Alison Winfree Pickrell

Alison Winfree Pickrell, 62, fought the good fight and finished the race on September 7, 2015. Although she battled health issues most of her life, she never lost her sense of humour, her joy or her faith, and her family and friends rejoice in the knowledge that she is now breathing the pure air of Paradise.

Alison grew up in Winston-Salem, along with 2 brothers and a sister, in a neighborhood where she could walk to school, to the "Handy Pantry" for candy, to the Moravian church for the Lovefeast on Christmas Eve, and around the corner to go sledding at Reynolds High School, where she graduated in 1971. She majored in education at Guilford College, where she gained a close circle of life-long friends. In 1977, she left her home state for the University of Arizona in Tucson in the hope that the dry climate would improve her asthma. There she not only got her master's degree in Special Education but met and married her husband of 37 years, Brian David Pickrell.

They returned to North Carolina, along with his three young sons, where Alison spent 30 years as a Special Education teacher in Iredell County. She would later weave those experiences into her writing, which was always her real passion. It wasn't until she retired that her dream became a reality and her first novel was published by Capstone Fiction in 2007, followed by 3 more she had originally written in the 1980s.

In 2013, she and Brian collaborated on a very special book, The Restless Spirit, which is in many ways a reflection of their shared life experiences - as she put it, their "thoughts, theology and memories." They published this and one other book themselves, through Wolf Pup Publishing, an acronym for: With Our Lord Forever, Praise Until Paradise.

Alison was a faithful member of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church for over 30 years, where she taught Sunday School, helped with VBS, and served on the altar guild. Beyond that, she followed a special calling to the Iredell County Women's Jail Ministry, where she impacted the lives of countless women in a personal way.

Alison is survived by husband Brian, sons David Allen Pickrell and Danny Lee Pickrell & wife Kathleyne, and three grandchildren: Cody, Hailey and Brianna. Also surviving are her mother Flora Winfree; brother Martin Winfree & wife Peggy; brother Tom Winfree & children Rachel Audrey and Chad; sister Julie Kovasckitz, husband Dan & their children Judson, Lucas, Delcie, Rudy, and Kenan. She was preceded in death by her beloved father Wallace Winfree and cherished son Randy Pickrell.   A memorial service will be held Saturday September 19, 2015, at 3:30pm at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 465 Hartness Rd, Statesville, NC.  A meal will follow in the fellowship hall of the church. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the charity of your choice.  Online condolences may be made to the family at www.nicholsonfunerals.com and Nicholson Funeral Home is serving the family.