THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 2, 1995 TAG: 9506290243
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 49 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
SOURCE: Ron Speer
LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
Mourners paying a final tribute to Keith Fearing called him a statesman, an entrepreneur, a politician, a pharmacist, a family man.
I'd like to add yet another accolade.
Keith Fearing was a gentleman.
He looked like a gentleman. He acted like a gentleman. He talked like a gentleman. He lived like a gentleman.
I don't mean the kind of gentleman that the dictionary describes as ``a man of independent means who does not engage in any occupation or profession for gain.''
That is not the Mr. Fearing I was lucky enough to know. No, the definition I'm referring to describes a gentleman as ``a man whose conduct conforms to a high standard of propriety or correct behavior.''
They're not real common these days, those sorts of gentlemen.
So Keith Fearing stood out, even in a crowd, even casually dressed, even when others were louder and pushier and cruder.
And he loved the Outer Banks with a passion, this man who for years made history and left a legacy for those who also treasure Dare County's bounties.
He lived with his wife, Lib, in a well-lighted, cathedral-like home on Roanoke Island carved out of the forest. Spacious windows overlooked Croatan Sound, and the Fearings were treated daily to magnificent sunsets, which they regularly shared with friends.
And they had friends everywhere, in all walks of life, of all ages.
I don't think Keith Fearing ever met a stranger.
And despite his lifelong ties to the Outer Banks, and the roles he played in modern history, Mr. Fearing didn't begrudge sharing the land with latecomers.
I had been here less than a month when he sought me out and made me feel like an old-timer. He offered to ride me around Roanoke Island in his boat, introduced me to people he thought I would enjoy, and enlightened me on local lore.
Everyone I know can tell a story about their first meeting with Mr. Fearing, and they all say that he made them feel he was glad they had come.
He was proudly in love with his wife (``47 wonderful years,'' Lib says) and proud of his offspring.
And he was proud of the service, the entertainment, the advice that he provided for years in his drug store in downtown Manteo.
That community gathering place was gone before most of us newcomers moved here, but old-timers' eyes light up with excitement when they recall moments there.
Mr. Fearing's eyes lit up when he talked about almost anything. He loved life, and he loved people.
He wasn't a perfect man, I'm sure. But in an outspoken community where even Mother Teresa or Albert Schweitzer probably would draw verbal brickbats, I've never heard anyone say bad things about Keith Fearing.
That is particularly amazing when you realize that he served on almost every agency ever organized on the Outer Banks, spent some time in the legislature, and had a hand in a variety of businesses ranging from a local power company to a cafe.
A protege, state Senate leader Marc Basnight, another advocate of life on the Outer Banks, explained the respect friends and neighbors had for Mr. Fearing this way:
``He would never belittle or degrade or hurt anyone. He was a very loving, happy and wonderful person.
``Keith Fearing was one of the greatest people ever to live on the Outer Banks. He was a visionary, a contributor, a great businessman - and an even greater man.''
At his funeral service in Manteo Wednesday, about 500 people mourned his passing - and gave thanks for what he had done while he was here.
Let us hope another gentle man or woman with a vision will take his place.
Every community needs a Keith Fearing. by CNB