The community of Pilot Mountain is honoring the life of Mr. Roger Dale Essick, a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and respected tobacco farmer who passed away on Saturday, October 25, 2025, at Northern Regional Hospital in Mount Airy. He was 74 years old.
Born on June 9, 1951, in Forsyth County, Essick was the son of the late Johnny Lewis Essick and Delmon Hazel Smith Essick. A lifelong resident of the area, he spent decades working the land as a tobacco farmer, known for his strong work ethic and dedication to his family and community.
Loved ones remember him as a kindhearted man who led by example and took pride in the simple joys of life. “He taught us what hard work and loyalty truly meant,” one family member shared.
Essick is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Niten Essick; daughter and son-in-law, Tracy Essick-Xolo and Manuel; son, Roger Dale Essick Jr.; grandchildren, Jesse Parker, Ashlyn Parker and Cody Willard, Emily Parker, Gracie Essick, and Rosaelia Essick-Xolo; and great-grandchildren, Caden James Parker, Mason Taylor Parker, Teigan Michael Brannock, and Ave Marie Beamon.
He is also survived by his sisters, Mildred Essick, Nancy Gallant, Ruth Gordon, and Sylvia Sisk, along with cherished friends Ray Epperson and Austin “the neighbor.”
In accordance with his wishes, no formal services will be held. The family will host a celebration of life at their home on Saturday, November 8, 2025, at 12:00 p.m.
Moody’s of Mount Airy is respectfully serving the Essick family.
Mr. Essick will be remembered as a man who loved deeply, worked tirelessly, and left behind a lasting legacy of faith, family, and friendship in the community he called home.