Gary Dwight Willis
August 5, 1956 ~ March 1, 2008
Resided in:
Mills River, NC
Gary Dwight Willis
Mills River~ Gary Dwight Willis, 51, of Mills River, was received into the presence of our Lord on Saturday, March 1, 2008. A native of Buncombe Co., he was the son of the late Edward C. and Thelma Edwards Willis.
Those who knew Gary will remember him as an avid outdoorsman and a man with a big heart. He was a 1975 graduate of T.C. Roberson High School and was employed as a mechanic with Progress Energy for 29 years. He was a member of Mills River United Methodist Church.
He is survived by his wife of 29 years, Nedra Pittillo Willis; a daughter, Brittany Nicole Willis of Mills River; a sister, Judy Willis Elkins of Morganton, NC; nieces, Tina Metcalf and Kristie Nanney and a nephew, Clint Metcalf.
A funeral service will be held at 2:00 PM Saturday, March 8, 2008 at Groce Funeral Home at Lake Julian. The family will receive friends at the funeral home Friday from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. Burial will be at Shepherd Memorial Park.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to either the Grainger County Volunteer Rescue Squad, PO Box 1, Rutledge, TN 37861 or the Bean Station Volunteer Rescue Squad, PO Box 144, Bean Station, TN 37708.
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Gary and I worked together at CP&L until my retirement in 1990. I’ll always remember him as a very pleasant young man and a dedicated fellow employee. I pray God will give you strength during this time of sorrow in your lives.
Bo Watts
Our hearts go out to you. Gary will be greatly missed. Nedra, I remember going to your wedding. It was so beautiful. You and Gary were so kind to my mom and grandma to check on them and keep in touch with them. I knew I had some very special people up in Asheville to look after them. Peace, Love and Hugs to you. Deb and Christian
Judy and family. My thoughts and prayers are with you at a time of sorrow. I just lived out the road from you when you were growing up. May God bless each of you.
May god bless this familly during these trying times,his smile and kind heart will be missed.I grew up a young kid always looking to Gary for new adventures and fun times. You will always hold a special place in my heart.Sleep with angels and let the healing begin
To the Willis Family:
I was shocked to read about Gary’s passing. My son Chip went to church with Gary at Mills River Methodist. Please know that all of you are im our thoughts and prayers.
God bless you all and may God give you the peace that only He can give in times like these.
Charles nad Jessie Koontz
I’m so sorry for the Families loss, my thoughts and prayer go to everyone!!
I am so sorry to learn of Gary. My late husband Bobby Hollifield knew Gary very well. This July 31st it will be 3 yrs that I lost Bobby and God received him. I know how hard this is for you and the family. I do mean it when i say ‘i know what you’re going through’. I’ll certainly keep you in my prayers.
Dear Nedra & Brittany–We were sorry to hear of Gary’s passing. Plese know that you are both in our thoughts and prayers. The days ahead will be tough, but know we care for you.
I was/am saddened to hear about my Cousin Gary…but rejoice knowing he is at Peace with God and our Family in Heaven. A few years ago when I started organizing the Edwards’ Family Reunions both Gary & Nedra were very excited and helpful rounding up the family. We even went whitewater rafting and had an absolute blast! Gary took my husband, my stepkids and Natalie’s kids to ‘sliding rock’ and they truly enjoyed their day of fun with their Cousin Gary. I thank God for these good times that I was able to share with Gary and it breaks my heart to know that there are no more adventures to look forward to with my good-hearted-cousin. My love to Nedra, Brittany, Judy and Family. I LOVE ALL OF YOU!!! xo
To Nedra & Brittany, Our love goes out to you in this time of sorrow. We are truely sorry that we can’t be there with you. Know that you will be in our prayers. Love Opal, Grover and Aunt Bertha
Nedra and Brittany,
Our prayers are with you now and in the days ahead.
‘For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom 8.38-39)
God Bless You
Love,
Bob and Kathy
What a blessing to have seen you all at the reunion, know that I will be praying for you two, as well as Judy and Tina’s family. I am in Florida and will not be able to come and am so sorry for that. Hold on to those wonderful memories and remember your heavenly father will get you through this storm.
