James Garland Dills

Mr. Dills was born in Swain County and was a son of the late Garland Allen and Mary Alice Gibson Dills. He was also preceded in death by a daughter, Deborah Rumbough in 1992, by an infant son, Wesley Eugene Dills, and by a brother, Johnny Dills. He was a logger and had also worked at Ralph Wilson Plastics and Rental Uniform. He attended Richland Baptist Church.

Surviving are his wife, Helen Eldean Ward Dills; five daughters, Barbara Allen of Alexander, Sarah Ferguson of Asheville, Juanita Putnam of Canton, Mary Moore of Canton, and Rhonda Dills of Leicester; two sisters, Betty Webb of Candler and Laura Ledbetter of Leicester; two brothers, Samuel Dills of New Hampshire and Bobby Dills of Lexington, NC; thirteen grandchildren, thirteen great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild.

Funeral services will be at 2:00 pm Tuesday in the Patton Avenue chapel of Groce Funeral Home with the Revs. Jack R. Gassaway and O.J. Skidmore officiating. Burial will be at Grace United Methodist Church Cemetery.

Grandsons will serve as pallbearers.

His family will receive friends from 7 - 8:30 pm Monday at the funeral home and at other times will be at the home of Rhonda Dills, 140 Brooks Branch Road, Leicester.