Michael Straley Pedneau

It was a pleasure to meet Mike and Betsey in recent years to hear their memories of Dix Hospital. He is service and leadership mental health care in North Carolina is greatly appreciated. With sympathy to the family.

On behalf of NAMI North Carolina, we want to offer our deepest condolences for your loss. Michael was a tireless advocate for mental health in North Carolina, and his impact will live on. We humbly appreciate the consideration from the Pedneau family and promise to continue his legacy of bringing better mental health to our communities.

I will miss him. He was such an influence on me as a young lawyer and new State Employee. I follow his directions to this day.

We were lucky enough to meet and get to know Mike many years ago when he and Betsey bought a place on a little mountain in the middle of nowhere in Caldwell County just like we did. Mike had the top of the mountain and we enjoyed our visits with him there. Cookouts, POA meetings, homemade ice cream, whatever the occasion. Mike was a man's man and I'm very happy to have known him. He will be missed on White Mountain in Highland Meadows! I'll never forget arriving at the gate one day with...

Ms. Betsy, there are not enough words that can express my condolences in your loss of sweet Mr.Mike. He was ALWAYS so kind and encouraging even when he was sick or not feeling well. I enjoyed taking care of both of you for so many years. I know your loss will be difficult but knowing he is with God, I will smile and remember his sweet smile. I will be saying prayers for your comfort and peace in the days ahead. Hugs and love to you and your family!

Mike lived across the street from us. We didn´t know him as well as we would like to as we are relatively new to the neighborhood but Mike was always one to reach out and be neighborly. I always knew he´d help out in any neighborly way if we needed. I wish we´d had a chance to know him better. He gave me a gift of a bottle of Jack Daniels honey one year. I´ll always think of him when I sample it.

I first met Mike when he purchased a Labrador Retriever puppy from me, I'm thinking in the mid-seventies. I later met him again through our work with the State and finally we became good friends through our membership in Outdoors Unanimous. Mike was a hard- working and very knowledgeable individual, and very considerate to others. I feel very fortunate to able to say that Mike was a friend of mine. Patsy and I send our sincere condolences to his widow and his family.

I met Mike when we both worked for the State of North Carolina. He was the first Director of Willie M Services, Director of Dorathea Dix, Director of Mental Health Services. I was the Director of Stonewall Jackson Training School in Concord, NC, Director of Training School Services & later Director of Youth Development Centers. We collaborated often on children & youth placements, contractual services, etc. We graduated from the Government Excutives Institute & had many connections over the...