Charles Eugene Shope

Arden ~ Charles Eugene “Gene” Shope lost his valiant battle with cancer on October 6, 2006 at his home in Arden. The adopted son of Adrian Eugene and Eva Stevens Shope, he was born in Asheville, NC and spent his entire life in the Buncombe County area. Mr. Shope founded Arden Equipment Company, Inc., a distributor of construction equipment, on Airport Road and was president for 35 years. He served on the J.I. Case Company Dealer Council Engineering Committee, was a member of the Board of Directors of the Carolina Dealer of Equipment Assoc. and a member of the Board of Advisors of the Asheville-Buncombe Technical Institute. He was a charter member of the Skyland, NC Lions Club and the Skyland Volunteer Fire Department. A lifelong dedicated supporter of charitable activities to benefit children, Mr. Shope held membership in Land of the Sky Shrine Club, Biltmore Masonic Lodge #446, Asheville Scottish Rite, Asheville York Rite Bodies and Smoky Mountain York Rite College #172, Oasis Shrine Temple in Charlotte and Order of the Eastern Star Electra Chapter #228. He was an active supporter and participant in charitable activities of numerous Shrine Clubs throughout Western North Carolina. For many years he enjoyed being captain of the Oasis Motorcycle Corp., which involved precision maneuvers in Shrine parades and other civic events. He served as an officer of Oasis Shriners Divan for nine years and was Potentate of Oasis Shrine in 1996. He served on the Board of Directors for the Greenville Shriners Hospital, Board of Governors of the Cincinnati Shriners Burn Hospital and as president and member of the Board of Trustees for the Masonic Eastern Star Home in Greensboro, NC. Mr. Shope especially enjoyed his affiliation with the Masonic Home for Children in Oxford, NC. He was a member of the Imperial Shrine Association and the Colorado Corporation. He is survived by his wife, June Hensley Shope; sons, Mike Shope and his wife Linda, Phil Shope and his wife Robin, Wayne Hensley and his wife Karen and Doug Hensley and his wife Cynthia, all of the Asheville and Arden area. He was a loving grandfather to Ashley and Jamie Shope, Brandon, Melina, Chris, Evan and Tony Hensley, Kody and Kory Knoupf and greatgrandfather of two. Celebration of Life Services will be held at 2:00 on Monday, October 9 at First Baptist Church of Asheville with the Rev. Dr. Guy Sayles and Rev. Eddie Morgan officiating. Interment with full Masonic Rites will follow at Calvary Episcopal Churchyard in Fletcher. The lodge will open one hour prior to the service. The family will receive friends from 3:00-5:00 PM on Sunday at First Baptist Church of Asheville. “If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain; If I can ease one life the aching, Or cool one pain, Or help the fainting robin Unto his nest again, I shall not live in vain” – Emily Dickinson Memorial donations may be made to the Masonic Home for Children, 600 College Street, Oxford, NC 27565 or to the Shriners Hospital for Children, 604 Doug Mayes Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28262-8410.