Sossoman Funeral Home Inc.

Patricia Berry Davidson, 80, of Charlotte, North Carolina, passed peacefully October 30, 2023 after a valiant 10-year fight with cancer. Pat grew up in Drexel, North Carolina, the daughter of Margaret Hildebrand and Vurland Jones Berry. She was a proud graduate of Meredith College that led to a rewarding 40 year career in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School System; teaching at Cotswold, Billingsville and Sharon Elementary schools. After retirement, Pat dedicated herself to her many friends and neighbors, the Walking Club, serving as an election judge, watching sports, playing mahjong and reading. She found joy in every day! Pat was very grateful for the excellent medical care she was given...

Nell Hollifield, 90, of Morganton, NC, passed away Tuesday, July 18, 2023. Born in Yancey County, NC on November 21, 1932, she was the daughter of the late Herbert Bowers Hoover and Ida Geneva Grindstaff Hoover. Nell enjoyed painting, gardening, and swinging on the back porch listening to the birds. She was a huge Duke basketball fan and a collector of many things. Nell is survived by her daughter, Annie Geneva Hollifield of Asheville; numerous nieces and nephews; and her fur-baby, CatCat. In addition to her parents, Nell was preceded in death by her husband of 67 years, Jack Adam Hollifield; sisters, Maude Duncan, Pauline Loftis, and Wilma Winters; and brother, Herman Hoover. A...

By the grace of God and the power of Jesus' blood, Anne Ownbey, 88, left this world behind to be present with Christ on Sunday May 28, 2023. It will come as no surprise to anyone who knew her, mama left explicit instructions for what to do after she went home. Two of those probably have more wisdom in them than she may have known at the time, or maybe she did: "don't do anything fancy" and "don't rent a limo, use your own cars." She also warned us to be careful of unsavory folks who use obituaries to scam people. So, to honor that advice, this probably won't go quite the way you are used to. Mama was born to Bessie and William Shackelford in Charleston S.C. quite a while ago. She was the...

The Reverend Doctor Bob D. Shepherd of Morganton, NC, passed away at the age of 93 on Sunday, April 30, 2023, after a short illness. He was lovingly surrounded by his wife of 71 years, his 4 children and a son-in-law. Bob felt called to church ministry in 1955 and lived each day serving God and spreading God's word. He loved serving at each of his pastorates which included Bullock Baptist Church in Granville County, NC, First Baptist Church in Mooresville, NC, First Baptist Church in Sanford, NC, and First Baptist Church in Morganton, NC. After his retirement in 1994, he served as Interim Pastor at 14 other churches. Also, during his work life, he served as Vice President for Advancement...

Ruth B. Neelands, 79, of Valdese, NC passed away on Saturday, April 8, 2023. She was born on May 11, 1943 in York County, SC to the late John Barnette and Margaret Hambright Barnette. Ruth was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Valdese. She was the best mom, wife, gmom and ggmom ever. She was not a selfish person, putting everyone else's needs before hers. Ruth enjoyed reading and working with flowers and always had the biggest smile. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by a sister, Jean McSwain; brother, Bob Barnette. She is survived by her husband of 62 years and the love of her life, Dan Neelands; son, Chris Neelands; daughters, Melanie Fox (Bobby) and...

Benjamin Lenoir White, of Midlothian, VA, formerly of Lancaster, SC, 95, died Thursday, March 23, 2023. Ben was born on June 29, 1927, to the late S. Lenoir White and Nelle Celeste Long Hilton White. He was one of 13 siblings. Ben grew up in Burke County and served in the US military during WWII and the Korean War. He married his wife of 68 years, Kathryn, in 1954, and they had three children. After retiring as Lancaster County's Business Manager, Ben enjoyed playing golf and serving his church community at Covenant Baptist in Lancaster, SC. Surviving Ben are his wife, Kathryn S. Raye White; daughters, Carol White (Glenn New) and Dana White; son, Joe White (Heidi); his grandchildren and...

