| Notes |
- Rufus Lee Oliver
BIRTH 19 Mar 1930
Caldwell County, North Carolina, USA
DEATH 5 Apr 2004 (aged 74)
Caldwell County, North Carolina, USA
BURIAL
Blue Ridge Memorial Park
Lenoir, Caldwell County, North Carolina, USA
MEMORIAL ID 187024703
Rufus Lee Oliver was born on March 19, 1930, in Caldwell County, North Carolina, to James Rufus and Nellie Oliver (née Nelson). He was the seventh of 11 siblings.
Census records from this period show Rufus living in Rhodhiss, Lenoir, and Whitnel during the early years of his life.
On March 31, 1951, Rufus married Verla Mae Barrier, the daughter of Oliver and Ella Mae Barrier (née Hall) in Lenoir. The couple appear to move around the area until eventually settling down in Mooresville, North Carolina.
Rufus and Verla Mae would have five children between 1951 and 1974: Darlene, Darrell, Donna, Dana and Deric. And though he and Verla would remain together, Rufus also engaged in an extramarital relationship with a younger woman named Margaret Trivette, the daughter of Niley and Leona Trivette (née Atwood). Between 1958 and in 1964, Rufus fathered 4 children with Margaret: Connie, Pamela, Gregory, and Jeffery. Rufus would go on to spend periods of time with Margaret and their children into the 1990s, evidenced by home movies and photographs.
By trade, Rufus engaged in a career as a truck driver, traveling the country. He was often found smoking a cigar with a handkerchief in his lap behind the wheel of his Buick sedan.
In 2004, Rufus was planning a road trip to the Grand Canyon, but sadly, was never able to embark on that trip. Rufus died on April 5, in Caldwell County, after a head-on collision with another vehicle. The accident also claimed the life of his sister Cecilia. Verla, as well as Celia's son Larry, were also injured. Rufus was interred in Blue Ridge Memorial Park on April 10, 2004.
Family Members
|
1930 - 2004 (74 years)
