Hope Mills - Doctor Neil Ashton Worden, 96, of Hope Mills passed away July 29th after a short illness. Dr. Worden was a resident of Hope Mills for 64 years. He was born in Louisville, Kentucky on January 18, 1922. He was attending the University of Louisville on December 7, 1941 when Pearl Harbor was bombed. On December 8, 1941, he joined the United States Marine Corps as a pilot. Through 1942 and 1943, Worden was a Marine Corps pilot trainer stationed in Norman, Oklahoma. From 1944 to the end of the war, Worden was stationed in the Pacific, most notably on the island of Peleliu, where he was a squadron commander. After the war, Worden returned to Louisville and his studies at the University of Louisville. In 1947 he married the late Bette Richards Murray. Their marriage lasted 57 years until her death in 2004. Dr. Worden graduated from the University of Louisville School of Medicine in 1951, and after a residency in Charleston, West Virginia, moved to Hope Mills in 1954. He began a practice with Dr. Grayson Davis at the Hope Mills General Hospital. Over the years, he moved his practice to Fayetteville. His first office was originally located in the Market Square area downtown. He eventually built his own office on Rowan Street and practiced Family Medicine there. Worden served on the staffs of both Highsmith-Rainey Hospital and Cape Fear Valley Hospital. He was a member of the original staff of Cape Fear Valley. In 1972, Worden served as President of the Cumberland County Medical Society, from 1979-1981 he was a member of the Board of Trustees for the Cumberland County Hospital System, and was Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Highsmith-Rainey from 1984-1986. He also served as Chief of Staff at Highsmith-Rainey from 1983-1984. After retirement, Dr. Worden continued to work with the Veteran's Hospital, McCain Hospital, and various local clinics for several years. He is survived by his wife, Gloria; by 4 children, Dee (Karen) of Raleigh, NC, Harry (Erika), of Newport, NC, Neil Jr. (Dawn) of Lenoir NC, and Patti (Holden Thorp) of St. Louis, Mo. He also has eight grand-children; Michael Worden (Aimee), Seth Worden (Darlene), Elizabeth Worden, Brie Worden (Rob Davis), Trevor Worden (Bartley Mullin), Tara Worden (Matt Grace), John Thorp and Emma Thorp as well as 4 great-grandchildren; Evan Davis, Hollis Davis, Olivia Worden and Jacob Worden. There will be a visitation at Reeves Funeral Home, 3308 N. Main St. Hope Mills, NC, from 6-8 PM on Thursday, August 2. A funeral service will be held on Friday, August 3 at 1 PM, with a graveside service immediately following in Hope Mills Cemetery. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, a donation be made to Cape Fear Valley Hospice, whose wonderful efforts are greatly appreciated.
