Obituaries
Charles "Jerry" Benfield
Dec 20, 2022
HORSE SHOE - Charles Jerry Benfield, age 81, of Horse Shoe, died Tuesday, December 20, 2022. Mr. Benfield was born March 31, 1941, in Burke County, NC. He was a resident of Buncombe County for most of his life and had resided in Horse Shoe for the past twenty years. He retired from Sears after 37 years. His life was...
Roy Kenneth Pike, Sr.
Dec 18, 2022
WOODFIN - Roy Kenneth Pike, Sr., age 81, of Asheville, died Sunday, December 18, 2022. Mr. Pike was born August 25, 1941, in Buncombe County where he lived all his life.
He did his undergraduate work at Mars Hill College and was a graduate of Western Carolina University, receiving a degree in education with a double major in history and...
Tony Whitson
Dec 17, 2022
BARNARDSVILLE - Michael Reed Whitson, 83, or “Tony” as most people knew him, was born in Buncombe County, NC to the late David Orville Whitson and Agnes Adkins Whitson. Tony was a 1957 graduate of North Buncombe High School. He worked in Los Angeles, California for a short time and then returned to North Carolina for a few months before...
Wanda S. Worley
Dec 14, 2022
ALEXANDER – Wanda S. Worley, 67, of Alexander, died Wednesday, December 14, 2022, at the Solace Center.
Wanda was born April 29, 1955, in Newport, Tennessee to the late Calvin and Novella Messer Suttles. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her brother, Gary Suttles and sister, Ethel Suttles.
Wanda was a supervisor at Dayco...
James Michael Moran
Dec 8, 2022
WEAVERVILLE - James Michael Moran, age 78, went to be with the Lord Thursday, December 8, 2022.
Mr. Moran was born August 14, 1944, in Syracuse, NY and lived there until he went away to college. He graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1966 with a degree in chemical engineering. While at Vanderbilt he met the love of his...
Paul V. Ratcliff
Dec 6, 2022
ALEXANDER – Paul V. Ratcliff, age 66, of Alexander, passed away on Tuesday, December 6, 2022.
Mr. Ratcliff was born December 27, 1955, and was resident of Buncombe County all of his life.
He was a hard worker. He worked for C & T Paving Company for fifteen years. He loved his job and his coworkers. He formed many life-long...
Walter Shelton
Dec 5, 2022
Walter Shelton, 101, of Marshall, NC passed away unexpectedly on Monday, December 5, 2022.
Walter was born November 7, 1921, at White Rock Hospital to the late Vera Shelton. He was preceded in death by his sister, Rosalee Shelton Jablonsky of West Roxbury, Massachusetts, and the grandparents who graciously raised him, Armp and Polly Shelton.
After high school, Walter...
Sarah Katherine McDevitt
Dec 4, 2022
WEAVERVILLE - Sarah Katherine (Rector) McDevitt, 80, of Weaverville, formerly of Swannanoa, died at John Keever Solace Center Sunday, December 4, 2022.
Sarah was born January 11, 1942, in Kingsport Tennessee to the late Tommie and Mary Rector. She was preceded in death by her husband of 60 years Edward McDevitt.
After being a homemaker and rearing her daughters,...
Cynthia McConnell Keefer
Dec 1, 2022
WEAVERVILLE– Cynthia McConnell Keefer, age 72, of Weaverville passed away Thursday, December 1, 2022, at her home. She was born December 28, 1949, to the late Ellen Elizabeth Howey and Wayne Dallas McConnell. In addition to her parents, she was also preceded in death by her son, Robert Steven Keefer, Jr. in 2017; and sister, Judith Bragan.
Cynthia is survived...
Frances Batten Marley
Nov 30, 2022
WEAVERVILLE – Frances Dolores Marley, age 80, of Weaverville died unexpectedly of natural causes November 30, 2022, at Mission Hospital.
She is survived by her husband of 62 years, Charles Marley, and her son, Douglas Marley, both of Weaverville, North Carolina.
A memorial service for Frances will be planned for a later date.
