1000 x 90

Watauga County Obituaries – Compiled July 3, 2013

Watauga County Obituaries – Compiled July 3, 2013 

‘Buddy’ Yates, D. July 1, 2013

Charles “Buddy” Yates, 65, of Port St. Lucie, Florida, passed away Monday, July 1, 2013 at the Treasure Coast Hospice residence in Ft. Pierce, FL.

Charles was born in Greenville, NC. He had been a resident of Martin and St. Lucie Counties for the past 50 years coming from Greenville, NC.

He served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War and was a member of the American Legion, Post # 355 and the Elks Lodge # 2658 in Port St. Lucie.

Prior to retirement, Buddy worked 34 years for the US Postal Service as a letter carrier in Vero Beach and Ft. Pierce.

He was preceded in death by his father, Charles Yates and his brother, Anthony Yates.

Survivors include his loving wife of 25 years, Jimmie Ann Cole Yates of Port St. Lucie, FL; his mother, Beth Yates of Jensen Beach, FL; one son, Chris Greene of Boone; five sisters, Betty ( Fred)Walton of Jensen Beach, FL, Donna (Richard) Newman of Jensen Beach, FL, Dianna (Earl) Knight of Jensen Beach, FL, Amy (Travis) Kirkland of Nashville, TN, and Merribeth (Jim) Manning of Stuart, FL; one brother, Luther (Sandy)Yates of Stuart, FL; his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Everett and Jean Cole of Boone; his sister-in-law, Linda Councill of Boone; his brother-in-law, Eddie Cole of Fuquay, NC; and one grandson, Dylan Greene of Boone. Many nieces, nephews and cousins also survive. 

A Gathering will be held from 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm, Friday, July 5, 2013 at Forest Hills-Byrd, Young & Prill Funeral Home in Port St. Lucie, FL. A Memorial Service will follow at 2:00 pm in our chapel. 

A celebration of his life will continue after the service at the Elks Lodge, 2290 SE Lennard Road, Port St. Lucie, FL 34952 Tel# (772) 335-3557.

Inurnment will be held at South Florida VA National Cemetery in Lake Worth, FL.

Contributions may be made to the Treasure Coast Hospice, 1201 SE Indian Street, Stuart, FL 34997, www.TCHospice.org.

Online condolences may be shared with the Yates family at www.austinandbarnesfuneralhome.com.

Susan Marie Hodges, D. July 1, 2013

Ms. Susan Marie Hodges, age 59, of Cook Road, Zionville, passed away Monday, July 1, 2013 at her home. Born August 20, 1953 in Avery County, she was a daughter of the late William Robert and Jeanne Banner Hodges. Susie was a Registered Nurse and had her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She was a member of Mabel United Methodist Church. 

She is survived by two sons; Eddie Winebarger of Vilas, and David Winebarger and wife Audrey Lynn Winebarger of Zionville, one sister; Rebecca Greene and husband Elson of Boone, three grandchildren; Knox Monroe Winebarger, Adelle Rosalee Winebarger and Tristan Lee Adams, and two nephews; John and Shawn Greene. In addition to her parents she was preceded in death by one brother; William Robert “Robin” Hodges, Jr.

Memorial services for Susan Marie Hodges will be conducted Wednesday July 10th at 2 o’clock at Austin & Barnes Funeral Home Chapel. The family will receive friends from 12:30 until 2 o’clock prior to the service at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to High Country Health Care System Hospice, 400 Shadowline Drive, Suite 100-B, Boone, NC 28607.

Online condolences may be shared with the Hodges family at wwwaustinandbarnesfuneralhome.com.

Austin & Barnes Funeral Home & Crematory is serving the Hodges family.

Beverly Suzette Wilcox, D. June 28, 2013

Beverly Suzette Wilcox, age 39, of Boone, passed away Friday afternoon, June 28, 2013 at Wilkes Regional Medical Center. She was born July 10, 1973 in Watauga County to the late Roger Dean Wilcox and Linda Glenn Wilcox. 

