Death Notices 11/6/24

Patricia Bieterman
Age: 97
Location: Hendersonville, NC
Deceased: 10/30/24
Arrangements by: Church Street Funeral & Cremation

Barbara Logsdon
Age: 72
Location: Zirconia, NC
Deceased: 10/31/24
Arrangements by: Church Street Funeral & Cremation

Jefferson Bruton
Age: 85
Location: Hendersonville, NC
Date of Death: 11/02/24
Arrangements by: Church Street Funeral & Cremation
Service Location: Church Street Funeral Chapel Nov 9, 11am

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Pamela Knight Sacco

Pamela Knight Sacco, musician, philanthropist, ardent volunteer, and generous person passed away at her home on October 16, 2024 from natural causes.

Pamela was born in Miami, Florida in 1944 to artist Thomas Ansel Knight and singer Genevieve Harris Knight.  After attending Coral Gables High School, Pamela received a degree in elementary education at the University of Miami where she was a member of the Delta Gamma sorority.  She then went on to receive a Master’s degree in Medical Record Administration at the University of Pennsylvania.  

After leaving school, while working as a medical record administrator at Saint Agnes Hospital in Morristown, NJ, she met her husband, internist and geriatric medicine specialist John Russell Sacco.  Seeking a milder climate, they decided to move to Hendersonville where Pamela had fond memories of the time spent with her family at their vacation home near Saluda.  Pamela managed Russell’s medical practice and they made a beautiful life for themselves in Hendersonville.

Inspired by Russell’s passion for healing and bolstered by her background in healthcare administration, Pamela became a powerful force for supporting and advocating for local healthcare providers and those in need of treatment.  Pamela volunteered with the Henderson County Medical Auxiliary to support doctors in this community and became president of the NC Medical Auxiliary.  Later, she was instrumental in the formation of Friends of Children United Services (FOCUS), a unified alliance of services for attending to victims of sexual abuse, enabling a victim-centric approach to care and helping to reduce the burden and suffering experienced by victims.  FOCUS later came together with the domestic violence center here and formed Safelite.  To raise money for this important cause, she organized a fundraiser in which the doctors and lawyers of Hendersonville came to together to play basketball: the JAWbones vs. SAWbones game.   

Russell began a drive to form a free clinic for those that could not afford healthcare in Henderson county.   After much effort, the first free clinic opened in 2001.   Pamela worked continuously to raise money and also donated in other ways to keep the free clinics growing and thriving even after Russell passed away.

Pamela’s work extended beyond healthcare into conservation efforts near the rural Green River Gorge area of Henderson County where her childhood mountain cabin was located.  Eventually, Pamela and others were able to conserve over 200 acres of land with assistance from Conserving Carolina.

A gifted musician with both the oboe and English horn, Pamela played for many years in the Hendersonville Symphony (as well as serving on the Board), the Brevard Philharmonic, the Asheville Symphony, and the Four Seasons Chamber Orchestra.  

Passionate about remedying Hendersonville’s lack of a sizable performing arts center and yearning for a place where her beloved Hendersonville Symphony could play, she worked tirelessly on an architectural competition to create a downtown performing arts center.  Although it never came to fruition, her work made the community more aware of the importance of a large performing arts center.

There are many more volunteer efforts, too many to mention. Pamela was a generous supporter to many area nonprofits.  She was relentless in securing backing for many causes she believed in and was not afraid to ask others to join committees and give financial support.  She was a force to be reckoned with because it was hard to say no to Pamela, as anyone who knew her is aware.  Her passing is a loss to our community.

Pamela was a devoted friend, aunt, great aunt, stepmother and step grandmother.  There was a constant stream of cards and gifts that she rushed to the post office to get off to all of those dear to her.  She tried to attend as many graduations and  special events of family and friends as possible.  All the community admired her loving attention and care for Russell especially when he experienced failing health.

Left to carry her memory are: sister, Connie Knight (Richard Johnson);  nephew, Jordan Glassman (Beth Bennett), and grand nephew River Bennett Glassman, Durham, NC;  niece, Ariel Glassman (Dan Davidson), Miami Beach, FL; niece Elisabeth Edwards (Josh Wainwright),grand niece Alexandria Edwards-Wainwright, Gainesville, FL; stepson Russell Sacco Jr., Delray Beach, FL, step grandson, Craig Sacco (Julia Sacco), Palm Beach, FL, step granddaughter Stacy Sacco, Poughkeepsie, NY;  stepson, Geoffrey Sacco, Ithaca, NY; stepson, Jon Sacco, (Cathy Sacco), step granddaughter, Emma Sacco, Denver, CO, and step granddaughter Allie Sacco, Phoenix, AZ; numerous brothers and sisters in law, and countless friends.  She was preceded in death by her parents, Thomas Ansel and Genevieve Harris Knight, and sister, Karen Estelle Knight.

A celebration of Pamela's life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Safelight, the Hendersonville Symphony, or Conserving Carolina.

Pamela was robust in life and liked to say, “I am not afraid of tomorrow for I have seen yesterday and I love today.”  Celebrate Pamela’s memory with us: do something good for our community. 

Church Street Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements and an online register can be found at  www.churchstreetfuneralhome.com

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Death Notices 10/30/24

Stephen Vickness
Age: 78
Location: Etowah, NC
Deceased: 10/21/24
Arrangements by: Church Street Funeral & Cremation

Leonard Lemmons
Age: 85
Location: Mills River, NC
Deceased: 10/21/24
Arrangements by: Church Street Funeral & Cremation
Burial: Oct 31 at 2 pm, First Baptist Hendersonville

Jenny Flingos
Age: 95
Location: Hendersonville, NC
Deceased: 10/22/24
Arrangements by: Church Street Funeral & Cremation

Joan Sitton
Age: 87
Location: Mills River, NC
Deceased: 10/24/24
Service Location: Mills River United Methodist Church
Burial: Nov 6 at 2 pm, Mills River United Methodist Cemetery

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Death Notices 10/23/24

Xan Hicks     92     Hendersonville, NC     10/17/24     Church Street Funeral & Cremation Oct 24  1pm     Pinecrest Presbyterian Church

Sherry Almond     75     Hendersonville, NC     10/19/24     Church Street Funeral & Cremation 

Pamela Sacco     80     Laurel Park, NC     10/16/24     Church Street Funeral & Cremation

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Death Notices 10/9/24

Philip Lartey, MD     57     Hendersonville, NC     9/21/24     Church Street Funeral & Cremation     Oct 12  10am     Trinity Presbyterian Church     Shepherd Memorial Park

Campbell Boyd     79     Flat Rock, NC     9/24/24     Church Street Funeral & Cremation     Oct 12  1pm     St James Episcopal 

Samuel Evatt     75     Hendersonville, NC     9/25/24     Church Street Funeral & Cremation     

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Death Notices 9/25/24

Jeffrey Overbagh 65 Etowah, NC 9/16/24 Church Street Funeral & Cremation

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Death Notices 9/18/24

Stephanie Bradshaw     74      Etowah, NC     9/13/24     Church Street Funeral & Cremation

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Death Notices 9/11/24

Alan Kaufman     81     Hendersonville, NC     09/01/24     Church Street Funeral & Cremation 

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Death Notices 9/4/24

Margie Reece     83     Arden, NC     8/29/24     Church Street Funeral & Cremation     Sept 3  2pm     Church Street Chapel     Shepherd Memorial Park

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Death Notices 8/28/24

Margarida Schmieder 77 Hendersonville, NC 8/24/24 Church Street Funeral & Cremation

Helen Hagen 87 Hendersonville, NC 8/24/24 Church Street Funeral & Cremation

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Death Notices 8/21/24

Leonard Wood, III     82     Hendersonville, NC      8/12/24     Church Street Funeral & Cremation

