Charles "Gregg" Gregory Dayvault

Charles Gregory (Gregg) Dayvault, born on July 3, 1951, in Concord, NC, passed away at home on November 28, 2024, after an extended period of declining health. He was the beloved son of the late Charles Litten Dayvault and Martha (Polly) Allman Dayvault. 

A descendant of a Kannapolis pioneer family, Gregg’s great-grandfather, Paul Dayvault, owned the Dayvault family farm that would later become portions of Cannon Mills Plant 1 allowing for the creation of Kannapolis, and now the location of the North Carolina Research Campus. He was a lifetime member of North Kannapolis Methodist Church and was the first baby baptized in their new sanctuary in 1951, when his grandfather, Charlie Marks Dayvault finished construction of the church. When Gregg was born, his dad had to be called down from installing the roof on the northside of the church.

From a young age, Gregg’s fondest memories included working at Dayvault’s Tune-Up and Brake Service, where he learned expert automotive skills from his cousins Frank and Wayne, and helped with many race cars, including cars driven by Ralph and Dale Earnhardt Sr. Gregg specialized in building carburetors and distributors and was fondly known for his impeccable skills at diagnosing, repairing and restoring vehicles. 

After the Dyno-Shop closed in 1974, Gregg continued working on customers’ cars at Gregg Dayvault Automotive for 40 years. Additionally, Gregg served in the U.S. Army from 1971-1977, and was an employee and supervisor at the Cannon Mills Garage from 1973-1996, where he made several lifelong friends.

Gregg loved spending time with his family, sharing stories from the past, working on cars, restoring classic cars and radios, slot car racing, fishing, and passing down many handy skills to his son, Ryan. He was incredibly proud of Ryan’s public service to Kannapolis, and the recent revival of his hometown.

Left to cherish his memory are his devoted wife of 44 years, Leslie Chapman Dayvault, son Ryan (Traci) of Kannapolis, cousin Wayne (Kathleen) Dayvault of Little River, SC, cousin Bobby (Mary) Dayvault of Kannapolis, extended family John and Carole Pizzuto and Nancy Hutchens, cousin Chris Hughes, and childhood friend Larry Beaver. Special thanks go to Hospice nurses Jennifer, Jenna, Latwanya, and Wendy for their love and care over the past several months.

Visitation will be at Whitley’s Funeral Home on Sunday December 1 from 6-8:00 PM. Funeral services will be held at Whitley’s Chapel on Monday December 2 at 12:00 PM noon with services performed by Pastor Tom Cabaniss and Pastor Doug Hardin. 

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be sent to the Kannapolis History Associates, PO Box 21, Kannapolis, NC 28082 to honor Gregg’s passion for Kannapolis history.