Harold Kirby

Lenoir- James Harold Kirby of 312 Sharon Avenue, Lenoir, NC passed away on December 7, 2015 in Gastonia, NC. Born in Lenoir, NC to the late John Franklin Kirby and Lillian Bradshaw Kirby, he was preceded in death by his wife Blanche “Peggy” Kirby and a granddaughter, Lauren Kirby. He attended Lenoir High School where he excelled in football, basketball and baseball. After graduating from Lenoir Rhyne College he began a 45 year career in the furniture industry. He started out in the rough mill at Caldwell Furniture and from there he moved on to hold numerous management positions with Bernhardt Furniture, Singer Furniture, Williams Furniture, Stanley Furniture and retired as Senior Vice President of Operations with Henredon Furniture. At age 63 he received his MBA from Pfeiffer University. Upon his retirement he moved to Columbia, SC. He spent his retirement years teaching business classes at Midlands Technical College and doing consulting work in Lima, Peru and Bogota, Colombia. When he wasn’t traveling for business or pleasure you could find him spending hours in his garden, volunteering at the local elementary school or watching the stock market. After his wife passed away he returned to Lenoir. During the last few years as his health started to decline, we saw the father and grandfather we all loved slowly disappear. He is survived by a son, John R. Kirby (Melinda) of Lenoir, NC, and a daughter, R. Alyson Gill (Thomas) of Emerald Isle, NC; four granddaughters: Samantha L. Kirby of Gainesville, GA; Ashton P. Kirby of Keller, Texas; Megan E. Gill of Richlands, NC; Jennifer G. Smith (Chris) of Holly Ridge, NC; one great-granddaughter, Madelynne G. Smith and a sister, Sara Link Helton of Gastonia. A special thank you to Dr. Mickey Lewis and DeAnne Macchia for the excellent care and compassion they showed our father. The family has requested that in lieu of flowers memorials may be made to First United Methodist Church, Lenoir, NC or to the charity of your choosing. Visitation will be in the Chapel of Evans Funeral Service on Sunday, December 20, 2015 from 2:00 until 3:30 PM. Online condolences may be sent to the Kirby family at www.evansfuneralservice.com Evans Funeral Service & Crematory is serving the Kirby Family. PDF Printable Version