Thomas Covington

1939 - 2021

Thomas Covington
February 19, 1939 - December 3, 2021
Big Sandy Mush, North Carolina - Thomas Leak Covington Jr. died peacefully on December 3, 2021. He was born to Thomas Leak Covington, Sr and Louise Greene Covington on February 19, 1939 in Rockingham, NC.
Tom grew up in Rockingham and earned a BA at Davidson College in 1961 and a Master's in Guidance and Counseling from NCSU. Devoted to both institutions, he worked at both Davidson and NCSU for several years.
In 1981, Tom became the NC General Assembly's Director of Fiscal Research–a post he held for 18 years. He led an amazing team and loved them deeply. In 1999 he became Executive Director of the NC Progress board, spending his days thinking about the future of his beloved state and working to ensure that NC was on track toward continuous improvement for its land and citizens. When he ultimately retired, he moved permanently to his farm in Big Sandy Mush, near Asheville.
The most important part of Tom's life was his family. He is survived by daughter Simmons Covington Lettre (Marcel) of Bethesda, Md. and son Archer Covington (Meg) of Montauk, NY; and three grandchildren, McKinley and Amelia Lettre and Archer Covington.
A complete obituary with memorial service information is available at https://www.goinghomecares.com/obituaries/Thomas-Leak-Covington?obId=23327583#/celebrationWall.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in Tom's memory to The Sandy Mush Community Center, PO Box 1686, Leicester, NC 28748 or The Healing Place, 1751 Goode St., Raleigh, NC 27603.