William Richard "Bill" Whisenant

William Richard "Bill" Whisenant, 80, of Holly Place in Morganton died Friday, May 14, 2010 at Burke Palliative Care Center in Valdese following a period of declining health. He was born October 29, 1929 in Burke County, and was the son of the late George Macon Whisenant and Alice Elizabeth Baird Whisenant. Bill was an active member of Catawba Valley Baptist Church where he served as a former Sunday School teacher and deacon. He was a retired employee of Burke Mills with 38 years of service.Bill is survived by a son, Richard Whisenant and wife, Sandy, of Morganton; daughters, Libby Elder and husband, Robert, of Morganton, Mary Herrick and husband, Mark, of Virginia Beach, VA, and Lisa Sher of Charlotte, NC; a sister, Lucille May and husband, Howard, of Winston-Salem, NC; grandchildren, Dana Lee Whisenant, Haley Sher and Graham Sher; a step-grandson, Alan Storie; and number of nieces and nephews.In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife of 54 years, Mamie Lee Chandler Whisenant; and a sister and her husband, Margaret and Bill Pons of Valdese.Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m., Sunday, May 16, 2010 at Catawba Valley Baptist Church with Rev. Jeff Beach officiating. Burial will follow at Burke Memorial Park. The family will receive friends Saturday from 6:30 until 8:30 pm at Sossoman Funeral Home. At other times, the family will be at the residence, 306 Holly Place in Morganton. Memorial contributions may be made to the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America, Inc., Carolinas Chapter, 506 East Forest Hills Boulevard, Durham, NC 27707, or to The Leukemia & Lymphoma North Carolina Society, 5950 Fairview Rd., Charlotte, NC 28210-0093, or help one of your neighbors in need.