Joseph P. And Helen LaRue Walker Meriwether

Joseph P. and Helen LaRue Walker Meriwether

Black Mountain - Joseph P. Meriwether passed away on February 21, 2020, one month before his wife, Helen LaRue Walker Meriwether, passed away on March 19, 2020, graduating from their earthly dwelling at Givens Highland Farms to their heavenly home.

Joseph born in Miami, Florida, was the son of the late Joseph P. Meriwether and Bessie Kirby Meriwether and the brother of the late Bessie Meriwether Reese.

Helen, born in Kentucky, was the daughter of the late Rev. and Mrs. Edward Andrew Walker and the sister of Janice Ann Kesterson.

They are preceded in death by their eldest son, David Payton Meriwether.

Joe and Helen met the summer of 1950 as summer staffers at Ridgecrest Baptist Conference Center and loved the mountains so much they chose to live out their "twilight" years in the Black Mountain area. Mr. Meriwether graduated from Miami Jackson High School, and later from Stetson University in Deland, Florida. He retired after 30 years with National/Pan American Airlines in Miami. He also served as manager of Nibble Nook at Ridgecrest Conference Center for several years. He was active in the First Baptist Church, Black Mountain. In the community, he was involved in Kiwanis Thrift Shop, Adopt-a-class Program, Chamber of Commerce, Swannanoa Valley Medical Center and Owen Foundation.

Helen was a second grade teacher for many years in Miami, FL. After retiring in 1984, she substituted in Black Mountain for grades 1-5 and served for several years as Museum Hostess at Ridgecrest Baptist Conference Center. Helen enjoyed participating in church activities including teaching the Golden Circle Sunday School Class, attending Women's Missionary Union meetings, and serving on the Welcoming Committee at First Baptist Church, Black Mountain. She also volunteered at the Chamber of Commerce and occasionally at the Thrift Shop in Black Mountain.

They are survived by their son, Mark Edward Meriwether, and wife, Beth, of Asheville, NC; daughter-in-law, Nancy Meriwether of Elizabethtown, KY; six grandchildren, John David (Danielle), of Loveland, OH, Jamie Lynn (Todd), of Louisville, KY, Kristin Lee and Ryan of Elizabethtown, KY, Bobby (Abra) of Ridgecrest, NC, and Christopher Aaron (Jessie) of Greensboro, NC; and seven great-grandchildren, Samantha, Jackson, Mason, Dillan, Emma, Everest and Eden.

A Celebration of their Home Going will be held at 2:30 pm in the chapel of Harwood Home for Funerals & Cremation Services on Sunday, July 5, 2020.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the following: Scholarship Fund for deserving Ridgecrest Summer Staffers provided by the Southern Baptist Foundation, Nashville, TN; Kiwanis Scholarship Fund at Kiwanis Scholarship Foundation, PO Box 491, Black Mountain, NC 28711; Scholarship Fund or Capital Improvements Fund, First Baptist Church, Black Mountain; Global Mission of Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, 160 Clairemont Avenue, Decatur, GA 30030 or International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, 3806 Monument Avenue, Richmond, VA, 23230.

Harwood Home for Funerals & Cremation Services is assisting the family. www.harwoodhomeforfunerals.com