John Kirkpatrick, Jr.

Clyde-John Handy "Doc" Kirkpatrick, age 90, of the Crabtree community passed away surrounded by his family on Saturday, April 28, 2007 at Haywood Regional Medical Center. A native of Haywood County, he was the son of the late John Handy Kirkpatrick, Sr. and Sarah Lula Ferguson Kirkpatrick. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by two sisters, Sarah F. and Mary Frances Kirkpatrick and two brothers, J. Weaver and Thomas R. Kirkpatrick. He attended UNC Chapel Hill and graduated from Tri-State University with a degree in aeronautical engineering. He served our country for seven years as a Lt. Colonel and pilot in the US Army Air Corps during World War II. Later he designed and researched the Handy Memory Scroll while serving in the Army Reserves. He was a dairyman in the Crabtree community from 1949 until 1980 where he was the first person to develop and implement the process of no-till farming. Subsequently, he received two patents for machinery he invented for use in no-till farming. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Jane M. Kirkpatrick; two daughters, Helen K. Henry and her husband, Joe, of Waynesville and Sarah K. Sutton and her husband, Martin, of Cookeville, TN; one son, Taylor Kirkpatrick and his wife, Debbie, of Clyde; six grandchildren; and four great grandchildren. Memorial services will be held at 12:00 Noon on Saturday, May 12, 2007 at Crabtree United Methodist Church with Reverend Kathy McAbee and Reverend David Reeves officiating. The family will receive friends from 11:00 a.m. until service time. Memorials may be made to Crabtree United Methodist Church, 5405 Crabtree Road, Clyde, NC 28721 or Haywood County Public Library, 678 South Haywood Street, Waynesville, NC 28786.

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