CHARLOTTE — Deacon Patrick Joseph Devine III, aged 73, died Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020, at his home with his loving wife Michele and four children by his side.
He was preceded in death by his mother Rose Mary McKeown and father Patrick Joseph Devine II; his sister Mary Joan; his brother Michael; and 4 unnamed siblings.
He was born July 27, 1947, and served honorably in the U.S. Navy from 1966 to 1970. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Syracuse University (Class of 1975). An active man to be around, he loved to ski, golf, do woodworking, and travel. He always called his family his greatest achievement in life of which he was most proud.
Deacon Devine was ordained a permanent deacon for the Diocese of Albany, N.Y., on Oct. 4, 1986. During his 34 years of ministry as a permanent deacon, he also served for the dioceses of Orange and San Jose, Calif.
After relocating to the Charlotte area, Deacon Devine worked part-time for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and retired from the Transportation Security Administration Because of the time he spent at the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, he asked the Diocese of Charlotte for an assignment in airport ministry. Soon afterwards, Deacon Devine was granted faculties and assigned as an airport chaplain.
Deacon Devine was a gentle and caring person who never met a stranger. He is going to be missed greatly by his family, friends and fellow airport chaplains, and all those who have traveled through the airport will always remember his kind words and helping hand.
Those left behind to cherish Deacon Devine’s memories and carry on his legacy are his loving wife of almost 52 years, Michele Denis Devine; his four children: son Jason Devine, and daughters Jennifer Hassing, Patricia Freeman and Janice von Trapp; and 13 grandchildren: Patrick Ryan, Dillon Michael and Connor Jay Hassing; Jayda Rose and Joseph Maximus Devine; Marcus Brian, Johanna Michele Tizita, Grayson Frank Joseph and Devin Patrick Freeman; and Reilly Rose, Reagan Michele, Ryan Harper and Jude Phillip von Trapp.
Interment was at Western Carolina State Veterans Cemetery in Black Mountain. A celebration of life event will be held at a later date when pandemic restrictions allow.
Deacon Devine, a supporter of St. Jude’s Hospital, has always believed no child should ever suffer from cancer and request that donations be made to St Jude’s in lieu of flowers. Online condolences may be shared at www.mcewenpinevillechapel.com.
McEwen Funeral Service – Pineville Chapel was in charge of the arrangements.
— Catholic News Herald
Taught in Charlotte, Gastonia, Asheville and Salisbury
BELMONT — Mercy Sister Mary Julia Godwin died Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020, in Marian Center, Sacred Heart Convent, Belmont. She was 92 and had been a Sister of Mercy for 72 years.
Sister Julia was born in Benson, N.C., the daughter of Enoch Godwin Sr. and Florence Inez Smith. The fifth of 15 children – nine girls and six boys – she was a descendent of the Godwin and Monk families who embraced Catholicism in Newton Grove in 1871. Julia attended Holy Redeemer School in Newton Grove and Meadow High School in Benson. She then earned a baccalaureate degree in social studies from Belmont Abbey College.
Sister Julia entered the Sisters of Mercy in 1949 and chose as her ring motto “Jesus Through Mary.” She studied nursing at Mercy Hospital for two years and then moved on to education. She taught at Sacred Heart Grade School, Salisbury; St. Gabriel’s and St. Patrick’s, Charlotte; St. Michael School, Gastonia; St. Eugene, Asheville; St. Agnes, Greenport, Long Island, N.Y,; and Holy Angels, Belmont.
In addition, Sister Julia spent several years at Nazareth Orphanage in Raleigh. Her ministries at Holy Angels and in the orphanage meant the most to her. She maintained her friendships with the residents of the orphanage to this day.
A people’s person, Sister Julia never met a stranger. She loved community service, visiting the sick and working with the poor. And she loved to travel. Her favorite place to relax was in the mountains at Lake Lure. In retirement she wrote the history of Nazareth Orphanage and the genealogy of her family. She was known as a quiet person who prayed quietly and worked with others quietly. Mostly she was known for her friendships and service to others.
Sister Julia is survived by the Sisters of Mercy; her brothers, Anthony and George Godwin of Benson; and her sisters, Anna Dupree of Raleigh, Agnes Keating of Holden Beach, and Frances Fisher of Southport.
Interment will be at Belmont Abbey Cemetery. All services are private because of the pandemic. Memorials may be sent to the Sisters of Mercy, Sacred Heart Convent, Belmont, North Carolina 28012.
McLean Funeral Home in Belmont is in charge of the arrangements.
— Catholic News Herald
LENOIR — Father Gabriel Joseph Meehan passed away Sunday, Sept. 6, 2020, at Caldwell Memorial Hospital in Lenoir. He was 89.
The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Immaculate Conception Church at noon Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, officiated by Bishop Peter J. Jugis. Father Meehan’s body will be received at the church at 10:45 a.m. Friday for a viewing from 11 a.m. until the Mass. He will also lie in repose from 2 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020, at The Padgett and King Mortuary in Forest City.
Born July 29, 1931, in Philadelphia, he began his studies at Holy Trinity College in Holy Trinity, Ala., and then studied at seminaries in Brackney, Pa., and Winchester, Va.
On May 19, 1959, he was ordained at Winchester as a priest for the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity. In 1961, he became a Trappist priest at the Abbey of the Genesee in Piffard, N.Y.
