Paul S. Meeker

Paul S. Meeker, 97, passed away on March 31, 2016. Paul was a wonderful family man, business man, and involved citizen. He never met a person he did not like and always had a positive attitude and a kind word for everyone. He was universally loved and will be deeply missed and cherished by all who had the privilege to know him. Paul was born in Savannah, Ga. on November 20, 1918 to Thomas and Fanny Phillips Meeker, and was the last survivor of ten children. Having been raised on a small farm with many mouths to feed, Paul was always industrious. After getting his driver's license at age 14, he would leave home at 3 a.m. to take produce to town to sell. His father, after getting off work, would meet him at 6 a.m. to pick up the empty truck, at which point, Paul would go on to school. Money was scarce for the family in the Great Depression era, so Paul joined the Army in 1938 and was stationed in Hawaii. While in the Army, as always thinking "family first", he sent each of his pay back home to help support his family. Paul was always blessed with an exceptional work ethic, as well as excellent analytical, organizational and people skills. He was quickly promoted through the ranks from private to technical sergeant where he was placed in charge of procurement for an entire Army division, in which position he won a number of commendations for cost saving innovations to the procurement process. Paul loved Hawaii and considered himself lucky to be stationed there. All that changed on December 7, 1941, when he was strafed by attacking Japanese aircraft, returning fire with only his rifle. The hardest part was not the attack, but the waiting for the Japanese to invade, because Hawaii was totally defenseless for months after the attack. In 1943, with his service behind him, he was on his way back to Savannah, when he stopped in Leicester to visit his kind aunt who had written to him during the war. Next door he discovered the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, Edna Webb. Always the master salesman, they were married in a short 3 months, thus beginning their 72 years together. Paul then began his career as a businessman, first as the owner and operator of a community grocery store, then as the owner of a used car lot where he found his true calling – being an automobile dealer. From that beginning, he quickly progressed to become the Edsel dealer and ultimately the Lincoln-Mercury dealer in Asheville for more than 30 years, where he received numerous awards and commendations from Ford Motor Company for his many achievements, including a personal letter from Henry Ford II thanking him for his many contributions. As a man of deep faith, Paul practiced the tenets of his religion daily, and was a member of Grace Baptist Church. Having lived through the Great Depression, he was passionate about politics and firmly believed in the need for progressive, forward thinking government where all citizens could prosper. He served on or chairmaned numerous local governmental and political committees and boards, and in 1977, Gov. Hunt awarded Paul the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the State's highest citizen award for his achievements and service to the State. Above all, he loved his family and was dedicated to providing for them and assuring their success and wellbeing. He is survived by his wife Edna of the home; son Michael and wife Connie, of Greensboro; grandsons Michael Aaron and wife Raquel, and Mark and wife Emily; great-grandsons Aidan, Gavin, Hudson and Hunter, all of Charlotte; and his special niece Faye Odum and husband Everett, of Savannah. Paul lived a full life dedicated to sacrifice, dedication, service, integrity and honor. A celebration of Paul's wonderful life will be held at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 6 in the Patton Avenue chapel of Groce Funeral Home. The family will receive friends one hour before the service. Burial and military honors will follow at the Western Carolina Veterans Cemetery. The family will receive friends at the funeral home one hour prior to the service. Memorials may be made to Grace Baptist Church.