Sandra Moody King

Local attorney, Sandra King, died Thursday, December 12, 2013. She was born Sandra Lynn Moody on September 12, 1945 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina to Dr. William Alton Moody and Virginia Mayo Moody. She was raised in Bethel, NC, and attended Bethel schools. She graduated from Peace College in 1965 and continued her education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She entered the law school at the University of North Carolina during her senior year, and earned her Juris Doctor in 1969, one of only three female graduates in her law school class. Sandra was blessed with two daughters, Channing Reid Sinclair and Virginia Wellens, and raised her children in Durham, North Carolina before moving to Asheville. In 1974, Sandra became an Assistant Attorney General for the State of North Carolina in Raleigh, and served under Attorneys General Rufus Edmisten and Lacey Thornburg. She represented the state in the tort claims division, and worked primarily in western North Carolina, until she entered private practice in 1985 in Asheville. She joined the practice of Russell & Greene, P.A., and began a more than twenty year professional association with J. William Russell, ultimately becoming his sole partner in Russell & King, P.A. Sandra and Bill Russell enjoyed a well-respected and storied partnership and became known as knowledgeable authorities on workers' compensation law in North Carolina. They practiced in the Lawyers' Building at 17 N. Market Street in Asheville, and were fixtures in the legal community for many years. During her career, Sandra was proud to represent many local communities, municipalities, and employers. She vigorously defended her clients, and thoroughly enjoyed the practice of law. Sandra was a member of the North Carolina Bar Association, and received a rating of AV from Martindale-Hubble. She was an active member in the North Carolina Defense Lawyers Association, and the Workers' Compensation section of the North Carolina Bar Association. Sandra was also a dedicated member of the Junior Woman's Club of Durham, and served as president of that organization in 1976. Sandra will be remembered for her keen intelligence, quick wit, strong will, and generous heart. Sandra loved pageantry and holidays, and was a lifelong lover of dogs. She was a lifelong Democrat, and enjoyed following local, state, and national politics. Sandra was a devoted mother, grandmother, friend, neighbor, and lawyer who was proud to be a part of the legal community in Asheville for more than twenty years. Channing and Wellens have many fond memories of Sandra's selfless devotion to them, and in particular the effort she always put forth for special occasions and holidays. She would frequently take her daughters with her to the state capital and to many courthouses around the mountains during their childhood, enriching their experience with the world, and allowing them to know her in her professional life as well as at home. She was predeceased by her longtime friend and law partner, Bill Russell, her parents, Dr. Bill Moody and Virginia Moody, and her brother, William Alton Moody, II. The loss of these loved ones weighed heavily on her heart in recent years. She is survived by her daughters, Channing McCann of Asheville and Wellens King of Pownal, Maine, and their spouses, Mark McCann and Dr. Todd Mellin, as well as her adored grandchildren, Lela Mae Mellin and Charles Dory Mellin; brother John Moody and his wife Erica Moody and their son, John Simon Moody, of Bethel, North Carolina; sister-in-law, Patricia Moody, and her son, Jackson Moody, of Ahoskie, North Carolina; longtime friend and confidante, Kaye Amick, of Durham; former husband, Malvern F. King, Jr., of Durham, North Carolina; and her beloved poodle, Beau. A service will be held on Thursday, December 19th at 4:00 p.m. in the Campbell Chapel of First Presbyterian Church in Asheville, with a remembrance celebration to be held immediately following the service at the piano bar in Vincenzo's on N. Market Street, which was Sandra's favorite spot for cocktails and dinner with friends, family, and clients. A graveside service will be held in the spring in Bethel, where she will be interred next to her beloved mother and brother. Memorials may be made to First Presbyterian Churches of Asheville or Durham.