Rachel Bishop Queen
May 22, 1944 ~ November 19, 2004
Resided in:
Asheville, NC
Rachel Bishop Queen, 60, of Starmount Drive, Asheville, died Friday, November 19, 2004, in a local hospital.
Dr. Queen was born in Cullowhee, NC and was a daughter of Jessica Ashe Bishop and of the late Charles Bishop. She was also preceded in death by her husbands, Jack L. Grogan who died in 1989, and Arlis O. Queen who died in 2003.
Dr. Queen was a professor at West Georgia College in Carrolton, GA. She graduated and earned her Ph.D. in early childhood education from Western Carolina University. She was a co-founding member of Taxpayers For Accountable Government (TAG) and was also a very active member of Hominy Baptist Church. She will always be remembered as a wonderful mother and grandmother.
In addition to her mother, she is also survived by her daughter, Jessica Skinner and her husband, Stephen, of Hendersonville; three grandchildren, Elijah Varner, Emileigh Varner and Slade Skinner; one sister, Wanda Strait of Readstown, WI; and three brothers, Bud Bishop and his wife Nancy, Grover Bishop, and James Bishop, all of Cullowhee.
A funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday at Hominy Baptist Church. Interment will be at Oak Hill Cemetery in Griffin, GA.
The family will receive friends from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Monday at Groce Funeral Home on Patton Avenue.
In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Hominy Baptist Church, 135 Candler School Road, Candler, NC 28715.
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Jessica and Family
I’m so sorry you lost your Mom a great person but she is no longer suffering.She did so much and touched so many different people’s life.She was a gem and one of a kind. I feel honored to have known her and you.
All our love and prayers are extended to you and your family.
Linda and Roger
I had the pleasure of being one of Rachel’s classmates from the eighth grade on through high school. I remember her as being very outstanding in school, a great basketball player, and a beautiful person inside and out.
I moved to Raleigh in the next few years and saw her many years later at a class reunion and she was lovelier than ever and I was so proud to hear she had gotten her Ph.D. It was wonderful to see her again and talk to her.
I would appreciate hearing from the family. My mother, Elizabeth, and I both send our deepest condolences. Love from Kate
To the Family of Rachel Bishop Queen,
I taught at the McKee Laboratory School in Cullowhee back in 1958 and I had the pleasure of knowing Rachel. Rachel was always happy and never too busy to stop and spend time with her peers and teachers. She was an excellent student and I’m sure she was an excellent teacher. I followed her career in the papers and it gave me great joy to say, ‘I knew her when..’ I know she will be missed sorely, but lovingly.
God bless you all,
Charles Koontz
I first met the Queens when they were members of Calvary Baptist Church and found them to be very friendly and easy to talk to. I am sorry about this and will miss them.
Jessica and Angela were classmates in elementary school in Carrollton. You are in our thoughts and prayers.
Angela Minish Henson
Rachel was one of my teachers at West Georgia and the mother of one of my daughter’s classmates in elementary school. We are so sorry for your loss.
Terri and Grant Todd,
Barnardsville, NC
Rachel and I grew up and went to scholl together in Cullowhee.She was related to my family (Kenneth &Ethel Brown).We are very sorry for your loss and know that God will give you strengh in days ahead.
Rachel and I were classmates from elementary school through college. We shared the same birthday, which gave us an initial bond. She was my best friend. I am very, very sorry that she is no longer with us.
This is for Jessica, daughter of Rachel and Jack Grogan)
I knew your father very well (Jack Grogan) and your mother Rachel from 1976 to 1985. Jack was a great inspiration to me both technically and personally. I was a student of his at West Ga College as it was called back then and I spent many hours with him in many of his classes and outside school and also as a TA. I came to your house a few times and met you when you were about 5 or 6 at your house in Carrollton, but I am sure you don’t remember me. Jack, Rachel and you even came to my wedding in June 1982. I still tell the story to some about the time I studied for over a week, almost 12 hours a day and 20 hours a day the weekend before Jack’s Monday Organic Chemistry II test and only scored a 68, the highest in the class by 30 points. This taught me so much about determination and that is how I think I came to know your father so well in the following years. We became friends and later social friends and I learned much more about him. He had many demons and I hoped I helped him as much as he helped me, but I was so naïve back then.
I woke up one morning years before I sent this where it seemed Jack was in my mind all night and he was talking to me about all these things, and then I woke and tried to connect to these dreams, but being mortal has its limitations. Life is cruel and I feel a loss for I never got to go to his or Rachel’s funeral, but I wish I could honor him in some small way or carry out some of his and Rachel’s dreams, or at least learn a little more about him and share what I knew about two special people.
I am so sorry for the loss of your mother and father. They were both my teachers at West Georgia College in the late 60’s . They were both wonderful teachers. Jessica you are in my prayers. God bless you.
Barbara Gaston
Thank you so much Barbara! I love to hear from people that knew them. They were wonderful teachers and parents. Hope you’re well and thank you for your kind words and prayers ❤️