: OBITUARIES :
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GERALD EMORY HONEYCUTT

Gerald Emory Honeycutt, 70, of Greenville, SC passed away unexpectedly Monday, February 15th at his home.  A native of Yancey County, he was a son of the late Daniel and Hazel Byrd Honeycutt and a brother of the late Larry Dean Honeycutt.

 

Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced by Holcombe Brothers Funeral Home.

CHARLES BLACK

Charles Black, 93, of Three Quarter Creek, Burnsville, and Botany Woods, Asheville, died peacefully on February 14, 2010 at the Memorial Campus of Mission Hospitals.  A native of Yancey County, he was a son of the late E. C. and Bertha Styles Black and husband of 56 years of Zoe Elizabeth Deyton Black who died in 1998.  He was also preceded in death by a son:  Alan Black; sisters:  Helen Derby, Anne Penland, and Margarett Deyton and brothers:  Hardy, John, Luther, and Ralph Black.  Charles was baptized in Windom United Methodist Church, served in the CCC in Newton, NC, at Camp Little (No. NCSCS15) and retired as Personnel Manager from Glen Raven Mills with 37 years of service.  He also farmed and was an avid gardener and Atlanta Braves fan.

 

Surviving are three daughters:  Thanna Davis and husband, Jerry, of Green Mountain; Karen Howell and husband, James, of Asheville, with whom he had made his home since September; Mary Ann Elliott and husband, Jesse, of Burnsville; two sons:  Ed Black and Alice of Asheville; Stuart Black and wife, Christy, of Old Fort; daughter-in-law:  Marieka Black of Burnsville; four sisters:  Grace Rogers of Leicester, Dorothy Deyton and Louise Silcox of Burnsville, and Virginia Joins of Newark, Delaware; 17 grandchildren:  Crystal Middour, Tiffany McEntire, Laurin Buchanan, Jill Keenan, David Howell, Stacy Arnold, Emily Clifton, Everett, Caleb and Joshua Black, Maggie, Chelsea, Ben and Jake Elliott, Spencer, Mason and Cyrus Black; and 16 great-grandchildren.

 

Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Friday in the Chapel of Holcombe Brothers Funeral Home.  Rev. Tony Griffin will officiate.  Burial will be in the Howell Cemetery on Patterson Branch.

 

The family will receive friends from Noon until 2:00 p.m. prior to the service at the funeral home.

 

 

WARD WESLEY MATHIS

Ward Wesley Mathis of Burnsville died peacefully Wednesday, February 10, 2010 after a brief illness.  A native of Yancey County he was born February 23, 1934, a son of the late Roy Lee and Evie Belle McIntosh Mathis.  He was also preceded in death by a brother Cedric ‘Junior’ Mathis.  Ward was a US Army Veteran and a Mason.

 

 

He is survived by three children: Deborah A. Mathis of Asheville, R. Christopher Mathis of Weaverville and Jonathan W. Mathis and wife Jean of Asheville; a granddaughter, Amber Nicole Mathis of Candler, five sisters: Jewel Penland of Swannanoa, Mary Robinson of Burnsville, Marie Ferguson of Jonesborough, TN, Hannah Neighbors of Hamlet, NC and Louise Young of Burnsville; three brothers, Edd Mathis of Hickory, Wayne Mathis of Jacksonville, NC and Ted Mathis of Asheville; the mother of his sons, Ann Mathis of Weaverville; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

  

Ward spent most of his 40+ year professional career in the grocery business – first as a butcher and store manager with Colonial Stores, and then as a store manager, district manager and opening specialist with Bi-Lo Supermarkets.

 

Ward was also a beloved husband, father, grandfather, farmer, horseman, fisherman, animal lover, softy, friend, and entertainer.  He made friends wherever he went and no person was a stranger to him.  Any time you visited he always seemed ready to fix steaks on the grill.  Ward touched the lives of many people in his almost 76 years of life.  He will be greatly missed. 

 

Ward’s family will welcome friends and celebrate his life from 2 to 3:30 pm  Sunday, February 14 at Holcombe Brothers Funeral Home.  A brief memorial service will follow at 3:30pm at the funeral home.   

 

 In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Ward’s memory to Elk Shoal Baptist Church in Burnsville (the church in which he grew up) or to the First Baptist Church of Weaverville (where he was a member most of his adult life).

