Guy Lee Byerly, Jr

Mr. Guy Lee Byerly, Jr., 90, of Charlotte, passed away Saturday morning, October 1, 2011, at his home. Guy was born July 23, 1921, in Guilford County, the son of the late Mr. Guy Lee Byerly, Sr. and Lillian Younts Byerly. He graduated with honors from Mount Airy High School. During his high school days, he was a member of the football and basketball teams which won state championship games in 1938 and was selected for the All Northwest Center for his excellence in basketball. Guy graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1943 with a Bachelor of Science degree in commerce. He served three terms as president of Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity, was awarded "The Freshman Honor Award" for scholarship, campus activities, sports, and leadership, was a member of the UNC Southern Conference championship track team, and was a member of the UNC Southern Conference championship basketball team, known then as the "White Phantoms." Guy played on the first basketball team from UNC to play in the NCAA tournament in 1941. He was a life member of The General Alumni Association of the University of North Carolina. Guy became a Mason in Granite Masonic Lodge #322 AF and AM of Mount Airy in 1942. Following his graduation from UNC, he attended the United States Midshipman School at Northwestern University in Chicago, IL. He graduated with honors October 28, 1943, as ensign with the 15th class and served 44 months with a Pacific fleet and participated in the first U.S. island invasion in the Pacific during World War II. In 1943, Guy decommissioned the first U.S.S.L.S.T. in New Orleans, LA, as captain of the ship, U.S.S. "LST 526." He served six months as personnel officer, Sixth Naval Distribution Center in Charleston, SC, until March 1946. Prior to his military service, Guy married Sadie Ashby Wolfe on November 2, 1943, in Mount Airy. Having worked for his father, a Belk partner, in the Mount Airy Belk Store since 1937, Guy accepted a buyer's position in 1948 with Belk Stores Services, Inc. in Charlotte. During his years at Belk, he was appointed head buyer in 1955, was awarded the Belk Stores "Achievement Award" in 1961, appointed Vice President of Merchandise in 1964, and Senior Vice President for merchandising, warehousing, printing, supplies, sales promotion, and display in 1964. He also served as co-chairman on a committee for the new and present Belk/Leggett Corporation logo. He is credited with many merchandising policies of Belk Stores, he served on the sales promotion committee of the National Merchandising Retail Association and he received the National T.V. Award in 1976 in New York City. He served on Belk Stores "Profit Sharing Committee" for 25 years and was a member of the Belk Stores Executive Committee. Guy also served as founder and the first president of Archdale Advertising, Inc. for Belk Stores. In January 1985, he retired after 48 years with Belk Stores. Guy was active in the Methodist church and was a "founding" charter member of Providence United Methodist Church, where he served two terms (1960-1962) as Chairman of the Official Board. He was also elected as an ex-officio life member of the Administrative Board. Guy was a member of the Charlotte Civitan Club for more than 35 years and he edited the international and "award winning" club bulletin, "Civi-Chats." He served as Chairman of the Board in 1960 and President from 1961-1962. Guy and his wife, Sadie, were summer residents of Blowing Rock for twenty-five years and were members of the Blowing Rock Country Club. He served on its Board of Governors for 9 years and he served as Chairman of the Official Board of the Blowing Rock Methodist Church. In 1998, Guy was elected to the Board of Trustees of Blowing Rock Hospital. For over 50 years, Guy was a member of Myers Park Country Club in Charlotte. He also served 14 years on the board of The Methodist Children's Home in Winston-Salem. He is survived by his wife, Sadie Ashby Wolfe Byerly of Charlotte; two daughters, Susan Byerly Morris of Charlotte and Nancy Byerly Jones and her husband, Robert J. Jones, Jr., of Banner Elk; five grandsons, Robert J. Jones, III, Michael E. Jones, William Scott Jones, Adam Shepherd Morris, and Blake William Morris; and five great-grandchildren, Molly Addison Jones, Robert J. Jones, IV, Hudson Byerly Jones, Andrew Woodruff Jones, and Lucy Summerlin Jones. In addition to his parents, Guy was preceded in death by two sons, an infant in 1945 and Guy Lee Byerly, III in 1960 and by his son-in-law, Melvin S. Morris. A memorial service will be held Tuesday, October 4, 2011, at 10:30 AM at Providence United Methodist Church in Charlotte, with the Dr. William Jeffries and the Rev. John Fitzgerald officiating. A service of committal will also be held Tuesday, October 4, 2011, at 3:00 PM at Oakdale Cemetery in Mount Airy. Pallbearers will be Guy's five grandsons. Honorary pallbearers will be his five great-grandchildren, members of the Wesley Fellowship Sunday School Class, and members of the Church Council of Providence United Methodist Church. The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, memorials be sent to Hospice and Palliative Care, Charlotte Region, 1420 East 7th Street, Charlotte, NC 28204; Providence United Methodist Church/Organ Fund, 2810 Providence Road, Charlotte, NC 28211; Sharon Towers, 5100 Sharon Road, Charlotte, NC 28210; or The Guy Lee Byerly Scholarship Fund or William Samuel Wolfe Scholarship Fund at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, The Office of Scholarships and Student Aid, P.O. Box 1080, Chapel Hill, NC 27514-1080.