Kenneth Poe Funeral Services

March 27, 2023

CHARLOTTE – Francis Marion Fletcher, Jr. passed away on Monday, March 27, 2023.  He was born August 7, 1932, in Greensboro, NC to Francis Fletcher, Sr. and Mildred Plott Fletcher.

Francis grew up in Asheville and attended Lee Edwards High School where he excelled in regional and national debate contests.  He was a Teagle Foundation Scholar at Cornell University and finished with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics in three years, graduating with the Class of 1954.  His first year of law school was completed at Cornell, and then he transferred to Duke Law School to complete his JD.

Francis began his law career as a trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, D.C. and then opened a solo practice at the Law Building in Charlotte.  He joined the firm Harkey, Faggart and Coira in 1962 and married the love of his life, Anne Marie Carlyle in December 1962.  He retired from Harkey, Fletcher, Lambeth, Nystrom and Fiorella as a Senior Partner in 1995.

Francis loved to read and travel, going to China in his late 60’s with the Smithsonian.  He loved to go to the beaches of South Carolina and the Blue Ridge Mountains with his family.  Francis was an Eagle Scout and Scoutmaster at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church.  He was a member of Myers Park Baptist Church since 1954, where he taught Sunday School to children and adults for thirty years.  Frances was President of the Sharon Civitan Club and served on the board of the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club.  He volunteered for Meals on Wheels at Carolinas Medical Center.  Francis also loved Duke basketball.

The family would like to thank the staff at Southminster for their years of care and support.

Francis faced many challenges there, and he was able to thrive because of the nurses, therapists, and support staff. A special thanks to Sabrina Parrish who helped care for him for nine years.

We will miss you, Francis. We are so glad we got to ring in your 90^th birthday with a celebration. Your resilience and positive attitude, quick wit, and vast knowledge that you loved to share with everyone along with your faith in God are the things that you have passed on to your friends and family.

Francis is survived by his daughters, Catherine Chamberlain and her husband, Jeff of Aurora, IL and Elizabeth O’ Herron and her husband, Billy of Beaufort, SC; his five beautiful grandchildren who he loved dearly, Fletcher Chamberlain, Abigail Chamberlain, Maxwell Chamberlain, Carlyle O’ Herron and Billy O’ Herron.  He was predeceased by his wife of fifty-three years, Sissy.

Services will be private.

Memorials may be offered in memory of Francis to Southminster Community Fund, 8919 Park Road, Charlotte, NC 28210.

Arrangements are in the care of Kenneth W. Poe Funeral & Cremation Service, 1321 Berkeley Ave., Charlotte, NC 28204; (704) 641-7606. Online condolences may be shared at www.kennethpoeservices.com.