp (d. 1968). He is survived by daughters Vicki Sapp and Kelly Nance and grandson Erol Koymen.
"Good night, sweet prince, And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest."