Charles E. Whisnant

HILDEBRAN - Charles Everett Whisnant, 90, of Hildebran, died Wednesday, April 28, 2010, at Valdese General Hospital. He was a native of Polkville, the oldest son of Spurgeon Whisnant and Lucille Wright Whisnant. He was preceded in death by his wife, Frances Abee Whisnant; an infant sister, Elizabeth; and brothers, Denny, Robert (Nancy), and Gene (Mary) Whisnant. He is survived by a son, Steve Whisnant (Elizabeth Haworth) of Staunton, Va.; a brother, Joe Whisnant (Elizabeth) of Shelby; and numerous nieces and nephews. He attended Brevard College and North Carolina State University, but enlisted in the Navy after Pearl Harbor and served in the Pacific Theater aboard the USS Wasp. After the war, he graduated from the University of Tennessee. In 1952, he began his teaching career at Hildebran High School, and in 1957 he moved to George Hildebran High School, where he taught vocational agriculture until 1974. From 1974 until his retirement in 1984, he taught at Hildebran Junior High School. During the 31 years he taught in Burke County, he never missed a day of work. He was a member of the Hildebran Methodist Church and a longtime member of the N.C. Agriculture Teachers Association and the Hildebran Lions Club. In both 1958 and 1998, he was recognized as Lion of the Year. In 1981, he received the Outstanding Leadership Award, and in 2000 he was named the Jack Stickley Fellow by the North Carolina Lions Foundation. The funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 1, 2010, at Hildebran United Methodist Church, with the Rev. Wade Ogle officiating. The family will receive friends today, Friday, April 30, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Bass-Smith Funeral Home in Hickory. Burial will be in Catawba Memorial Park. Expressions of remembrance may be sent to the Alzheimer's Association of Western Carolina, 260 First Ave., NW, Hickory, N.C. 28601-6161. Bass-Smith Funeral Home is serving the family of Charles Everett Whisnant.

Published in Hickory Daily Record on April 30, 2010