Morris Funeral Home

Striding down a crowded market street of late 1930's Shanghai, China, four year old Alec Alvord, looks like he can take on the world. With his two big sisters and two big brothers, Alec's parents, Berenice and Emory were on a globe-trotting adventure which included a hearse from NYC converted to a station wagon to fit the whole family. His Dad spent time at Tuskegee Institute working with George Washington Carver on rotation of crops and the replenishing of spent soil with the soybean. Alec's Dad, Emory, would take this knowledge back to Southern Rhodesia, expanding his work as an agricultural missionary, founding an agricultural institute there. Known as "adventurers for God," that is...

Wayne Alan Luce passed away at his home in Asheville NC on July 16th, 2021 at the age of 75. He is survived by his wife of 54 years Carolyn Roberts Luce, his siblings Laurilla Luce Nash & John Luce, His son Timothy, and his grandchildren Katharine and Audrey. Born in Rochester PA and raised in Freedom PA, Alan excelled at athletics and academics at Freedom Area High school before graduating in 1963. Alan earned his undergraduate degree from Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania in 1967 then went on to pursue a career in law and earned his J.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Law in Nashville, Tennessee in 1970. During these years, Alan met Carolyn Roberts while at...

Kathleen Kinsey Tate, 69, of Fairview passed away on July 7, 2021. She is survived by her husband, Edward E. "Gene" O'Neal, sister Ann Tate Bell of Winston Salem, and several nieces and nephews. Morris Funeral and Cremation Care of Asheville, North Carolina, is serving the family, and condolences may be sent to them at www.morrisfamilycare.com.

Eduardo De la Rosa Cavazos, 41, of Asheville, passed away on July 2, 2021. He was born on December 4, 1979 in Bradenton, Florida to Rosaura Cavazos and the late Ramiro Cavazos. He is survived by his Mother, Rosaura Cavazos; two sisters, Diana Cavazos and Vanessa Cavazos; two brothers, Ivan Cavazos and Adan Cavazos. Morris Funeral and Cremation Care of Asheville, North Carolina, is serving the family, and condolences may be sent to them at www.morrisfamilycare.com. A visitation will be held Monday, July 12 from 5pm - 7pm at Morris Funeral & Cremation Care. A funeral service will be held at Sun City Center Funeral Home in Sun City, Florida, at a later date.

It isn't just that Betsy Rhodes seemed to have love in every cell in her body. It's that she worked every day to send that love out into the world. Whether it was staying up till all hours preparing a meal, driving across the state when one of her children needed her, or just providing a sympathetic ear when you needed to talk, Betsy helped first and asked questions later. She punctuated the end of every conversation with "love, love, love," and you knew it came from the heart. She took greeting card sentiments and made them real. She found a reason to love everyone, and continually looked for ways to serve. Even in hospice care, she wanted to lighten the burden of her nurses, to the point...

Gerald Smith Echols, 86, of Asheville, died peacefully on Monday, May 31, 2021, at Solace Hospice in Asheville. He was born at home on May 11, 1935, in Asheville, to the late Jack Smith Echols and Sue Duncan Echols. Gerald graduated from Riverside Military Academy, continued his education at Mars Hill College, and completed his degree in psychology at UNC-Asheville. He entered the U.S. Marine Corp in 1956, and served during the Lebanese Conflict. During his working career, Gerald was employed by Sears Roebuck in Asheville, and later Kimberley-Clarke Corporation in Hendersonville. Gerald was married to the late Anne Culbertson Ramsey, and together they reared three children: Smith...

Rodger Lee Cripe, 83, of The Villages, FL passed away surrounded by his family at Mission Hospital in Asheville, NC, on Saturday, May 15, 2021. He was born to the late Russell D. Cripe and Maxine Cripe in South Bend, IN, on August 29, 1937. He graduated from Riley High School. He played football and his team became the Northern Indiana Champions. He attended Purdue University 1955-1959, where he earned his Bachelor's degree in Agronomy/Agriculture. At Purdue, he was a part of the Agronomy Club, and Alpha Zeta Agriculture Honorary fraternity. Rodger proudly served in the U.S. Navy, where he was a Naval Officer LTJG on the USS Antietam CVS-36. After returning home from the military, he...

Dane Allen Palsis, 55, died Sunday May 2, 2021, in Asheville, North Carolina. Dane was born in Cleveland, Ohio to Peter and Carol Palsis and spent the majority of his life near Tampa, Florida. Growing up in Florida gave Dane a passion for fishing and the outdoors as well as in North Carolina, where he relocated in 2006. Dane is survived by his wife of thirty years, Leslie, as well as sons, Dane Michael and Cole Andrew. He was preceded in death by his father, Peter Palsis. He is also survived by his mother, Carol Palsis, brothers Cary(Kristine) Palsis, Glenn(Kim) Palsis, sister, Laura(Bo) Stolarcek and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. A funeral service will be held at 11:00 A.M. Saturday,...

William Calhoun Frue, Jr. died at his home in Fletcher on April 27, 2021 at the age of 86. Bill was a lifelong sportsman who took every opportunity to enjoy the outdoors on hunting and fishing trips with his family and friends. Bill was known for his wit and storytelling as well as his humor and intellect. When not angling for trout with a dry fly on Eagle Creek, Bill could be found practicing law in Asheville. He had a successful general practice mostly in residential and commercial real estate and practiced law for nearly fifty years. Bill is survived by his wife, Jane T. Fletcher, as well as his son John C. Frue "Jack" and his wife, Terri; his son Michael C. Frue and his wife,...