After 12 years of monastic life as a Trappist priest, Father Meehan came to the Diocese of Charlotte in 1973 to pursue a more active priesthood. He served for a few months as an assistant at St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte and then served for three years as administrator of St. John the Evangelist Church in Waynesville. In July 1976, Father Meehan became pastor of St. Lucien Church in Spruce Pine. While serving there, he formally became a priest of the Diocese of Charlotte in January 1978. In July of that year, he was named pastor of Holy Infant Church in Reidsville.
Father Meehan also served as pastor of Our Lady of the Annunciation Church in Albemarle and as pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Church in Lenoir, as well as vicar forane for the Hickory Vicariate. In June 1985, he was named pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Forest City and served there until 2001, when he retired to Lenoir.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, 1024 W. Main St., Forest City, N.C. 28043.
The Padgett and King Mortuary & Crematory was in charge of arrangements, and an online guest registry is available at www.padgettking.com.
— Catholic News Herald
MOCKSVILLE — Deacon John Otto Zimmerle, formerly of Statesville, went home to the Lord on Nov. 27, 2020. He was living with his daughter and son-in-law in Dingmans Ferry, Pa., and they were at his side when he passed.
Friends are invited to pay their respects at Davie Funeral Chapel in Mocksville, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020. The Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 4, 2020, at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Mocksville, officiated by Father Eric Kowalski, pastor. Joining the service will be the U.S. Coast Guard to present military honors, as well as the VFW Memorial Honor Guard. Interment will follow at Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery in Salisbury.
Born in Passaic, N.J., on April 14, 1940, he was the son of the late William and Helen (Lenore) Zimmerle. He was a graduate of Ramsey High School’s Class of 1958 in Ramsey, N.J., and served with the U.S. Coast Guard as a Radioman Second Class Petty Officer on the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Half Moon. He retired from the John Boyle Co., where he was an Eastern regional sales manager.
He served St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Mocksville from June 2001 to his retirement in October 2014. Deacon Zimmerle preached homilies and assisted at Mass, assisted with marriage preparation for couples, witnessed many marriages, served on the parish building committee, co-assisted on the oversight of the parish’s RCIA program, and held many more titles.
He was preceded in death by his loving wife Ladis Zimmerle. He will be cherished by his children: John-Michael (Tami) of Spanish Fork, Utah; Susan Marie Cawley (Ron) of Dingmans Ferry; William Edward (Dawn) of Levittown, Pa.; and Mary Elyse Zimmerle of San Francisco; and 11 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.
He was also preceded in death by his brother, William, and survived by his brother Alan (Joanne) of Manchester, N.H., and his sister-in-law, Cathy of Ringwood, N.J.; and a niece and nephew.
Memorials may be considered to the parish’s Knights of Columbus, Prayer Quilt Ministry or Food Pantry Ministry.
Davie Funeral Service of Mocksville is in charge of the arrangements.
— Catholic News Herald
GREENSBORO — Deacon Gordon Lawrence Forester passed away peacefully Aug. 1, 2020. At 97, he was the oldest deacon serving in the Diocese of Charlotte.
A family-only Mass will be offered at St. Paul the Apostle Church at 11 a.m. Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. Others may participate by viewing it streamed live on the parish’s YouTube channel.
Deacon Forester was born July 4, 1923, in Evanston, Ill., the son of Edward George Sr. and Marie Carroll Forester. He attended the University of Notre Dame in 1941 and then as a member of the Naval ROTC program left to serve in the Pacific during World War II. After the war he married Ann Holinger and completed his degree at Notre Dame.
The Foresters moved to New York, where he worked for Chase Bank and attended night school for a master’s degree in corporate finance at NYU. He worked as a buyer for J.C. Penny Co. and then as a wholesale salesman for Imperial Reading Co., and he was an adjunct professor of marketing at a local college.
On June 9, 1979, he was ordained a permanent deacon for the Diocese of Rockville Centre, N.Y., by Bishop John R. McGann. After his ordination he was assigned to St. Brigid Parish in Westbury, N.Y., where for nine years his ministry focused on serving the sick and terminally ill.
He continued this ministry after moving to North Carolina in 1988. After being assigned to St. Paul the Apostle Parish in Greensboro, he was involved in the formation of a grief support group, became an adjunct chaplain at Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital, and brought Holy Communion to fellow residents at Well-Spring Retirement Community in Greensboro.
Deacon Gordon faithfully served the Church for 41 years, with 32 of those years spent serving the Greensboro parish.
He loved life, traveling the world, and traveling to visit his children and grandchildren. He enjoyed family game nights, laughed often and did his best to support the spiritual growth of people around him.
He and his wife Ann were blessed with 52 years of marriage and six children before her passing in 1998.
In 2003 he married Jean Berry, and they enjoyed 10 years of marriage and companionship before her passing in 2013.
He was also preceded in death by a brother, Edward Forester Jr.
Survivors include brother Keith Forester and his children: Gordon (Larry) Forester Jr., Carol McCoy, Claire Forester, Thomas Forester and his wife Cecilia, Holly Forester-Miller and her husband Gary, Jeanne Conklin and her husband Bob. Also surviving are seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Franciscan Center, 233 N. Greene St., Greensboro, NC 27401.
Triad Cremation & Funeral Service of Greensboro was in charge of the arrangements.
— Catholic News Herald