Henry Foy Iii

Waynesville—Henry Bowman Foy III, age 90, of Welch Street, passed away on Wednesday, April 15, 2015 at Mission Hospital in Asheville with family members at his side. A native of Waynesville, North Carolina, he was the son of the late Henry Bowman Foy Jr. and Mary Lucile Herren Foy. He was preceded in death by his parents and recently by his wife of 57 years, Mary Lucia Elwood Foy. He is survived by three daughters, Lucia and her husband, Reverend Dr. William C. Gammon of Rincon, Georgia; Jessica and her husband John Donnelly of Houston, Texas; and Mary L. "Molly" Foy of Charlotte; and two grandsons, John Henry and James Peter Donnelly. Henry spent his entire life in Waynesville, except for the years that he attended college and served in the military, and often referred to himself as the "most native of Waynesvillians." As a youth, he helped his mother and aunt with chores in the boarding house they operated, and later worked at Stovall's 5&10 and at Pet Dairy. He attended Waynesville schools, graduating from Waynesville Township High School, and was active in Boy Scouts, continuing as a Scout leader in his early adulthood. Henry was a longtime active member of First Baptist Church of Waynesville, serving as deacon, Sunday-School director, Sunday-School teacher, and as a member of numerous committees. In 2014, he was recognized as the longest serving member of the church with 80 years of membership. After completing one year at Mars Hill College, Henry voluntarily enlisted in the United States Army in 1944. His service during World War II included training in California at Camp Cooke, at Stanford University, and at Fort Ord, after which he was sent to the Southwest Pacific Theatre, where he served in New Guinea; the Northern Solomon Islands; and Luzon, Negros, and Panay in the Philippines. He was honorably discharged in January 1946. After the war, Henry completed pre-engineering studies at Mars Hill and, in 1950, received a degree from the School of Architecture at Clemson University. He became a licensed architect after a 5-year apprenticeship at Six Associates in Asheville. In March 1955, he opened an office in Waynesville (the first permanent architectural office in Western North Carolina west of Asheville, except for one in Brevard). After a year, he persuaded his good friend Tai Y. Lee, with whom he worked in Asheville, to become his partner, and together they established the firm of Foy & Lee Associates, PA. He was involved in the design of many residential, church, commercial, government, and education buildings, including the Ramsey Center and several other buildings at Western Carolina University. After an active and productive career in architecture, Henry retired in 1989. Two years later, he was elected Mayor of Waynesville and served in this capacity for 16 years. Projects that he was especially proud of during his tenure were the Waynesville Recreation Center, the merger with the Town of Hazelwood, the preservation of the town's watershed, the Land Development Plan, the re-design of the Old Asheville Highway into town, and the revitalization of downtown, including construction of the new Haywood County Justice Center on Main Street. The Rotary Club was active in Boy Scouts during Henry's scouting years through their sponsorship of Waynesville Troop 2. In August 1955, he became a Rotarian himself and served faithfully until his death. He embodied the Rotarian motto "Service Above Self" in every area of his life and was honored as a Paul Harris Fellow. Henry was passionate about Waynesville and enjoyed researching, collecting, and sharing information about all aspects of the town's history. He helped found the Waynesville Historical Society. Other favorite pastimes were playing bridge, family picnics, picking berries in the mountains, and spending time with his family. He was especially proud of his two grandsons, John Henry and Pete. He will always be remembered for his kindness, generosity, humility, and unfailing devotion to his family, his faith, and his beloved hometown of Waynesville. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 18, 2015, in the sanctuary of First Baptist Church of Waynesville with Reverend Dr. Robert Prince III and Reverend Dr. William C. Gammon officiating. The family will receive friends after the service in the chapel at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to First Baptist Church, P.O. Box 690, Waynesville, NC 28786 or the Waynesville Historical Society, P.O. Box 444, Waynesville, NC 28786.

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