Ralph William Belk Sr.

Mr. Ralph William Belk, Sr., 81, of Charlotte, NC passed away peacefully on November 24, 2012 after a brief illness. He was born in Van Wyck, South Carolina on October 2, 1931 to the late Kathleen Bates Belk and the late Henry Craig Belk, Sr.

Mr. Belk is survived by his son, Ralph William Belk, Jr. (Mary); his daughter, Lee Ellen Turnbull (Jeff); his grandchildren, Ralph William Belk, III, Hillary Angela Belk, Alexandra Victoria Belk, Chase Gardner Belk, Ian Hamilton Turnbull and Lucas Jefferson Turnbull; and numerous nephews, nieces, grand-nephews and grand-nieces. He was preceded in death by his wife of 63 years, Nettie Jewel Funderburk Belk, his sister, Mary Belk Long and his brother, Henry Craig Belk, Jr.

What you need to know about Mr. Belk is that he was a fighter and overcame many obstacles in his life. He was stricken with polio as a young boy, and the doctor said he would never walk again. He did. He dropped out of school in the eighth grade and was told that he would never amount to anything. He became a successful and well-respected business man. In his later years he battled diabetes, back problems, heart disease and lung disease; yet he stayed strong enough to care for his beloved wife through her three-year journey with Alzheimer’s disease.

Shortly after Mr. and Mrs. Belk were married in July of 1949, they moved to Charlotte. At the young age of 17 Mr. Belk began his career with J.B. Ivey & Company. He remained there for 20 years before leaving to establish his own business – Belk Printing. Even in his wildest dreams he would never have imagined how large his business would grow and how many people it would impact in its 40+ years of existence. Mrs. Belk left her own career at Mill Power Supply Company to join him at Belk Printing, and together they handed the business over to their two children in the early nineties. He made Belk Printing a special place that reflected his personal traits of working hard, treating people fairly and operating with integrity.

Mr. Belk will be deeply missed by his family, his friends and all the other people that he touched in his lifetime.

The family wishes to express its gratitude to all the nurses, doctors and staff in the Critical Care Unit at Mercy Hospital on Vail Avenue for their care and support during Mr. Belk’s final week. In addition, we wish to tell Dr. Peter Copsis thank you for years of care for both Mr. and Mrs. Belk. They were blessed to have you as their doctor and their friend.

In lieu of flowers the family requests that memorials be made to Memorial United Methodist Church, 4012 Central Avenue, Charlotte, NC 28205 or The PICA Foundation, P.O. Box 19488, Charlotte, NC 28219-9488.

The family will receive friends from 6:00-8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 28th, at Harry & Bryant Co., 500 Providence Road, Charlotte.

A service to celebrate his life will be held on Thursday, November 29th, at 11:00 a.m. at Memorial United Methodist Church, 4012 Central Avenue, Charlotte. Interment will follow the service at Sharon Memorial Park.

Condolences may be offered at www.HarryandBryantFuneralHome.com.