WILMINGTON — Milton Heber Warwick passed away peacefully with his daughter close by at the Lower Cape Fear LifeCare Hospice Care Center. He was 89.
The second youngest of six children, he was born at home in Robeson County, North Carolina to Joseph Heber Warwick and Nora Leggett Warwick. His family moved to Carolina Beach, North Carolina in 1941. He was six years old.
Milton was well suited for beach life. A natural athlete, he would spend hours swimming, body surfing, and fishing. He never grew out of his passion for the water, especially fishing. Over the years, he would go deep sea fishing as both a first mate and for his personal pleasure. He fished from the local piers too. Lakes and ponds were fair game to satisfy his taste for fresh water fish as well. He and his brother made single-man boats out of wood for fresh water fishing. He and his friends would walk by lamplight at low tide with a gig, hunting for flounder. He’d fish in the shorelines close to the bridge for rockfish in the wee hours of the morning when it was dark and cold. No problem, it was all about the love of fishing. But his personal preference was surf fishing. He was versatile in the baits he used. He’d purchase shrimp and bloodworms, but he’d also catch his own bait, either by throwing a cast net or digging in the shoreline for softshell sand fleas. Whether using a bamboo rod or a conventional rod and reel, he was a skilled fisherman with a reputation among the locals for success. Watching him cast was a thing of beauty and he made it look easy.
Other recreational past times included quail hunting, pool, and dancing—specifically the shag. He loved it and was a much sought out dance partner.
He played hard, but he worked harder. For years, he worked as a brick mason and took great pride in his craft. His lines were always even and straight. He was an artist with a trowel in his hand. He laid the brick and concrete block for several homes on Carolina and Kure Beaches until 1983 when due to an injury to his left arm, he gave up full-time masonry to built homes as a carpenter.
In the Summer of 1963, he met the woman who would become the love of his life and perfect dance partner, Mary Ann Graham. They married in 1964 and welcomed a daughter, Norma Ann in 1965.
Husband, father, brother, uncle, papa and friend to many, Milton loved being with people sharing a good joke and a laugh. He could be serious, but he preferred to be playful. Children were instantly drawn to him. He was a man’s man, but understood the importance of being loving and gentle too. He was a family man and wonderful, supportive father.
Like his mother, brother James, and his wife Mary Ann, he had a green thumb. He loved working in his garden and planting things in the yard. Azaleas, roses, cactus, yucca bushes, and pampas grass were some of the plants to be admired in his yard.
Another thing on prominent display and close to his heart was drift wood. Whether from the marsh close to home, or miles away, if he saw a piece he liked, he’d bring it home. He made a fence from driftwood around the front yard, while large beautiful pieces adorned the front and side yards.
In his twilight years, he found joy watching animals. He enjoyed observing the assortment of birds coming to dine on his feeder, from sparrows and cardinals to painted buntings and the occasional black bird from the kitchen window. Sitting quietly at the edge of the front yard in the dark mornings, he enjoyed seeing squirrels, rabbit, and deer interact within feet of him.
Milton is survived by his daughter, Norma Ann Warwick (wife Krista Bailey) and several nieces and nephews. The last of his siblings, he was preceded in death by his parents; sisters Miriam Luper Becher, Patsy Norris Joyner, and Angela Warwick Neville; brothers Joseph Lanier Warwick and James Moses Warwick; and his wife Mary Ann.
He will be missed by all who knew him.
