Thomas Bersuder, 78, passed away Thursday July 2, 2026 at Duke-Raleigh Hospital.

A Celebration of Life Service, followed by a reception, will be held on Saturday, August 15th at 2pm at First Baptist Church of Raleigh on 99 N Salisbury Street.

Tom Bersuder died on July 2nd after a hard-fought battle with cancer. He was born to John Edward and Virginia Patterson Bersuder in Dayton, Ohio in 1948 and when he was a child, his family moved to Texas City, Texas. On the recommendation of his minister, an alumnus of Davidson College, Tom attended Davidson where he developed lifelong friendships and became an active alumnus and ambassador of the "Great Class of 1970." He was honored to receive the Alumni Service Award from Davidson in 2025.

After graduating and working for his Texas congressman in Washington, D.C., Tom returned to North Carolina and lived with several other Davidson alumni as they attended graduate and professional schools. After receiving a master's degree from UNC-Chapel Hill, Tom moved to Raleigh and began a career of more than 30 years in state government. He retired in 2010 from what is now the NC Department of Information Technology and he was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine.

Tom also actively supported his wife, Hope Williams, in her work with NC Independent Colleges and Universities. Together, they took great joy in raising their two sons, Jonathan and Edward, and in welcoming Edward's wife, Gabby, and their darling granddaughter, Marcella, to the family. In addition, Tom was proud to be the big brother to his sister, Suzi, and brother-in-law to her husband, Dick Grbac.

Other relatives include his uncle, Ron Bersuder, and wife Cindy, of Ohio, and many cousins, including Jeannette Albert and her husband, Danny, of New Orleans.

In lieu of flowers, the family would welcome donations to the Tom Bersuder '70 Fund, Davidson College, PO Box 5000, Davidson, NC 28035 (or Office of Donor Relations - tel:704-894-2077) or in memory of Tom to the Independent College Fund of North Carolina, 530 N Blount St, Raleigh, 27604 (919-832-5817).

Hope Valley Hawkins is honored to serve the family of Thomas John Bersuder.