Carl Edward Hutcherson, Jr. Obituary (1941 - 2018)

Carl Edward Hutcherson Jr. went home to be with his Lord at 8:30 p.m. on May 28th, 2018, lovingly surrounded by his nine children, their spouses and his wife of 49 years. Born on May 29th, 1941 in Leaksville (Eden), NC to Carl and Daisy Hutcherson, Edward was the second of four children and was preceded in death by his parents Carl and Daisy, step mother Sarah, sister Arnessia, and first wife Patricia Sparks (mother of Vickie and Carl). He was survived by his wife Diane, children Vickie, Carl, Keisha, Cheryl, Christy, Deanna, Kathy, Tina and David, his 20 grandchildren, 3 great grandchildren, sister Cyntha, and brother Garry Edward proudly served his country in the US Army and worked in intelligence at the Pentagon during the Vietnam era, a posting that allowed him the opportunity to be in the film 'The Green Berets' alongside one of his favorite actors, John Wayne. This was an experience he was quite proud of and loved to share with his children. Edward married, "that beautiful blonde," who sang in the choir, Sharon Diane Davis, on August 9th, 1969 and together they raised nine children. We, his children, remember him as a loving father and a doting husband. A service will be held at Gospel Baptist Church, 5945 N Church Street Greensboro, NC 27455 on Saturday, June 2nd at 3:00 p.m. with visitation following. Dad loved many things in life. He loved to eat. Whether it was a church pot luck, a family get together or just Monday night dinner, if you wanted to see Dad happy just put a plate of food in front of him and he would grin from ear to ear. Later in life when he was on a restricted diet he could be found sneaking food off of the plates at family gatherings when Mom wasn't looking. He loved his food and he loved sitting at the table with the whole family gathered around. Dad loved Gaither Homecoming videos. Just like his father, you could often find Dad sitting on the couch in front of the TV as one of their videos played, singing along in that slightly off-key voice. Now, we would give anything to hear that voice just once more accompanying Guy Penrod, David Phelps or Mark Lowry. He loved his solitaire. Dad was not much for computers, but he knew how to get to his solitaire game. Many a day you would see him at his desk playing game after game, so engrossed that he often would not hear you talking to him. If the computer was down it wouldn't bother him; he would pull out the same old deck of cards that he had to have had since 1970, faded, frayed and creased, and play it the old fashioned way. He loved to laugh. Whether it was laughing at the old classics like Andy Griffith or laughing so hard he could barely make it through one of his cheesy "dad" jokes to which we would all roll our eyes, he loved to laugh. His sense of humor was incredible and his genuine, full-bodied laugh was so infectious that you would laugh just hearing him from across the room. He loved doing puzzles. Later in his life you would almost always find him sitting, bent over the kitchen table working on one of his puzzles alongside Mom. His last puzzle still sits, forever unfinished, on that table. He loved his Lord. He and Mom anticipated the Lord coming back soon and He would wipe away the tears. It was ingrained in each of us from the start that God came first and he practiced what he preached. If the church doors were open and he could make it, he was there. Through the years he served as a choir member, a choir director, a Sunday school superintendent, and the head "pistol carrying" usher until the very end; Dad was proud to be a member of his church. From heading up the men's prayer meetings, the father/son campouts or being the head usher, dad could not have been happier than when he was serving his Father. He was particularly proud of going on a mission trip to Haiti to help build a hospital and wire a building for electricity and he loved to tell people about his trip there. Dad loved his church and his Lord. He loved his siblings. When he, his sister Cyntha, and brother Garry were together it was always a riot. We would laugh just hearing them talk. They were loud, they were funny, and most of all they loved each other more than anything. He was proud of his brother and sister, bragging on them any chance he got, and he would tear up whenever he talked about their sister Arnessia who went to be with the Lord in 1983. Family was important to Dad and he showed that anytime we saw him with his family. He loved his children. With nine children and a job that took up most of his time, he somehow found time to be at recitals, performances, and sporting events. We were never rich but Dad showed us the value of hard work and we never went without. He worked long hours so we could have food on the table. If we were able to pick our father we could not have chosen a better man for the job. Dad, left a great legacy and did the most amazing job with our family. He used to say he was blessed for having Mom and us kids, but the truth is that we were the blessed ones for having him. Dad loved many things in life, it is true, but he loved one thing more than any other, and that was Mom. He would not leave the house without kissing her goodbye or return home without kissing her hello. He loved her unconditionally and in so doing he taught us all how to love others. There was never an ounce of doubt in anyone's mind that met them that our parents were in love. After 49 years our father loved his wife more in his final days than he did when they first met. The last words from his lips were directed towards mom. With his eyes turned to her, he winked one last time and tried to mouth the words, "I love you". Dad is gone and our lives will never be the same. Although we mourn his death, we rejoice that he is now safely Home with the Lord. There is no more pain, no more tears, and no more suffering for him in this world, but he will forever be remembered with love.