Christopher Eugene "Gene" Staton, Jr., 80

Christopher Eugene "Gene" Staton, Jr., age 80, died February 17, 2015 surrounded by his family at his home, Brookland. He was born in Hendersonville in 1934 to Christopher Eugene Staton, Sr. and Helen McGraw Staton. Gene graduated from Hendersonville High School and the University of Georgia where he received his Bachelor of Business Administration. He was a member of the Chi Phi Social Fraternity. He received his Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of North Carolina at Asheville and was inducted into the Phi Alpha Theta honors society.

After college, Gene made a living in construction and development. He was co-owner of C.E. Staton General Contractor and was responsible for constructing homes and commercial buildings. After several years working at First Federal, he retired from First Citizens Bank. His lifelong passion was historic preservation and studying the connection between Charleston and the early settlement of Flat Rock. He spent many years devoted to the restoration and preservation of his home Brookland, and the history of its owners. Throughout his life he volunteered and served on the boards of the following: Henderson County Public Library, Pardee Memorial Hospital, Historic Flat Rock, Inc., and the Dispute Settlement Center. For several years he served on the vestry of St. John in the Wilderness and was Senior Warden. He was also a volunteer for the Back Pack Program at the church. After a diagnosis of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, he participated in pharmaceutical studies at the Medical University of South Carolina.
He married Deborah Elinor Holmes at St. John in the Wilderness on October 13,1967. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his son, Chip Staton and his wife Cynthia of Hendersonville NC, his daughters Katherine Holloway and her husband John of Englewood, NJ and Susan Maday and her husband Michael of Somerville, MA. He is also survived by his 5 grandsons, Johnny, Moses, and Langston Holloway and Porter and Ellis Maday.
The funeral service will be at 2:00 PM on Saturday, February 21, 2015 at St. John in the Wilderness. Internment in the cemetery will follow. A reception will be held immediately after in the Parish House. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Back Pack Program at St. John in the Wilderness or Four Seasons Compassion for Life.
An online register book is available for family and friends by visiting www.thosshepherd.com. Thos. Shepherd & Son Funeral Directors are in charge of arrangements