Obituary of Ernest McRae Styron Jr.

Ernest Styron, age 90, died peacefully with his wife and children by his side in his Centralia, Washington home on January 9, 2019.

 

Ernest McRae Styron, Jr., was born July 22, 1928 in Wilmington, North Carolina. He was the fifth of 11 children born to Nellie and Ernest Styron, Sr. Ernest was born the year before the Great Depression into a dirt farming community in rural North Carolina. He grew up outside Clarkton, learning the value of hard work, a strong back, and even stronger family bonds, plowing behind a mule on the family farm. To the family, he was known as Junior. Later, nieces and nephews would call him Uncle Junior. In true southern fashion, his children called him Daddy throughout their lives.

 

Ernest’s first job off the farm was working as a meat cutter. This began a career around food that lasted the rest of his working life. In December 1948 at age 20, Ernest enlisted in the U.S. Army. He was stationed in Augsburg, Germany where he served as a cook in the 2^nd Army Headquarters. He was honorably discharged as a Corporal in August 1952.

 

Just before enlisting in the Army, Ernest’s younger sister, Lillie Mae, introduced her big brother to her best friend, Mary Lee Benson. Ernest’s and Mary’s marriage in 1955 lasted nearly 64 years and produced their much-loved children, daughter, Michele and son, Christopher.

 

Living in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Ernest was head chef of the world-renowned Hotel Robert E. Lee for many years. In its day, the hotel was the heart of the city and destination of choice for the rich and famous from all walks of life.

 

In the early 1970s, Ernest’s sense of adventure resulted in moving the family to Western Australia for three years. He owned and operated his own butcher shop called, “Meats American Style” in Balcatta, a northern suburb of Perth, Australia. When asked why he uprooted the family and moved to the other side of the world, he would smile and answer, “Just because.” In 1975, the family returned to America, settling in Kent, Washington, where Ernest worked as a meat cutter for Safeway Stores until his retirement in 1993.

 

Ernest is remembered by his family as a hard-working, proud southern gentleman – a kind and gentle soul who took great pleasure in the taste of comfort food and gazing at the small creatures roaming about the backyard. Retirement meant more time with his coin and stamp collections, and his tools and projects. He was said to have been happiest with a drill in one hand and a hammer in the other, always tinkering in the garage, fabricating contraptions to make life more interesting.

 

He was known for laughing harder and loving deeper than anyone. Of those he loved, none compared to Mary, his wife and constant companion for 64 years. He was devoted to his family, loving everyone equally, no matter if they were family by blood or by marriage. He especially enjoyed sharing his love for the outdoors with his family, whether it was camping in the Appalachians or driving down a long, winding country road just to see where it went.

 

Ernest was preceded in death by his father in 1969 and mother in 1978, along with four sisters and two brothers. He is survived by his wife, Mary, Centralia, Washington; daughter, Michele (George) Bates, Centralia, Washington; son, Christopher (Tuam/Kannika), Lynnwood, Washington; grandson, Forrest Bates, Chehalis, Washington; grandson, Aiden Bates, Kirkland, Washington; sisters, Lillie Mae, Kathleen, and Nancy, North Carolina; and brother, David, Florida.

 

At his request, there will be no public service. The family will hold a private gathering at a later date.

 

The Styron family extends its heartfelt thanks and appreciation for the angels in the form of hospice nurses who cared for him in his final days. The family suggests remembrances in Ernest’s name to your local hospice provider.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Ernest Styron Jr., please visit Tribute Store