Dr. Byron Carl Hauser

Dr. Byron Carl Hauser, age 77, passed into eternal repose on December 23, 2024 at his residence in Pittsboro, NC. A loving brother, devoted uncle, and fast friend, Dr. Hauser was a native of Baltimore, MD, of working-class roots. He was a man of wild whimsy, pleasant eccentricities, and abysmal driving skills, all of which were sources of endless joy and anxiety to his family and friends.

Dr. Hauser was a graduate of the University of Maryland and obtained a doctorate in English literature from the University of Miami. A devout Catholic, he was for many years a liturgical reader at St. Keiran Church in Miami. A man of generosity, culture, intelligence, and humor, Byron was an opera aficionado, a world-class bridge player, a polyglot, a professor, a world traveler, and a profoundly loyal friend.

Byron addressed the world with a vast enthusiasm. He laughed uproariously, entertained lavishly, studied tap dance, was prone to tell ribald and politically incorrect jokes without regard to circumstance or company, masqueraded as a tap-dancing cow, frequently drove over curbs and disregarded stop signs, and tended to trip and fall over sidewalk cracks, corners of carpets, and (as it seemed) even edges of shadows. Byron’s life was truly larger than life. He was a character in the highest sense of the word. His presence in our lives enriched ours beyond measure.

Byron was predeceased by his parents, Emil and Marge Hauser, by Bill Martin, his companion of many years, and is survived by sisters Peggy Di Martino (Tom) and Nancy Cushing, and by many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.  A memorial service is planned for a later date.