Selby Hawley

WILSON - Selby Lee "Serce" Hawley, passed peacefully in his sleep on March 26, 2013, surrounded by people he loved and caregivers who loved him.

Funeral, Friday, 11 AM, West Nash United Methodist Church, 2106 Nash St N.
Selby was born in Lucama on September 6, 1928 to parents who owned and worked a farm. This would drive his work ethics all of his life. He graduated from Lucama High School. He was a member of the 101st Airborne Infantry Regiment and served as a corporal on a medic train in the Korean Conflict. He would trade away his cigarettes, beer and proper food rations to the men on the front lines for their C rations, always the giving and caring man. R&R was spent writing his future wife love letters. He often mentioned regretting not using the GI bill to go to college, but after serving in the war and returning home his first priority was to get a job and the second was to get married to JoAnn Barnes Blake, the love of his life. Selby along with JoAnn made sure their three children went on to universities and between those kids they had 25 years of college, with seven degrees including three masters and a doctorate, each graduating without any school debt. He was very proud of his children and his children were of him.

Selby and JoAnn would have been celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary on April 11th. They dated for seven years before getting married and have loved each other all of their lives. They shared a bond that comes from marrying your one true love, they never spoke harshly to one another, in fact, he never spoke harshly of anyone.

Selby began his career as a bank teller at Branch Banking and Trust, rising through the ranks to become Senior Vice President of Operations. The bank knew they had a man of integrity and honor.

He was a tremendous athlete, a basketball and baseball star in high school. His work ethic and love for his wife drove him to be the best father and husband a man could be, and in this too, he was a tremendous star and role model. Wilson has lost someone very special.

He is survived by his wife, JoAnn, his children, Michael and wife, Charlotte Yaeger Hawley, of Richmond VA, Sharon Hawley Fulcher and husband, Darren, of Morehead City and Blake and wife, Leslie Taugher Hawley of London, England. He is also survived by four loving grandchildren Logan, Destiny, Blue and Sydney; four granddogs, Thorton, Bentley, Chester and Sammi and one grandcat, Cricket.

The family will be at Wilson Memorial Service, Thursday, 7 - 8 PM.

Memorials are suggested to West Nash United Methodist Church, PO Box 8298, Wilson, NC 27893 or to the Wounded Warrior Project, 4899 Belfort Rd, Ste 300, Jacksonville FL, 32246, www.woundedwarriorproject.org