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Death Notices 8/14/24

Carol Anderson 87 Hendersonville, NC 8/6/24 Church Street Funeral & Cremation Aug 30 2pm Church Street Funeral Chapel

Pierre Fleurant, III 96 Hendersonville, NC 8/10/24 Church Street Funeral & Cremation

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Shelia Jane McMinn Harper

Shelia Jane McMinn Harper passed away Saturday afternoon, July 13, 2024. She is survived by her daughter Kelly Dotson Roberts and son-in-law Charles "David" Roberts. Shelia was preceded in death by her parents, Fred Henry Mitchell McMinn and Julia Jane McCrary McMinn, her husband, Ivey Gilbert Harper, Jr. and special loving friend, Wayne Webster Bastedo.Shelia was a kind, loving, and compassionate lady who had a tremendous love and care for animals and the elderly. She enjoyed caring for her rescue dogs and volunteering at the Sammy Williams Center, where she was also a member. Her cousin Thomas reminisced, As a young teenager she enjoyed the teen music of her time and planned parties in her father's garage. Twisted crepe paper and streamers staged the party. Forty-Five RPM records of the day blared record-player rhythms that begged a teenage celebratory rejuvenation, a kind of rural semi-structured dance, e.g. Grease.

Planning the event was a huge part of the fun for Shelia, always finding opportunities to bring people together. Laughter, snacks and delight filled the space, and her friends delighted in the evening of joy. This joy of entertaining lived on into adulthood, where she continued the love of singing, dancing, decorating, arranging flowers, cooking and planning family reunions. Shelia graduated from East Henderson High School in 1962. After graduation she attended Mars Hill College and later transferred to Western Carolina University, where she graduated with a teaching degree in Home Economics. Her teaching career began with Mecklenburg County Public Schools in Charlotte, N.C. where she taught eighth grade math and science. In the mid 1970's early 1980's she continued her career, teaching Home Economics and Career Exploration for Henderson County Public Schools. Her students at Edneyville High School and Flat Rock Junior High knew her as Mrs. Dotson. During the summer months when school was not in session, she taught cake decorating at Blue Ridge Community College, worked as an interior decorator for Sherwin Williams while also obtaining her N.C. Real Estate Salesman / Broker license to work part-time as an agent.

In her later years Shelia was an active member of the Red Hat Society. She also organized a group of seniors called The Entertainers, who performed holiday skits written and directed by Shelia. She was very creative and a gifted seamstress. These talents were showcased by all the sets, props and costumes she designed and made for each show. For many years The Entertainers brought smiles, joy and laughter to the members of the Sammy Williams Center for Seniors. Her presence on this earth touched the lives of many, and she will be sadly missed by her family and friends. The family gives special thanks and appreciation to the staff of Brookdale Asheville Walden Ridge and Four Seasons Hospice. Their love for Shelia and kindness given, created for her a wonderful place to call home in her final days. This dedication of care made the transition easier for Shelia and her family. Additional thanks and gratitude are extended to the staff of Valley Hill Health and Rehabilitation. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Shelia's name to Four Seasons Hospice, Hendersonville Council on Aging or Hendersonville Humane Society. A reception for family and friends is set for Wednesday, August 21, 2024, from 2:22 pm until 4:44 pm at Church Street Funeral and Cremation, 125 S. Church Street, Hendersonville, N.C. 28792. Please wear your favorite hat or scarf in honor of Shelia.

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Death Notices 8/5/24

Jerry "Dave" Duggin 86 Hendersonville, NC 7/31/24 Church Street Funeral & Cremation Aug 17 2pm Church Street Funeral Chapel

Lorraine Cochrane 75 Hendersonville, NC 7/31/24 Church Street Funeral & Cremation

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Elizabeth deRosset Maybank Guérard Wright

Elizabeth deRosset Maybank Guérard Wright

Elizabeth “Libby” deRosset Maybank Guérard Wright, 93, died peacefully Thursday, August 1, 2024, at the Bishop Gadsden Episcopal Retirement Community. Her funeral service will be held Friday, August 9 in St. Philip's Church, 142 Church Street at 11:00 am. Arrangements by J. Henry Stuhr, Inc. Downtown Chapel. Inurnment will follow in the churchyard.

