Curtis Pirkle

Curtis H. Pirkle passed away on Friday, October 29, 2022, at the age of 93.

He is survived by his son, Ben (Monica) Pirkle, and grandsons, Tyler and Austin.

Curtis was born to Christopher and LeClair Pirkle of Cumming, Georgia on April 28, 1929. He was one of 5 children. The family owned and operated a farm for many years which would later be known as Lake Lanier.

At the age of 18, Curtis joined the army and served in Korea during the Korean War. After his time in the army, he worked at a drug store and went to night school at Georgia State to earn a BBA Marketing degree.

He met Jeannelle at Westend Baptist Church where they were both very active. They enjoyed 60 years of marriage until Jeannelle’s death in 2019.

He spent most of his working life at Coats and Clark in Atlanta as National Inventory Control and Coordination Manager from which he retired early after 32 years. Retirement did not last long, and he went to work for the Federal Home Loan Bank before retiring again. During this time, Curtis and Jeannelle built a second home on Lake Oconee, east of Atlanta.

Curtis and Jeannelle moved to the lake home for retirement. They loved the lake, and it was probably the happiest time of their life. Curtis was able to enjoy his hobbies of boating and gardening for fun instead out of necessity. It seemed he could make anything grow. During the time at the lake, they traveled with the church group to many destinations such as Alaska and Hawaii.

Some of his greatest joys were Ben and Monica’s marriage and the birth of two grandsons, Tyler and Austin.

As he and Jeannelle got older, they wanted to be closer to family, so they moved to Gallatin where they joined First Baptist Gallatin. They were then able to visit more often.

Eventually for health reasons, they moved to The Hearth of Hendersonville. Jeannelle passed away in December of 2019. Since her death, Ben and his father grew even closer with daily phone calls and frequent visits. Not only did this help Curtis but Ben as well. Ben was able to appreciate the sacrifice and guidance his parents have shown him throughout his life. These conversations and moments shared will be missed. Words of wisdom which only come with experience will be missed.

Funeral service will be held at 2 pm on Thursday, October 6, 2022, at the Hendersonville Funeral Home, 353 East Main Street in Hendersonville. Visitation will be one hour prior to service time.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to American Heart Association.  www.heart.org