Phillip Jerome Eby

Phillip Jerome Eby, 77, of Candler, died Thursday, December 27, 2012, at Mission Hospital. A native of Bradley, IL, he was a son of the late Woodrow and Grace Mills Eby. Mr. Eby was the first of 7 children. He trained as a butcher, at which he worked for 45 years and moved to NC following retirement in 1981. He was an Army veteran who served in the Korean War. Mr. Eby loved his wife, his family, gardening, and his church. He worked tirelessly as a volunteer at St. Joan of Arc, helping install the doors at the new church, and laying stone for the Serenity Garden. He was a member of the Young At Heart group at the church. Mr. Eby is survived by his wife of 55 years, Mary Lee White Eby; daughters Elizabeth Eby and Stephanie Schurmann and husband Timothy; son Christopher Eby and wife Sherry; grandchildren Savannah Eby, Gail and Jason Hyrka; sisters Ruth Osterloh, Mary Eby, and Diana Williams; and brother John Eby. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, January 2, by the Rev. Fr. Frank Seabo at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church. Inurnment will follow in the Serenity Garden Columbarium at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Joan of Arc, 768 Asbury Rd., Candler, NC 28715, or to the Buncombe County Humane Society, 16 Forever Friend Lane, Asheville, NC 28806. Groce Funeral Home on Patton Ave. is assisting the family.