Arnold Ray Skelton

Asheville - Arnold Ray Skelton died peacefully in his sleep on Tuesday morning, March 24, 2015 at his home in Asheville, NC. A memorial service will be held on Friday, March 27, at 4:00 PM at Providence Baptist Church at 1201 Oakland Street, Hendersonville, NC 28792, with a celebration of his life following at the Church. Arnold was born on August 24, 1941 in Decatur, TN. He was the son of Emma Lou Hackler and Troy Eldon Skelton. The days of his youth were spent on the family farm in Ten Mile, TN. He graduated from Meigs County Consolidated High School and the University of Tennessee with a BS in Agricultural Business and an MS in Agricultural Economics. He met Lucy Jane Brimm while attending UT and they married in 1963. He initially worked in farm sales and business throughout Georgia, Kentucky and Tennessee, followed by a long career in banking. Arriving in Asheville in 1984, Arnold started and developed Mountain Information Centers. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Lucy; his daughter Laura Skelton Shirazi of Charlotte, NC and her husband Matt; his sons: Marshall Alan Skelton of Wilmington, NC and his wife Vivian; Lee Alexander Skelton of Asheville, NC and his wife Mary; and Joseph Arnold Skelton of Winston-Salem, NC and his wife Kristen. He is also survived by nine grandchildren: Alexander, Andrew, and Charles Shirazi; Marshall Jr., Margaret, and John Skelton; Emma Skelton; and Troy and Dylan Skelton. He is also survived by a brother Thomas Skelton of Raleigh, NC and sister Elverna Skelton Reed of St. Marys, GA. He was preceded in death by his brother Charles Skelton of Toccoa, GA and sister Marie Skelton Inman of Kingston, TN. He was an active member of Providence Baptist Church, Hendersonville, NC, and has been involved in organizations promoting tourism in Western North Carolina for the past 30 years. Over the past decade, he would most often be found at his lake house with his grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to the following: Brother Wolf Animal Rescue, https://www.bwar.og/donate/ or Tennessee Future Farmers of America Foundation, Online contributions: https://www.tnffa.org/donations/ or Mail contributions: Tennessee FFA Foundation, Inc., ATTN: Arnold Skelton Memorial, Box 5034, TTU, Cookeville, TN 38505.