Ray Blackwelder

Obituary: Dr. James Ray Blackwelder. 71, of Debbie Street died January 6, 2013 at Tucker Hospice House in Kannapolis. Burial will be private. Whitley's Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Born in Kannapolis in 1941, Ray was the younger son of the late Clyde Willard Blackwelder and Stella Daniels Blackwelder. He attended local public schools and graduated from A. L. Brown High School in 1959. He was inducted into A. L. Brown's Hall of Fame in 1971. Ray attended Wake Forest University and graduated magna cum laude in 1963 with a B.A. degree in English. While at Wake Forest, he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Sigma Iota. In 1964, he earned an M.A. degree in English from Wake Forest, and in 1968 he received the Ph. D. degree in English from Emory University in Atlanta, GA. Dr. Blackwelder began his teaching career at N. C. State University and spent the bulk of his professional years as Professor of English at Western Illinois University in Macomb, IL. His research and publications centered on NC author, Thomas Wolfe. In 1997, Dr. Blackwelder retired and moved back to Kannapolis. He is survived by one brother, Kenneth W. Blackwelder (Shirley) of Kannapolis, two nephews, Kendall D. Blackwelder of Kannapolis and Chad R. Blackwelder (Becky) of Alpharetta, GA, and by two grand nieces, Harley and Heather Blackwelder of Alpharetta, GA. He was a member of West Point Baptist Church.
Visitation: Pending

Service: Pending

Interment: Pending