Allison Abernethy, Jr. HICKORY John
Allison Abernethy, Jr., 88, of Hickory,
passed away Monday, May 21, 2012, at
Palliative Care Center & Hospice of
Catawba Valley. Born Nov. 20, 1923 in
Hillsborough, he was the son of the late
John A. Abernethy, Sr. and Mattie Lipe
Abernethy. In addition to his parents,
he was preceded in death by his wife,
Rae Hiers Abernethy; two sons, Barney
William Abernethy and Walter Monroe
Abernethy. Mr. Abernethy served in the
U.S. Navy during WWII and had retired
from the Newton-Conover School system,
where he taught math at Newton-Conover
High School. He was a ham radio operator
(Big Al), loved motorcycles, reading and
spoiling his beloved dogs. In later
years, he became proficient with
computers and digital photography.
Allison's zest for life and huge
personality leaves us with many great
stories to tell. He is survived by his
son and devoted caregiver, John Allison
Abernethy, III, of Hickory; daughter,
Martha Rae Combs, of Raleigh; daughter-
in-law, Donna Abernethy, of Newton;
three grandchildren, Amy Self and
husband, Larry, of Newton, Joseph Combs,
of Raleigh and Sarah Combs Burgos and
husband, Carlos of Morrisville; brother,
Dr. Henry W. Abernethy, of Hickory; and
sister, Mary Bradley, of Greensboro;
three great-grandchildren, Michael,
Haley and Madison Self, of Newton; and
several nieces and nephews. A graveside
service will be held at 2 p.m.,
Saturday, May 26, in Oakwood Cemetery
with the Rev. Rick Schilling
officiating. The family will receive
friends from 1 to 2 p.m., prior to the
service at Bass-Smith Funeral Home in
Hickory. Honorary pallbearers will be
Beth Brown, Sandra Annas, Barbara Lee
and Suzanne Still. The family would like
to extend a special thanks to the loving
caregivers who gave so much more than
their time. They would also like to
thank Dr. Henry W. Abernethy and Dr.
Billy Price for their years of excellent
medical care. Memorials may be made to
the Catawba County Humane Society, P.O.
Box 63, Hickory, NC 28603. Online
condolences may be left for the family
at bass-smithfuneral home.com. Bass-
Smith Funeral Home is serving the family
of John Allison Abernethy, Jr.