Ronnie Wayne Hamby
Apr 18, 2026
Ronnie Wayne Hamby, 54, Connelly Springs, passed away on April 18, 2026 at his home following a period of declining health.
Ronnie was born June 22, 1951in Catawba County to Ronald Alan Hamby (Faye Hamby) and Barbara Kaziah Pearson. He was a loving husband, father, and grandfather and enjoyed his vacation time with all of them when he was not working....
Pansy Huffman Cross
Apr 18, 2026
Pansy Huffman Cross, 93, of Morganton, went to her Heavenly Home on Saturday April 18, 2026, at Grace Heights Nursing Center, after a period of declining health.
Mrs. Cross was born on February 25,1933, in Burke County, a daughter of the late Filo and Liza Huffman. She retired from J. Iverson Riddle Development Center after many years of faithful service. Pansy...
Coleen Franklin
Apr 16, 2026
Mrs. Blonnie Coleen Young Franklin, 96, of Icard, NC , passed away peacefully in her sleep on Thursday, April 16, 2026, at Carolina Rehab Center of Burke, after a period of declining health.
What a wonderful 96 years she lived. Coleen was born on July 18, 1929, in Burke County to the late Marshall Young and Lela Cline Young. Loving daughter,...
Martha Harwell
Apr 16, 2026
Mrs. Martha Killian Harwell, 91, of Connelly Springs, passed away on Thursday, April 16, 2026 at her residence, following a period of declining health.
Martha was born on March 23, 1935 in Catawba County, to the late Thomas Everette Killian and Elsie Marie Hoke Killian. She was a retired inspector in the furniture manufacturing industry.
In addition to her parents, she was...
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...
Donna Lee Barnett Nelson
Apr 13, 2026
Donna Lee Nelson, 76, of Morganton, passed away on Monday April 13, 2026, at Burke Assisted Living Center, after a period of declining health.
Mrs. Nelson was born on January 28, 1950, in Virginia, a daughter of the late David and Mary Barnett Evans. She was a member of Sandy Ridge Baptist Church and a homemaker, a life she enjoyed very...
Deborah Leigh Bernard
Apr 13, 2026
Deborah Leigh Bernard (Debbie) passed away April 13, 2026. Debbie was born in Morganton, North Carolina on December 10,1954 and grew up in Connelly Springs, North Carolina.
She is survived by her sisters Mary Helen (Bernard) Harmon (Connelly Springs, NC) and Beverly (Bernard) Tyner (Chattanooga, TN). She is also survived by her brother Clint Bernard (Asheville, NC). She dearly loved her...
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...
