William I. Black

WILLIAM ISAAC BLACK LEICESTER---William I. “Bill” Black, 84, died peacefully Friday, April 29. 2005, at the Mountain Area Hospice after a long period of declining health. A native of Leicester, he was the husband of 63 years to Rhea Gillespie Black and the son of the late Jesse and Josie Hayes Black of the Sandy Mush community. He was preceded in death by his sisters, Gladys West and Edith Childs and by his brother, Gordon Black. He was a veteran of World War II, staff sergeant with the 3230th Engineers’ Battalion, building roads and bridges during the European Invasion. He was a religious man; one thing that would bring tears to his eyes in public was telling others about the love of Jesus Christ in his life. He was generous, opening his wallet quickly to help others. Bill embraced life with great energy. Residents in Leicester recall him as a person of few words, swooping over their homes in his single-engine plane, landing on farm land or zooming by on a motorcycle. Under his brave front, he depended very much on his beloved wife, Rhea, to make everything safe and secure in his world-- anytime it was necessary for her to be away for the night, the family found it comical that he put a pistol under her pillow for protection. As a child, he began tinkering with cars and engines became his life. He served J.C. Critcher Construction in the building of roads throughout NC and then joined Perry Alexander Construction, where he had the responsibility of keeping heavy road-building equipment operating to fulfill government contracts. The job with Alexander’s was highly stressful as the roads were built against stringent contract deadlines and his family recalls him poring over thick manuals at night to find a solution for failing machinery. After retirement, until he was 78, he worked 13-hour days in his machine shop in a self-employed capacity. Six years ago, he sustained a head injury which brought his involvement with intricate engines to a close; he could no longer remember how all the parts fitted together. In addition to his wife, he leaves behind his daughters, Joyce Sluder and her husband, Ron, of Leicester, Teresa Severin and her husband, Rich, of Asheville.; son, Neil Black and his wife, Barbara, of Leicester; sisters, Celeste Bartlett, Virginia Hannah, Hiawatha Anders, and Hilda Abernathy, all of Asheville; grandchildren, Tulea Price, Currie Seals, and James Wells; great-granddaughter, Selah Price. A funeral service will be at 3:00 p.m. Sunday in the Patton Avenue chapel of Groce Funeral Home with the Rev. C.J. Duvall officiating. Burial will be at Forest Lawn Memorial Park. His family will receive friends at the funeral home one hour prior to the service.