Carlton Fleetwood

Carlton Thornton Fleetwood, 99, of Rocky Mount, went to be with his Lord on Thursday, February 19, 2026. 

His Celebration of Life Service will be at Southside Baptist Church, 4948 Carter Rd, Elm City, Sunday, February 22, at 2:00 pm.

Mr. Fleetwood was born on August 15, 1926 in Severn, NC to Joshua Charlton and Kathleen Thornton Fleetwood.

During World War II, he served as an aviation radioman in the Navy.  After World War II, he attended Campbell Junior College and East Carolina University receiving a BS and MA degree. At both colleges, he was on the baseball team as an outfielder and left-handed pitcher. His teammates nicknamed him Shakespeare because he was always reading books since he was an English major.

Carlton was a teacher and a principal in St. Pauls, NC. It was in St. Pauls where he met his wife, Beth Lennon, who was a Home Economics teacher at St. Pauls High School and later Apex High School.

In 1954, he went to work in the NC Department of Public Instruction as a Supervisor, Federal Programs Director, and Deputy Assistant Superintendent for Federal Programs.

In 1974, he moved to Jacksonville, NC as the Director of the Southeast Regional Office. He later retired in 1988 from the NC Department of Public Instruction and became active with his wife in First Baptist Church and the New River Baptist Association.

In 2015, Carlton and Beth moved to Rocky Mount and attended Southside Baptist Church.

He would like to be remembered as a person who served his fellow man. The advice he gave to all was “to catch people doing good things and tell them about it.”

Carlton is the true embodiment of a southern gentleman. He was a wonderful son, husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and friend.

He is survived by his daughter, Carol Arbogast, and her husband, Steven, and their daughter, Katie Arbogast, and her husband, Jon Scislow; his daughter, Linda Williams, and her husband, David, and their daughters, Kelly Reason, and her husband, Josh, and Kasey Keel, and her husband, Taylor. He is also survived by his great grandchildren, Sadie Reason, Shepherd Reason, and Bryson Keel.

Carlton was preceded in death by his wife of 68 years, Beth Lennon Fleetwood.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Southside Baptist Church Building Fund, 4948 Carter Road, Elm City, NC 27822.

Arrangements by Wilson Memorial Service, 2811 Fieldstream Dr N, Wilson, (252) 237-7171, www.wilsonmemorialservice.com