WILMINGTON — It is with profound sadness that the family of Daniel David Retchin, of Wilmington, N.C., announces his passing on Tuesday, August 13, 2024, at 100 years old.
Daniel was born October 19, 1923, in Wilmington, N.C., to Ida Sarah Cohen and Raymond Retchin. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1943. After graduating from UNC, Daniel enlisted in the Army and was shipped overseas where he served with the 76th Infantry Division and was present for the Nuremberg war crime trials. After the war, he remained in the Army reserves and rose to the rank of Lieutenant.
In 1947, at the age of 24, he met his beloved future wife, Pearl Kaplan. She had traveled to Wilmington from Kirkland Lake, a tiny gold mining town in northern Ontario. It was instant love. Within weeks after meeting Pearl, Daniel traveled 1200 miles by car with his younger brother Fred to Kirkland Lake. There, Daniel proposed to Pearl by the light of a full moon beside the town’s namesake lake. On December 28, 2023, they celebrated their 76 th anniversary together.
After one of the largest weddings in Kirkland Lake history, they settled in Chapel Hill, NC, where Daniel was enrolled as a law student at the University of North Carolina. They lived in an apartment on Gimghoul Road and led a blissful early married life. In 1948, Daniel graduated 2 nd in his law school class and published in the UNC Law Review before moving to Charlotte, NC, where he entered a busy law practice. In 1961, the family moved to Wilmington, where Daniel joined his brother Fred in the family furniture business, Carolina Furniture. Carolina Furniture was founded in 1922 by Daniel’s maternal grandfather, Morris Cohen, who came to this country in the late 19th Century. Daniel and Fred grew the retail furniture business downtown and eventually opened a 2 nd store, Furniture City.
In addition to his success in retail furniture, Daniel was also a community leader. He was appointed as a member of the Wilmington Planning Commission, where he served for 12 years, including the Chairmanship. In that capacity, he worked hard and was widely respected as a supporter of controlled growth with diligent planning. Upon his retirement from the Commission, it was noted that “…he treated developers and their opponents with an even hand and quick wit.” Daniel was also dedicated to his Jewish roots, and he and Pearl were 60+ year members of B’nai Israel Synagogue.
Daniel is predeceased by his beloved mother and father, Ida (1979) and Raymond Retchin (1975). He is also predeceased by his son, Howard (2015), and his brother, Fred (2020). He is survived by his treasured wife of 76 years, Pearl, and his two sons, Sheldon (Tracy) and Larry (Carol). He is known affectionately as “Poppa” to his 4 precious grandchildren: Sarah, Michael, Matthew and Sophia. Above all else, Daniel was a devoted family man, who adored his lovely wife, Pearl, his 3 boys, and his 4 grandchildren.
The family plans a graveside memorial service at the B’nai Israel Congregation Cemetery at 18th St and Princess Place on Thursday, August 15, 2024 at 11:30 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations in memory be directed to Hadassah.
