On December 28, 2017, Simon Leroy Fye, 92, of Knox, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his loving family.Born August 17, 1925, in Knox, he was the son of Lola Mae Berlin Fye and Albert J. (Bob) Fye.Leroy attended Central Elementary Grade School and Beaver Township one-room school houses.  He then attended White Memorial School, joining the Civil Air Control his senior year in high school.  He was active in Scout Troop 54 and was later a Scout Master.  Following graduation, at the age of 18, Leroy joined the U.S. Army Air Forces, serving in the China Burma India Theater for thirty months from November 1943, to April 1946.  He worked in Priorities & Traffic and ended his career as a Staff Sergeant.  As a World War II Veteran, Leroy was a Charter Member of American Legion Post #997 in Lamartine receiving recognition as a 70-year member in 2017. Upon returning from India, Leroy married his high school sweetheart, Kathleen Mae Sheatz, who survives, on September 14, 1946, at Grace Evangelical Church with the Rev. Fred Fink officiating.  Leroy’s faith in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior was important to him and defined how he lived his life. Attending church worship services and fellowship functions were life priorities. At the age of twelve, he was baptized into the St. Paul Lutheran Church.  He was a member of Grace E.C. Church in Ninevah for 25 years.  Later he was an elder and member of 1st Presbyterian Church in Oil City. His membership as a Presbyterian continued in Rockingham, NC and Clarion, PA.  For the past 20 years, he’s served his Lord as a member and elder of the Edenburg Presbyterian Church. Leroy was also a member of the Christian Businessmen’s Fellowship of the Franklin/Oil City area.  After his WWII service, Leroy worked on infrastructure construction projects throughout the area.  In the 1950’s he completed an apprenticeship as a tool & die maker at Shaw Industries in Franklin where he worked for 11 years.  He then worked for 10 years at Seneca Tool & Die.  Following these jobs, Leroy owned his own machine shop in Knox for 5 years and then moved onto ASR Industries in Shippenville still working in the tool & die area.  Leroy joined the Owens-Illinois Closure Division in Brookville and retired in 1991 as a machine shop superintendent in the tool & die shop at the O-I plastics closure plant in Hamlet, NC. When he returned to the home he’d built on Lake Marie Eileen, he helped manage Lakeside Country Inn for three years. A special skill Leroy learned during this time was baking bread; he continued to gift family and friends with his delicious loaves for many years.  Enjoying God’s scenery as he drove his RV, with his wife Kay as navigator and trip planner, brought Leroy great pleasure. Often friends and family were included in the expeditions. The couple traveled to 49 of the 50 states, only missing Alaska; they also visited Puerto Rico, Mexico and several Provinces in Canada.  Most of all, he enjoyed spending time with his family. In addition to his beloved wife, Leroy is survived by his two children: Tamalyn (Tom) Goble and Dudley (Candy) Fye; his grandchildren: Jessica Goble (Brian Arena), Joshua (Deborah) Fye, and Abigail (Jeremy) Simcheck; and his great-grandchildren: Giovanna Arena, Nicholas, Mason, and Katelyn Simcheck, Matthew Corner, and McKenzie Corner. He is also survived by sisters-in-law Helen Sheatz and Roberta Rossman, along with many nieces and nephews.  Leroy was preceded in death by his granddaughter Judith Kathleen Fye; his parents; in-laws: Elsie and Guy Sheatz; brothers and sister and their spouses: Dorothy (Link) Cotherman, Wilbert (Aliene) Fye, Wayne (Leona) Fye, and Walter (Annabelle) Fye; in-laws Ruby Sheatz (Don) Keely, Harry Sheatz, Ken Rossman, and John O’Neil.  Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the McEntire-Weaver Funeral Home of Knox. Services will be held at the Edenburg Presbyterian Church, Main St., Knox, on Saturday, December 30, 2017, with viewing/visitation from 1:30 – 3:00 P.M. and the Service to the Witness of the Resurrection at 3:00 P.M.  Interment will be at Starr Cemetery in Ninevah following the service.  American Legion Post #997 in Lamartine will perform full military honors with Knox American Legion Post #720 assisting.  The family suggests memorial donations be sent to Samaritan’s Purse, PO Box 3000, Boone, NC, 28607-3000 or any charity of personal choice.

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