James "Paul" Burns, 86, of Charlotte, NC, went to be with his heavenly Father on Thursday, October 6, 2022. Born on September 16, 1936 in Burke County, NC, he was the fifth of six children of the late Jacob Shuford Burns and Sadie Deal Burns. Paul graduated from Drexel High School in Drexel, NC, where he met his loving wife, Linda Berry. He joined the NC National Guard and later the US Army. He was stationed at Fort Knox, KY. Paul and Linda married just before he was stationed in Germany on April 5, 1956. Upon his return, they moved to Charlotte, NC where he attended Kings Business College. Paul was employed by Canada Dry in the evenings and Johnson Motor Lines on the weekends. Upon...

Peggy Smith Tucker, 68, of Charlotte, NC, passed away, Wednesday, August 24, 2022. Born on April 24, 1954, she was the daughter of the late Clyde and Mildred Smith. Peggy was one of the premier bankers in the Charlotte area. She started as a teller at Wachovia in Morganton, her home town. After marrying the love of her life and moving to Charlotte, she worked her way up in the company and retired as a Regional Bank Private Banker for Wells Fargo. Peggy loved playing sports, especially tennis and softball, and was on the tennis team at NC State University. One of her favorite things to do was cook. She loved picnicking in the mountains and vacationing at her home in Sunset Beach. She...

Dana Rader, 64, of Hilton Head Island, SC, passed away Wednesday, August 17, 2022 from a rare degenerative brain disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD). Dana was a loving daughter, sister, partner, and friend; a world-renowned golf professional; a leader and mentor within the LPGA; a successful entrepreneur; and an active, generous member of her community. Born in Morganton, North Carolina on April 21, 1958 to the late Laura Jean and Vernon Rader, Dana and her brother, Brian, were encouraged by their parents to try new things. For Dana, that meant taking dance lessons, riding her motorcycle, family road trips to Myrtle Beach, and with the gift of height and athleticism, playing...

Frances "Dell" Adeline Collett Apperson, 67, of Morganton, North Carolina passed away on Thursday May 17, 2022 in Linville Falls, North Carolina. Born in New York, New York on July 22, 1954, she was the daughter of the late John Collett and the late Lenore Collett Wilson. Dell's father was the president and CEO of the Henredon Furniture Company before his death in 1977. Lenore Collett Wilson passed away in December 2016. Dell became deaf when she was six weeks old. She attended the Clark School for the Deaf in North Hampton, Massachusetts, and completed her primary education at the North Carolina School for the Deaf in Morganton, North Carolina. Dell went on to attend Gallaudet...

Tony Russell Brooks, 70, of Morganton, NC, passed away at his home on Tuesday, December 7, 2021. Born in Middlesboro, KY on September 11, 1951, he was the son of the late Jasper D. Brooks and Viola Fultz Brooks. Tony was raised on a tobacco farm. He had a tremendous work ethic. He was a skilled artist, carpenter and a master chess player. Mr. Brooks is survived by his sons, Michael Brooks (Michelle) and Stephen Brooks (Rena); grandchildren, Karie, Kevin, Preston, Henry, Delilah, and Rebekah; great-grandchildren, Allie, Olivea, and Sophea; sisters, Edith Smith, Nadio Brooks, and Inez Davis; and numerous nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, Tony was preceded in death by his...

Wayne Watkins Martin, 86, passed away on September 9, 2021. He was born on September 26, 1934, in Morganton, NC. Wayne graduated from Morganton High School in 1953. After high school, he continued his education at Elon College on an athletic scholarship for football. During his four years at Elon, Sonny (as he was known by his friends and family) developed a reputation as a tough football player with true tenacity and a strong desire to win. Even though he was an undersized player, the heart that Sonny Martin played with was tremendous and he earned the respect of his teammates and his coach, the legendary Sid Varney. Immediately following his graduation from Elon in 1957, Wayne began...

Elisabeth Crawford (Betty) Ervin died at Grace Ridge on Wednesday, September 8, 2021, after a life well-lived. Betty was born on May 15, 1928, in Charlotte to Robert Taylor Crawford and Elisabeth Fore Crawford. Although the family moved frequently during her early years, she always considered Charlotte her childhood home. After completing high school in Roanoke, Virginia, Betty attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (then Woman's College), earning an A.B. in 1950. Upon graduating from college, Betty served as Assistant to the Dean of Students at Hood College in Frederick, Maryland, until 1952, when she married Samuel J. Ervin, III, and moved to Morganton, where she...

