Harry "Vann" Latham Jr.

Mr. Harry “Vann” Latham, Jr., age 88, died Thursday, April 2, 2009, having lived a long, well and productive life. He was a poet, author and a philosopher. Vann was born in Haslin (3.8 miles east of Belhaven) on February 6, 1921, oldest of four children of Harry Vann Latham and Sarah Matilda Respess Latham. Vann graduated from John A. Wilkinson High School in 1938, N.C. State College with a B.S. degree in Mechanical engineering in 1942 and from East Carolina University with a Master’s degree in Psychology in 1968. Vann and Hester Mae Rose were married on December 7, 1946 (Pearl Harbor Day). Hester preceded him in death, February 2004. They had two children, Val (Harry Vann Latham III, who preceded him in death in December 1995 and Cynthia and her husband, Steve Wilson, who survives and lives in Greenville. Vann attended ECU and then stayed to teach math at John A. Wilkinson High School from 1963 to 1967. Then, the family moved to Greenville where Van attended graduate school and joined the faculty at ECU, teaching math and psychology. In 1974, he joined the math faculty at E.B. Aycock Junior High School and retired from there in 1986. Since then, he was involved in various activities such as writing a book, writing poetry and mentoring others. Vann is survived by his daughter, Cynthia “Cyndy” Wilson and her husband, Steve of Greenville; a brother, Charles F. Latham and his wife, Ann of Belhaven and a sister, Ann Latham of Washington Park. In addition to his parents, his wife and his son, Vann is preceded in death by a sister, Jane Latham Dilday. A memorial service will be held 1:30 p.m., Sunday, April 5, 2009 from the Chapel of Paul Funeral Home in Belhaven. Entombment will follow in Belhaven Community Cemetery Mausoleum. Following the entombment, the family will receive friends at the First Christian Church in Belhaven. A celebration of Van Latham's life will be held at the home of Dr. and Mrs. William Cox, 102 Long Meadow Road, Brook Green, Greenville at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, April 5, 2009. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the "Val Latham Memorial Fund" for perpetual flowers for the chapel of Pungo District Hospital, c/o Paul Funeral Home, P.O. Box 6, Belhaven, NC 27810. You may sign Mr. Latham's guestbook by visiting www.paulfuneralhome Paul Funeral Home of Belhaven is serving the Latham family.