Arlene Koontz Hedrick

Mary Arlene Koontz Hedrick, age 85 of Tyro, passed away Sunday, April 11, 2021 after a period of declining health.

A funeral service will be held at 2pm on Tuesday, April 13, 2021 in the Davidson Funeral Home Chapel in Lexington officiated by the Revs. Elliott Sams and Ben Jordan and will be livestreamed at www.facebook.com/davidson.funeralhome . Burial will follow at Forest Hill Memorial Park.  All covid related precautions and restrictions will be practiced.

The family will receive friends from 1 pm until 2 pm prior to the service.

Arlene was born on December 24, 1935 in Davidson County to Emanuel Whitson and Sarah Jane Elverson Koontz.  She retired from Western Electric/AT&T after 27 years of service.  She was also an amateur Ham operator with her husband, with call sign N4ARQ.  She enjoyed knitting, crafts, and gardening, but mostly traveling with her husband to all of the 50 states in their motor home.  She spent a lot of time canning food for her family, was caregiver for several family members, and always had a passion for doing what she could for others.  She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Ernest, to whom she was married for 67 years, who passed away May 18, 2020; daughter Gaile and husband Joe Tiller; brothers, Robert, Jack, Melvin, Gray, Walter (Abbie) Koontz; sisters, Pauline Lomax, Mildred Snider, Edna Morgan and infant sister, Florence Koontz.

Left to cherish her memory are her loving daughters, Jeane Sams (Danny), Rita Thorne (Gerald), both of Lexington and Debbie Owens (Michael) of Rutherfordton, NC and sister, Carole Burkhart (Gary) of Lexington.  She was blessed by 9 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren, many nieces and nephews whom she loved dearly, sisters-in-law, Betty Shoaf (Leroy), Opal Jordan (Ben) of Canon, GA and brother-in-law, Leroy Hedrick (Kathy).

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Davidson County Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 122, Lexington, NC 27293 or to the donor’s choice.

The family would like to thank family members, neighbors and friends who called and came by to visit with her.