Michael Joe Willis
Apr 14, 2026
Michael Joe Willis, 66, of Connelly Springs, passed away on Tuesday April14, 2026 at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist after a period of declining health.
Mr. Willis was born on December 7, 1959 in Cleveland County, a son of Nellie Ruth Felmet Willis and the late Joe Forest Willis. He was a hard worker and tried to fix anything that needed...
Johnny Baxter Bolden
Apr 14, 2026
Johnny Baxter Bolden, 78, of Hickory, passed away on April 14, 2026 at UNC Health Blue Ridge of Morganton following a period of declining health.
Johnny was born May 9, 1947 in McDowell County, a son of the late Russell and Lennie Causby Bolden. He worked for General Electric as a welder for twenty-five years before moving to Corning for another...
Curtis Paul Cates
Apr 14, 2026
Curtis Paul Cates, 68, of Connelly Springs, passed away at home on Tuesday, April 14, 2026 following a period of declining health.
Curtis was born June 4, 1957 in Roane County, TN, a son of Delcie Kurly. He was a proud United States Army veteran.
He is preceded in passing by a brother, Lee Cates.
Those left to cherish his memory include his...
Jean-Marie Camerlengo Cole
Apr 13, 2026
Mrs. Jean- Marie Camerlengo Cole, 85, of Valdese, entered her eternal home, on Monday, April 13, 2026, at her residence following a period of declining health.
Jean was born on September 29, 1940, in Pittsfield, MA, to the late John Michael Camerlengo and Alice Churchill Camerlengo. She was a member of Morganton Baptist Church, and was a retired office administrator, working...
Juanita Cline Epley
Apr 12, 2026
Hazel Juanita Cline Epley, 92, of Valdese, North Carolina, went to be with her Lord and Savior on April 12, 2026.
Born November 28, 1933, to Fred Garland Cline and Mary Geraldine Mull Cline, Juanita was a lifelong learner and dedicated educator. She attended Gardner Webb College and graduated from Lenoir-Rhyne College in the mid-1950s with a BA in Education. She...
Martin Joseph O'Toole
Apr 11, 2026
Martin Joseph O’Toole, 81, of Rutherford College, went home to be with the Lord on Saturday, April 11, 2026 at Catawba Valley Medical Center following a brief illness.
Martin was born on November 15, 1944, in Alleghany County, Pennsylvania, son of the late Patrick Joseph and Cecilia Stella Czachowska O’Toole. He was baptized at St. Kieran’s Roman Catholic Church in Pittsburgh...
James Edward Wingate
Apr 9, 2026
Lieutenant Colonel James Edward Wingate, 71, of Morganton, NC, passed away on Thursday, April 9, 2026, peacefully at his home surrounded by his loving wife and family.
Jim was born September 25, 1954, in Ft. Myers, Florida to the late Levis Mayo Wingate and Emma Lee Drawdy. He served honorably in the United States Air Force and retired from services after...
Georgia Skidmore
Apr 9, 2026
Georgia Braswell Skidmore, was born on March 17, 1928, at her parents’ home on Sugar Mountain. She was the youngest child of Dolly Bowman Braswell and Romulus Linney Braswell.
After graduating from Newland High School in 1945, she traveled to Morganton to work in the diet kitchen of Broughton Hospital. At that time, she met James Edward Skidmore, whom she married...
James Dale Buff
Apr 6, 2026
James Dale Buff, 81, of Hickory, went to his Heavenly Home on Monday April 6, 2026, at his residence after a period of declining health.
Mr. Buff was born July 26, 1944, in Cleveland County, a son of the late Ual Lawrence and Sarah Ruth Pendelton Buff. He was retired from Gaines Motor Iines, working as a truck driver, Dock Foreman...
Robert David Thomas
Apr 4, 2026
Robert David Thomas, 78, of Connelly Springs, passed away on Saturday April 4, 2026, at his home, with his loving family by his side, after a period of declining health.
Mr. Thomas was born June 10, 1947, in McDowell County, a son of the late Robert Cling and Verzella McKinney Thomas. Robert was a member of the Waldensian Presbyterian Church and...
