Rollin Herbert Wallick

Dr. Rollin Herbert (Herb) Wallick, 92 in Pittsboro, NC, formerly of Beaufort, NC.

Rollin Herbert Wallick, 92, passed away on Monday, June 7, 2021 at the SECU Jim and Betsy Bryan Hospice Home of UNC Health Care, Pittsboro, NC with family at his bedside.  He was known as a true gentleman with an intellect and a sense of humor which drew people to him.  He was a very humble man and although he had a doctorate in Chemistry, stopped using ‘Dr’ once he retired so many knew him as ‘Mr. Wallick’ and did not even know he had a doctorate.

Herb was born on February 12, 1929 to Rollin Rupert and Carrie Lena (Martin) Wallick in Martinsville, VA.  Due to the Great Depression, they left Martinsville and moved in with family down in Florida for a few years.  Once the economy was better, they returned to Virginia and got a home in Bristol.  He attended King College Bristol, TN for his undergraduate degree in Chemistry and then received his PhD in Chemistry from UNC Chapel Hill in 1954.

Herb served in the United States Army from 1954 to 1956 and was stationed at Fort Detrick in Maryland.  At the time of his honorable release from duty he held the rank of Specialist Third Class.  During his time in the army, his Doctorate in Chemistry was utilized in research on biological warfare and its effects.  While he could not share details of what he worked on while he served since it was classified, he did tell the family many humorous stories of how he and the other scientists spent their off time performing pranks on one another.  Being the level of expertise many of the soldiers had at Ft. Dietrick, the pranks were quite elaborate!

While he was serving in Ft. Detrick, he met his future wife and the love of his life, Bobbie Lou Shoun. They were married on March 30, 1957 in Washington, DC.  Bobbie had two children from her previous marriage – son, David Lee Wilkerson and daughter, Golda Carol Wilkerson. 

At the time of their marriage, Herb worked for DuPont in Wilmington, Delaware as a Research Chemist.  While in Wilmington, Herb and Bobbie had three daughters – Carrie Lynn (1957), Nancy Lucinda (1960), and Patricia Leigh (1963).  In 1965, Herb got a new job working at Liggett and Myers Tobacco Company in Durham, NC and moved his family to Chapel Hill, NC. 

In 1970, Herb and Bobbie bought 90 acres in Mebane, NC to house the horses that their daughter Carrie had started ‘collecting’.  They remained in Mebane until retirement when they moved to Beaufort, NC (1986). After retirement, Herb had more time to enjoy his various hobbies that included cooking wonderful meals for friends and family, enjoying nature, researching the family’s genealogy, studying history especially the Civil War, collecting various military and historical memorabilia, and creating beautiful miniature dollhouse furniture.  Having a home in Beaufort provided a wonderful environment to share with his children and grandchildren when they came for visits and created beautiful memories and traditions to last forever.

Herb was married to Bobbie for 41 years until her death on December 10, 1998 at their home in Beaufort.  He remained in Beaufort until October 2020, when at the age of 91, after living on his own for 22 years he relocated to an assisted living facility in Pittsboro, NC close to his daughter Nancy’s home.

In June of 2021, Herb entered hospice at the SECU Jim and Betsy Bryan Hospice Home of UNC Health Care, in Pittsboro, NC where he was able to visit with many of his family including most of his great grandchildren before his passing on June 7th.  The family would like to thank the Hospice Home and their staff for taking such incredible care of Herb in the last couple of weeks of his life.  He was happy and comfortable in their beautiful facility and being able to watch the birds outside his window with his daughters at his side.

Left to cherish many wonderful memories of Herb are his 4 daughters, Carrie Lynn Everhart of Raeford, NC, Nancy Lucinda Baraks (Marc) of Pittsboro, NC, Patricia Leigh Pellock (Tom) of Columbia, MO, Golda Carol Wilkerson of Cheltenham, England, and his son, David Lee Wilkerson (Sheila) of Chapel Hill, NC; his grandchildren, Jennifer (Tyler), Melissa (Robert), John Michael (Stephanie) – all in NC, Timothy and Lindsey in MO, Nathan in England, and Bryan and Julie in NC; and 7 great-grandchildren with an 8th on the way.

Herb was preceded in death by his parents and his wife, Bobbie Lou Wallick (Shoun).

There will be no services at this time.  The family will have a private celebration of life at a future date.  Herb’s wishes were to have his ashes combined with his wife Bobbie’s with half being dispersed in the ocean near Beaufort and the other half to be interred at the Coastal Carolina State Veterans Cemetery in Jacksonville, NC.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Herb’s name to one of the following organizations.

UNC Hospice SECU Jim & Betsy Bryan Hospice House of UNC Health Care 100 Roundtree Way Pittsboro, NC 27312

(984)215-2675 PAWS – Pet Adoption Center 5042 Mattie Street Morehead City, NC 28557 (252)241-9408

Condolences may be made at www.donaldsonfunerals.com

Donaldson Funeral Home & Crematory is honored to serve the Wallick family.