Braxton "Rusty" Smith Oliver II

Braxton “Rusty” Smith Oliver II

Kinston

Braxton “Rusty” Smith Oliver II, 77, of Kinston, North Carolina passed away peacefully on April 25, 2020 at Kitty Askins Hospice Center in Goldsboro, North Carolina.

Beloved by all who knew him, Braxton has returned home to the Lord he has served so devotedly in mortality.

He is preceded in death by his parents, and his sister Sherry Oliver Cobb.

Braxton was born on March 25, 1943 in Fayetteville, North Carolina, to Braxton Smith Oliver I and Florence Croom Oliver.  He grew up in New Bern, North Carolina.  He attended East Carolina University earning exceptional honors and was later accepted at North Carolina State University majoring in business.  Shortly after graduating college, he was drafted into the Army but chose to join the Navy, he first served duties on the USS Merriville out of California and then served in the Vietnam War as an E-5 Quartermaster.  He served as a Navigator on the USS Hopewell Battleship.

After serving his country, he accepted a supervisory position with Ryder Rental Transportation Company which allowed him to travel extensively.  During that time, he married and had two sons.  The marriage ended after 13 years and he relocated to New Bern, NC and worked at Lowe’s for a while and later became an independent insurance agent working out of his home.

He was a very active member of the First Presbyterian Church in New Bern, NC for several years and on September 15, 2012, he became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints – New Bern Ward and was ordained to the Melchizedek Priesthood November 17, 2013 by Joseph Fielding Sparrow and thus became an Elder and served as a ministering priesthood holder assigned monthly to visit families of the Ward and served in the community when needed.  His ministry associate was Brother Chuck Brown.  He also served as a Family History Consultant.  He attended the North Carolina Raleigh Temple regularly and was also an avid reader and researcher.

He was a member of the Heritage Genealogical Society and had the privilege of writing a Civil War story that was published in the Albemarle Museum of which he received recognition.  He also had the opportunity to write a story about Bear Marsh Missionary Baptist Church located on Beautancus Road in Duplin County, North Carolina of which a relative, Francis Oliver (1740-1808) served as a Minister and it was published in the Duplin County Heritage Book.

As a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints who had an unshakable testimony and an unwavering moral compass.  The righteous example he set, the service he rendered and the love he gave are a legacy that his children and family will remember and always cherish.

Upon his health declining with Parkinson’s Dementia, he became a resident at the North Carolina State Veteran’s Home in Kinston, NC from May 31, 2018 until April 7, 2020.

He is survived by his two sons, Jason Alexander Oliver and wife, Andrea and Jordan Andrew Oliver of Western North Carolina, step-mother, Mavis Guthrie Oliver of Havelock, NC, aunts, Gretta Oliver Givens of Thompson Station, TN and Jane Oliver of Suffolk, VA and a devoted cousin & caregiver Ramona Jenkins of Kinston, NC.

Graveside services will be held Saturday, May 2, 2020, at 2:00 p.m. at Maxwell Cemetery.  Services will be conducted by the Elders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  Attendees need to meet at the Pink Hill Funeral Home located at 1056 NC Hwy. 11, Pink Hill, NC 28572 about 1:30 p.m. for processional line to the cemetery.  Off of Hwy. 11 South onto Quinn Sawmill Road the Maxwell Cemetery is located on C. C. Turner Road 0.2 miles from Seth Turner Road, Albertson, NC 28508

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