James French Keith, Jr.

Hendersonville ~ James French Keith, Jr., 95, of Hendersonville, departed this life on September 3, 2003, after a brief illness. He was born June 7, 1908, in Morristown, TN, the only child of the late Clara Ramsey Keith and James French Keith. His grandparents were the late Rev. Dr. John Henegar Keith (once pastor of Central Methodist Church, Asheville) and Elizabeth Ann Moyers Keith and Riley Morgan Ramsey and Jesse May Dickenson Ramsey. He was a lifelong resident of Asheville and Hendersonville and attended Porter Military Academy in Charleston, SC. A loyal member for 56 years of Mt. Hermon Masonic Lodge # 118 and Asheville Scottish Rite, he served as Master of Mt. Hermon in 1954 and as Lodge Secretary for 17 years. He retired in 1971 from the American Enka Corporation after 47 years of service. He was a member of Arden Presbyterian Church. Survivors include his wife of 70 years, Sarah Grace Stamey Keith of Hendersonville; two sons, James French Keith, III and wife, Sue Williams Keith and their children, Sarah Neil Keith Chowning and her husband, Jeffrey Scott Chowning, Emily Susan Keith and Anna Elizabeth Keith of Greensboro, NC, son, William Riley Keith and wife, Lynda Phillips Keith of Asheville, NC and their children, William Jonathan Keith of Denver, CO and Amy Louise Keith McAfee and husband, John Lewis McAfee of Monterey, CA. Mr. Keith was a devoted husband, father and grandfather. He never spoke an unkind word, was marked by a contented spirit and was a devotee of the late 19th and 20th Century western NC history (in which his forebears played a significant role). He walked justly and humbly with his God. Graveside services will be conducted Friday at 3:00 PM in Calvary Episcopal Churchyard in Fletcher with Rev. Ed Graham officiating. The family will receive friends from 1:30 - 2:30 PM Friday at Groce Funeral Home at Lake Julian on Long Shoals Road. The family requests no flowers. Memorials may be made to The Oxford Orphanage, Oxford, NC 27565, The Masonic and Eastern Star Home of North Carolina, Inc., 700 S. Holden Road, Greensboro, NC 27407-2399 or a recipient of the donor's choice.