I have known Gary for 18 years,in that time we took alot of fishing and hunting trips together,I will miss him greatly.He was a great freind that you could always count on to be there in a time of need.He was there with my son and I when we lost his mom,even taking off work to help us,he was like part of the family.We will all miss him.May God be with you in your time of need.
My thoughts and prayers go out to his family during this difficult time of loss.
Nedra and Brittany,
We are so sorry to hear about Gary. We are lifting you up in our prayers that God will give you the strength to carry on during this time of loss and for the days ahead. No one is ever prepared for this but we know God is always there with us to see us through.
Please let us know if we can do anything at all for you.
Chris, Sandy, Kelly and Casey Duncan
We are deeply saddened by the loss of Gary. Our heartfelt sympathies extend to your family during this time.
Dear Nedra,
Thinking of you and Brittney and wishing you peace. I am so sorry for your loss.
Sherry Wilson Fitzpatrick and Family
Nedra & Brittany, My love goes out to the both of you during this tragic time. I am saddened knowing this time in your life is unbelievable. May the angels watch over you always. Darlene
Mrs. Willis, I am so sorry to hear of the passing of your husband. I had the privilege of meeting him only twice, but He was such a nice and cordial man. The two of you have been so kind to Lia and I thank you for that. You are in my prayers. Brittany, I am so sorry, baby. I lost my Dad when I was 19 and it is not fun, but, you are blessed with a memory and can treasure all the wonderful ones. Pull them up as often as possible and you will do just fine. Set your goals high and remember, along with your Lord, he is your driving force. He will also gang up with God in your conscience and keep you out of trouble!!! I love you and welcome you to a Florida getaway any time. Peace be with you and mother. Pam Goodson
Nedra,
We were so sorry to hear about Gary’s accident. Please know that you and your family will still be a very loved part of the Edwards clan. Imagine our surprise when we met Bob and Virginia Lancaster at the visitation. We are members of the same small church and now we come to find out we are kin by marriage! Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help you.
Dear Nedra,
I am so sorry to hear that Gary has died. My thoughts and prayers are with you and Brittany. I hope that your memories bring you peace.
With love,
Angie Sherrill
Nedra & Brittany
We are so sorry to hear of the loss of one of our dearest friends. May God be with you in this your time of grief.
TC & Mary
Nedra, Brittany, Judy and Family,
You’ve lost a dear loved one and I know its a sad time for you.
Just remember the good times you have had together, let them
override the sad times. I know you dearly loved him and I know
from being around Gary he loved his family very much, not only his immediate family but his extended family as well. He was a good person and would do anything for anyone.
I thought of him and talked to him as my own son. I miss him dearly and I pray and look forward to the day we meet in heaven. I will miss his phone calls, visits, hugs and him telling me he loves me and always addressing me as ‘Uncle Ray’.
I want you all to know that I will always be here for you to help
you in anyway that I possibly can. I know I can’t replace your husband, father and brother but I’ll do everything I can.
Love,
Ray
P.S. Brittany I want you to know that I will stand in your father’s place whenever you need me to. Come over and call me ANYTIME, I am here for you. I love you.
Brittany, Nedra, and Judy – I’m sorry I was unable to be with you during our time of loss. My thoughts and my prayers were and still are with you. Gary and I spent a lot of time together when we were growing up when our parents would visit one another. We talked, we played, we laughed, normal childhood things, but these memories I’ll always hold in my heart and my mind. He had a heart as big as the universe and was always at your side when you needed him. Everyone that knew him will deeply miss him. I’m glad we had time together at our past two family reunions. I’ll always remember his smile. May God bless and comfort you all, and our loss was Heaven’s gain. God bless, Diana and Angela Kirk
I truly feel for all of the family in Garys early departure from all of our lives. From spending just a small amount of time with him
I found him to be a fun,loving,caring and all around great person. I know that GOD is taking care of him now.
Nedra, We are sorry to hear of the loss of Gary. You are in our prayers.
Nedra & Brittany,
Despite our desire to convey how we feel it is often hard to put our thoughts into words. We have found the following quotation to be of comfort during times like this: ‘Those whom we love and lose are no longer where they were before; now they are wherever we are’. This is a quote from an early Methodist Church father, St. John Chrysostom (347-407 AD). We hope you will find some comfort in his message.