George Lancaster

George Lancaster, 87, of Enka, died on Monday, February 10, 2014, at his residence. Mr. Lancaster was born on August 31, 1926, in Henderson Co., the son of the late Virgil Ross and Nora Lee Marlow Lancaster. He was also preceded in death by two sisters, Sue Price and Bernice Pryor, and five brothers, Paul, Ernest, Horace, Roscoe, and Guy. Mr. Lancaster is survived by his devoted wife of 63 years, Betty Dean Cornwell Lancaster; three children, Kaye Lamb (Arthur), Gail Morgan (Ronnie) of Whitsett, and Mickey Lancaster; five grandchildren, Kenny Elliott, Lori Young, Leslie McCreary, Megan Lancaster, and Morgan Lancaster; seven great-grandchildren. He is also survived by one sister, Betty Holmes; and two brothers, Herman and Jim, all of Hendersonville. Mr. Lancaster served in the United States Navy during World War II. Following the military, he graduated from Appalachian State University, where he played basketball and served as team captain. As a young father, Mr. Lancaster was very active in sports in the Enka community having played for the Rayonites at American Enka, where he was employed for 34 years as Supervisor in the Spinneret Department and later as Personnel Director. Through the years, he coached and umpired Little League Baseball, refereed basketball and coached the women's basketball team at UNC-A. He was an avid golfer and had one albatross and 14 holes-in-one, the last one at age 81. A funeral service will be held in the Patton Ave. chapel of Groce Funeral Home at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday with the Rev. Scott Lynch officiating. Burial will follow at Pisgah View Memorial Park. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hominy Valley Recreation Center, P.O. Box 411, Candler, NC 28715.