Danny Stuart Safrit

     Danny Stuart Safrit, 64, of Colfax, NC, passed away on Wednesday, October 18, 2023, surrounded by his wife and daughter.

    A Celebration of Life service will be held at 1 pm on Saturday, October 28, 2023 at George Brothers Funeral Service, 803 Greenhaven Drive, Greensboro, NC. The family will receive friends beginning at 12 noon prior to the service at the funeral home.  In the spirit of giving to his community, Danny will continue serving after his death, through the High Point University Willed Body Program, in medical research. A private graveside service will be held at a later date.

    He was born in Salisbury NC to Bill H. Safrit and the late Norma Kluttz Safrit on June 19, 1959. Danny graduated from Salisbury High School and went on to attend East Carolina University.

    While attending Salisbury High School, he played football, baseball, and track. Danny still holds the record for 13 interceptions in one year in Rowan County to this day. After graduating high school, Danny went on to play football as a defensive back for 3 years at East Carolina University, where he played in the Independence Bowl in Texas.

    Danny graduated from East Carolina University in 1982 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Corrections and Sociology. The same year, he began his career with the North Carolina Department of Correction as a Program Assistant at Guilford Correctional Center in McLeansville then to Randolph Correctional Center. Danny advanced through the ranks, being named Superintendent at Sandy Ridge Correctional Center in 1990 and the Piedmont Region Office Operations Manager in 1999. In Dec. 2005, Danny was named the Eastern Region Director of the Division of Prisons where he oversaw the management and operations of 14 prisons in a 27-county region that stretches eastward from Wayne County to the coast and southward from the Virginia state line through New Hanover County.

    During his tenure as Eastern Region Director, he oversaw the opening of two new 1,000-bed maximum custody correctional institutions in 2006 – Maury Correctional Center in Greene County and Bertie Correctional Center in Bertie County.

    Danny retired from the North Carolina Department of Corrections in July 2013. After retirement, he continued to work in a contract position for the state of North Carolina as a Community Corrections Investigator until July 2023. Danny also served his community as a board member at the local State Employees Credit Union in Kernersville, NC.

    Outside of his professional career, Danny cared for his family and friends while keeping a sense of humor. Danny’s favorite things to do were cooking, yardwork, and watching football. Danny became an avid carpenter and woodworker, working on various small projects including building a beautiful, custom-designed greenhouse as a gift for his wife, Angela.

    Danny was preceded in death by his mother, Norma Kluttz Safrit. Danny is survived by his loving wife of nearly 32 years, Angela Jacobs Safrit, Daughter Melissa Safrit-Arias (Pablo A. Arias), Father Bill H. Safrit and Stepmother Linda W. Safrit, brother William Alan Safrit and wife Anne Safrit, Nieces: Victoria Safrit Townsend (Josh) and Maggie Safrit Smale (deceased) (Josh); Great-nieces and Great-nephews: Jaxon Smale, Bexley Smale, Ava Townsend, Scarlett Townsend, and Colton Townsend; Step-sisters: Karen James (Michael) and Susan Hughes.

    Memorial donations can be made to Wake Forest Baptist Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, PO Box 571021, Winston Salem NC 27157-1021; St. John’s Lutheran Church 200 W. Innes Street, Salisbury, NC; or Day Spring Community Church 1941 Vanstory Street, Greensboro, NC.

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