Obituaries of the Swannanoa Valley

Clarence James Inman

Old Fort

Clarence James Inman, age 83, of Old Fort, North Carolina passed away Sunday, September 3, 2017. He was born in Buncombe County to the late Byrd and Katie Kelly Inman of Black Mountain, North Carolina on August 22, 1935.

Clarence has been a resident of Old Fort for the last twenty-two years. He retired from Camp Rockmont after fifty years of service. He was a veteran of the United States Marines Corps. 

He is survived by his wife of sixty years, Norma Robinson; six children, Randy Inman of the home, Gary Inman of Swannanoa, Ricky, Roger, Cherry Brendle and Debra Smith of Old Fort; a granddaughter McKenize Inman of the home; three sisters, Betty Thomas, Mary Robinson of Old Fort and Maggie Robinson of Black Mountain. Also surviving Clarence are seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. 

A funeral service to celebrate Clarence’s life will be held on Monday, September 11, 2017 6 p.m. at New Testament Baptist Church with Reverend Harry Kidd officiating.  The family will receive friends from 5-6 p.m., prior to the service, at the church. 

Beam Funeral Service is assisting the ­­Inman family. For further information and/or to sign the online guestbook, visit beamfuneralservice.com.

Elaine Hamil

Rural Retreat

On May 3, 2017 Elaine Hamil passed away in Rural Retreat, VA.

She was preceded in death by her parents Pauline Beverly and Wilburn Beverly.  She was a beloved wife and stepmother and is survived by her husband Harry Hamil and two stepdaughters Rebecca Hamil (married to Sarah Linn) and Jenny Kiehn (married to Michael Kiehn).  She is also survived by her grandchildren Henry, Emily, Eddie and George Kiehn and her brothers and sister, Larry Beverly (married to Sharon), Leon Beverly (married to Brenda), Glen Beverly (married to Dian), Melba Boer & Galen Beverly (married to Dan Kuipers).

Elaine was born on March 18, 1948 in Fowler, Illinois.  She lived in many places including Phoenix, AR, Grand Rapids, MI, and Dallas, TX.  She spent over 21 of the last years of her life in Black Mountain, NC.  There she married Harry Hamil on May 25,1996 and had a wonderful family life with him and her two stepdaughters. Witty and warm, Elaine was a deeply loving friend.

Elaine was also a champion of local food through her and Harry’s launch of the Black Mountain Tailgate Market and the Black Mountain Farmers Market (now Roots & Fruits) In 2010, she and Harry were named Co-Activists of the Year by the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association for their work enabling the passage of the Tester-Hagan Amendment to the Food Safety Modernization Act.  She was also a founding member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Swannanoa Valley and a former member of its Board of Trustees.

A Celebration of Life service will be held for her on September 23 at 2:30 p.m. at the clubhouse at Lake Tomahawk in Black Mountain. For more details, please check Elaine's Facebook page or call Harry Hamil at 276/250-2001.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Friends of the Black Mountain Library.