Born February 8, 1931, in Charleston, South Carolina, Libby was the youngest child of the late U.S. Senator Burnet Rhett Maybank and Elizabeth deRosset Myers Maybank.

After attending grade schools in Charleston and Columbia, moves necessitated by her father’s election as Governor and then U.S. Senator, Libby graduated high school in 1949 from the Holton-Arms School in Washington, D.C. She then attended Winthrop College and the University of South Carolina before moving back to Charleston. 

Libby spent every summer of her childhood in Flat Rock, North Carolina, and she loved staying on Highland Lake where she lived. She enjoyed riding horseback, swimming in Highland Lake, climbing Glassy Mountain, and picnics. Every Sunday she could be found at St. John in the Wilderness Church where she and her best friend, Alicia Rhett Walker, loved singing in the choir.

A member of St. Michael’s Church in Charleston, upon her marriage to Theodore Bogert Guérard on April 14, 1956, she moved down the block to worship at St. Philip’s where she held numerous volunteer positions, including helping in the nursery, sewing communion kneelers, helping many years with the church bazaar and the soup kitchen, and working at the Canterbury House. She was also a board member of The Women of St. Philip’s Church.

A dedicated preservationist, Libby was instrumental in organizing the Save Charleston Foundation to oppose destruction of historic buildings in the area of East Bay and Meeting streets by developers in the 1970s. Her work was essential in alerting the Charleston community to the potential loss of their heritage, and the Save Charleston Foundation was successful in stopping demolition. For that work, along with her support of several preservation organizations, she received the Three Sisters Award from Charleston’s Committee to Save the City.

While her volunteer work was rewarding, Libby most enjoyed spending time with Theodore and their children. Summers at Rockville fishing and crabbing and fall weekends in Flat Rock to see the leaves change were always appreciated. As “Yubby,” she was a devoted grandmother and always happy to share her stories when her grandchildren visited.   

Additional volunteer work included her memberships in the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in South Carolina, Ivy Garden Club, Huguenot Society of South Carolina, Charleston Museum, Save Charleston Foundation (board member), South Carolina Historical Society (board member), Preservation Society of Charleston, Historic Charleston Foundation (board member), Historic Charleston Foundation Aiken-Rhett Committee, E. Milby Burton Memorial Trust (original board member), Confederate Home and College (board member), Charleston Day School (original board member), Charleston Neighborhood Association (original board member), Gibbes Museum of Art, Historic Flat Rock, Inc. (board member), Ladies Aid Society of Flat Rock, and St. John in the Wilderness Episcopal Church in Flat Rock.

After Theodore’s death in 1997, Libby was blessed to marry Capt. Richard “Dick” Taliaferro Wright, U.S. Navy (Ret.) in 1999 until his death in 2022.

She is predeceased by her parents and her siblings Burnet Rhett Maybank, Jr. and Roberta Maybank Prioleau. She is survived by her three children: Elizabeth Guérard Parker (Donald) of Charleston, Anne Guérard Coletta (Paul) of Flat Rock, North Carolina, and Russell Guérard (Tara) of Charleston; six grandchildren: Elizabeth Parker Doddington (Everitt) of Charleston, Donald Frost Parker, Jr. (Courtney) of Mount Airy, North Carolina, John Coletta of New York, New York, Aiken Guérard, Myers Guérard, and Lila Guérard all of Charleston; and two great-grandchildren: Walker and Teddy Doddington as well as beloved nieces and nephews. Additional survivors include Dick’s children: Major Benjamin Wright, USMC Reserve (Rebecca), Christian Wright (William Rashbaum), and Elizabeth Wempe (Ken) and their families. 

Memorials may be made to St. Philip’s Church (142 Church St., Charleston, SC 29401), St. John in the Wilderness Church (P.O. Box 185, Flat Rock, NC 28731), or the Charleston Museum (360 Meeting St., Charleston, SC 29403).

