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The Daily Tar Heel

Business community mourns Chris Derby

Chris Derby, the owner of two UPS stores and the Baguettaboutit food truck, died suddenly of a heart attack on Monday. A memorial service will be held at St. Thomas More Catholic Church on Friday.Photo courtesy of Kaytee Hough.

Chris Derby, the owner of two UPS stores and the Baguettaboutit food truck, died suddenly of a heart attack on Monday. A memorial service will be held at St. Thomas More Catholic Church on Friday.

Photo courtesy of Kaytee Hough.

Around town, Chris Derby was known as a successful Chapel Hill businessman who was always willing to give back. But at home, Chris Derby was known as “cool-rocking daddy.”

Derby, a local business owner and member of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce board, died Monday at the age of 57 from a heart attack.

Chris and his wife, Marcy Derby, had three children: Brett, 27; Kelly, 25; and Torri, 19, who always referred to their father as the “cool-rocking daddy.”

“He loves music, and they thought he was the coolest dad,” Marcy Derby said. “Every night when he’d talk to them before they went to bed, he’d tell them he loved them and ask if there was anything he could do.”

Derby moved to Chapel Hill in 1989 as a district manager with Marriott Corporation. He worked with Marriott for 25 years before leaving the corporate world to operate two local UPS stores at Fordham Boulevard and Meadowmont. Derby also owned the Baguettaboutit food truck and restaurant.

A man of service

Marcy Derby said he was a man of integrity, always putting other people’s needs before his own. She said she would often hear her husband ask, “What can I do for you?”

Derby was a board member for Extraordinary Ventures, a nonprofit that creates small businesses that employ young adults with autism and developmental disabilities.

Derby co-chaired the learning and innovation theme group of the Chapel Hill 2020 plan, which focuses on medicine, healthcare and lifelong learning.

Aaron Nelson, secretary of the Chamber of Commerce, said he met Derby about 20 years ago when Nelson was student body president at UNC and Derby was a director of campus dining services.

“I think one thing that stands out about him is his positive attitude and welcoming spirit,” Nelson said. “Everything he chose to get involved in he cared about greatly.”

Brett Derby said it’s difficult for him to capture his father in words.

“He always created this source of light and positivity,” he said.

“He always wanted to make sure that other people were happy and would take on a lot of other people’s battles.”

Brett Derby said his father always provided the highest level of customer service at his UPS Stores and the Baguettaboutit food truck.

“He knew every customer that came in, and he would make sure to have a personal conversation with them,” Brett Derby said.

Marcy Derby said her husband’s motto was, “If you don’t live on the edge, you’re taking up too much room,” because he lived everyday to the fullest.

A lifelong Tar Heel fan

Marcy Derby said he loved Chapel Hill and the Tar Heels. She said he always tried to stay connected with the University.

“He’s up there with Dean Smith now,” she said.

Marcy Derby said Chapel Hill has lost a person who was deeply involved in the community.

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“They’ve lost a person that has helped them better the business community,” she said “Chris was our hero and our rock. He was everything to everybody.”

A memorial service for Chris Derby will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Chapel Hill. In lieu of flowers, the Derby family asks that donations are made to Extraordinary Ventures or the American Heart Association.

city@dailytarheel.com