By Staff
1948 - 2008
William Larry Kinsey, 60, fondly known as “Kinsey”, of 1116 Free Union Church Road, Pinetown, N. C. passed away Thursday, December 4, 2008, at his home with his family by his side, after a long battle with auto-immune disease.
A funeral service will be held at 6 p.m. Sunday at the Hunter’s Bridge Church of Christ. Arthur (Bud) Ball, Steve Bryan and Curtis White will officiate. Visitation will follow in the church fellowship hall. Entombment will be held at 11 a.m. Monday in Pamlico Memorial Gardens in Washington. Pallbearers will be Randy Rutledge, Alex Lee, Jesse Jefferson, Julian Cutler, Douglas Bright, Mitchell Keech, Ivory (Jack) Windley, Bobby Hanna, Guy Cutler, Marshall Lilley, Donnie Cutler and Bobby Lilley.
Honorary Pallbearers will be the staff and employees of Twiford Funeral Home in Elizabeth City.
Larry was born in Wilson County, N. C. on February 22, 1948, son of the late William Lindo and Edith Wiggs Kinsey. He was reared in Kenly, N. C. and was a 1966 graduate of North Johnston High School in Kenly and a 1968 graduate of Dallas Institute of Mortuary Science, Dallas, Texas. As of December 2, 2008, he had been a N. C. Board of Funeral Service licensee for 40 years. His strong desire to become a funeral director came at the early age of 14. Larry served his apprenticeship under the late J. Bonner Paul at Paul Funeral Home. After his mortuary school training he began at Mitchell Funeral Home in Raleigh and later became a partner/owner in Paul Funeral Home from 1977 to 1991. He was the founder of Hillside Funeral Service, where he was partner/owner from 1997 until his untimely dismissal in December, 2003. For the past five years he has been a funeral director with Twiford Funeral Home of Elizabeth City. He was also co-owner of Pamlico Memorial Gardens from October, 2002 until December, 2007. Larry was always very civic minded, he was instrumental in getting the first rescue squad in Beaufort County and in recent years served on the board of Broad Creek EMS. He volunteered at Washington Fire Department for many years. He had been a member of the Washington Evening Rotary Club where he served as president in 1985-1986 and received the Rotarian of the Year Award in 1984 and 1989, and was a recipient of the Paul Harris Fellow Award. In recent years he had been a member of the Elizabeth City Rotary Club, where he served as treasurer. He was a member of the Bath Lions Club, where he received the 100% Club Award in 2001-02. He received the Service Award in 2000-02 from the Washington/Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce. He had been a recipient of the Outstanding Young Men of America in 1983 and the Distinguished Service Award by the Washington Jaycees. He was a member of Hunter’s Bridge Church of Christ.
Larry always considered Beaufort County his home, and told people that he lived in Pinetown, “God’s Country”. He loved people, could carry on a conversation with a complete stranger, a die-hard Dallas Cowboys fan and N. C. State fan. Mowing the yard was a chore he adored, and loved to go to Williamsburg, VA.
Survivors include his loving wife of nearly 18 years, Vickie Tetterton Kinsey, having been married on May 10, 1991; a daughter, Tanna Bishop-Kinsey of the home and her special someone Eric Clayton; mother-in-law, Minnie Burford of the home, known to him as “Me-Ma” and his loving cat, “Pooter”, and many wonderful aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.
The family will receive friends at the home and after the service on Sunday night at the church. Memorials may be made to Hunter’s Bridge Church of Christ, c/o A. W. Cooke, 209 Barwick Drive, Washington, NC 27889 or Blind Center of Washington, 221 North Harvey Street, Washington NC 27889.
Condolences may be directed to the family at www.bryanfs.com or www.twifordfh.com
Bryan Funeral Service of Swan Quarter and Twiford Funeral Home of Elizabeth City is serving the Kinsey Family. Flowers will be accepted at Hunter’s Bridge Church of Christ beginning at 2 p.m. Sunday.
Paid Obituary