Eric Hayden Beatty

Eric Hayden Beatty (Eric) died on October 6, 2025, at his home in Cary, NC. Eric was born February 3, 1963, in Burlington, NC, to Margaret Long Beatty and the late Cleland Hayden Beatty. He lived in Burlington his entire childhood and was baptized and confirmed in the First Presbyterian Church. He graduated from Walter M. Williams High School (WHS) in 1981 and N.C. State University in 1987 with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management. At N.C. State, he was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon, Beta Chapter, where he held leadership positions. For the past 38 years, he worked for Graybar in Raleigh where he was an expert in job quotations, a job he very much loved.

He is survived by his mother, Margaret, of Burlington, NC; his brother, Samuel Cleland Beatty and wife, Ellen Harrison Gilmore; and nephew, Daniel Cleland Beatty, all of Falls Church, VA.

Eric had many life-long passions. In high school, he played alto saxophone in the WHS marching, concert, and jazz bands. In recent years, he was a self-taught guitar player and strummed regularly. His knowledge of bands was encyclopedic, and he may have been the number one fan of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

Athletically, he played basketball and tennis growing up, ending up as one of the top six players at WHS. He began cycling in his 20s, which led to participation in many Capital Cycling Club events in the Raleigh area. He was an excellent cycling hill climber, and tackled many summits and switchbacks on rides in the North Carolina mountains, France, and Italy. He was most proud of conquering the hairpin bends to reach the Cima Coppi at the Stelvio Pass, the highest point of the Giro d'Italia.

As a teenager, Eric was very active in the youth group and Scout Troop 17 at the First Presbyterian Church in Burlington. He was an Eagle Scout and a member of the Order of the Arrow. He was devoted to his family and his many friends. Within a group of his life-long childhood friends from Burlington, he was counted on to be the group historian. Eric tried to make the best of every situation with his infectious positive attitude and sense of humor. He will be missed, but his examples of how to live life to the fullest will be remembered by all who knew him.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 1, at the First Presbyterian Church, 508 West Davis Street, Burlington, NC 27215. The family will receive friends at a reception in the church's Shive Hall following the service.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made online to the Capital Cycling Club, https://capitalcyclingclub.org/ericbeattydonation; and online or by mail to the J.C. Raulston Arboretum, Campus Box 7522, Raleigh, NC 27695-7522; and the First Presbyterian Church, 508 West Davis Street, Burlington, NC 27215.