Faire Hawkins Blakely

Faire Hawkins Blakely, 95, died Saturday, August 8, 2015. A native of Buncombe Co., Mrs. Blakely was a daughter of the late David Napoleon and Zora Belle Olis Hawkins. She was also preceded in death by her husband, Norman Blakely; sister, Verna Lockwood; brothers, Curtis, Billy, and Ray Earl Hawkins; and step-daughter, Madeline Umbach. Fluent in six languages, Mrs. Blakely was hired as one of the FBI's first female agents in 1939. She worked there for 11 years. She had been a member of Turkey Creek Baptist Church, and also served on the Snelson Cemetery Committee. Mrs. Blakely is survived by her sisters, Wilma Parris and husband Harold, and Eula Rodriguez; brother, David Hawkins and wife Lisa; step-son, Noel Blakely and wife Elizabeth; step-daughters, Virginia Duitt and husband David, and Cynthia Parham and husband Hank; several grandchildren, several great-grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews. A funeral service for Mrs. Blakely will be at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday at the Groce Funeral Home chapel on Patton Ave. with the Rev. G.E. Freeman officiating. Interment will follow at Snelson Cemetery. Her family will receive friends for one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to the Snelson Cemetery Fund c/o Rebecca Candler, P.O. Box 998, Candler, NC 28715.