The family would like to thank the Bishop Gadsden staff for the excellent care they provided Libby.

A memorial message may be sent to the family by visiting our website at www.jhenrystuhr.com. 

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Death Notices 7/31/24

Carol Taylor     77     Fletcher, NC     7/24/24     Church Street Funeral & Cremation

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Darlene Ann (Danko) Sowa

Darlene Ann (Danko) Sowa 12/21/1946 - 7/14/2024

Darlene Sowa passed away peacefully at her home in Hendersonville, North Carolina on Sunday, July 14, 2024 after a presumed battle with cancer. Darlene was born in Detroit, Michigan where she spent her childhood and attended grade school at St. Raymond, and high school at SS. Cyril and Methodius. She worked at Wayne State University as a secretary to one of the doctors on staff while at the same time completing her higher education to attain a Master's Degree in Exercise Physiology. Darlene married the love of her life, Thomas Sowa, in 1972 and together they resided in Warren, Michigan until 2016 when they relocated to Hendersonville, North Carolina. Darlene's accomplishments were extensive and impressive. She pursued and completed courses in energy healing. She attained certification as a Healing Touch Therapist (CHTP) and performed energy focused therapy sessions for clients, family and friends. She founded PFS (Professional Fitness Systems) guiding her clients through personal fitness programs. Her passion for holistic health and exercise culminated in authoring her 2007 book "Taking Flight Through Movement" which explores how exercise with spirit can enhance every experience in our life.

Darlene's true love and legacy was her love of the wonders of nature and God's beautiful world. The Blue Ridge Mountains of Hendersonville were her oasis of peace and harmony. She initiated a hiking group and led routine hikes through the mountain trails. She acquired many friendships and experienced great joy from these experiences Darlene could feel the energy housed within the crystals and ancient rocks she collected on her journeys. She was a perpetual student of metaphysics, the universe and the power of the changing seasons, the eastern philosophy of healing, and spirituality. She was widely admired for her knowledge and avid reading in these fields. Darlene's philosophy was one of naturally focused self care, meditation, and the power of harnessing the energy within yourself.

Darlene was a loving wife, sister, aunt, godmother and friend. Darlene was pre-deceased by her mother, Marian (Pasko) Danko and father Edward Michael Danko. She is survived by her beloved husband of 52 years, Tom, and their cherished dog Maggie, who was Darlene's constant companion. She is also survived by her brother Donald Danko (Nancy) and her sister Cheryl (Danko) Fox (Mark), seven nieces and nephews and fifteen great nieces and nephews. She will be remembered for her undying passion for the beauty of creation and her desire to share her passion with all who knew her. Highlands Cremation & Funeral Care is in charge of arrangements and condolences may be sent through the website www.Highlandscare.com.

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Death Notices 7/24/24

Nancy Gilchrist 75 Mills River, NC 7/17/2024 Church Street Funeral & Cremation

Peter Bonesteel 88 Flat Rock, NC 7/20/2024 Church Street Funeral & Cremation July 27 2:00pm Church Street Funeral Chapel

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Death Notices 7/17/24

Dorice Narins 91 Hendersonville, NC 7/05/24 Church Street Funeral & Cremation

Cary Justice 81 Hendersonville, NC 7/11/24 Church Street Funeral & Cremation

Robert Eicheldorfer 78 Hendersonville, NC 7/13/24 Church Street Funeral & Cremation

Coy Merrell 95 Brevard, NC 7/13/24 Church Street Funeral & Cremation

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Death Notices 7/3/24

Richard Kamis     93     Hendersonville, NC     6/27/24     Church Street Funeral & Cremation

Gary Semmel     75     Rutherfordton, NC     6/28/24     Church Street Funeral & Cremation     Jul 3  3pm     Church Street Funeral Chapel

James Luzadder     79     Hendersonville, NC     6/29/24     Church Street Funeral & Cremation

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