Worth Womick, Jr.

Wellington Worth Womick Jr., 90, died peacefully at home, just before sunset, on Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2012, surrounded by his family. Funeral will be held on Sunday, Nov. 25, at First United Methodist Church in Asheboro, of which he was a long-time member, with the Rev. Susan Mitchell, the Rev. George Roberson, and the Rev. Don Haynes officiating. Visitation will follow the service in the church parlor. Worth (also known as Dad, Pop, Junior, Gramps and Uncle Worth) was a kind and gentle spirit who always put others before himself. He loved his family, his church, and caring for the multitude of plants in and around his home. He was preceded in death by his parents, Wellington Worth Womick Sr. and Irma Stringfield Freeman Womick; sister, Louise Huskey; brother, Don Womick; sisters-in-law, Betty Campbell, Lucille Graham, Beri Hodges and Marie Hodges; brothers-in-law, Hyman Huskey, Bob Campbell, Bill Graham, Russell Cobb, Ted Hodges, Clifford Hodges and Howard Hodges; nephew, Bruce Huskey; and niece, Lael Hodges. Survivors include Margaret Elizabeth Hodges Womick of the home, his beloved wife of 72 years; sons, Wellington Worth (Chip) Womick III and his wife, Sharon, of Ramseur; Timothy Hodges (Tim) Womick of Cashiers and Asheboro; brother and sister-in-law, Bob and Glenna Womick of Forest City; sister, Frances Cobb of Forest City; brother, Grady Womick of Forest City; two granddaughters he loved dearly, Callista Rae Womick and Maia Selene Womick, both of Ramseur; sister-in-law, Rubye Hodges of Charlotte; and numerous nieces and nephews. Womick was born July 30, 1922, in Cliffside, N.C. He and his high school sweetheart, Margaret Elizabeth Hodges, eloped on Sept. 28, 1940, not long after their graduation from Tri High School in Avondale, N.C. They were both 18 when they were wed in the home of probate judge Roy Cobb in Gaffney, S.C. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army who served from July 1944 until September 1945 in the European Theater of Operations during World War II; he was a military policeman with the Ninth Army and participated in three campaigns: Northern France, Rhineland and Central Europe. After the war, he earned a diploma in economics and business administration at Presbyterian Junior College in Maxton, N.C., and an A.B. Degree in economics and business administration from Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C. While at Wofford, he was in the OTC program and in June 1950 was commissioned as a second lieutenant. During the Korean conflict, he returned to active duty with the Army, serving as an executive officer and company commander at Fort Bragg, N.C., from 1950-1952, during which time he was promoted to first lieutenant. Before he retired, he was business manager for Travel Associates of Asheboro for many years, but he devoted the majority of his life to the field of education. He was a recruiter for business colleges in Shelby, N.C., and Charlotte, N.C., before moving to Lumberton, N.C., in 1958 as dean of Selenia Commercial College. He purchased the institution in 1962, renaming it Womick-Selenia Business College, and managed it until it closed in 1972. He received the "Man of the Year" award from the Southeastern Business College Association in 1965. Over the years, he was president, vice president, treasurer and a director with the North Carolina Association of Business Colleges. Womick moved to Asheboro in 1973 to become dean of instruction at Asheboro College, where he worked for many years. In 1977, he completed studies for a master's degree in business education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Memorials may be made to Hospice of Randolph County, P.O. Box 9, Asheboro, NC 27204 or to First United Methodist Church, 224 N. Fayetteville St., Asheboro, NC 27203. The family would like to thank the staff at Woodland Hills Care and Rehabilitation Center in Asheboro and those with Hospice of Randolph County for the care and love given to Worth during the last few weeks and days of his life. Arrangements are by Pugh Funeral Home, Asheboro. Share remembrances and condolences at www.pughfuneralhome.com.