 

JEAN HUGHES BRANDON

Jean Hughes Brandon, formerly of Burnsville, went home to be with the Lord and with her husband and parents on Monday, February 8, 2010.  She was a daughter of the late Shelton and Lois McCurry Hughes. Jean was a member of First Baptist Church Concord and the Willing Workers Sunday School class.  Jean was a loving wife and mother.  She was preceded in death by her husband, Wayne (W.C.) Brandon.

 

Surviving are her daughters:  Vicky and Cheryl Brandon, both of Knoxville; and special friends:  Ed Singletary and Ruth Weeks.

 

Funeral Services are postponed, and will be announced at a later date.

 

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to First Baptist Church Missions Ministry, 11704 Kingston Pike, Farragut, TN 37934.

LILLIE SHEPHERD

Lillie Shepherd, 92, of Burnsville went home to be with the Lord, Tuesday, February 2, 2010 at Mountain Manor Assisted Living.  A native of Yancey County, she was a daughter of the late Laskie and Maude Waycaster Shepherd.  She was also preceded in death by a sister:  Julia Bennett and brothers:  Woodrow Shepherd and Olen Shepard.  She was a member of the Church of God of Prophesy.  Lillie was a retired employee of Blue Bell and after retirement, her passion was her flowers.

 

Surviving are a son:  Dallas K. Peterson and wife, Hazel, and a sister:  Thelma Angel all of Burnsville; 3 grandchildren:  Sheila Cooke and husband, Reid,  of Cleveland, NC, Roger Peterson of Conover and Richie Peterson and wife, Pamela, of Lenoir and 3 great grandchildren:  Brandon and Derrick Earls and Kourtney Peterson.

 

Funeral services will be held at 7:00 p.m. Thursday in the Chapel of Holcombe Brothers Funeral Home.  Rev. Robert Norris will officiate.  A graveside service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday in the Academy Cemetery.

 

The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service at the funeral home.

 

Memorials may be made to Hospice of Yancey County, 856 Georges Fork Road, Burnsville, NC 28714.

 

The family extends a special thanks to the staff at Mountain Manor Assisted Living and Hospice nurse, Donna Hughes.

OSCAR BAILEY

Oscar Wilson Bailey, 84, native of Ohio, died January 30 at the Brian Center in Spruce Pine.  He is survived by his wife, Sarah Bailey, with whom he was married for 64 years; his three siblings, Warren Bailey, Margaret Simone and Gert Torry, all of Ohio; his two children, Susan Stickney of Santa Fe and Dan Bailey of Baltimore, Maryland, and four grandchildren, Sarah and Amelia, Morgan and Rebecca. 

 

Oscar was a nationally recognized photographer, known primarily for his innovative use of an antique camera that made long, thin panorama photographs. His work is in the permanent collections of many major museums and in the lives of his many students. 

 

Oscar and Sarah came to this area in 1971 when he started teaching photography classes at Penland School of Crafts.  In 1983 they bought land in the area and began building their hand-crafted home.  The next 25 years Oscar spent building furniture for family and friends.   He installed a Japanese rock garden on his property, designed and built kites, “wind-supported sculptures,” as he called them, and flew them from the top of his hill.  After obtaining a pyrotechnicians’s license, he set off fireworks shows of his own invention that delighted friends and family.  

 

A recent reviewer of his life’s work commented that it represents “Oscar Bailey’s ability to engage seriously in both art and craft without ever appearing to take himself too seriously.”  A fellow professor and collaborator said recently, “Oscar was a fun and exciting person to be around.  He liked to figure out how things worked and then explored how he could integrate these qualities with his ideas.”  Oscar himself would say:  “It’s not about education, it’s about having fun.” 

 

A gathering of family and friends will meet this summer at the Bailey home for a tribute to Oscar’s life.

 

Memorial donations may be sent to Hospice or the Penland School of Crafts.

GERTIE McENTYRE

Gertie McEntyre, 94, of Celo, passed away Saturday, January 30, 2010 at the Brian Center in Spruce Pine.  A native of Yancey County she was a daughter of the late John Henry and Elizabeth McMahan Effler and the wife of Lewis McEntyre who died in 1996.  She was also preceded in death by sisters: Dora Wilson, Earge Wilson, Bertie Hardin, Rene Deal, Eula Guinn, and Mamie Simmons; and brothers:  Roscoe, Cecil and Troy Effler. Gertie worked with the US Forest Service for 22 years and retired at the age of 92. 

