Hampton Castleberry Ii

Hampton Emerson Castleberry II, our steadfast anchor with the warmest heart, passed away Thursday, August 19th, 2021 at Levine & Dickson Hospice House at Aldersgate in Charlotte. He was 65 years young.

Hampton was born July 3rd, 1956 in West Virginia, the second child, but first son to Delores Castleberry (Barton) and the late Hampton Emerson Castleberry I. As a child, he loved all things“Western” and was known to sneak out of his bed early in the morning before everyone was awake to watch some of his favorite Western movies, usually starring Chuck Connors. One particularly memorable photo from his childhood features Hampton proudly dressed in only his “skivvies,” cowboy boots, and a cowboy hat. He also developed a love for music at an early age. His mother laughingly remembers a pair of Pat Boone white bucks that Hampton wanted so badly that they drove all over West Virginia until they found a pair. The family moved to New Jersey while he and his older—and he would want us to highlight older—sister, Vicki, were teenagers. It was here that they routinely participated in the typical teenage shenanigans, forming a close bond and friendship that only grew stronger as they became adults.

Hampton was a hard worker and truly loved his profession in banking, which was evidenced by his 40 years in the industry. He started at First Chicago Bank in NYC, where he worked with his sister as an entry-level accountant. His work ethic and drive, combined with his passion and interest in learning and mastering new technologies, led him to work his way up to positions such as Director, and most recently, Vice President of Digital Payments at Wells Fargo Bank. He was loved by all who had the privilege to work with him, so much so that his nickname at work was “Happy,” a term that earned him both endearment and respect from those who knew him best.

Hampton was both a life-long learner and teacher. One of his favorite pastimes as a young man was spending time with his dad, learning how to work on cars in the driveway, and building things in the shed in the backyard, where he became very handy with tools. He had a cherished blue Corvette (his favorite color) that he loved to drive and he used the knowledge acquired from his dad to always keep it in tip-top shape. As he grew older, his dad’s patience for teaching and sharing his skills was passed down through Hampton’s love of sharing his knowledge with his family and others.

Whether Hampton was spending a week with his grandson taking apart and rebuilding a deck, going on trips to the gun range to teach marksmanship and gun safety, or staying up to date on the newest technologies and making sure that his family had the latest gadgets and the know- how to use them, he was happiest when he was giving his time and love to his family. One of his wife’s fondest memories of him was when she came home from work to find Hampton, his daughter Kelly, and his grandson Chase lined up in the backyard for target practice with the BB guns he had bought them for Christmas. Speaking BB guns, Diana recalls when Hampton came up to bed one night, hat in hand, and apologized for shooting a “raccoon” he saw in the backyard. As it turned out, the beady-eyed raccoon was actually the reflection of the glazing ball Diana had positioned in her garden to attract bees and butterflies.

And we could not talk about Hampton at his happiest without mentioning fishing. He loved everything about it. Some of his family’s most memorable times with Hampton were either on or near the water. There are many fond (and sometimes comical) memories of Hampton taking his family out on his boat, the Jaicie Dee, which was named after his oldest daughter. There was one family boat trip where they ran out of gas, had to make an unplanned pit stop in a questionable area of Staten Island, and then proceeded to get lost coming back home as nighttime approached. Hampton decided to play it safe and drop anchor for the night so he could get a better sense of where they were the next morning. As the sun rose, the family shared a laugh when they realized they were a stone’s throw from their local docks.

There is another favorite memory on the Jaicie Dee that showed the character of Hampton as someone always willing to help someone when needed. His family remembers coming upon a boat one day that was stuck in a whirlpool. The boat was spinning around, and the people on board were unable to remove themselves from its strong pull. Without hesitation, Hampton threw them a rope and helped pull the boat to safety.

Hampton’s two favorite fishing spots were Ocean Isle Beach, NC and Islamorada, FL, where the family would spend many memorable vacations, returning to visit “Freddie the Barracuda,” a beloved aquatic resident under the pier in Islamorada - the same pier where he taught his daughters, Kelly and Paige, how to fish. The one thing Hampton loved more than catching fish was watching and celebrating when his family caught one, which was good since his wife was always more successful at catching them anyway. He would likely say this was only fair considering she was already his “greatest catch.”

Hampton loved his family dearly and was truly proud to have had the chance to see all three of his daughters graduate from college. His wife believes that he was meant to have all girls since he was a softy at heart and rarely angered, despite their best efforts at times. He fully embraced this identity through his love of Taylor Swift (mostly her early stuff). Another favorite was George Strait; he first told his wife he loved her as “I Cross my Heart” played in the background.

He was the anchor of his family, both metaphorically in the way that he kept them safe and grounded during the rocky times, and geographically in the way that his move from New Jersey to Charlotte for his career ended up pulling both his immediate and extended family to join him in the Queen City, one by one, until they were all together again. Even during his final days, he served his family in this way, bringing them all together to hold his hand and each other as they said their goodbyes to a great man; one with the bluest of eyes that always sparkled when he smiled. That smile and the love he held behind it will be always remembered and dearly missed.

Surviving are his wife of 25 years, Diana Castleberry of Charlotte; mother, Delores Castleberry; daughters, Jaicie Conrad (with son-in-law Chris Conrad and granddaughters, Katie & Madison), Paige Goodlett, & Kelly Castleberry; sister Vicki Trzeszkowski (with brother-in-law Richard Trzeszkowski); nieces Tara Hord (with Jason Hord and great-nieces McKenzie, Madison, & Alexa) and Krista Melo (with Dan Melo and great-nephew Rio); and, of course, his beloved dog Lily.

He was preceded in death by his grandson and fishing buddy, Chase Conrad.

The family is having a private Celebration of Life on Thursday, August 26th, 2021 at Hartsell Funeral Home of Harrisburg. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the National Kidney Foundation in his memory.