On July 1st, Ed (Eddie) Denton passed away peacefully surrounded by family.
Ed was born March 30, 1948 in Morganton, NC and is survived by his wife of 56 years Carolyn Hensley Denton, his beloved children, son Chris Denton, daughter Graham Peahuff (Brooks), and grandchildren: Blake, Meadow, and Eli Peahuff. They were the light of his life and made his life complete. His siblings Ronnie Swink (Lisa) of Valdese, and Sharon Cain (James) of Drexel, Deb White and David Swink both of Morganton and his nieces and nephews. Ed is preceded by his mother Edna Denton Phillips, stepfather Robert Grady (RG) Swink, grandparents Forest Elbert “Paw Bill” Denton and Annie Mae Thacker Denton. He had many aunts and uncles that he grew up with and considered his brothers and sisters. He was preceded in death by Jay Denton, John Denton, Ray Denton, Verlie Deaton, Lela Seitz and those living to cherish his memory Jerry Denton, Donald Denton, Lucy Chapman, and Doris Smith.
Ed graduated from Salem High School in 1966. He played 4 years varsity football and 3 years as a starter. He played 1 year of baseball. He loved playing guitar and was in three bands during high school and college. The first band was called “The Ram Rods”, next was “The Tactics” and his last band was “The Next of Kin”. He enjoyed traveling and playing with his bandmates in high schools, colleges and clubs. Later in life he enjoyed attending music festivals, guitar shows, and took great pride in making many friends in the music industry.
Ed graduated Western Piedmont Community College and was the first Student Government President. He transferred to Appalachian State and obtained a degree in Political Science
He started his career working in the Textile Industry for Wamasutta and several other textile factories in the area. Ed went to work for Morganton Furniture Company also known as Contour Enterprises and afterwards worked as a Furniture Manufacturer Sales Representative for upholstery, lighting, & case goods, covering territories in the Southeast U.S. He was appointed Vice President of International Sales for high end contemporary company, Directional Furniture in 1997. He was responsible for its Pacific Rim, Persian Gulf region, the Middle East, Australia, Great Britain, and Shanghai. He decided to retire from Thayer Coggin Furniture after he finished his 50th High Point Furniture Market in 2024.
Ed will be remembered as a kind and loving man, dedicated to his family and loyal to his friends. As a devoted husband, father, and grandfather he was the cornerstone of his family. He had a deep and profound love for his wife, Carolyn. Carolyn was truly the love of his life. Ed, or PawPaw as he was affectionately known, also provided love and guidance to his children and grandchildren. Ed spent numerous hours helping his children and grandchildren pursue their dreams, always providing advice and encouragement. He was also a generous and caring friend. Ed never met a stranger and enjoyed conversation with people of all backgrounds.
He was able to achieve great success through his hard work and ambition, but he never forgot his roots. After all his business accomplishments traveling the world, being at home in Enola where he was born and raised with family and friends made him the happiest.
The family will receive friends from 2 to 3 p.m., Sunday, July 6, 2025 at Sossoman Funeral Home. The funeral will follow at 3 p.m. in the Colonial Chapel of the funeral home with Revs. Donald Denton, Jeffery York, and Delisse Lutz Metcalf officiating. Burial will follow at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church Cemetery with Masonic Rites provided by Catawba Valley Masonic Lodge #217.
Sossoman Funeral Home and Crematory Center is assisting the family with the arrangements.
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Sending heartfelt condolences to the Denton family today on the loss of my longtime friend and colleague, Ed Denton. Before I even entered the furniture and lighting industry, my brother had the pleasure of working with Ed. And for the past 40 years, I had that same honor. We shared decades of memories from our days with George Kovacs along with the past several years at Thayer Coggin furniture . Ed was one of the quiet, kind ones. He’d call me “Boom Boom,” a nickname given to me by George Kovacs when I was just 22, and he never once let it go. We talked about everything during market —our families, the old days, and the love we both had for this industry. Ed was passionate about his work and used to say, “Why would I retire? What would I do without this?” I’ve watched his family grow up alongside mine, and his loss feels like losing a part of the industry I grew up in and a piece of the past we shared together . Tell GK I said hi, Ed. RIP 🪑🛋️🙏🏻❤️
My first time meeting Eddie was in the fifth grade when my sister and I transferred to Mull School from Central Elementary in Morganton. I sat behind Eddie in Mrs. Young's class. Eddie welcomed me to my new environment. I learned that his family and mine had close geographic ties, his family living on one side of Little Cedar Mountain and my mother's family on the other side. We both had an abiding love for the South Mountains. I lost contact with Eddie after high school, but re-established contact at several Salem High School class reunions through the years. My last direct contact with Eddie was last summer when we had lunch together with several other SHS buddies at Timberwoods in Morganton. I remember that day fondly. My last contact with Eddie was several months ago. Through texts and emails he expressed an interest in my research on the geology of South Mountains State Park. I mailed him a copy of a report I prepared several years ago. Hopefully, he gleaned a bit of interesting information from it. I'm privileged to have been able to renew my friendship with Eddie and extend condolences to his family in his loss. Steve Gurley Lincolnton, NC
Love to all of you. May years of love and special memories embrace and comfort you during this difficult time🙏
Sending our love to your family during the devastating loss of a great guy. His legacy will live on through each of you. 🙏
My prayers are with you Graham and your family during this very difficult time!
Ed was truly a kind and generous soul with a musician’s love of life. And, yes, without a doubt, Carolyn was the love of his life. Enjoy making music with the angels, Ed. You’ll be sorely missed down here. -Delisse
Carolyn and Family,My deepest sympathy goes out to you as you face the days that lie ahead. May God bless, comfort, and give you strength!
Carolyn and family. My sincere sympathy on the passing of the love of your life. I pray you will be uplifted and strengthened. t
I'm very sorry for your loss. I was in the Tactics band with Eddie from 1968-69. He was a fine guitarist who was always prepared and added a lot to the Tactics. I enjoyed knowing Eddie that year and later we connected via Facebook.
My love for this family has no bounds. He was a second dad to me. His calm always surprised me. He will live on through his grandchildren .. to Carolyn and Graham, I love you both so much. My heart aches for those left behind .. May God wrap his loving and comforting arms around you .. he is close to the broken hearted. I love you and I'm here for you now and always