Carolyn Joye Lechner

Carolyn Joye Leber Lechner, 86, of Waynesville, North Carolina, went to be with her Lord Jesus on October 21, 2025, at home, surrounded by her family.
Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee on March 5, 1939, she was preceded in death by her parents, Otto F. Leber and Marie Coe Leber, and granddaughter, Jessica Murdock.
Carolyn graduated from Andrew Jackson High School's Class of 1957 before studying art and literature at Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina. At the age of 19, she married her husband of sixty-seven years, Robert Charles Lechner Jr. Their wedding was held on July 9,1958, at St. John's Lutheran Church of Jacksonville, Florida. They lived in Jacksonville until 1993, when they retired to Waynesville, North Carolina. A testament to God's faithfulness, they had a long and beautiful marriage with three children. Carolyn enjoyed time at home: gardening, cooking, sewing, entertaining family, and especially studying the scriptures and engaging in quiet worship. She was a member and children's Sunday School teacher at Grandview Baptist Church.
Her survivors include husband, Robert Charles Lechner Jr., and children Priscilla Dennison, Allison John (Jeff), and Robert Lechner III (Kelly). She leaves behind five grandchildren: Anna Brown, Abigail Smith (Nathan), Sarah McCormick (Marshall), Katherine Lechner, and Caroline Lechner, as well as five great-grandchildren: Mason, Emma, and Addilyn Murdock, Theodore, and Otto Brown. She is also survived by her sister Frances Shafe (Charles) and her nieces, Angela Hilton, Valerie Greene, and Michelle Hill.
Services will be held at Grandview Baptist Church in Waynesville, North Carolina, on Sunday, November 16. Visitation with family begins at 1:30 pm, followed by the service led by Pastor Barry Willett at 2:00 pm. Her family is grateful for the support provided by Haywood Hospice and Palliative Care, where donations can be sent in her memory to 13 Haywood Office Park, Suite 107, Waynesville, NC 28785.