Willie Whitmire Sanford

Willie Whitmire Sanford passed away on September 11, 2006.She was born on June 22, 1908 in Transylvania County, and was daughter of the late Byard Tilden and Myrtle Reece Whitmire. A resident of Enka for the past 75 years, she was a graduate of Rosman High School and valedictorian of her class in 1928. She was a homemaker and a lunchroom lady at Sand Hill Elementary for many years. She was the oldest member of Enka Baptist Church where she had been a Sunday School Teacher and was also active in the WMU. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband of 53 years, Walter E. Sanford; brothers, Cecil, Edwin and Ras Whitmire; and sisters, Jessie Whitmire, Gussie McCall, and Roma Childress. Survivors are daughters, Frances Taylor, of Asheville, Myrtle Sue Britton, of Candler, June Johnson and her husband Bill, of Penrose, and Katherine Petrucelli and her husband Terry, of Salisbury; sister-in-law, Frances Whitmire; brother-in-law, Vess McCall; seven grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren, one great-great-grandchild, and a number of nieces and nephews. A celebration of her life will be held at Enka Baptist Church on Thursday at 2:00 p.m. with the Rev. Ron Brown officiating. Interment will follow at Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Her family will receive friends one hour before the funeral service. Memorials may be made to Enka Baptist Church, P.O. Box 219, Enka, NC, 28728 and to Care Partners Mountain Area Hospice, P.O. Box 25338, Asheville, NC, 28813.