Nancy Thornwell Bernhardt Collett, daughter of Jean and John Christian Bernhardt of Lenoir North Carolina, died peacefully at Heartsease, her Morganton home on Saturday afternoon. She was 86 years old. She was a graduate of St. Mary's School and of Hollins College. As recipient of the prestigious Woodrow Wilson Award she pursued graduate work at Harvard. She married Dr. James Rountree Collett of Morganton in 1956. She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church where she served as an Elder and longtime Sunday school teacher; a founding member of the Morganton Service League and its Vista Daycare Program; an ardent supporter of the NAACP; and a trustee of the Morganton Public Library...

Alfred (Fred) Rocco DiSanto, 93, of Morganton passed peacefully Tuesday July 21, 2020 at Duke University Medical Center. Born June 20, 1927 in New York City he was the son of the late Rocco & Filomena DiSanto. Fred attended Peekskill Military Academy in Westchester County, New York prior to attending the Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science now known as Thomas Jefferson University. In 1954 Fred and brother Frank founded the Bay State Dyeing & Finishing Company in Bondsville, Massachusetts. In 1961 the brothers along with their father Rocco relocated their business to Burke County, NC establishing Morganton Dyeing and Finishing Company. MD&F as it was known, operated...

Charles Michael "Mike" Fulenwider, 72, of Morganton passed away Sunday, March 29, 2020. Born in Georgia on September 11, 1947, he was the son of Helen Wright Fulenwider Patton and the late Judge Verbon Fulenwider. Mike was owner and CEO of Fulenwider Enterprises, a franchisee of KFC and Taco Bell with 108 restaurants in seven states. Mike (also known as "Big Mike" by his company) loved telling the story of how he got started in the KFC business as a fry cook at his father's KFC in 1965. Mike always considered everyone in his company as family and enjoyed talking with employees, one at a time, when he visited restaurants. He delighted in helping others reach their full potential and...

Harold "Rob" M. Robinson, Jr., 79, of Morganton was born on February 4, 1941, and went to his heavenly home on Sunday, March 15, 2020. Rob is survived by his wife, Teresa "Terri" G. Robinson of the home; children, Andrea Rae Robinson Kells (Rich) of Durham and Jennifer Robinson Light (Bryan) of Apex; and grandchildren, Naomi Grace Kells, Maryanna Leigh Kells, and Oliver Robinson Light. A lifelong resident of North Carolina, Rob was born in Mecklenburg County, the son of the late Rev. Harold Manson Robinson, Sr. and Ruby Faye Helms Robinson Tysor. He attended high school in Thomasville and Salisbury, followed by Duke University and the Wake Forest University School of Law. After serving...

Janet Hostetter Wilson, of Davidson, North Carolina, formerly of Lenoir, died peacefully on March 14, 2020, at the age of 86, with family by her side. Janet was born in New York City on January 21, 1934. She grew up in Short Hills, New Jersey, and attended Kent Place School. In 1955, she earned her baccalaureate degree at Wellesley College, where she was elected to membership in Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi. She married Thomas Henry Wilson, Jr., in the fall of 1955, and was married for over 47 years until his death. She lived in Lenoir, North Carolina most of her adult life. After her three children were of school age, she obtained her master's degree in psychology from Appalachian State...

Lena Buff Kirksey, 90, of Morganton NC, entered eternal life on February 29, 2020 after a period of declining health. Born in Burke County on June 27, 1929, Lena was the only child of John Obie and Helen Coleman Buff. Her beloved husband of 59 years, Jackson Bristol Kirksey, as well as an infant granddaughter, Helen Ragan Kirksey, preceded her in death. Lena is survived by her children, Charles Jackson Kirksey (Lee) of Charlotte and Edgar Herbert Kirksey of Morganton; grandchildren, Marshall Barnett Kirksey and Virginia Reid Kirksey of Charlotte, who were personal sources of inspiration and joy; nephews, L.H., Carl, Lee, Jimmy, and Giles Kirksey; and nieces, Margaret Caldwell and Corinne...