Gary S. ''Rock'' ''Rock'' McClure
March 7, 1951 ~ May 15, 2001
Resided in:
Asheville, NC
Mr. McClure was born in Hickory and was a son of the late Eris Louise Benfield McClure. He received his BA degree in Urban Planning from East Carolina University and his MBA from Campbell University. He began working for First Citizens Bank in 1974 and he was a former resident of Wilmington and Raleigh. At the time of his death he served as Vice-president of First Citizens Bank.
He also served on the Asheville City Council from 1993 - 1995 and he was on the Boards of Directors of the Buncombe County Vision Committee and the Neighborhood Housing Services. He was a member of CIBO and was past-president of the Asheville High School Boosters Club. He was also a volunteer tutor at Asheville Alternative School and was a member of the Basilica of St. Lawrence.
He is survived by his wife, Dana Uzel McClure; three daughters, Charity McClure, Erin McClure, and Kyler McClure and a son, Brennan McClure, all of Asheville; his father, J.P. McClure and his wife Dorothy S. McClure of Duncan, SC; three brothers, Bruce McClure of Anderson, SC, Bryan McClure of Wilmington, and Greg McClure of Berwyn, PA; and four sisters, Judy Middleton and Deborah Randall of Atlanta, Becky Bowman of Gainesville, FL, and Lisa Moorefield of Greer, SC.
His family will receive friends from 7 - 9 pm Wednesday at Groce Funeral Home on Patton Avenue.
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 2:00 pm Thursday at the Basilica of St. Lawrence by the Very Rev. Wilbur N. Thomas.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the National Brain Trust Foundation, 414 13th Street, Suite 700, Oakland, CA 94612, or to a scholarship fund established by First Citizens Bank for Rock’s children, in care of Bob Tuck, VP-FCB, PO Box 2220, Asheville, NC 28802.
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Dear Dana and family,
Barbara and I have had you and your
family in our thoughts and prayers
throughout Rock’s illness. Rock was
one of the truely kind people that I
have had the pleasure to know. He
made you feel like you had known him
for a long time immediately upon meeting
him. He will be missed by all of us who
were fortunate enough to have known him.
We will continue to keep you and your
family in our thoughts and prayers.
Dana and family I want you
to know Rock was a very special person and friend to me . He helped me when no one else could, he took time , a whole year to help me get my citizens ship papers for the United States. He always made sure to say something nice, cheerful and funny to make my day and other peoples enjoyable. I wish all of Gods blessing, always during this time and always. With Love ,Eva
Dana and family I want you
to know Rock was a very special person and friend to me . He helped me when no one else could, he took time , a whole year to help me get my citizens ship papers for the United States. He always made sure to say something nice, cheerful and funny to make my day and other peoples enjoyable. I wish all of Gods blessing, always during this time and always. With Love ,Eva
My thoughts and prayers are with you, with deepest sympathy.
Rock meant so much to all of us here at First Citizens. He was always so proud of his family and we always felt, and still do, like you all are part of the FCB family. Rock always had a great story to share about his family.
Personally, Rock was a great inspiration for me as a young banker. He worked hard and was very dedicated, but never sacrificed his family for his career. As I begin raising a child, I assure you Rock will serve as an example for me to follow.
My thoughts and prayers are with all of you.
In His Love,
Scott Pritchard
Dana –
John Canning called to tell us the sad news of Rock. Ellen and I are thinking about you and the children and hold you in our hearts and prayers.
Love, Bill
I feel fortunate to have worked with Rock and I, like the rest of the main office staff, will miss him. I enjoyed making calls with him, he knew so many people. Those people cared about Rock, because not a day has gone by that someone hasn’t asked about him and then they will tell me a story about how he had helped them in the past. Rock will always be remembered by me and my thoughts and prayers are with you.
With Deepest Simpathy,
Doug Tallent
Rock was such a very special person and he will be missed by all of us here at the Biltmore Branch. He was an inspiration to all of us. All of you are in our thoughts and prayers.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Rock was a dear man and will be missed greatly.
I can’t be there tonight in body, but I am there in spirit. Rock was one of the most genuine and generous people I have ever known. I consider it an honor to have known him. When I think of Rock, I remember all of the painted rocks he kept in his office. I remember him tackling 10 different projects at one time and all of them had to be done yesterday. Eva and I would scramble around trying to help him. He would get so flustered and frustrated, but he always managed a smile and a thank you. All of you are in my prayers. You had many wonderful years with your dad/husband. That’s something a lot of people never have. Rock will truly be missed and never forgotten.
I told Rock that he is still the best Boss I have ever had. He said it was easy to work with all of us girls because his girl have taught him well….We have always asked Bob R and Bob T how he was doing…You have had lots of prayers sent you way….
My thoughts and prayers are with your family through this difficult time. May God give you strength and comfort you in your time of sadness.
Rock will truly be missed at First Citizens Bank by his co workers, customers and friends.
Rock has blessed the lives of each and every one of us that were fortunate to have the opportunity to work with him at First Citizens. FCB will never be the same without his smiling face. Rock was always willing to help. He has taught us all so much. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
Dear Dana and family,
Charlie, Chip, Matt and I wanted to extend our sincere sympathy to all of you. We know this has been a long road for you and we hope Rock has found peace. May God sustain you as you continue without your beloved husband and father.
