Posted May 21, 2014 (Updated May 23 at 4:16 p.m.)
McADENVILLE N.C. – Joseph Martin “Bip” Carstarphen III, CEO of Pharr Yarns and a pillar in the textile industry and his community, died Tuesday, May 21 at CaroMont Regional Medical Center after a long and courageous battle with cancer. He was 81.
Carstarphen spent nearly 60 years in the textile industry after joining Pharr Yarns in 1956. He rose from the management and executive ranks to become chairman and CEO in 1981, succeeding his father-in-law, William J. Pharr.
Carstarphen guided the privately held company through changing times and was well known in the textile industry. He also served as chairman of Pharr International of Europe, Inc., having offices in Geneva, Switzerland and Veenendaal, Holland. He is a past board member and president of the American Yarn Spinners Association.
In a press release, Pharr Yarns said, “Mr. Carstarphen served his company and its people with great distinction for more than 58 years. He demonstrated to all that a successful business can be conducted in a manner in which integrity and honesty is foremost, people are valued, faith in God is expressed, charity is encouraged and leadership with humility is second nature.”
Longtime Pharr Yarns CEO ‘Bip’ Carstarphen dies
The children of Mr. Carstarphen, in the press release, said of their father, “He has been and will continue to be an inspiration to us all. His kindness and steadfast resolve for our family, company and community will always remain in our hearts. We are all indeed deeply saddened, yet we are comforted in knowing he is at peace and we are left with his wonderful legacy.”
Carstarphen’s son Bill serves as president of the company.
“Bip was one of the good guys,” said Jim Chesnutt, chairman and CEO of National Spinning Co. and a longtime friend. “I especially remember him when I first joined this great industry and his kindness to an obvious newcomer. He will be remembered with great respect and appreciation for his contributions to the industry.”
Carstarphen lived in McAdenville, a.k.a. “Christmas Town USA,” where the Pharr Yarns-sponsored Christmas lights display draws thousands each year.
Carstarphen, a native of Tarboro, N.C., graduated from Augusta Military Academy and UNC-Chapel Hill. He was a U.S. Army veteran.
In 2004, Carstarphen was the recipient of the Spirit of the Carolinas award and the Order of the Long Leaf Pine. In 2008, he and his wife, Catherine Ann, were co-recipients of the Grace Award bestowed by Belmont Abbey College and in 2009, they received the Allen H. Sims Award presented by the Community Foundation of Gaston County. The Gaston Gazette named him its Man of the Year in 2009.
Carstarphen was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Belmont, where he had served as deacon and elder.
In addition to his textile duties, Carstarphen served as president of two real estate firms: Belmont Land and Investment Company, LLC and Strand Development Company, LLC.
He served as director on a number of textile companies and was on the Board of Advisory of Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and was a board member of the former Wachovia Corporation – Southern Region, the North Carolina Manufacturers’ Association, the North Carolina Foundation of Research & Education, Inc., the Gaston County Economic Development Commission and the Community Foundation of Gaston County. He was a past board member of Carolina Freight Corporation and Gaston Memorial Hospital.
Carstarphen also served on the Board of Visitors of UNC-Chapel Hill and the Board of Trustees for Queens University and Belmont Abbey College.
Carstarphen is survived by his wife of 59 years, Catherine Ann Stowe Pharr Carstarphen; one daughter, Catherine S. P. Carstarphen of McAdenville; two sons, J. Martin Carstarphen IV of Charlotte, N.C., and William J. P. Carstarphen and wife Carol of Belmont, N.C.; three granddaughters: Alexandra and Isabel Carstarphen and Catherine Henderson; three grandsons: William, Ben and John Carstarphen; one brother: William B. Carstarphen and wife Mattie of Tarboro, N.C.
Pharr Yarns, established in 1939 and headquartered in McAdenville, N.C., is manufactures and markets carpet and high-performance yarns.
A service to celebrate his life took place Friday at First Presbyterian Church of Belmont, N.C. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to First Presbyterian Church of Belmont, PO Box 1, Belmont, N.C. 28012 or to Calvary Episcopal Church, PO Box 1245, Tarboro, N.C. 27886. Condolences may be sent online by visiting www.mcleanfuneral.com.
