“Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” ~ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “The Drum Major Instinct” Feb. 4, 1968.
Mr. Bunny Lee Wall, affectionately known to many as “Uncle Bunny,” was a well-known member of the Richmond Senior High School support staff for close to 40 years. He also spent 30 years working for the City of Rockingham.
A Rockingham native, Bunny Lee lived a life of service to others and said his road to stability began with his marriage to his wife Barbara Parker Wall.
The two met as teenagers when Barbara, a New York native, visited her relatives in Richmond County. When he was 18 years old, Bunny Lee moved to New York and worked in the Garment District. It was then that he and Barbara reconnected and decided to get married. After the news that they were expecting their first child, the two made the decision to return to North Carolina. Bunny Lee did not want to raise his children in the city. During their 53 years of marriage, they would produce four daughters (Wanda, Brenda, Tanya and Kenya) and three grandchildren (Bria, Cristion and To’Nia).
Bunny Lee’s love for others was exampled by the way he treated the students, staff, and everyone in Richmond County. He loved everyone! He especially had a big heart for the students at RSHS and truly believed that every child should be afforded the opportunity of a good education. He would always take the time to listen to their dreams and aspirations, something both he and wife Barbara stressed the importance of for their daughters and grandchildren: “Whatever your mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” ~ Napoleon Hill
A “Jack of all Trades” — who knew a little bit of something, about a whole lot of everything — Bunny Lee loved sharing knowledge with young people. His life’s song was connecting good people with great opportunities and helping others in any way he could. He lived his life as a full example of God’s Love for all of mankind until he departed this life on Feb. 20, 2020.
Still, his legacy lives on through his family and others in the community. During his passing, countless tributes were shared at his home-going and on social media. These stories not only warmed the hearts of his wife and daughters, they were true testaments of how one person’s selfless acts and love for others can truly change the world, one child at a time…..
Special thanks to Bunny’s daughter, Tonya W. Martin, for contributing this post.
Meghann Lambeth is executive director of the Richmond County Tourism Development Authority.
(Editor’s Note: Visit Richmond County is highlighting prominent local African Americans each day in February in honor of Black History Month. Previous individuals featured include late Richmond County sheriff James E. Clemmons Jr., late state representative Harrison Ingram Quick, dancer and makeup artist Ciarra Kelley, Ellerbe Mayor Brenda Capel, two-time Super Bowl champion Perry Williams, Bishop Arlester Simpson of Ellerbe, Richmond County School Board member Ronald Tillman, and educator Melvin Ingram. See the Visit Richmond County Facebook page for more on these outstanding individuals.)
