[June 03, 2011] Cole had a 'big heart' for his hometown Tweet Jun 02, 2011 (Bladen Journal - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- ELIZABETHTOWN -- Willis "Hunter" Cole Jr., known to his friends and family as simply Hunter, had a vision for his hometown. His vision was to make the town of Elizabethtown as beautiful as possible. He set about doing just that when he purchased the Fowler-Simmons department store building. He remodeled and subdivided it, said longtime friend attorney Goldston Womble. Cole had great success in placing several small businesses in the newly subdivided area. "He was instrumental in getting Jack Cross to go into his building (the former Bladen Hardware Store) and subdivide his area and put in various small business," said Womble. "He made a difference in the downtown." Cole didn't stop with just subdividing his building and helping others with their floor plans. He had business interests in several outdoor advertising companies. "Hunter was one of the first ones to come up with the idea of putting in awnings on the buildings downtown," said Womble. He added Cole also talked with the business owners about removing the newer facades and remodeling the buildings in downtown to restore their original fronts. Womble said you could describe to Cole what you wanted to do to a building and he could sketch out the design on a piece of paper for you to see. "He's always been a good will ambassador for Elizabethtown," said Womble. Elizabethtown Mayor Sylvia Campbell said, "He was a big dreamer. He was very forward thinking." She added Cole took on his very own version of a revitalization program when he convinced business owners to refurbish their buildings as he remodeled his own buildings. Cole's daughter, Kitty Nye, shared her thoughts about her father. In the downtown Elizabethtown area, Cole owned several businesses including Cole's Feed and Seed and a grocery store. "Dad sold sandwiches out of the one of little stores (in the downtown) when he was a teenager," said Nye. Outdoor advertising and sales were his passion where his ability to visualize how the finished product should look shone. According to Nye, he owned Cole Outdoor advertising and was a partner in Southern Outdoor Advertising before becoming a partner in Prismaflex. He also for a period of time he owned his own seafood business. "He loved business, he loved to sell, and he loved outdoor advertising," said Nye. She added her father would be so pleased with the end results of today's revitalization project in downtown Elizabethtown which is in the finishing stages. "The downtown revitalization was very important to him," said Nye. Family was also something of great importance to Cole. Every year for many years, he hosted the Cole family reunion. His son, Hunt Cole, painted the mural of Bladen County astronaut Curtis Brown which is found the wall of Kinlaw Furniture and Appliance. Cole was a veteran with service in the U.S. Army in Germany in the A.S.A. Alpiners and he was also a graduate of Elizabethtown High School and attended Duke University where he played football. He is survived by his four children, Willis Hunter Cole III and wife, Sandy, of Elizabethtown, Allan Hunter Cole of Denver, Co., Kitty Cole Nye and husband, Eddie, of Elizabethtown, and Lee Alexander Cole and wife, Elizabeth, of Elizabethtown; a brother-in-law, Bill Fisher of Elizabethtown; ten grandchildren, Meredith, Nathan, Benjamin, Will IV, Cole, Christopher, Kathryn, Samuel, Hannah and Collin, and many close relatives and dear friends, especially Emily and Tom Roberson. Services are today (Friday, June 3) at 11 a.m. at the Elizabethtown Baptist Church Christian Activities Center with the Rev. Chris Carroll officiating. Memorials may be made to Harrells Christian Academy, P. O. Box 88, Harrells, NC 28444 or N.C. Baptist Men, Disaster Relief Fund, P. O. Box 1107, Cary, N.C. 27512. To see more of the Bladen Journal, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.bladenjournal.com/. Copyright (c) 2011, Bladen Journal, Elizabethtown, N.C. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]