Robbie Holley-Culverwell

ROBBIE HOLLEY

Robbie Louise Holley-Culverwell, age 82, died Tuesday, October 21, 2003 at St. Lukes Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida.

A native of Plum Branch, South Carolina, she was the daughter of the late John W. and Emmie H. Martin Holley. A sister, Mary Jo Patton, also preceded her in death. She graduated from Spartanburg High School with honors and attended Hunter College in New York City. She then earned an Associate in Arts Degree from the University of Maryland. She worked at Koch Jewelry Store in Spartanburg, SC for a time and then served in the Civil Air Patrol during World War II as a pilot. After the war she moved to New York City and modeled for a few years. She made various trips to different parts of the world in between employment. In the early 1950's, she worked as an executive secretary to Dr. Henry Kissinger, Rockefeller Brothers Fund. In 1957, she resigned her position to go on an around-the-world trip from 1957 until 1958. At the end of her tour, she started working for the Department of Defense before retiring in 1987 in Rota, Spain. Since retirement, she has resided in Waynesville, and she and her husband have traveled extensively all over the world. In addition to travel, she kept busy with her painting and writing and currently has a book in the publishing process. She was active in sharing her travel experiences with local nursing home residents. She was a member of the Haywood County Arts Council and the Writers Association.

She is survived by her husband, John Culverwell, of Waynesville whom she married in Gibraltar in January of 1986; a sister, Doris Holley, of Waynesville; and a nephew, Richard Patton, of Lebanon, Connecticut.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, November 7, 2003 in the Waynesville chapel of Wells Funeral Home with Reverend W. T. Medlin officiating. The family will receive friends following the service at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Haywood Animal Welfare Association, 177 Waynesville Plaza, Waynesville, NC 28786 or to the St. Joseph's Indian School, Chamberlain, SD 57326.

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