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Cornelius “Buddy” Wardell Dillon was born to Wilson and Nellie Pearl Dillon on March 22, 1935 in Spring Creek, West Virginia. He died peacefully while in the company of his daughter and son in law, Chris (Dillon) and Mark Lenderman, with his strong and reassuring hands holding theirs. Although he was born in West Virginia and spent the last 16 years of his life in Asheville, North Carolina; Covington, Virginia would always be home. Buddy graduated from Covington High School in 1954. Legend has it that he was a great athlete, playing football, basketball and baseball. More importantly, he was a good son and friend. From his early teenage years he helped provide for his family by working at his uncle’s service station, harvesting tobacco at his family’s homeplace in Franklin County and working on an ice truck. After high school Buddy went to work for the Industrial Rayon Plant and joined the National Guard. During a routine Guard training weekend in Pennsylvania he and his friends attended a dance that would change his life. He met the girl of his dreams and declared to his friends that he was going to marry her. Always a man of his word, he and Cora Kesten were united in marriage on October 10, 1959. The two settled in Covington and began to build their life together. For Buddy that included building a career over three decades long as a Quality Control Supervisor at Hercules, and in later years at Westvaco. The birth of the couple’s only child, Christine, in 1963 completed the young family. Outside of family responsibilities Buddy perfected his golf game, became the ultimate handy man – working on cars, making home repairs and even building a deck onto his house (with the help of a few friends) and most importantly taking time to enjoy life with friends. In 2001, Buddy and Cora relocated to Asheville, NC to fully experience the art of grandparenting. In recent years he would say that his biggest accomplishment in life was his family: his daughter Chris (Dillon) and her husband Mark Lenderman along with their children Abigail, Emma, Jake and Olivia. His family would say they are thankful for the solid foundation of unconditional love and belief in them that he showed for them throughout his life. An aggressive Parkinson’s diagnosis would mean Buddy’s last few years were spent receiving loving and attentive care from the CNA’s, Nurses and other staff members at Highland Farms, many of whom became like family to him. It is not possible to express the amount of love and gratitude our family has for this amazing group of human beings. Buddy was preceded in death by his Father, Wilson Dillon, his Mother, Nellie Pearl Williams Dillon and most recently in 2008, his wife of nearly 50 years, Cora Kesten Dillon. A memorial mass will be held Friday, December 22 at 11 a.m. at St Eugene’s Catholic Church with the Father Pat Cahill officiating. The family requests that memorial gifts be made to the Highland Farms Employee Fund.

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Mr. Cornelius Wardell "Buddy" Dillon

March 22, 1935 - November 22, 2017

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Mr. Cornelius Wardell "Buddy" Dillon

March 22, 1935 - November 22, 2017

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