Edith Dillingham Harrell

Edith Dillingham Harrell, 81, of Heathrow, FL, and formerly of Asheville, died on Monday, January 23, 2012, in Longwood, FL, after an extended illness. Mrs. Harrell was an Asheville native, and was preceded in death by her parents, James Theodore and Madge Lee Stepp Dillingham. She was also preceded in death by her husband, Atty. Robert Edwin Harrell, who died in 2000; sisters, Peggy D. English, and June D. Messer; and brother, Terry Leon Dillingham. She is survived by her daughter, Lisa Harrell Bodeker (Richard), of Longwood, FL; and son, Robert Leslie "Les" Harrell, of the home. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Jodi and Nicholas Bodeker, whom she loved dearly; sisters, Wanda Foster, Gail Pugh, and Teddy Bean, all of Asheville; sister-in-law, Glenna Dillingham, of Loganville, GA; and several nieces and nephews. After graduation from Barnardsville High School, she enrolled in Mitchell College, in Statesville, NC, where she majored in Voice & Music Appreciation. While there, she was soloist in several operettas. She was also soloist during her membership in the choir at Kenilworth Presbyterian Church, in Asheville. She was a member of the Bar Belles, an auxiliary of the Buncombe Co. Bar Association. She was also a member of Beta Sigma Phi Sorority, and The Does, an auxiliary of The Elks Association. Her hobbies included bowling and duplicate bridge. A funeral service for Mrs. Harrell will be on Friday at 11:00 a.m. in the Groce Funeral Home chapel on Patton Ave. with the Rev. Doug Tilley officiating. Entombment will follow at Lewis Memorial Park. Her family will receive friends one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Flowers are appreciated, or a donation may be made to the Black Mountain Presbyterian Home for Children, 80 Lake Eden Rd., Black Mountain, NC 28711.