Roy Jarvis

Roy Jarvis

GREENVILLE - Roy Jarvis, 75, passed away Saturday December 8, 2018 after a 2-year battle with a stage 3 anaplastic astrocytoma brain tumor.

The family will receive friends on Friday evening from 6-8 PM at Wilkerson Funeral Home.

Mr. Jarvis was born January 4, 1943 in Princess Anne County, VA to the late Raymond Moore Jarvis, Sr. and Lady Gay Lloyd Jarvis. The family moved to Pitt County shortly thereafter to assist with the Lloyd family farm. After graduating from high school, Mr. Jarvis enlisted in the US Navy and was stationed in Norfolk, VA. During this time, he married Judy Avery of Farmville NC and the couple had two daughters, Renee and Dee. After four years of service in the Navy, Mr. Jarvis moved his family back to Pitt County and began a life-long pursuit of financial independence. For ten years, Mr. Jarvis worked as a salesman for the Nestle Company in the coffee and tea division. He met many lifelong friends in this position and looked forward to an annual reunion of retired salesman held every year in Wilson, NC.

While working full time with Nestle, Mr. Jarvis purchased his first business, The Little University Preschool, in 1970. Soon after, he purchased another preschool in Farmville NC. It wasn't long before he found himself owning and operating seven daycare centers and decided to retire from the Nestle company to manage his growing business full time. Also during the 1970's, Mr. Jarvis purchased a mobile home park in Ayden, NC. Soon he found himself owning over 10 mobile home parks located all over eastern NC from Raleigh to Plymouth. Slowly, he sold his daycare businesses and concentrated on the parks and incorporated his business into Village Resources, Inc. His youngest daughter joined the organization in 1990 and together they continued to grow the mobile home park business to 15 parks. During 1999, several of his parks were completely damaged by the floods of Hurricane Floyd. At this time he began searching for a new investment venture and discovered commercial buildings leased by the US Postal Service. In 2000, he purchased his first US Postal leased building in Gautier, MS. Also, in 2000 his oldest daughter joined the company and together with his daughters, they transferred all investments to Postal leased buildings.

At the time of his death, Mr. Jarvis' company owned 15 Post Offices throughout the United States. His keen sense of a good deal and strong money management skills rewarded him in his later years as he was able to pursue several of his passions.

One passion, and his greatest love, was flying. He obtained his private pilot's license in the early 1970's and eventually obtained instrument and commercial status. His pride and joy was a 1975 Cessna 172 that was hangered at Pitt Greenville Airport. He spent many sunny afternoons flying touch and go's around PGV and recently donated his aviation maps to the facility. A second passion Mr. Jarvis enjoyed was traveling. He made many trips abroad including an around-the-world cruise to China, India, Singapore, Oman & United Arab Emirates. His travels also took him to Iceland, Africa, Europe, Panama, Mexico and Russia. Earlier this year, even though he was weak from his illness, he traveled to South America with stops in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay to check off more destinations on his bucket list.

Other interests held by Mr. Jarvis included remaining current on world events, sharing his great knowledge of history, growing tropical plants, researching his genealogy, building projects in the Mediterranean style architecture and most of all, advising his children and grandchildren in their everyday lives.

Mr. Jarvis is predeceased by his father, Raymond Moore Jarvis, Sr, and his brother, Richard Lee Jarvis.

He is survived by his mother Lady Gay Jarvis of Greenville; his oldest daughter, Renee Jarvis Cole, her husband Chris and their daughters, Mary Beth and Emma Jane, all of Greenville; his youngest daughter, Dee Jarvis Modlin, her husband Todd and their daughter Hayli, all of Greenville; brother, Melvin Jarvis and wife Barbara of Greenville and nieces, Terri Robertson and Kimberly Jarvis of Charlotte, NC; as well as 3 special Aunts, Beulah Ann Parrot of Wilmington, Barbara Henson of Newport and Frankie Hedgepeth of Midlothian VA. Also surviving is his cherished companion of the last eight years, Brenda Alexander, of the home.

He leaves behind a loyal German Shepard named Olie and a cat named Taz.

Memorial contributions may be made to the St. Peter Catholic School Annual Fund, 2606 E Fifth Street, Greenville NC 27858.

Arrangements by Wilkerson Funeral Home and Crematory.

Online condolences at www.WilkersonFuneralHome.com.

As published in The Daily Reflector