Category: 1976

William Alexander Robinson III, known affectionately as Alex, passed away peacefully on Sunday, June 30, 2024, at the age of 69. A beloved husband, father, brother, and friend, Alex’s presence will be deeply missed by all who knew him.

Born on July 25, 1954, at Greenville General Hospital, Alex was the eldest son of Mary Elizabeth Black Robinson and the late William A. Robinson, Jr. Growing up on Mountain View Drive in Easley, he and his siblings were nurtured under the devoted and loving care of Clarice Alexander.

Alex attended Northside Elementary School, conveniently located within walking distance from his home. During his junior high years, he demonstrated leadership as an officer on the Student Council and delivered newspapers for the Greenville Piedmont. In 1968, Alex’s academic excellence was evident when he won the Pickens County Spelling Bee and secured third place in the state-wide competition.

His active involvement in the Easley Presbyterian Church, the Easley YMCA, and the Boy Scouts of America shaped his character. Under the guidance of Reverend Eddie Craig, he earned the esteemed “God and Country” award. Alex’s high school years at Easley High School were marked by his leadership as a class officer and exceptional service, which earned him the prestigious “Principal’s Award.” His early passion for journalism was evident as he covered and reported on sports for the Easley Progress while still in high school.

Alex pursued higher education at Davidson College before transferring to Clemson University, where he graduated in 1977 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. His commitment to scholastic achievement continued, earning a Master of Arts degree from Queens University in 2001 with “straight A’s.”

Alex began his working career at Barclays Bank in Charlotte in 1978. He later married Patricia “Patty” Gibson Robinson on May 19, 1984, following a lengthy courtship even by Robinson standards. Their enduring love and partnership spanned 40 wonderful years.

Throughout his career, Alex held various significant roles in his community, forging lasting friendships with many along the way. He worked at Stowe Mercantile Hardware Store from 1986 to 1990 and Dixon Ford from 1990 to 1998. In 1990, he became the President of the Belmont Chamber of Commerce, demonstrating his commitment to community service. Alex was also an active member of the Belmont Rotary Club, serving as its president in 1988. His career with the City of Belmont, from December 1998 to June 2024, marked 25 years of dedicated service. He also cherished his time at Pawleys Island and was a proud member and former commodore of the Pawleys Island Yacht Club.

Alex is survived by his high school sweetheart and devoted wife of 40 years, Patty; his beloved daughters Katherine Robinson and Patricia Robinson; his brothers James M. Robinson (Melissa) of Easley and Alan M. Robinson (Jeanne) of Greenville; his sister Elizabeth R. Weaver (David) of Easley; numerous nieces, nephews, grand nephews and grand niece; and his cherished Dachshund, Leo. He was predeceased by his father William “Bill” A. Robinson, Jr. and infant brother Ben Barnhardt Robinson.

A celebration of Alex’s life will be held on Saturday, July 13th, 2024, at South & West, 109 South 1st Street, Easley, SC, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Keep Belmont Beautiful, an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, that works in partnership with the City of Belmont, North Carolina, to educate and involve the community in litter and waste reduction, recycling, beautification, and natural resource conservation. Donations may be made in memory of Alex by mailing checks to Keep Belmont Beautiful, 1401 East Catawba St. Belmont, NC 28012.

Benjamin Culver Hedrick, 69, of Matthews passed away August 5th, 2023.

Born November 4th, 1953, Ben was the son of the late Bruce and Waunetta Hedrick of Asheboro. He grew up in Asheboro, graduating as a Blue Comet, Class of 1972. Blessed with a natural athletic talent, Ben played football, earning a scholarship which he used to attend Davidson College, where he continued to play football while learning just enough to earn his degree in Psychology. Ben moved to the Charlotte/Matthews area where he had been a resident for over 40 years.

In addition to being blessed with athletic talent, Ben was blessed with an uncanny sense of humor and the ability to relate to people. Using these skills, he became a successful salesman in industrial equipment, working for Pande Controls, Mechanical Supply Company and Eastern. When not working, he enjoyed beach music, shagging, motorcycle cruising and enhancing his connoisseur skills of hot dog appreciation (of which Green’s was the premier outlet of this fine cuisine). Most of all, Ben was a people person who enjoyed the time spent with family and friends. Whether bellyflopping off the lifeguard stand at the local pool or just spending time at the pool with his kids, time with others was always enjoyed and will forever be remembered.

Ben prided himself on being the cool uncle to his nieces and nephew. He was an incredible friend who cherished every relationship he had no matter how long he may have known you; some that date back to high school. He carried on lessons from his adoring parents, and created a beautiful life. He will be missed by so many. The world is a little dimmer, heaven is a little brighter, and barbecue will never taste quite the same.

Ben is survived by a daughter Hayley Hedrick; son Maxwell Hedrick; and the mother of his children, Molly Hedrick. Their love for him knows no bounds. In addition, he is survived by his brother and best friend, Bart (wife Kathy) Hedrick, who will miss him dearly; as well as numerous other relatives and friends, including nieces and a nephew who saw him as a cool uncle. Ben was preceded in death by his parents.

