Richard Michael Sexton

Richard Michael Sexton of Candler, 85, passed away peacefully at home December 20, 2020.

He was born in Asheville in 1935, the only child of the late Paul and Louise Stephenson Sexton. The family moved to Wilmington during WWII, where his father was a welder on the Liberty ships and he worked as a shoe-shine boy. He graduated from Lee Edwards High School in 1953, then went on to operate a number of local businesses including a Ford Gum franchise, managing the old Emma Airport, and owning several laundromats. He served in the US Naval Reserves from 1953-1961.

He learned to fly in 1961, soloing out of Carrier Field on Amboy Road. Flying became his passion, and he puddle-jumped in and out of every airfield (and many other fields) in Western North Carolina. He gave many people their first ride in an airplane, and loved aerobatics. In his younger days he landed his Volmer float plane on Enka Lake and then the French Broad near the Alexander Bridge, both times resulting in a warning phone call from the FAA. He owned one of the first two Corvettes in Asheville in the 1950s and during that time also had a 1938 BMW roadster that had been disassembled and hidden in a barn in Austria during WWII, then reassembled and shipped to the US. He was a fearless pilot and driver who continued to ride his motorcycle-fast-until 2018.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Betty Clarida Sexton, who died in 2017. He is survived by son Paul (Cindi) Sexton of Bellevue, WA; daughters Robin (Charles) Smith, Ruth (Allen) Rash, and Jean Sexton, all of Candler; grandsons Levi Smith of Candler and Liam Sexton of San Diego, CA; a number of cousins; and special friend Mary Ann Gardner of Weaverville.

At his request, no services will be planned.

Memorials may be made to Trinity Baptist Church, 216 Shelburne Road, Asheville, NC 28806.