John Matthew Willetts

John Matthew Willetts, originally from Bolivia, NC was born in Seattle, WA on December 15, 1969 and went to be with the Lord on March 6, 2020 in Hendersonville, NC where he and his family lived at the time of his death.

John was the youngest son of William H. Willetts, Sr. (Bill) and Emily S. Willetts of Bolivia. He is survived by his wife, Megan DeHart Willetts, son Zachary Lee Willetts (8), daughter Abigail Elizabeth Willetts (5), all of whom now reside in Raleigh, NC. He is also survived by his adored older brother William H. Willetts, Jr. and wife, Eyvonne Willetts of North Myrtle Beach, SC and nephews Taylor Gordon Willetts of Wilmington, niece Whitney Hales and husband Allan Hales, Spencer William Willetts and wife Briley Ares Willetts of North Myrtle Beach, and their son who was named after him, John Hunter Willetts. He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Harold and Elizabeth Willetts of Bolivia and Gordon and Kathleen Smith of Seattle.

John loved life! He never met a stranger and could capture a room full of people with a welcoming smile. He maintained lifelong friends from Kindergarten through graduation from Wilmington Christian Academy. He went on to graduate from Campbell University and worked in both Raleigh and Knoxville, TN where he continued to make new acquaintances. He was fiercely loyal to all of his friends, who meant the world to him, and who returned that love by staying for days by his side to help the family as he bravely battled stomach cancer. We will be eternally grateful to each of them who loved and supported him beyond measure and who, along with his beloved brother Bill, sang him into Heaven early in the morning of March 6th. Nothing was more important to him than his family and friends. His children brought him such joy and he was proud to be dad to his little guy Zachary and to the first girl born into the family, Abbie. He was an unapologetic “Mama’s Boy” who gave his Mom the biggest bear hugs at every opportunity, which will be dearly missed.

He also loved all animals, but especially horses and dogs. From the day he could crawl into the horse pasture, John had a love of horses and was an avid horseman. Not only could he ride his own, but any horse who had a mane he could grab onto, off he would go. As a toddler he could be found in the pasture or in a dog house full of puppies when he would go missing. Later, when he went to Campbell University, he discovered a love for canoeing down the nearby Cape Fear River and anywhere there were big rapids with his friends, who plan to have a scattering of some of his ashes into the river. The family will also scatter some of the ashes around the beloved family farm where he grew up, as he wished.

John’s funeral service will be at noon on August 28, 2021 at Mill Creek Baptist Church, 1099 George II Hwy SE, Winnabow, NC with Rev. David M. Kowalke presiding. Burial will be at the Willetts Family Cemetery, adjacent to the church. All family and friends are invited to celebrate his life at the church; the burial will be private for the children’s sake.

Condolences may be made to the Willetts Family, 492 Midway Rd SE, Bolivia, NC, 28422 or online at www.whitefuneralservicesupply.com.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to Duke Cancer Institute, c/of Jamie Cooper Moales, 300 W. Morgan St, Ste 1200, Durham, NC, 27701, in John’s name, or a charity of your choice.

Services provided by White Funeral and Cremation Service, Bolivia/Supply.