She is survived by two children; Kayla Wilcox and T. J. Bolling both of Vilas, her mother, Linda Wilcox of Boone, one sister; Rene Nelson of Boone, her maternal grandmother; Lena Glenn of Sugar Grove, her paternal grandmother Ruby Wilcox of Boone, two nieces; Amber and Heather Nelson of Boone, two nephews; Koty Nelson of Memphis, and Jeffrey Nelson and wife Jessica of Mountain City, and two great nieces; Kaylee and Kylie Nelson of Mountain City. She was preceded in death by her father; Roger Dean Wilcox, one sister; Kimberly Wilcox, and her grandfathers; Lester Wilcox and Raymond Glenn. 

Services for Beverly Wilcox will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to the family in care of Austin and Barnes Funereal Home. Online condolences may be shared with the Wilcox family at www.austinandbarnesfuneralhome.com.

Austin & Barnes Funeral Home & Crematory is serving the Wilcox family. 

Betty Combs Norman, D. June 28, 2013

Betty Norman
Betty Norman

Mrs. Betty Alice Combs Norman, age 78, of Norman Road Extension, Boone, passed away Friday evening, June 28th, at the Watauga Medical Center. Born February 16, 1935 in Watauga County, she was a daughter of the late John Pinkney and Etta Sue Eller Combs. Betty was a member of the Foscoe Christian Church and a homemaker.

She is survived by her husband John Edward Norman, 4 children, Gary Norman and wife Lois, Dianne Norris and husband Danny, Brenda Barrier and husband Scott and Tim Norman and girlfriend Jennifer all of Boone, seven grandchildren; Jennifer Arnette, Nathan Norman, Mitchell Norman, Amos Earp, Kevin Doss, Caitlin Barrier, Nick Barrier and a baby on the way, fifteen great grandchildren; two sisters; Ruth Blanton, and Reba Propst both of Charlotte and one brother; Jack Combs and wife Mary Jo of Mayo, SC. 

Memorial services for Mrs. Betty Alice Combs Norman will be conducted Tuesday afternoon at 2 o’clock at the Foscoe Christian Church. Officiating will be Minister Dan Burks. Flowers are accepted or memorials may be made to the Foscoe Christian Church, 8834 NC Hwy 105 South, Boone, NC 28607. 

The family will receive friends Monday evening from 5 o’clock until 7 o’clock at the Foscoe Christian Church. 

Online condolences may be shared with the Norman Family at www.austinandbarnesfuneralhome.com.

Austin Barnes Funeral Home & Crematory is serving the Norman family. 

Chuck Folk, D. June 27, 2013

Charles E. Folk
Charles E. Folk

Charles Edward ‘Chuck’ Folk, age 68. of Triple T Drive, Boone, passed away Thursday morning, June 27, 2013, at the Watauga Medical Center. Born June 21, 1945 in Boone, Charles Edward was a son of Mrs. Katherine Grimes Folk and the late Henry Clay Folk. Mr. Folk spent more than 40 years as an auto mechanic before retiring from the Broyhill Inn at Appalachian State University.

He was a man who loved his family, an avid hunter and fisherman, and in his spare time, he enjoyed building and selling bird houses. 

Mr. Folk is survived by his wife, Yvonne Bivins Folk of Boone; his mother, Katherine G. Folk; two sisters, Judi Folk and Debbie Folk and husband, Larry Joe; brother, Dana Folk and wife, Jessie; niece, Yvonne Folk; and a special aunt, Rachel Whittington, all of Boone. A host of nieces, nephews and cousins also survive. 

In addition to his father, he was preceded in death by a son, Arnold Patrick Folk.

Memorial services will be conducted Sunday afternoon, June 30, 2013, at 3 o’clock at the Austin & Barnes Funeral Chapel, officiated by Rev. Morris Hatton. The family will receive friends Sunday afternoon from 2 until 3 o’clock, prior to services, at Austin & Barnes. At other times, the family will be at the home of Katherine Folk, 372 Junaluska Road in Boone. 

Memorials may be made to the Clarissa Hill Cemetery Fund, in care of Jessie Folk, Post Office Box 137, Boone, NC 28607. 