Eric Charles Fleming
Apr 4, 2026
Eric Charles Fleming, 57, of Hudson passed away on Saturday, April 4, 2026 at UNC Caldwell Memorial Hospital following a brief illness.
Eric was born March 12, 1969 in Catawba County to Patricia Williams Wilson and the late Gary Charles Fleming. In his earlier years, he took pleasure in detailing cars and riding motorcycles. He was known for his ability to...
Patricia Ann Sparks Cox
Apr 3, 2026
Patricia Sparks Cox, 81, of Hickory passed away on Friday, April 3, 2026 at Amorem Hospice of Burke County following a period of declining health.
Patricia was born December 11, 1944 in Mitchell County to the late Joseph L. Sparks and Ilene Buchanan Sparks. She was a dedicated member of Freedom Baptist Church in Spruce Pine, NC, and was known for...
John Louis Huffman
Apr 1, 2026
Mr. John Louis Huffman, 72, of Morganton, passed away on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, at his residence, following a period of declining health.
Louis was born on June 17, 1953, in Burke County to the late Clee Edward Huffman and Laura Hudson Huffman. He was a longtime member of Walker’s Chapel Baptist Church in Morganton and was a retired CNA II,...
Sandra Elizabeth Smith Miller
Mar 31, 2026
Mrs. Sandra Elizabeth Smith Miller, 84, of Lenoir, passed away on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, at UNC-BR Morganton, following a period of declining health.
Sandra was born on August 5, 1941, in Caldwell County to the late William Robert Smith and Pansy Smith. She was a longtime member of North Catawba Baptist Church, and was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother...
Ned Webb
Mar 31, 2026
Rev. Ned Webb, 89, of Morganton, went to his Heavenly Reward on Tuesday March 31, 2026, after a period of declining health.
Rev. Webb was born September 30, 1936, in Burke County, a son of the late Willie Estes and Janie Elizabeth Moses Webb. Ned received the call to the Ministry as an 8th grade boy. He received his education as...
Minnie Beatrice Piercy
Mar 31, 2026
Minnie Beatrice Huffman Piercy, 82, of Connelly Springs passed away on Tuesday, March 31, 2026 at Hibriten Mountain Nursing and Rehabilitation following a period of declining health.
Beatrice was born January 4, 1944 in Catawba County, a daughter of the late James and Helen Huffman.
In addition to her parents, she is preceded in passing by her siblings, Harold Franklin and Evelyn...
Gene Arden Coon Sr.
Mar 29, 2026
Mr. Gene Arden Coon Sr, 82, of Connelly Springs, passed away on Sunday, March 29, 2026, at Catawba Valley Medical Center.
Gene was born on November 6, 1943, in Paulding County, OH, to the late Russell Franklin Coon and Virginia Caryer Coon. He was employed with General Electric for 25 years, before becoming a truck driver for many years up until...
Dorothy Anne Walters
Mar 29, 2026
Mrs. Dorothy Anne Lang Walters, 85, of Morganton passed away Sunday March 29, 2026 at Amorem Hospice of Burke County following a period of declining health.
Dorothy was born December 13, 1940 in Brooklyn, NY to the late Anthony Lang and Lillian Ford Lang. She was of the Catholic faith and attended St. Charles Borromeo in Morganton. In her free time,...
Robert Anthony Amaral
Mar 28, 2026
Robert Anthony Amaral, 81, of Hildebran, passed away on Saturday, March 29, 2026 at AMOREM of Valdese following a period of declining health.
Robert was born August 30, 1944 in Bristol, MA, a son of the late Antonio Amaral and Julia Darowski Amaral. He loved to ride motorcycles
Those left to cherish his memory include his spouse, Patricia Amaral; sister, Carol Smith...
Randy Lynn Stilwell Jr.
Mar 25, 2026
Randy Lynn Stilwell Jr, 41, of Valdese passed away following a brief illness on Wednesday, March 25, 2026.
Randy was born June 11, 1984 to Tammi Murray Bryan and the late Randy Lynn Stilwell Sr. He loved to fish in his spare time.
In addition to his father, he is preceded in death by the man that he called dad, Howard “Lewis”...
