Bobby "Bob" M. Furr

Bobby M. (Bob) Furr died peacefully surrounded by his family on November 13, 2024 at his home on Moss Springs Road.

A memorial service will be held on Sunday, November 24 at Prospect Baptist Church in Albemarle at 3:00 pm. The family will receive friends prior to the service, beginning at 2:00 pm. Interment will follow at Stanly Gardens of Memory with full military rites.

Bob was born in Troy, NC on July 19, 1937 to the late Bishop M. and Catherleen Morris Furr. He attended elementary and high school in Troy, after which he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, where he served honorably, earning the rank of corporal. Following his military service, Bob was employed by the United States Postal Service, from where he retired in 1992.

While in the Marines, Bob met Barbara Ann Dennis of Albemarle on a blind date. The two were married in 1956 until her death in 2001.

Bob’s faith was exemplified through his life and works. He accepted Christ as Lord and Savior in middle age, and was a loving and caring provider to his family, both immediate and extended. He served at East Albemarle Baptist Church as a deacon and Sunday School secretary, and at Prospect Baptist Church as a deacon and treasurer as long as he was physically able.

Bob was a 32nd degree Scottish Rite Mason, a member of Albemarle Masonic Lodge 703, and a member of the Oasis Shrine Club. He was also an avid hunter and fisherman his entire life, and enjoyed bowling and golf. He was known by friends and family for the meticulous detail with which he maintained his lawn, property, and vehicles.

He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Dennis Furr of the home, daughters Kathy Thorpe (Toby) and Cindy Cambron (Ron) of Albemarle, and son Michael (Peggy) of Statesville. Also surviving are sisters Joyce McIntyre and Debby Thompson of Troy, and brother Larry Furr of Denton. In addition, he is survived by eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

The Testimony of My Life,

Bob Furr

I don’t remember going to church often while I was growing up. My mother passed away when I was seven years old. After Mom’s death, Dad and I would go to the movies on Friday night and Saturday afternoon and not a lot of concentration was placed on going to church.

When I was 10 years old my dad bought his old home place a farm house in Montgomery County, it was less than one mile from Mt. Carmel Baptist Church. In 1946 he remarried. I have a step-brother (born in 1948) and two step-sisters (born in 1952 and 1958). We started going to church Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night. If there was a meeting I was there and I liked going to church. I was in the RA’s and everything connected to the church.  When I was twelve years old there was a revival at the church. During the revival, I was sitting with a group of friends on one of the front pews. My Sunday School teacher came down from the choir put her arm around me and talked to me about my salvation. I went down to be saved that day because of peer pressure, everyone else was, and I didn’t want to be the only one left in the pew. I was baptized in the pond and went to church during my teenage years.

I met a girl (Barbara) on a blind date, we became childhood sweethearts, married while I was in the Marine Corps and she was in the twelfth grade. We were married in Anderson Grove Baptist Church by Rev. R.D. Riggins, where her father served as a deacon and mother as a SS teacher. After service on December 9, 1956, Rev. Riggins told everyone who was getting up to leave that they were welcome to stay…they were having a wedding. One week before I was out of the Marine Corps our first daughter, Katherine, was born on March 25, 1958.

After I was out of the Marine Corps, we rented a 3-room apartment (kitchen, living room, bedroom) and we bought furniture on credit to furnish it. I told Barbara “I was going to be the breadwinner and for her not to work”. One day, Barbara and her mother came by my work and Barbara said she had got a job. I asked, “why did you do that?” She said, “I will only work until we get the furniture paid off.” Twenty-eight years, two more children (Cindy and Mike), and the closing of the Wiscasset Hosiery Mill, she quit.

We would go to church and tried to bring the kids up in church. I had a form of religion but didn’t want to get too close, afraid I would be asked to do something, but I wanted the kids to attend church. Barbara always went along with what I did…she thought I was head of the household. As the kids grew and went through school, we would go to church some and then not go.

In 1978, when Barbara was thirty-nine years old, she had a heart attack. At this time, she was the youngest female in Stanly Hospital to have a heart attack. In 1981, she had her first heart by-pass surgery. My oldest child, Katherine, was through college and the other two children were at home. All through this period of time we were in and out of church…not steady… just made our appearance.

In 1980, Kathy got married and in 1985 we had our first grandchild, Ryan. Our second grandchild, Daniel, was born in 1988.

I had a temporal type of faith…I did not have saving faith. I just called on God when I needed him. I committed every sin imaginable short of murder... I would play golf on Sunday…I had an on the fence life style which God doesn’t like.

