Robert L. "Bud" McBrayer

Nov 15, 1937  Mar 12, 2011

Fairview – Robert L. "Bud" McBrayer, 73, of 12 Miller Road, passed away Saturday, March 12, 2011 at his home.

A lifelong resident of Buncombe County, Mr. McBrayer was a 1956 graduate of AC Reynolds High School, and was the owner and operator of Fairview Door Sales for 39 years.

Mr. McBrayer was the son of the late Hubert Marlon and Minnie Arsula Stuart McBrayer, and was also preceded in death by his brother, Eurschel McBrayer.

Surviving are his wife, Margaret Randall McBrayer, whom he married May 20, 1967; daughters: Darlene McBrayer Young and husband Tommy and Diane McBrayer Whitaker and husband Tim, all of Fairview; son, Robert L. "Buddy" McBrayer of Fairview; four grandchildren: Robert Young, Greg Young, Ashley Whitaker and Amber Whitaker; sister, Rubye Hill and husband Dewey of Eutawville, SC; and sister-in-law, Velma McBrayer of Fairview; and several nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be held at 11 AM Tuesday in Emmas Grove Baptist Church, with the Rev. Charles Rogers and Rev. Tony Parham officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery with Robert Young, Greg Young, William D. Britt, Cecil Hawkins, Cliff Dotson, Gene Merrill, Larry Whitaker and Johnny Fite serving as pallbearers.

The family will receive friends from 6-8 PM Monday at Anders-Rice Funeral Home.

Memorial donations may be made to Laurel Pines Baptist Church Missionary Funds, PO Box 1553, Fairview, NC 28730.

(Obit provided by Christie Ballinger)

A Tribute to Bud

It was 1984 that Pat I and I first met Bud, Margaret and their family. We were visiting in North Carolina to do some research on the McBrayer family and to attend the family reunion in Forest City.

Then in the late 1980s to early 1990s, when Pat and I returned for a research trip to North Carolina,  we met with Bud, Margaret and his family again.

I had heard of the Old Pioneer Cemetery in Buncombe Co. - the site of the supposed burial of our ancestor, old Samuel McBrayer, but no one could tell me exactly where it was located. A meeting with an older lady in Fairview evemtually led us to the location of the site. It was supposed to be on the property of a local doctor.

Bud knew of this doctor and took me to his office to talk with him. After obtaining permission to visit the site Bud, Margaret, Pat and I walked across his pasture and up a small hill to where he said it was located. Without too much trouble we did locate the graveyard, only to be deeply saddened by the site. The doctor had allowed his cattle to roam the area, which was located near the top of that small hill and in the tree line. Most of the markers had been knocked over and lost. Debris littered the site. Dead tree branches and cattel-droppings covered the area.

We were all shocked at the site! As we wandered around we saw only one grave that had not been damaged. That one was surrounded by a small fence to protect it. No other graves were recognizable.

As Pat was looking some distance away she came upon a small head stone made of field stone. It had been kicked out of the ground and was laying on the surface. It bore the inscription of "S. McBrayer", which we at first thought might be the headstone for our Samuel. However, upon closer examination we discovered that it was a small child - due to the dates carved into the stone. To prevent the headstone from being further lost or damaged I brought it back to Oklahoma with me.

Bud was quite distraught at the site and immediately decided that he had to do something to restore the diginity of the burial ground. He eventually obtained permission from the land owner to clean the area and fence it. Together with James Earl McBrayer of Morehead, KY, and Doris Turner Osten they went to the site in November 1991 and spent considerable time cleaning and fencing it to prevent further damage by the cattle. Upon the completion I returned the small headstone to Bud to be placed back in the cemetery - which he immediately took back and placed within the fenced area.

This was Bud! His compassion to the family and his desire to see the old site protected resulted in the fencing of the area and the removal of the debris and tree limbs. Sincere gratitude goes to Bud, Doris, and James Earl for their hard work. All these wonderful people are now no longer with us, but they will all remain in our memories for all time.

My most sincere thanks to all three - but most especially to Bud for taking the lead in this endeavor. Thank you, Bud! We miss you!

This is the small head stone that was recovered from the Old Pioneer Cem. and later returned.

(click on an image to enlarge)