Mildred Hargrove Holbrook

Mildred Hargrove “Granny” Holbrook, 83, of Candler, died Thursday, December 25, 2003, at the Hospice Solace Center. Mrs. Holbrook was born in Haywood County and was a daughter of the late James Burton and Maggie Shook Evans Hargrove. She was also preceded in death by a son, Larry “Doby” Holbrook, who died January 5, 2000, two sisters Nannie Hargrove Smathers and Jimmie Hargrove Jones, half-brother Roy Evans and a half-sister Lois Kinsland. She had lived in Buncombe County for most of her life and was a member of Oak Hill United Methodist Church. She was a star basketball player at Bethel High School and at American Enka Corp. Industrial League. She started working in 1938 at American Enka and retired in 1982 as manager of the Enka Credit Union. The loving matriarch of our family, she enjoyed the outdoors, fishing, wildlife, flowers and reading. She is survived by her husband, Robert Cole Holbrook; one daughter, Cathey H. Drye and her husband David of Matthews; three sons, Jim Holbrook and his wife Pat of Arden, Tommy Holbrook of Arden and Bill Holbrook and his wife Earlene of the Bethel Community in Haywood County; a sister, Ellen Woody of Canton; ten grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be at 2:00 p.m. Saturday in the Patton Avenue chapel of Groce Funeral Home with the Rev. Kim Higgins officiating. Burial will be at Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Pallbearers will be Cole Holbrook, Scott Holbrook, Dane Holbrook, Scout Holbrook, Paul Drye, Herman Garrison, Lantz Blanton and Dave Rogers. Her family will receive friends at the funeral home one hour prior to the service. The family wishes to extend a special thanks to her care givers, Anita, Nancy, and the Roy Raper family. Memorials may be made to Mountain Area Hospice, PO Box 25388, Asheville, NC 28813, or to Oak Hill United Methodist Church, 277 Oak Hill Road, Candler, NC 28715.