JOSHUA THOMAS "BUDDIE" LANCASTER
April 4, 1932-July 5, 2012
Joshua Thomas "Buddie" Lancaster went to be with his Lord and savior, Jesus Christ, July 5, 2012, at Kitty Askins Hospice Center with his family by his side.
He was born April 4, 1932, to the late Tommy Bryant and Minnie Smith Lancaster, and raised in the Patetown community.
In 1952 he joined the United States Navy and served aboard the USS Eugene during the Korean War. He returned home to Patetown in 1956 when his tour of duty was over.
In 1959 he met the love of his life, Grace Daniels Lancaster, and they were married Christmas Eve of that year, and had 47 years together before she passed away in May 2006.
He was a meatcutter by trade, having worked for Thomas Hardee for more than 25 years at Mar Mac Food Store and Brookside Open Air Market. After his retirement in 1994, he continued to work part-time until his health forced him to quit in 2007.
He had worked at Food Lion, Edgemont Meats, Joyners Supermarket, Piggly Wiggly and Hill's Beef and Pork.
April 23, 1978, he gave his heart and life to the Lord, and served him faithfully until he was called home. He currently attended United in Christ Church. He was a member of Liberty Pentecostal Holiness Church, where he had served in the capacity of deacon, Sunday school superintendent and choir director, and taught the adult Bible school class for more than 20 years.
He was a great inspiration to all those who knew him, and blessed many with his teachings and his beautiful voice in song. He never passed up an opportunity to witness for his Lord and to tell people of God's many blessings in his life and that of his family.
The loves of his life were God, family, church and friends. He never met a stranger, and no matter where he went in Wayne county, you could always count on him encountering someone he knew. Regularly you would find him at Hardee's every morning, fellowshipping with his many friends.
Funeral services will be held in the chapel of Howell's Funeral Home Friday, July 6, at 6 p.m., with the Rev. Gerald Hollaman, the Rev. Donald Daniels and the Rev. Ira Williford.
The family will receive friends immediately following the service, and other times at the home at 114 N. Goldsboro St., Pikeville. Interment will be at Pikeville Cemetery Saturday, July 7, at 10 a.m.
He leaves to cherish his memory his daughter, Debbie Head and husband, Jerry, of Patetown; a granddaughter (the light of his life), Monica High of Patetown; a great-grandson (and his namesake), Joshua Tyson High of Patetown; a sister, Lois Rader of Virginia; and a host of nieces and nephews.
In addition to his wife and parents, he was preceded in death by two brothers, Wiley Lancaster and Norwood Lancaster, and four sisters, Adean Poythress, Joyce Bartlett, Wilma Gay Poythress and Lou Ellen Lancaster.
The family would like to express its sincere appreciation to Dr. Shannon Jimenez and Dr. Waheed Akhtar and the staff of Kitty Askins Hospice Center for their loving compassionate care of Buddie, as well as their support and care for the family.
Flowers are welcome or memorial contributions may be made to Kitty Askins Hospice Center in his memory.
The family is being served by Howell Funeral Home and Crematory of Goldsboro.
(Pd)
Published in Obituaries on July 6, 2012 1:52 PM