Patricia Lynn Arcuri

WEAVERVILLE—Patricia Lynn Arcuri, born on August 18, 1950 in Goldsboro, NC, died at 1:10 p.m. on Friday, March 19, 2010 at the Solace Hospice Center in Asheville. She had been diagnosed with late stage bile duct cancer in January. She was predeceased by her parents, John Francis Arcuri of Fairmont, WV and Cynthia Florence ("Flo") Smith of Wayne County, NC. Pat was a civil trial lawyer for many years, beginning her career in Philadelphia after graduating from Rutgers School of Law-Camden in 1984. She worked as Associate Editor of the Rutgers Law Journal from 1983-1984. She relocated to Weaverville, NC; was admitted to the North Carolina Bar on April 10, 1987; and practiced law with a number of firms in the Asheville area. At the time of her illness, she worked at the law firm of Ball, Barden and Bell with attorneys Erv Ball and Tom Bell, and her assistant, Alli Estrada. She was a member of the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys and was approved by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to serve as attorney and counselor to the Cherokee Supreme Court and all lower courts in their system. Pat held a Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of Charleston in South Carolina. Previous to her career in law, she worked as Editor-in-Chief for the Arts Journal, a nonprofit publication providing the largest coverage of the arts for the southeastern region of the United States. A deeply cherished colleague and friend, Pat was known for her dry wit, sunny disposition, and "joie de vivre." She was a passionate, ethical, loyal and generous person who brought out the best in everyone she encountered. She was madly in love with her husband of 32 years, George Thomas Harrison, and leaves behind a beloved stepdaughter, Laura Harrison of E. Brunswick, NJ, and two dog children, Mica and Honey Kate. She is also survived by two sisters, Cynthia Arcuri Thacker of Charlottesville, VA, and Nancy Kay Arcuri of Weaverville, NC; mother-in-law Kaye Greenwell of Magnolia, NJ; aunt Allie Arcuri and uncle Reno Arcuri of Fairmont, WV; cousins George Joseph of Nahunta, NC and Barbara Phillips of Kinston, NC; nephews Christopher Thacker, Antonio Thacker and Rodolfo Salvatierra of Charlottesville, VA; nephews Wilfredo Thacker of Clayton, AL and Armando Thacker of Santa Cruz, Bolivia; nieces Lynne Thacker Villalobos of Charlottesville, VA and Kathryn Gray Curtis of Arden, NC; great nephew Kai Villalobos and great niece Maiah Villalobos; brothers-in-law Bruce Harrison of Magnolia, NJ, Thomas Harrison of Silver Spring, MD and John Thacker of Charlottesville, VA; extended family members Stacy Penney, Catherine Harrison, William Harrison, Renata Harrison, Thomas Harrison JR, Marty Steinberg, Donna Thacker, Matthew Curtis, Luis Villalobos, David Phillips, Cameron Phillips, Garrett Phillips, Grayson Phillips, Jackie Joseph, Susan Thacker, James Thacker; and many more cousins and beloved friends, including Marian Davis of Johnson City, TN and Wendy Fisher of Jamaica, Vermont. A memorial service is being held on Saturday, April 10, 2:30 p.m., at West Family Funeral Home in Weaverville, NC. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made in Pat's memory to Mission of Hope, Bolivia, P.O. Box 4001, Charlottesville, VA 22903, www.missionofhopebolivia.org. www.WestFamilyFuneralServices.com