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After the death this week of former U.S. House Rep. Howard Coble, local politicians and friends who knew Coble expressed an outpouring of support and remembrance.

Coble, who was the longest-serving Republican House member in North Carolina history, represented Davidson County on Capitol Hill for 15 terms beginning in 1984 before redistricting split the county among the 5th, 8th and 12th districts in 2013. He left the House in 2014 and died Tuesday in Greensboro at the age of 84 after a battle with skin cancer.

“Howard Coble, in my opinion, was one of the last true American statesmen,” Davidson County Commissioner Larry Potts said. “He never forgot customer service. He worked well in Washington, but he never forgot his district.”

Potts, like many, spoke fondly of Coble’s attention to the people around him and his willingness to help in any situation. Potts says he experienced it firsthand when Coble helped expedite his daughter’s passport request, which she needed in just a few days for a trip.

“I got him the info he needed on a Friday, and he had it to her in Charleston the next Tuesday,” Potts said. “He did his work in the background, but he did it effectively.”

Fellow commissioner Fred McClure said Coble will forever be remembered for his “phenomenal” work ethic and his ability to give a straight answer.

“He had been a great asset for Davidson County for many years,” McClure said of Coble’s time representing the county. “I could always expect Howard to be at all the parades. He was always there with that little hat on.

“He stood by his principles and was an example of what we need in Washington today.”

Coble was known locally for his ability to name most every local high school mascot off the top of his head, a skill he said he learned after making an impression on a Randolph County woman years ago. He established a more national reputation when he refused a congressional pension saying he could fend for himself at the conclusion of his taxpayer-paid salary. 

"He always remembered everybody's name," longtime friend Jim Byrd said, adding even with your back turned to him, Coble would recognize and greet you. "He did that to me a couple of times."

Byrd estimates he and Coble were friends for 30 years and said he was always thinking of others. 

"I got a call around 8:30 one evening; I hadn't seen him in a year. And he was thanking me for running for sheriff in Davidson County," Byrd said. "I asked him where he was, and he said 'in the Capitol building, in my office.'

"No matter what you were doing, you were glad to see him coming and sad to see him go."

Coble's death touched those outside the area as well, spurring national statements and condolences for the man who many say was a mentor and the embodiment of a public servant.

U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, who now represents part of Davidson County in the 5th Congressional District, said in a statement Coble was “a man of integrity and principle” and stood for what was right.

“Howard Coble was a dedicated public servant and a champion for his constituents,” Foxx said. “He never backed down from a challenge to do what was right for North Carolina and always pushed Washington to work better for those he represented. Howard was the essence of what it means to be a Southern gentleman: someone who simply exuded kindness, charm and compassion.”

http://www.the-dispatch.com/article/20151106/NEWS/151109867/0/search