Bill Lazenby

William "Bill" Edward Lazenby, 86, of Statesville, passed away Tuesday, September 23, 2014 at the Gordon Hospice House. He was born in Iredell County on November 5, 1927 to the late Viola Lazenby Messick. Mr. Lazenby attended Iredell County Schools and in 1942 joined the U.S. Navy serving on the USS Henrico during WWII. During his tour of duty, he survived an attack on his ship near Guam. Following his service to his country, he attended Lenoir Rhyne College receiving his BA in Math and later attended Appalachian State University where he received his Masters in Science. On April 8, 1950, he married Freddie Bell Lazenby and they enjoyed almost 62 years of marriage before her passing on January 3, 2012. He taught at Scotts School for a period of time and then went to work for General Electric in Hickory before retiring after serving 35 years with the company. Mr. Lazenby was a member of Western Avenue Baptist Church and he enjoyed fishing and watching sports, especially baseball. He is survived by three sons, Michael "Mike" Edward Lazenby (Candy Knox) of Connelly Springs, William Mark Lazenby (Juanita Waller), and David Chris Lazenby (Annette Perry), both of Statesville; four grandsons, Jeffrey Michael Lazenby of Farmville, VA, Bryan Edward Lazenby of Charlotte, Dakota Charles Lazenby of Roanoke, VA, and Sawyer McCall Lazenby of Statesville, and three granddaughters, Michelle Leigh Baker, Natalie Colleen Baker, and Ally Grace Lazenby, all of Statesville. Funeral services for Bill Lazenby will be held 2:00 PM, Friday, September 26, 2014 at Western Avenue Baptist Church with Rev. Andy Lackey officiating. Burial with full military honors provided by the Iredell Veterans Burial Detail will follow at the Iredell Memorial Gardens Cemetery. The family will visit with friends at the church prior to the service from 1:00 until 2:00 PM. Active pallbearers will be his four grandsons, Bryan Edward Lazenby, Dakota Charles Lazenby, Jeffrey Maichael Lazenby, Sawyer McCall Lazenby, and Jonathon Sells and Matthew Sells. Memorials may be made to the Gordon Hospice House, 2341 Simonton Road, Statesville, NC 28625 or to Western Avenue Baptist Church, 1206 Museum Road, Statesville, NC 28625. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.nicholsonfunerals.com and Nicholson Funeral Home is serving the family.