Sincerely,
Ann Howell
I first met Rock at a large meeting at Pinehurst last year. What grace, courage, and humility the man has exhibited. My prayers are with you all. Ben McKenzie
Kyler & Family:
Jessica, Ben and I express our deepest condolences to you and your family.
We have just recently had the pleasure of knowing Kyler and she spent the last weekend
with myself and my kids at the Burlington Challenge Tournament. Kyler, you are such
a delightful person and so full of humor! I know that kids are a true reflection of their parents and even
though I did not have the pleasure of meeting your father, I am sure that he was a wonderful person and
he leaves a legacy of his strength and caring in his children. Please know that our thoughts and prayers
are with you and your family.
Love,
Dee Dee, Jessica, and Ben Anders
Dana and Family I sorry for your lost, Rock was a great guy. When I first came to asheville he helped me and my family settled down here. I know he’s smiling over you and your family now, he will be missed..
Kyler, Thinking of you and your family. Sincerely,Jessie
Rock was a good friend and associate and we are all better for having known him. Deepest sympathies for your loss, we know he is in a better place with less suffering and pain. God be with you and comfort you.
Dana, Brennan, Charity, Erin and Kyler, we are so sorry to here of the loss of your loved one. We are keeping you in our prayers. There are no words to express our sorrow for you. Know that we too will miss him. Doris & LaBaron
McClure Family: I am so sorry to here of the loss of Rock. I know you will miss him dearly. Please know that you are in our prayers. Josh & Donna Garris
Rock was such a nice and friendly person. I enjoyed talking with him on the phone.
He will really be missed by all at First Citizens Bank.
My thoughts and prayers are with the family. He will be missed by his fellow associates at First Citizens.
God be with you all.
I worked in the FCB-Main office several years ago when Rock did …. what an extremely kind and warm person he was.
Thinking of you all….
Dana & Family,
Words cannot to express how much it has meant to me to have known Rock. He was a wonderful friend, boss, and mentor. He encouraged me to be the best I could be at work and played a major part in where I am today. His love for his family and especially his children, was known to everyone at the bank. He was very proud of every accomplishment, no matter how small, each one had. Having lost my father to cancer, I know the tough road you have ahead. Hang on to your memories and gain comfort in knowing that he is now ‘pain free’ and with God. It saddens me that I was unable to be at his visitation or funeral, as I was out of town. I will continue to keep each of you in my thoughts and prayers. Love,
Carla Trull
Our loss, God’s gain. My thoughts and prayers are with you all.
Dana, I feel so bad that I haven’t been in touch since hearing Rock was sick. We’ve certainly thought about you both (and the children) a lot. We hope that the wonderful life you had together will sustain you and bless you. Teresa and Dave
WE WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY HOW SORRY WE WERE TO HEAR ABOUT GARY’S PASSING.YOUR FAMILY IS IN OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS.
WITH DEEPEST SYMPATHY
THE STAFF AT MMH MRI AND ASHEVILLE MRI
Rock certainly lived up to his nickname in every way. Here was a man of principle and integrity second to none. It was my great privilege to know him and work with him. Thanks to God for his life and his example; and God Bless his wonderful family. You have a rich heritage.
Dear Dana and family,
You have my thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. You can honestly say that you never gave up on finding a cure for Rock. I don’t think that I have ever seen such a determination to fight. The support you and the children gave Rock was an inspiration to many. Time heals…if I can do anything, please let me know. Don’t ever forget that you and Rock mean alot to me. Thinking of you, Tonya Carrolll, RN
We will all miss Rock, such a fine gentleman and servant to the community. We will keep his family in our thoughts and prayers.
DEAR FAMILY, IF THERE IS ANYTHING THAT I CAN DO TO HELP,PLEASE CALL. ROCK WAS A FINE GENTLEMAN AND HE WILL BE MISSED BY ALL.
Please know that the Bruder family continues to pray for each of you. You and he fought hard against incredible odds and both have been a source of inspiration to many. God’s plan often differs from what we want and for His reasons He brought Rock home. May His peace be with each of you now and forever more.
My thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the family
I am so sorry to hear of your loss. You have my sincere condolences and my thoughts are with you all.
Love,
Anne
Dana & Family:Please know that our prayers are with you .Rock was such a fighter and competitor and he was really an inspiration to us all on how he handled his illness.We(the Fusion Family)love you all and are thinking about you during this difficult time.
Rock, You were a great and wonderful friend. I will miss you greatly. I appreciate all that you did for me. You were my friend and mentor. You taught me so much about being a father and you have a great legacy in your family. You also taught me a lot about Banking and helped me tremendously. I will always remember you and miss you. I Love You.
Gil
We would like to express our heartfelt sympathies
to the McClure family.
Mr. McClure has come to our school on several
occasions to speak to and share with our students.
Mr. McClure’s interest in helping our students to
achieve their very best was such an encouragement
to the educational field.
Mr. McClure will be missed greatly!