Ben’s family has given the family of Lowe-Neddo Funeral Home the privilege of caring for him and for them.

The family will receive friends at the funeral home, 4715 Margaret Wallace Road, Matthews, from 10 am until 11 am on Saturday, August 12. At 11 am, services will be held in the funeral home chapel. A reception will follow with location to be provided.

Services will be livestreamed, please return to funeral home website Saturday morning for the link.

A private interment at Randolph Memorial Park will take place at a later date.

David Cormak, 69, dear son of the late Robert and Lenore Cormak, beloved husband to Twyla Cormak, and loving father to Katelyn Cormak Taylor (Zach) and Regan Cormak, passed away on July 27, 2023.

David was born on July 7, 1954 in Lakewood, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, to Robert and Lenore Cormak. He was the only child of two only children, making him the only grandchild to his grandparents. He was loved and doted on by his family growing up, and his nickname became “Darling David.” Despite all that concentrated attention, he grew up thoughtful and kind. In 1967, when Dave was in middle school, the Cormak family relocated to Chesterfield, Missouri. Dave attended Parkway Central Middle and High Schools and then Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina where he majored in Psychology. He had a great love for the humanities and studied abroad throughout Europe for a deeper dive into those subjects. After he graduated from Davidson, he moved to Dallas, Texas to pursue his graduate degree at Southern Methodist University where he got his MBA.

After graduate school, Dave worked as a staffing recruiter for a few years, before taking a job in Human Resources at RepublicBank Dallas, where he met Twyla. Dave and Twyla married in 1986. They had two daughters; Katelyn in 1989 and Regan in 1993. In 1997, they relocated for Dave’s job change within the bank and moved to Chesterfield, Missouri. Dave continued to work for the bank, which eventually became Bank of America, for 37 years. He worked in Compliance and then Risk Management before his retirement in 2019. Dave loved his work, mainly for the many amazing people he worked shoulder-to-shoulder with. Dave’s job required him to travel around the country and even several trips to China, allowing him to develop delightful relationships with people throughout the bank. Many of his employees, colleagues and bosses have remarked on what a mentor, cheerleader and encourager he was to them. He left a great legacy there through the many people he impacted.

Dave was always active in sports. In high school he wrestled, was on the track team, and played football. He loved playing racquetball in college and throughout his twenties and thirties. He also loved to ski, and the family took several fun ski trips together. Throughout the years, tennis and golf were two of his favorite activities, mostly because of the fun he had with his friends on and off the court/green. In retirement, he was playing tennis four to five times a week and golfing once a week. One of his tennis buddies said Dave always knew the right thing to say to people to make them feel good about themselves.

Travel was a deep love of Dave’s. Vacations took months to plan, and were enjoyed to the fullest. When the girls were younger, the family took a vacation to Disney World, and afterwards Dave always enticed the girls with other, new locations so he didn’t have to go back. As the girls were growing up, the family visited Steamboat Springs, Colorado; Las Vegas; beaches in the Carolinas, the Riviera Maya in Mexico and the Dominican Republic; England; Hawaii; New York City; Italy; San Francisco and Santa Fe. When Twyla had a year-long international work assignment in Canada, Dave would visit, and they enjoyed spending time in Toronto and seeing Niagara Falls and Montreal.

As empty nesters, Dave and Twyla went on some amazing trips together where they met so many interesting people. They went on cruises on the Danube and Douro Rivers, plus small boat cruises to Venice and the Dalmatian coast and Nice and the Amalfi coast. They toured the Grand, Bryce, and Zion Canyons. They took driving trips across the country, including visits to their daughters and friends. Last year, Dave traveled to Cincinnati, Ohio with a tennis friend for the Western and Southern tennis tournament and was able to see some of his favorite professional tennis players play. Dave and Twyla’s last trip together was in May, and they had a wonderful time traveling throughout Portugal and Spain.

Dave and Twyla have attended Chesterfield Presbyterian Church since 2004. Dave was involved with the men’s discipleship program, and it became a wonderful way for him to further develop his personal relationship with our amazing Savior, Jesus. He was blessed to share that journey and develop deep friendships with the men in his group. Through that program they discussed their spiritual gifts, and Dave shared that he wanted “To use my spiritual gifts of enthusiasm and energy to serve the Lord by encouraging, coaching and motivating others to see God’s hand in their lives as they accomplish their goals and aspirations.” We were all blessed by the expression of Dave’s spiritual gifts in his devotion to others, and he will be deeply missed.

A memorial service will be held on Friday, August 4, 2023, at 11:00 a.m.
Chesterfield Presbyterian Church
15037 Clayton Road
Chesterfield, Missouri 63017
If you are unable to attend in person, a livestream link for the service will be available on the Chesterfield Presbyterian Church website (www.chespres.org).

Thomas Douglas “Doug” Traver passed away on October 14, 2020 in Jacksonville, Florida. No other information is available at this time.