Sidney Auburn Hughes

Sidney Auburn Hughes, 83, of Biltmore Forest, passed away peacefully on March 14, 2008 at a local hospital after a period of declining health. Mr. Hughes was born June 17, 1924 in South Carolina. In 1966, he married Anna Kinard Avant of Whiteville, NC, who survives him. He was a son of the late Daniel Emory and Margaret James Hughes. He is also survived by a daughter, Margaret McLean, her husband, Jimmy Williamson and their children, Sarah Auburn and Kenneth McLean, of Athens, GA; a son, Clay Kinard and his wife Katrina and their children, Anna Claire and Eliza Kinard Hughes, of Mt. Pleasant, SC. He was the youngest of ten children, seven sons and three daughters and is survived by his sister, Mrs. Maggie Herring of Sanford, NC. Mr. Hughes, Senior VP of First Citizens Bank, was a respected executive, having joined First Citizens in 1950 and retiring in 1988. He served in the management capacity in Asheville since 1969. He is a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill and a WWII veteran, serving as a first lieutenant with the US Air Force. He enjoyed gardening, golfing, fishing and hunting and was also an avid reader. Mr. Hughes served on many community boards, including the Asheville Chamber of Commerce, Inc., the United Way of Asheville, the Asheville chapter of the American Red Cross and was on the board of directors of Thoms Rehabilitation Hospital. He was also the Chairman of the Salvation Army Capital Funds, and served on the Better Business Bureau, the UNCA Foundation and the YMCA. He was a member of First Presbyterian Church of Asheville and of the Biltmore Forest Country Club. A memorial service will be held at 1:00 PM on Monday, March 17, 2008 at First Presbyterian Church, with a reception following in the Gardner Fellowship Hall. Visitation will be from 5:00-7:00 on Sunday, March 16, 2008 at Groce Funeral Home at Lake Julian. A graveside service will be held in Whiteville, NC at a later date. Memorials may be made to the Brooks Howell Home, 266 Merrimon Avenue, Asheville, NC 28801, where he had been a resident for the past three years, or to First Presbyterian Church, 40 Church Street, Asheville, NC 28801 or to the Lewis Rathbun Wellness Center, 127 Sherwood Road, Asheville, NC 28803.