HARRELLSVILLE – Fred Chester (Bill) Sessoms, 74, died Wednesday June 24, 2015 at the Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, NC following a brief illness.

He leaves his wife of 50 years, Janice (Simmons) Sessoms; his son, Fred Sessoms and his wife Verronica Sessoms; his son, Brandon Sessoms; his son, Derrick Cherry his wife Maria Cherry; his sister, Shirley (Sessoms) DeRamus and her husband Tommy DeRamus; four grandchildren; and one great grandchild; countless nieces, nephews, cousins and close friends.

He was preceded in death by his only daughter, Sheryl Sessoms; sisters Gladys (Sharpe) Armstrong and Willard Sharpe; brothers George Sessoms, Armstead Sharpe, Gary R. Sessoms, and Roy B. Sessoms

Born and raised in Harrellsville, NC, where he remained a lifelong resident, he was the son of Gary and Eliza Sessoms.

In his early years, Mr. Sessoms would help on the family farms. He was also known for racing the school buses with his pony named, ‘Dan”.  This earned him the name “Wild (Bill)”. The name “Bill” stuck with him for the rest of his life and many people did not know his name was actually “Fred” and not “William”.

Mr. Sessoms briefly worked at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, VA. Then in 1971, he began his own trucking company and acquired the bright red Chevrolet Dump Truck (RED DOG) he became famous for. He often claimed “I have hauled more asphalt than you have drove on!” Around 1994, he retired from his trucking company and began driving for Rose Bros. Paving Company Inc. until 2011.

Mr. Sessoms was an avid farmer and gardener in his spare time raising all sorts of garden vegetables and cash crops until he began to slow down in his later years.

The Sessoms family would like to thank everyone for their prayers, thoughts, and acts of kindness expressed toward their family during their time of loss.

A wake will be held on Tuesday, June 30 between 5 -7 pm for friends and family at Reynolds Funeral Home of Ahoskie.