Jeff Dellinger was born in 1962. He died on 28 July 2005 at
Catawba Co., North Carolina. He was New Tag Obituary from the Friday, July 29, 2005 Hickory Daily Record:
'He was a fighter'
Longtime Catawba County Democratic Party chairman dies BY ANDREW MACKIE
RECORD STAFF WRITER
Friday, July 29, 2005
MAIDEN -- Von Sigmon feels as if he’s lost a son.
Sigmon and other active Democrats from across Catawba County mourn the death of longtime party chairman Jeff Dellinger.
Dellinger, 43, was found dead Thursday.
“He was a devoted family man and devoted to the Democrat Party,” Sigmon said Friday afternoon. “He was a fighter. He fought for what he believed in.”
Dellinger, a lifelong Maiden resident, served as chairman from 1999 to 2005. He declined to run for re-election this year because of continuing health problems.
He underwent several heart surgeries in recent years.
Sigmon served as Dellinger’s campaign manager in an unsuccessful bid for the Catawba County Board of Commissioners.
He was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, North Carolina’s highest civilian honor, earlier this year.
Joyce Rudisill, a fellow Democrat, registered Dellinger when she worked at the county election board. Dellinger was 18.
“I could never be more heartbroken,” she said. “It’s not something we’ll get over easy. He was the best person. He would never do you wrong or tell you a story. That was not in his vocabulary.”
Dellinger worked at the Newton office of the North Carolina Department of Transportation until heart ailments forced him to go on disability.
Dellinger is survived by his wife, Laura, and daughter, Katie.
“He fought the good fight,” Sigmon said. “He hung in there. Many times he didn’t feel like participating. If it was something he believed in, he would give it 100 percent.” on 29 July 2005 at
Hickory, Catawba Co., North Carolina.