Individual Details

Death

OAKBORO -- Mr. Furr, 41, of 325 East Second St., died Thursday, July 20, 2006 in Charlotte, NC. He was born February 27, 1965 in Stanly County, NC. Visitation will be 7-9 p.m. Friday, July 21, 2006 at Hartsell Funeral Home-Albemarle. Funeral will be 11 a.m. Saturday at First Baptist Church, Oakboro, NC, with Dr. Rev. Terrell Watts and Mr. Chip Alsobrooks officiating. Burial will be in Oakboro Cemetery. Mr. Furr was an active member of First Baptist Church of Oakboro. he was an usher and attended the Men's Mission Trip at Atlantic Beach. He was a member of West Stanly Players where he was a master carpenter building sets and anything needed for play production. He enjoyed helping friends and working with his hands. He was very creative and hard working. Mr. Furr was employed with Alcoa Fujikura, Ltd. in Monroe, NC as an Electronic Technician. He had previously been self employed as a general contractor for over 17 years. He had been a part-time instructor at Montgomery Community College. He was a member of First Baptist Church of Oakboro. The family will meet at the home, 325 East Second St. Oakboro, NC. Survivors include son, Ryan Taylor Furr of the home; daughter, Emily Bennett Furr of the home; father and mother, Roland A. 'Tony' Furr and Frances Ingram Furr of Badin, NC; Brother, Arthur Lee Furr of Troy, NC and Henry Cornelius Furr of Ringgold, GA; sister, Audrey Lynn Lowder of Albemarle. Memorials may be made to any Bank of Stanly in Emily & Ryan's name. Hartsell Funeral Home is serving the family. Published in the Charlotte Observer on 7/22/2006.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The police tape that surrounded a cell phone tower near Albemarle Road and Harris Boulevard is now gone so the public can finally get a closer look at the place where police shot and killed Anthony Wayne Furr just after 1 a.m. Thursday. So the Furr family's attorney and close friend came to take pictures of the scene on Friday. He said the cell tower technician was the sweetest man. He said they grew up together, and he can't believe what happened to his friend. The man said Furr's parents can barely talk about the incident, and all of those he touched are just trying to piece together what happened behind the Sprint tower's gate. Furr was in the cell tower maintenance building behind a fence in the wee hours of Thursday. He was on a service call for AFL Network Services when someone called 911 and reported they saw a suspicious vehicle at the site. The caller also claimed there were two people with the truck and he had asked them to leave. That vehicle was Furr's work truck. The attorney said his truck was marked with the company's logo, and Furr was wearing a company uniform. He was also alone. While Furr was working, three Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officers responded to the 911 call. Officer Anthony Payne looked through the maintenance building doorway and saw the man, authorities said. Payne said he identified himself and told Furr not to move, but Furr, he said, reached behind his back and pulled out a handgun. Officers said Furr was told to put down his gun, but refused and instead raised it in the direction of the officer and walked toward him. After refusing the officer's commands, Payne fired three shots, killing Furr, authorities said. Police said Furr dropped his weapon when he was shot and they found the gun next to his body. The Furrs' attorney said that the man carried a .32-caliber for his protection when he worked at night. An internal affairs investigation into the shooting is currently underway, but the department has not requested the State Bureau of Investigation get involved because the CMPD has its own investigations unit. Police Spokesman Keith Bridges said the department has never asked the SBI to investigate any officer-involved shooting.

Sunday, July 30, 2006 — The people of Oakboro will soon forget the televised 10-second sound bites and the telephoto shots of mourners as they filed out of church last Saturday. But, the members of First Baptist Church, the West Stanly Players, neighbors, friends and family as well as anyone who knew him will never forget the life, the service to our community and the influence of Wayne Furr. His legacy, carefully shaped by Christian parents, now passed down to his children, Ryan and Emily, will live eternally and bear much fruit. Perhaps the greater tribute to Furr is not found in words. I think it was expressed in the hundreds of concerned, shocked and heartbroken friends who rushed to his home to embrace his children, provide for their immediate needs and be available to them, just as he had done so many times in their lives. These were joined by hundreds more at the funeral home, many just offering a silent handshake or warm embrace, providing more comfort to the family than any eulogy or predictable words of sympathy. Silent testimonies of the lasting influence of Furr were experienced last Saturday at his memorial service as people first filled the sanctuary, then the vestibule, the hallways, the basement and at last the front porch of the church. These gathered, not seeking explanations for why he was taken from us so soon, but to support the Furr family and to hear again the promises and hope found in the word of God. Furr was a builder. He was skillful as an electrician, a plumber, a framer and a brick mason. What set him apart from others was his willingness to use those gifts in service to others. He spent untold hours constructing the sets for the West Stanly Players to use in their performances. Most recently he built a permanent soundroom in the West Stanly auditorium. He also volunteered his time and skills constructing the sets for the musicals at First Baptist Church. Just this year he participated in a disaster recovery mission trip in Atlantic Beach, at his own expense, with our Baptist men. Last May he volunteered to go on our next disaster recovery mission trip. Furr not only built material things, he also built a spiritual life. He was a faithful church member, attending not only on Sunday mornings, where he served as an usher, but on Wednesday nights for prayer and Bible study as well. He sat near the back and you would often find little children with him. He was a gentle and kind man, the sort of person that would make a great deacon. He also built a family. He loved his children and worked hard to provide for their future. Emily is also a member of our church, and I will have the privilege and honor of baptizing Ryan Sunday morning. Furr is rejoicing in heaven. Our loss is surely heaven’s gain. Our Lord has already given him his greatest tribute. May I share with you what He said to him? “Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” (Matthew 25:23) The above guest editorial was written by Dr. Terrell Watts, pastor of First Baptist Church of Oakboro, where Wayne Furr was a member.