Online condolences may be shared with the family at www.austinandbarnesfuneralhome.com.  

Austin & Barnes Funeral Home and Crematory is serving the Folk family.

Margie South Idol, D. June 27, 2013

Margie South Idol
Margie South Idol

Margie South Idol, age 80, of Brookwood Avenue, Burlington, a native and former resident of Watauga County, passed away Thursday morning, June 27, 2013, after a forty-year battle with dermatomyositis.

Mrs. Idol leaves behind her husband, John L. Idol, Jr. of the home; one brother, Stanley South of Columbia, South Carolina; two nephews, and three nieces.

She was preceded in death by her father and mother, Austin E. South and Marbelle Casey South, and two sisters, Virginia and Elizabeth.

She married a high school classmate on Thanksgiving Day in 1955, a freshman at Appalachian State at the time of their wedding and saw him through his Ph.D at the University of Arkansas as primary breadwinner.

She attended Appalachian State, Kings Business College, and the University of Arkansas and held secretarial positions in Greensboro and Charlotte and at Appalachian State and the University of Arkansas. She enrolled for special courses in French and German at Tri-County Tech in Pendleton, South Carolina, Durham Tech, and Alamance Community College. She regularly attended literature classes taught by her husband at the Chapel Hill Senior Citizens’ Center.

As an alto saxophonist, she was a member of both the marching and concert band at Appalachian State.

She was a founding member of the Boone Unitarian Fellowship.

A dedicated and talented needle artist, she belonged to the Southern Highlands Handicraft Guild and the Embroiderers Guild of America. A winner of numerous red and blue ribbons for her needlework, she took sweepstakes honors for a piece of Jacobean embroidery at the South Carolina state fair in 1989. She enjoyed many forms of needlework, cross-stitch, black work, huck-weaving, Hardanger, needlepoint, and Brazilian embroidery.

She had two one-woman shows in Clemson and Central, South Carolina. Although she sold a few pieces of her handicraft, she much preferred to make gifts for friends and family members. “I love to see the smiles of those to whom I give a piece I’ve done.”

Her achievements came despite a crippling bout with a chronic muscle disease and a breast cancer operation that left three fingers on her right hand paralyzed.

A gifted writer, her personal letters were cherished and passed around by friends and family members. She had a knack for the telling detail and the well-turned phrase.

At Tri-county Tech, she took courses in home design and designed floor plans for her homes in Clemson and Hillsborough.

She enjoyed traveling, having toured the British Isles and Ireland with close friends from South Carolina and several European countries with her husband. She had an especial affinity for Ireland and Germany since she descended from immigrants from those two nations.

She lived in Clemson, South Carolina for 31 years, where her husband taught at Clemson University, and then for 15 years in Hillsborough, North Carolina before choosing to come to a retirement center in Burlington.

Private graveside services for Marjorie South Idol will be conducted Sunday afternoon, June 30, 2013, at 2:30 PM, at the Idol Family Cemetery. A memorial service, at the Boone Unitarian Fellowship Hall, will be announced at a later date.

The family will receive friends Saturday evening, June 29, 2013, from 7:00 until 9:00 PM, at Hampton Funeral Service. At other times, friends may call at the home of Bob and Evelina Idol, 212 Whispering Pines Road, Boone.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Idol Family Cemetery Fund, in care of Joe Idol, 7045 Old Highway 421 South, Deep Gap, North Carolina, 28618.

Online condolences may be sent to the Idol family at www.hamptonfuneralnc.com.

Hampton Funeral and Cremation Service is in charge of the arrangements.


Check out more obituaries in the High Country – Avery and Watauga – at https://www.hcpress.com/obituaries.


Listings of Funeral Homes in Watauga County:

Austin & Barnes Funeral Home & Crematory
194 Queen Street
Boone, NC 28607
828-264-8888
www.austinandbarnesfuneralhome.com

Hampton Funeral Service
683 Blowing Rock Road
Boone, NC 28607
828-264-7100
www.hamptonfuneralnc.com