David William Hales Jr.

David William Hales Jr. died on 4 November 2026 at the age of 68. The Town of Elizabethtown and Bladenboro officials announced his death; WWAY, WECT and Columbus County News carried reports. The cause of death has not been made public.

The family received friends on Saturday 7 November 2026 in the sanctuary of First Baptist Church of Bladenboro, and also at the home of Cassidy Hales. A funeral service was held at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday 8 November 2026 at First Baptist Church of Bladenboro, followed by burial at Hickory Grove Baptist Church Cemetery in Bladenboro. Bladenboro Funeral and Cremation Service handled arrangements.

David William Hales Jr. was born on 27 July 1958, the son of David William Hales Sr. and Helen Sealey Hales. He grew up in Bladenboro, a small town in Bladen County in southeastern North Carolina, and remained closely tied to the community throughout his life. After his death, family members including Cassidy Hales received visitors at a Bladenboro home while formal visitation was held at First Baptist Church of Bladenboro.

Hales was first elected to the Bladenboro town board in 1984 and spent more than four decades in local elected office. He later became mayor and was serving his second mayoral term when he died in 2026.

Local coverage credited him with helping the town recover from repeated flooding disasters, including Hurricanes Matthew and Florence and Tropical Storm Debby, by seeking state and federal grants and assistance. He pushed for Bladenboro to become one of the first towns in southeastern North Carolina to legalise golf carts on municipal streets, a practical step for a small rural community. He was also a strong supporter of the Bridger Memorial Public Library.

He used social media posts titled "From the Mayor's Desk" to communicate with residents about town news, opinions and humour, and shortly before his death he publicly thanked organisers and volunteers for Bladenboro Beastfest, an annual community event.

Alongside public office Hales was known locally as a longtime Bladenboro businessman. He kept close ties to First Baptist Church of Bladenboro, where visitation and the funeral service were held, and to the wider Bladen County community. Neighbouring Elizabethtown joined Bladenboro officials in announcing and mourning his death.

Hales's more than 40 years on the town board and as mayor made him one of the defining local public faces of late twentieth and early twenty-first century Bladenboro. Residents and neighbouring communities remembered him for flood recovery work, for everyday practical measures such as golf-cart access on town streets, and for steady advocacy for institutions such as the Bridger Memorial Public Library. His "From the Mayor's Desk" posts kept a direct line to residents in a town of a few thousand people.