Yvonne “Jackie” Breedlove Whitmire, 72, of Cherryfield, went home to be with the Lord on Thursday, March 9th, 2017 after a courageous battle with primary lateral sclerosis, otherwise known as PLS, a Lou Gehrig’s-like disease. She was the daughter of the late Jack and Eileen Breedlove. In addition to her parents, she was also preceded in death by her middle child, Sammy Whitmire.

Her loving survivors include her husband of 52 years, Jimmy Whitmire; children, Chris Whitmire and wife, Shannon, of Cherryfield; and Brittany Whitmire and husband, Andy VonCanon, of Cherryfield; grandchildren, Allie, Wes, and Luke Whitmire, and Maggie VonCanon; and sisters, Susan Breedlove and Sarah Shull.

Jackie was a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and lady of strength who inspired many and lived her life to the fullest. She worked many years at First Union National Bank, Rosman Elementary School, Susan Breedlove Properties, and later, as a realtor with Keller Williams. She gave countless hours to her church and community. Her persistence, energy, positivity and advocacy for pursuits she deemed worthy were immeasurable. She invested tremendous time in her church’s youth and choir and sang countless beautiful songs, herself. Music was always important to her, and she was a charter member of the Johnsie L. Mills Memorial Mass Choir. Within governmental circles, she served on multiple boards and was a strong advocate for democracy and agriculture. She led the Transylvania County Farm Bureau as President and represented Western North Carolina on the North Carolina State Farm Bureau Executive Board. Perhaps the best word that sums up Jackie’s life is “service”—she cared for and helped countless people in need.

Her family would like to express a sincere thank you to all who provided encouragement, prayed, brought food, visited, helped with a host of other needs, or simply asked how things were going. Your interest and empathy brought numerous smiles and boosted the morale of Jackie and our entire family. Additionally, we are especially thankful for the loving care and kindness provided by Shelby, Katie, Melanie, Ann, and Shirley’s Angels caregivers who made the final chapter of Mom’s life much better. Lastly, the medical expertise of Transylvania Hospice allowed Jackie to maximize the quality of her life as her symptoms progressed, and we cannot express what a relief it was to have the support of these caring professionals by our side during this journey.

To honor Jackie’s life, the family invites friends to join them for a time of celebration and remembrance at 7pm in the fellowship hall at Cherryfield Baptist Church on Friday, March 10th, 2017. In lieu of flowers, Jackie wished for memorials to be made to the J. Iverson Riddle Developmental Center in Morganton, NC, the place that helped tremendously with Sammy’s care (Please make checks out to “Assure the Future” and mark them “Jackie Whitmire Memorial” and send to: J. Iverson Riddle Developmental Center, Volunteer Services Department, 300 Enola Road Morganton NC 28655) or the Gideon’s International (https://www2.gideons.org/donate or 1-866-382-4253).
On line condolences may be left at www.moodyconnollyfuneralhome.com.
Moody-Connolly Funeral Home and Crematory is in charge of the arrangements.

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