Charles Harrison Woodie

Charles Harrison Woodie, 73, of Morganton, NC passed away on Friday, February 27, 2009 at College Pines Nursing Home after a year-long, courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. Charles was born in Jonas Ridge, NC on March 2, 1935 and was a son of the late Paul Rufus Woodie and Clora Clark Woodie. Mr. Woodie attended Mt. Home Baptist Church.He had a variety of jobs over his lifetime. He started out as a young man working in the shrubbery business in the mountains and the American Thread Company before moving to Morganton. He retired from the state after many years of service at Broughton Hospital in various jobs in the kitchen and on the wards and Vocational Rehabilitation as a Job Placement Specialist. He then worked at J. Iverson Riddle Developmental Center in the workshop and later drove the van at Morganton Eye Physicians for several years. During all this time, he had his own little landscaping business. Many of the beautiful yards in Burke County were sowed by him. When it came garden time, his phone rang off the hook with requests for plowing and bush-hogging. He even worked as an auxiliary policeman when there was such a thing in Burke County.Everyone who met him fell in love with him. He just had that kind of personality. He loved surf fishing, camping, and traveling with friends and family. He loved his TV, especially the news and car racing. He also loved his friends. Their visits remained a highlight of his life until the end. His passing will leave a void in many people’s lives, especially his wife who can’t imagine life without him.Charles is survived by his wife of thirty-one years, Sandy L. Woodie of the home; his son, Charles Terry Woodie of Morganton; his brothers, Ray Edward Woodie and wife, Bobbie, of Glen Alpine and Roger Dale Woodie of Newland, NC; his brother-in-law, Alton Lee of Gulfport, FL; his best friends, Don and Pearl Younce of Morganton; several nieces and nephews and their spouses; and last but not least, the latest of his four-legged companions, Bandit and Max.In addition to his parents, Charles was preceded in death by his two brothers, Hayden Albert Woodie and Virgil Thomas Woodie.

Words cannot express the family’s appreciation for the wonderful care and love he received at College Pines and from Burke County Hospice. Their staff are wonderful, caring, professional people who were his guardian angels. In lieu of flowers, please make memorial contributions to Burke Hospice and Palliative Care, Inc., 1721 Enon Road, Valdese, NC 28690 or the Mt. Home Baptist Church, 2272 Mt. Home Church Road, Morganton, NC 28655.The graveside service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Thursday, March 3, 2009 at Jonas Ridge Cemetery with Rev. Jerry Gamble officiating. The family will receive friends on his birthday, Monday, from 6:00 until 8:00 p.m. at Sossoman Funeral Home.