Edward Kenneth Fleming

Obituary: Edward Kenneth Fleming, 81 of Grace Ave., Kannapolis, NC died unexpectedly on Monday, August 23, 2010. Memorial services will be held on Saturday, August 28 at 10:00 AM at Whitley's Funeral Home Main Chapel. Mr. Fleming was born on September 7, 1928 in Landis, NC to the late Edward Lake and Mary Ruth Slough Fleming. He graduated in 1945 from Landis H.S. being the last 11th grade graduating class in NC. After a short experience in a textile mill, he entered the field of trucking. He worked in Kannapolis, Charlotte and Florence, SC. In 1947 he moved to Florida and began working for Great Southern Trucking Co., which later became Ryder Truck Lines. He worked primarily in Jacksonville, with assignments in Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Tallahassee, and Americus, GA. He was drafted into the US Army in February 1951, assigned to 69th Field Artillery Battalion and served at Fort Campbell, KY, Nellingen and Crailsheim, Germany. He completed a Leadership Course at 7th Army NCO Academy in Munich, Germany in 1952 and was honorably discharged in 195 From 1953 to 1957 he alternated working in Jacksonville and attending the Univ. of Tennessee majoring in Business Administration and Transportation. He was active in campus affairs being elected for Student Body Business Representative, Vice President of student body and was appointed Representative-At-Large in his senior year. He also served as President of the business fraternity Delta Sigma Pi, Veterans Club, Business Board, and Delta Nu Alpha transportation fraternity. He was named to the Omicron Delta Kappa Honorary Society and graduated in March 1957 with a BA degree in Business Administration. Following graduation he began work with Western Electric Co. headquarters (a subsidiary of AT&T) in New York City. After moving to several factory locations, he returned to New York as a supervisor in 1961. His final assignment was in Oklahoma City at a telephone switching manufacturing company. He retired from there in 1982. He moved to Hansville, WA in 1982 and engaged in a variety of transportation activities in the Seattle and Tacoma area until 1984. In 1985 he was employed by NUWES at Keyport, WA in the supply dept. as supply clerk and purchasing agent. He retired in 1991. His interest included outdoor life, boating, fishing, and ham radio operation. He is survived by a daughter, Lynda Jo Birch and husband Dennis of Huntington Beach, CA; a grandson, Austin Paul Birch, and a cousin, Jean Silliman, of Mt. Ulla, NC.
Visitation: Pending

Service: 10:00 A.M. Saturday August 28, 2010 Whitley's Funeral Home Main Chapel

Interment: Pending