Marshall Ledford

Obituary Marshall Hobby Ledford, of Morehead City, died at Carteret General Hospital on Thursday, December 18, 2014, after a brief illness. She would have celebrated her 94th birthday on New Years Eve. A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Monday, December 22, at Open Door Baptist Church in Morehead City with the Rev. Jerry Linebarger officiating. The family will greet friends in the church foyer after the service. Marshall was born in Wake County, NC on December 31, 1920 to William Burke Hobby and Mary Lane McCullers Hobby, where she grew up on a large dairy farm on Old Stage Road with 5 brothers and sisters. Much of her life was spent in Wake County where she attended school, graduating from Hardbargers Business College, working for the railroad, Texas Gulf, and lastly as a supervisor in the Raleigh Employment Security office. She has lived in Carteret County for the past 15 years and was a resident of Carolina House at the time of her death. Throughout her life Marshall had a deep connection to nature and the arts, and was multi-talented. She was an expert seamstress, a painter, an award-winning quilter, a skilled stained glass artisan, a certified bee-keeper and wildlife rehabilitator, a woodworker and an avid gardener. There were few things that she could not do well. Marshall found wonder and delight in nature, seeing beauty in everything. During her younger years she was a tireless volunteer, donating her time and skills to many causes including the Raleigh Rescue Mission and the Red Cross, where she was a 15-gallon blood donor. She had many special friends and neighbors that were an integral part of her life. A faithful member of Open Door Baptist, she loved her family, caregivers and friends and leaves an empty place but a beautiful memory in the hearts of those who knew her. She is survived by her son, Roy Willard Will Whitley and wife, Carol Morris Whitley, of Hatteras; her daughter, Edith Whitley Mason and husband L. Patten Mason of Beaufort; grandson, James Kyser Pierce of Morehead City; great-granddaughter Logan Elizabeth Hardee of Kinston; and step-sons Ralph B. Ledford and James B. Ledford, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents, her husband, Everett A. Ledford, sisters, Kathleen Hobby Gasper and Evelyn Hobby Strickland; and brothers, William Burke Hobby, Jr., James Lacy Hobby and Joe McCullers Hobby preceded her in death. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Open Door Baptist Church/Marshall Ledford Memorial, 227 Highway 24, Morehead City, NC 28557. A stained glass window is planned in her memory. Memorial Service Monday December 22, 2014 , 11:00 a.m. Open Door Baptist Church Visitation Following Service Monday December 22, 2014 Open Door Baptist Church Services You can still show your support by sending flowers directly to the family, or by planting a memorial tree in the memory of Marshall Ledford