Ian McGrayne, 32, passed away peacefully at Mission Hospital surrounded by family on April 7, 2021. Ian was a native of Asheville, NC, graduated from Asheville High School, and was a starting offensive and defensive lineman for the 2005 NC State 3A Football Championship team. He also attended Western Carolina University. Ian loved living life to its fullest. He was an accomplished chef and loved to cook good food, help people smile, and was a skilled member of the Legendary Angel's of Midgard. Mostly, Ian loved life itself, his family, friends, and the best dog ever, Avalanche. Anyone that knew Ian remembers his kind heart, big brown eyes, dimpled smile, #73 and his trademark greeting "It's...

Former Dallas resident Harold Eugene Gross, Brigadier General (Ret.), United States Air Force, died Tuesday, March 30, 2021 at his home in Asheville, North Carolina. General Gross was born on November 14, 1930 to Harold Clayton and Mary Bowman Gross in Johnson City, Tennessee. He entered the United States Naval Academy in July 1949, graduating in June 1953. General Gross also received a master's degree in personnel administration from The George Washington University, and completed postgraduate education at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces and the Advanced Management Program of the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration. After graduation from the Naval Academy, he...

Harold Eugene Gross, Brigadier General (Ret.), United States Air Force, died Tuesday, March 30, 2021 at his home in Asheville, North Carolina. A native of Johnson City, General Gross was born on November 14, 1930 to Harold Clayton and Mary Bowman Gross and was a graduate of Science Hill High School. He entered the United States Naval Academy in July 1949, graduating in June 1953. General Gross also received a master's degree in personnel administration from The George Washington University, and completed postgraduate education at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces and the Advanced Management Program of the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration. After graduation from...

Harold Eugene Gross, Brigadier General (Ret.), United States Air Force, died Tuesday, March 30, 2021 at his home in Asheville, North Carolina. A native of Johnson City, Tennessee, General Gross was born on November 14, 1930 to Harold Clayton and Mary Bowman Gross. He entered the United States Naval Academy in July 1949, graduating in June 1953. General Gross also received a master's degree in personnel administration from The George Washington University, and completed postgraduate education at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces and the Advanced Management Program of the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration. After graduation from the Naval Academy, he was commissioned...

George F. Kunkel, Sr. passed away on Tuesday, March 9 at home in Asheville, NC where he has resided for the past 12 years. George was born in Brooklyn, NY on May 7, 1935 to the late Edward and Caroline Kunkel. He was preceded in death by his brother, Edward Kunkel and sister Caroline Pollard. As a young man, he worked for the James Strates Carnival Company several summers, traveling all across the country meeting many interesting people. George relocated to Miami, FL in 1958 where he attended the University of Miami. He opened the State Farm Insurance office, Kunkel Insurance Agency, on Coral Way in Coral Gables, FL in 1963. He was active in the Knights of Columbus and the Rod and Reel...

W. Richard Janikowski, beloved husband of Phyllis Betts, died unexpectedly at their home in Gap Creek, outside Asheville, NC, on March 8, 2021. Phyllis found him unresponsive in his reading chair, after he had worked outside on a warm spring day. Reading and working outside were two of his favorite things. Richard was a widely known and well-respected criminologist based at the University of Memphis, where he built a twenty-six-year career that left an enduring imprint on the University and on the City of Memphis. Working closely with law enforcement agencies and community organizations, he pioneered data-driven community safety strategies that linked research with community action and...

W. Richard Janikowski, beloved husband of Phyllis Betts, died unexpectedly at their home in Gap Creek, outside Asheville, NC, on March 8, 2021. Phyllis found him unresponsive in his reading chair, after he had worked outside on a warm spring day. Reading and working outside were two of his favorite things. Richard was a widely known and well-respected criminologist based at the University of Memphis, where he built a twenty-six-year career that left an enduring imprint on the University and on the City of Memphis. Working closely with law enforcement agencies and community organizations, he pioneered data-driven community safety strategies that linked research with community action and...

Robert O. McDonald, 84, of Asheville passed away on Sunday, December 8, 2019 at the John F. Keever, Jr. Solace Center. A native of Tulsa, OK, he was the son of the late Vernon Owen McDonald and Elizabeth Katherine Huenneke McDonald. Bob was also preceded in death by his wife of 58 years, Shirley Jean McDonald in September of 2018; and a sister, Eileen Young. Bob graduated from Daniel Webster High School in Tulsa, OK, in 1953. He then went to work in the petroleum industry. Bob was a draftsman for DX Oil Company in Tulsa, OK. In 1960, he and Shirley moved to El Dorado, AR, where he worked as a Senior Engineering Assistant for Lion Oil Company until his retirement in 1998. During that time,...

Shirley Jean McDonald, 81, passed away on Sunday, September 16, 2018 at the John F. Keever, Jr. Hospice. Her first job was at KVOO radio station in Tulsa, OK and that was also where she met the love of her life, Robert Owen McDonald. They married and moved to south Arkansas. They lived in El Dorado, AR for 36 years. They opened and ran The Flower Basket where Shirley made arrangements, corsages and learned to decorate homes. She continued to do this for others for the rest of her years. They retired and moved to Asheville, NC in 1996. Since moving to Asheville she became involved in their church and community. She was a member of Central United Methodist Church's prayer group for 22 years...