In 1988, seven years after my wife had her first open heart surgery, she had her second open heart surgery at Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem. All of our family came in for the surgery. After it was over, my brother said to Barbara, “you beat all I have ever seen, one day at death’s door, but next thing you are up and going.”

My wife told me, “I don’t know why the Lord is leaving me here bit it must be for a reason.” This got me thinking she is staying here until I get my life straightened out. But I still didn’t change.

Our son got saved during college and he wrote home. He said he didn’t know if his parents were saved. This got me to thinking, my own son doesn’t even think I am saved, because I did not live a lifestyle that was pleasing to God. Then one day, Anderson Grove called to see if my name could be taken off their roll and I said “yes”.

After that, we started attending East Albemarle Baptist Church. Barbara’s health continued to deteriorate. She had her third open heart surgery in 19955 at Baptist Hospital. All the family came in for the seven-hour surgery. She got better and again said “I don’t know why the Lord is leaving me here but it must be for a reason.” I still didn’t say anything, but was thinking she is staying here until I get my life straightened out.

In 1997, she had a blood clot in her leg and went back to Baptist Hospital. She went around November 8th and came home around February 12th. During this 3 month stay, I went home every third night, got a change of clothes, took care of the business and house and the next morning went back to the hospital. Again, she made the remark, “I don’t know the Lord is leaving me here but it must be for a reason.” And I thought the same thing, she is staying here until I get my life straightened out.

By this time, we didn’t get to go to church much. We had Hospice Care for the terminally ill approximately three months. Then she got well enough to be put under Home Health. The last three months she was placed back in Hospice Care. I was a full-time caregiver during this whole time and only left her side when someone else was with her. During this time, I would take care of the bills and other responsibilities that had to be done. The only other time I left was when the family members would stop by to stay awhile with her.

Barbara’s health was deteriorating fast. She was on Liquid oxygen all the time she had two tanks and a hose that she could move all around the house with her. When anyone came to visit, she always wanted to know how they were and was not concerned about herself. I don’t see how she did it, she never complained even though she knew she was dying.

On October 4, 2001 in the morning, she couldn’t get her breath. I turned the valves open on her tanks, but she still couldn’t get her breath. I called 911, didn’t even go through Hospice. She went to Stanly Hospital and they got her to breathing ok. She had fluid on her lungs and they had to insert a needle and get the fluid off… one time they got 2 liters.

For the first five days she could communicate – gradually she got to where we couldn’t communicate. I wanted her to be comfortable and didn’t want her to suffer. She was given liquid Demerol through her IV. She laid there looking like she was in a deep sleep…. she moved once in a while. Before she got to where she couldn’t communicate, she said, “I don’t know why the Lord is leaving me here but it must be for a reason.” Again, I thought she is staying here until I get my life straightened out.

I only went home when someone was with Barbara, I didn’t want her to die alone. I didn’t know if she could understand what was being said.

Ten days later on the night of October 13, I needed some rest so I asked my daughter to come up. Around ten o’clock Kathy came up, she lives close by. I went home took a bath, laid down and was about asleep when Kathy called and said “I might ought to come up to the hospital her mom was getting weaker”. I got up put on clothes and hurried up there. While getting in the car I thought, I have been dealing with this and need to get my eternal salvation worked out.

As I was going up to the hospital on Montgomery Avenue I said “Lord, this is it. I am putting my trust in you. I want my life straightened out.” I looked at the clock radio on the dash, it was five minutes till two. I took a four-leaf clover in my billfold and threw it out the window. There is no such thing as luck, I don’t know why I was even carrying it. A great relief came over me. I got to the hospital went by the nurse’s station but no one was there. When I reached Barbara’s room, my daughter was holding her hand…she had passed away. We stayed there awhile consoling one another. When we came out of the room, all the nurses were at their station. I went over and made the necessary arrangements, funeral home, etc. After Barbara was buried, I went around to businesses with her death certificate, as I looked at the time of death, it was October 14, 2001 at 1:55 am. Any time I want to see when my name was recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life, I can look at my wife’s death certificate and see the time.

On June 29, 2002, I married Elizabeth, a wonderful Christian lady. We are active members of Prospect Baptist Church and enjoying our salvation. I no longer run from an opportunity to witness…I run toward it.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Tillery Compassionate Care (960 North First Street, Albemarle) or Prospect Baptist Church (502 Prospect Church Road, Albemarle).

Bumgarner Family Funeral Service is serving the Furr family.

Online condolences can be made at www.bumgarnerfunerals.com.