In lieu of flowers,...
Beatrice Rosch King
Nov 26, 2022
Beatrice Rosch King, age 95, of Weaverville passed away Saturday, November 26, 2022. Beatrice was born March 31, 1927, in Brooklyn, NY to the late Arthur Rosch and Louise Jurgens. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband of 62 years, Joseph P. King in 2013; and brother, Billy Rosch. She was a resident of Connecticut and New...
Edith P. Reece
Nov 22, 2022
Edith P. Reece, age 95, of Weaverville, died Tuesday, November 22, 2022.
Mrs. Reece was born August 29, 1927, in West Virginia. She was a resident of Buncombe County since 1950.
She was a member of the Vance Chapter Order of the Eastern Star #285 and was a member of Oak Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Marshall.
Mrs. Reece was...
Janice Parkinson Tucker
Nov 22, 2022
WEAVERVILLE, NC - Janice was born in Blasdell, New York (near Buffalo) on December 26, 1937, and attended the public schools there. Upon graduation from high school, she attended and graduated from the State University of New York at Fredonia where she studied music. She moved to Maine, where she taught music and conducted choral groups in the public schools...
Joan Flynn Hubbard
Nov 21, 2022
KNOXVILLE, TN - Joan Flynn Hubbard, 90, passed away November 21, 2022, in Knoxville TN. Mrs. Hubbard was born in Port Jervis, N.Y. She lived her adult years in Asheville NC. She was preceded in death by her parents, Genevieve Viola Hughson Flynn and John Stephen Flynn; and her beloved brother Lenard John Flynn.
Mrs. Hubbard is...
Wilma Jones Robertson
Nov 16, 2022
LEBANON, TN - Wilma Jones Robertson, aka Nana, age 100, went home to be with Jesus on Wednesday, November 16, 2022 in Lebanon, TN. Wilma was born on July 12, 1922 in Oxford, OH. She lived the majority of her life in Weaverville. She was a registered dietitian and a member of American Dietetic Association. She worked at the Oteen...
Jeff Lyons
Nov 16, 2022
BARNARDSVILLE – Jeff Lyons, age 61, of Barnardsville died November 16, 2022. He was born on September 17, 1961, in Watauga County, North Carolina to Archie and Jo Ann Thompson Lyons. He was a resident of Buncombe County since 1994.
Jeff graduated from Watauga High School and graduated from Haywood Technical College with a degree in Forestry and Asheville...
Madge Thomas Francis
Nov 13, 2022
ASHEVILLE – Madge Thomas Francis, age 98, of Asheville, died Sunday, November 13, 2022.
Mrs. Francis was born on February 29, 1924, in Kingsville, Texas to the late Louie and Gertrude Ford Thomas. She was the wife of Harold Offutt Francis who died in 2006.
Mrs. Francis and her late husband, Offutt, were owners of The Tree House children’s...
Darren Keene
Nov 13, 2022
WEAVERVILLE – Darren Keene, 50, passed away on Sunday, November 13, 2022 at his residence. A lifelong resident of Buncombe County, he was the son of James Harold Keene and Helen Pegg Keene.
Darren truly believed that “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” as he was an avid scavenger and upcycler of all sorts of items.
He is survived...
Gene Keil
Nov 11, 2022
WEAVERVILLE – Allen Eugene “Gene” Keil, age 82, of Weaverville, died suddenly of cardiac arrest on Friday, November 11, 2022. Gene was born January 24, 1940, in Farmersville, Ohio to the late Leo Allen and Marie Geiser Keil.
An ordained pastor in the United Church of Christ, Gene graduated from Heidelberg College and Eden Theological Seminary. He served...
Chris Rosser
Nov 11, 2022
HUNTERSVILLE, NC – Christopher “Chris” Paul Rosser, 53, passed away on Friday, November 11, 2022 in Palm Harbor, FL.
He was a man who seemed to take pride in straightforward replies to questions. Why use several words when one or two words would be enough? Chris was good at this and it became what Heather would expect from...
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