 

Surviving are a daughter:  Shirley Tolley of the Pleasant Gap community; 2 sons:  Terry McEntyre of Marion, Lewis McEntyre Jr. and wife Susie of Burnsville;  2 brothers:  John Ray Effler and Raymond Effler and wife Jean; and a sister-in-law Linnie Effler, all of Marion, and  a brother-in-law Roy Guinn, of Morganton; grandchildren:  Vicki Tolley, Pamela Boswell, Darrin McEntyre and wife Tammy, Stacey McEntyre, Julie Wetherman and husband Weldon, and Jamie McEntyre and wife Christie; great grandchildren: Savanah, Conner, Lacie, Caley and Celeste, and several nieces and nephews.

 

Funeral services will be held at 7PM Monday in the Chapel of Holcombe Brothers Funeral Home.  A graveside service will be held at 2 PM Tuesday in the South Estatoe Baptist Church Cemetery.

 

The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service at the funeral home.

BOYD OTTIS BRYANT

Boyd Ottis Bryant, 76, of 1722 16th Street NE, Hickory, died Wednesday, January 27, 2010, at Frye Regional Medical Center.  Born January 18, 1934 in Yancey County, he was a son of the late Robert and Hassie Garland Bryant.  He was also preceded in death by a daughter:  Christine Bryant; 2 brothers:  Obed and Homer Bryant; and, a sister:  Ruth Zeller.

 

Surviving are his loving wife of 45 years:  Donna Phillips Bryant; a son:  Ronald Bryant; a daughter:  Norma Gilliam and husband, Ted, all of Hickory; 7 grandkids:  Jessica, Heather, Ty, Madison and Josh Gilliam and wife, Amanda, Kristin and Savannah Bryant; 1 great granddaughter:  Makayla Gilliam; 2 sisters:  Ethel Ritter and Zula Whaley of Illinois; and, a number of nieces and nephews.

 

Funeral services will be held at 11AM Monday in Faith Tabernacle Community Church in Hickory.  Burial will be in the White Oak Flats Cemetery at Green Mountain, NC.

 

The family will receive friends 1 hour prior to the service at the church.

 

The family would like to extend a special thanks to Frye Hospital staff and to Hospice of Hickory.

LOUISE "TOOTSY" WILLIAMS

Louise “Nana Tootsy” Williams of Burnsville went home to be with the Lord Tuesday, January 26, 2010 at the Memorial Campus of Mission Hospitals.  A native of Mitchell County, she was a daughter of the late Calvin Eck and Millie Garland Phillips.  She was also preceded in death by infant sisters:  Lorrain and Leone Phillips.  Nana Tootsy babysat for thirty years.  She attended North Bend Free Will Baptist Church.

 

Surviving are her husband of 57 years, Joe Williams; a son:  Charles Williams; daughters:  Paula Peterson and husband, Junior, and Charlene Hoffman and husband, Daniel, all of Burnsville; grandchildren:  Gary, Kevin, Brad, D.J., Kayla, Aaliyah and Mikey; great grandchildren:  Asya and Ashton and a brother:  Bud Phillips and wife, Ann, of Spruce Pine.

 

Funeral services will be held at 8:00 p.m. Thursday in the Chapel of Holcombe Brothers Funeral Home.  Revs. Junior Peterson and Keith Miller will officiate.  Graveside services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday in the Grover Hunter Cemetery.

 

The family will receive friends from 6 until 8:00 p.m. Thursday prior to the service at the funeral home.

 

Memorials may be made to Gideons International, P. O. Box 264, Burnsville, NC 28714.

EDWARD L. & PATRICIA S. COLYER

Edward L. Colyer, 71, and Patricia S. Colyer, 71, went home to be with the Lord Thursday, January 20, 2010.  Both were natives of Buncombe County.  Edward was a son of the late Payton and Grace Colyer.  Patricia was a daughter of Katherine Woody Birmingham of Waynesville and the late Charles E. Birmingham. 

 

Surviving Edward and Patricia is a son:  Monty Colyer of Burnsville.  Edward is also survived by a brother:  Sam Colyer of Asheville.  Surviving Patricia, in addition to her mother, are brothers:  Charles Birmingham and wife, Joan, of Seymour, TN and Scott Birmingham and wife, Diane of Waynesville; sisters:  Joy Richardson and husband, David, of Maggie Valley and Brenda Brown and husband, Gary, of Canton.  Several nieces and nephews also survive.

 

A private memorial service will be held at a later date.

 

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