Baxter "Ray" Adcock

Baxter “Ray” Adcock, 81, of Fayetteville, passed away peacefully on Friday, June 28, 2024, at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, surrounded by his family. Ray was born to farming parents, Otha and Lola Adcock, in rural western Harnett County. After graduating from Lillington High School, Ray and Ann moved to Dallas, Texas, where Ray attended Gupton Jones College of Mortuary Science. Upon completion, Ray returned to North Carolina and was employed by Pugh Funeral Home in Asheboro, later moving back to Lillington where he worked for ten years as a funeral director at O’Quinn Funeral Home. In 1970, Ray left his position in Lillington to join Jernigan-Warren Funeral Home in Fayetteville. In February 1974, following his dream, Ray and Ann opened Adcock-Geddie Funeral Home, currently Adcock Funeral Home, in Spring Lake. Several years later, he expanded his dream and acquired the property now known as Riverview Memorial Gardens. Ray had a servant's heart and found his calling in the funeral industry. His motto was, “treat families the way you would treat members of your own family.” He never forgot his upbringing, loved telling stories of growing up farming tobacco, the challenges of building a business from the ground up, and was known for always having a joke to share. Ray enjoyed offshore fishing, especially trips with Marc, his daughter-in-law, Sherry, his granddaughters, and friends on their boat, the “Rigger Mortis” out of Southport. He loved gardening, often sharing his produce with the members of the community and enjoyed watching the many varieties of birds that frequented his bird feeders in the backyard. Most of all, Ray enjoyed spending time with his wife, children, and grandchildren. Frequent trips to Myrtle Beach brought him great joy where he took leisurely golf cart drives along the beach with Ann and his little buddy, Chloe, always making his drive to eat at Hamburger Joe’s and Calabash Seafood with their beach friends. Ray was a member of the Lillington Masonic Lodge 302 and the Sudan Temple Shrine and served as past president of the Anderson Creek Ruritan Club and the Spring Lake Chamber of Commerce. He served as a board member of Cape Fear Christian Academy and the Manchester Fire Department. Additionally, he served as a member of the Cape Fear Valley Medical Center Foundation and was a board member and past Chairman of the Board of BB&T. Ray also served as the longest board member on the Mortuary Board at Fayetteville Technical Community College. His civic duties included serving as an Alderman and Mayor for the town of Spring Lake. In 2010, he was honored as the American Funeral Director of the Year and featured in their magazine and was also a recipient of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award. Ray was preceded in death by his parents, his brother, Roy, and his beloved grandson, Dustin Ray Adcock. He is survived by his devoted wife of 63 years, Ann; his son, Marc and his wife, Sherry of Bunnlevel; his daughter, Lisa, and her husband. Ken Barney of Fuquay-Varina; granddaughters, Anne-Marie Kendziera, McKenzie Adcock, and Allie Adcock; sister, Vena Hendricks and her husband, Joe of Raleigh; many nieces and nephews; and his devoted Maltipoo, Chloe. The family will receive friends at a visitation on Sunday, July 7, 2024, at Adcock Funeral Home from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM. A funeral service will take place on Monday, July 8, 2024, at Cedar Falls Baptist Church in Fayetteville at 11:00 AM officiated by Reverend Glenn Meadows and Reverend Floyd Benfield, followed by burial in Riverview Memorial Gardens with Masonic Rites and military honors. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in his memory be made to the Ronald McDonald House at Chapel Hill, 101 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27517 or Make-A-Wish® Eastern North Carolina, 3809 Computer Drive Suite 20, Raleigh, NC 27609.