Edward Lee Cavenaugh

Edward Lee Cavenaugh, longtime resident of Atlanta, GA, and Greenville, NC, passed in his sleep on June 23, 2025 in Woodstock, GA, at the age of 99.
Ed was born in Half Moon, NC, on January 31, 1926, where his family were tobacco farmers. He grew up with his five siblings (Mary, Sarah, Joseph, Jean, and Gordon) during the challenges of the Great Depression. In 1944, he volunteered for service in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He served as a radio/radar operator and waist gunner onboard a PB4Y bomber, looking for Axis submarines and convoys over the North Pacific. Following the war, he used the GI Bill to pursue a two-year degree from Mars Hill Teacher's College and followed that with a Bachelor's degree from East Carolina University. He also received a Master's of Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 1968, he completed his educational journey by receiving a Ph.D. in Public Health from the University of California at Berkeley.
Ed held many jobs that he valued throughout his working life. He taught 8th grade students and held other teaching positions in his early career. He served as a hospital administrator, which was part of his lifelong passion for public health management. For thirty years, Dr. Cavenaugh served in many roles with the Centers for Disease Control, retiring as a Deputy Director at the age of 57. During his service with CDC, he traveled the world providing expertise and insight to a range of health organizations. Following his retirement from CDC, Dr. Cavenaugh taught with Central Michigan University in their master's degree in public health, a program that was conducted on military bases across the Eastern seaboard. He served that program for 25 years before retiring for good at the age of 72. A classroom at Central Michigan University has been named in his honor.
Ed's two primary homes were in Atlanta, GA, during his years with CDC and then in Greenville, NC, for nearly 40 years after that. Many of his closest friends and family still live in or near those communities. Toward the end of his life, he moved back to Woodstock, GA, to be close to several of his family members, including most of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
During his years in Greenville, Ed was most well known as an active member of Red Oak Christian Church, where he served in many leadership roles. He was perhaps most beloved there for his lessons in the adult Sunday school class that he taught for decades. Despite his claims of tone-deafness, he also sang in the church choir for several years. At Red Oak and elsewhere, his love of children, eagerness to serve others, and commitment to sharing the word of God was unending.
Ed was preceded in death by his parents, Lee Bryan Cavenaugh and Deenie Lanier, as well as all five of his beloved siblings. His first wife, Sarah Alice Mills, and his second wife, Mary Joann Long, also preceded him in death. Ed is survived by his loving and devoted children, Mary Gwendolyn (Gwen) Cavenaugh and Gregory (Greg) Lee Cavenaugh. His memory will live long in the minds of his six grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren, as well as the many nephews and nieces who viewed him as something of a second father. He will also be remembered by thousands of students and professional colleagues as a trusted mentor, guide, and friend.
A memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, June 28 at 3:00 PM at Red Oak Christian Church in Greenville, NC. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Ed's life. A visitation will be held prior to this service at 2:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you please send donations to Red Oak Christian Church in honor of the love and support that Ed and his family received from that congregation over the years.