August 16, 1957 – May 7, 2018

Kill Devil Hills

Gelon S. “Trip” Hobbs III passed away on May 7, 2018 in Chapel Hill. Born in Suffolk, Virginia on Aug. 16, 1957, Trip graduated in 1975 from Suffolk High School, where he lettered in football, basketball, and tennis. In 1979, Trip graduated from Hampden-Sydney College with a B.A. in English. There, he was elected captain of the rugby team and received The Garnet Poetry Prize. In 1991, Trip earned a Master’s in Education from Old Dominion University.

From 1979-1997, Trip taught Honors English and coached football, golf, basketball, tennis, lacrosse, and cross country at Nansemond-Suffolk Academy. He also served as Upper School Director of Admissions. Trip established The Spectrum, the school’s first literary magazine. In 1997, the senior class dedicated its yearbook to him, and his colleagues voted him teacher of the year.

Trip moved to the Outer Banks in 1997, where he worked at Dare County Schools. He was assistant principal of Manteo High School for four years. As principal of Cape Hatteras Secondary School for five years, he oversaw the transformation of the school into the Cape Hatteras Secondary School of Coastal Studies. In 2003, he was named the Dare County Schools principal of the year, and in 2004, the northeast region winner of principal of the year from Cape Hatteras Secondary School. In 2005, he won the NSPRA’s Outstanding Communicator Award. From 2006-2014, he served as Director of Personnel and Staff Development for Dare County Schools. In 2014, he was named Director of Human Resources and Secondary Instruction, and in 2016 until the present, he served as the school system’s Chief Operations Officer.

Trip loved surfing and fishing at the beach. He always had an ongoing project around the house, and he took pride in fixing anything that needed repair.

Trip was predeceased by his mother Sarah Crocker Hobbs and his aunt Martha Crocker Spivey. Left to cherish his memory are his father G.S. Hobbs Jr., his wife Diana Whitford Hobbs, his sisters Katherine Cottingham Hobbs (Mark Grochmal) and Elizabeth “Betsy” Leigh Hobbs; his nieces Meredith Prince Harris (Brandon), Martha Caitlin Prince Antinori (Brett), and Sarah Rebecca Hoffman; his uncle Dr. Robert Atwood Spivey, and his great-nephew Finley Keith Harris. Trip was step-father to Beth Kight (Tim), Jason Miller (Alicia), Matthew Miller, and James Miller (Christine), 17 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

The family is grateful to Dr. Paul Armistead and his team of doctors, nurses, and staff at the Bone Marrow Transplant unit at UNC.

Contributions may be made to Feline Hope, 843 Herbert Perry Road, Kitty Hawk, NC 27949 or the Dare County Animal Shelter, P.O. Box 1000, Manteo, 27954.

A memorial service will be held on June 3, 2018, at 1 p.m. at First Flight High School in Kill Devil Hills.

Twiford Funeral Home, Manteo is assisting the family with arrangements. Condolences may be expressed at www.TwifordFH.com.