Karl R. Cleveland

Karl R. Cleveland, 78, of 111 Oak St., Morganton, NC died Tuesday, May 20, 2008 at Frye Regional Medical Center in Hickory following a brief illness. He was born January 22, 1930 in Huntington, WV, and was the son of the late Max Cleveland and Clara Hayes Cleveland. Karl was raised in the Church of Christ where his father had been a minister. He attended Marshall University in West Virginia. Karl was a US Navy veteran of the Korean Conflict where he served on the USS Warrington. He worked for of Union Carbide and Honeywell, and then retired from G.E. Nuclear as a process control engineer in Wilmington, NC. Karl’s hobbies included restoring old cars and boats, fishing, and telling jokes. He also built and flew model air planes, and loved photography.He is survived by his wife of 34 years, Rebecca Ricks Cleveland of the home; a daughter, Katrina of Ohio; sisters, Betty Ruth Burns and husband, Froud of Norcross, GA, and Freda Handley and husband, Jim, of Teays, WV, and numerous nieces and nephews.Becky would like to express her appreciation to Karl’s nurses on CCU#2 at Frye Regional, and to the doctors and nurses at Piedmont Cardiology.Funeral services will be held at 4:00 p.m., Saturday, May 24, 2008 in the Colonial Chapel of Sossoman Funeral Home with Rev. Ed Stephenson officiating. A private burial will follow in Snow Hill United Methodist Church Cemetery. The family will receive friends Saturday from 3:00 until 4:00 p.m. at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to Cats Cradles, 112 Clark St., Morganton, NC 28655, or any other responsible animal group.