Democratic state Senator Martin Nesbitt's memorial service will take place Tuesday.
Senator Nesbitt died last week of stomach cancer. He stepped down from his post as Minority Leader of the Senate just two days before he died at his home. An ambulance drove him there from UNC hospital. Until Nesbitt's death, the public did not know just how sick he was.
The senior senator entered the state House in 1979 to fill the seat of his late mother, who was also a legislator. Nesbitt served more than 11 terms in the House and more than five in the Senate. He was an advocate for public education, the mentally ill, and low-income and rural families. Nesbitt was a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill and UNC law school. His greatest political gift was his ability to communicate with people from all walks of life.
Senator Nesbitt's memorial service will be held at Biltmore Baptist Church in Arden tomorrow afternoon. His interment will be private. Martin Nesbitt was 67 years old.