Reece Alexander Kluttz

Reece Alexander Kluttz, 91, of Mt. Pleasant, died Sunday, July 17, 2016, at the Lutheran Home at Trinity Oaks in Salisbury, NC, following a short period of declining health. A celebration of Reece’s life will begin at 4 p.m. Thursday, July 21, at Cross of Christ Lutheran Church, 4500 Rimer Road, Concord, where he was a life-long member. The Rev. Rafe Allison will officiate, and burial will follow in the church cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Gordon Funeral Home, 8559 Cook Street, Mt. Pleasant. A Cabarrus County native, Reece was born on Sept. 12, 1924, to the late James Alexander Kluttz and Hattie Hartman Kluttz. He was predeceased by his wife of 44 years, Janie Safrit Kluttz, who died in 1988; a brother, J.T. Kluttz; and three sisters, Mary Lee Burwell, Eunice Funderburk and Helen Troutman. Reece graduated from Mt. Pleasant High School in 1943 with a work ethic that served him all of his days in a carpentry and building career that spanned nearly 70 years. He honed his skills in the carpentry shop at Cannon Mills in Kannapolis and learned masonry there under the tutelage and mentorship of skilled masons. As co-owner of Kluttz and Honeycutt Builders, he developed a reputation for quality residential construction throughout Cabarrus County. His meticulous attention to detail was legendary, and his respect for and use of quality materials was unparalleled. He excelled equally in carpentry and masonry and always beamed when homeowners thanked him—sometimes decades later—for the quality construction that stood the test of time. In “retirement”, he put his master carpentry skills to work for Miller Lumber Co. of Mt. Pleasant from 1984 to 2010. Although he officially hung up his hammer and nail apron six years ago and had daily routines of people and places to visit, he would tell his daughters in nightly phone calls that he’d done nothing that day because, “Well, I didn’t work.” He enjoyed vegetable gardening, especially a patch of greens after first frost and Silver Queen corn in early summer. Just weeks ago he was sharing the bounty of the first ears with friends and family. A life-long outdoorsman, he enjoyed outwitting wildlife when hunting on family land in Rockwell. For more than 25 years, he delighted in fishing trips near Ocracoke, where he became fast friends with a group of locals and was honored in February with a Hog Island Gang gathering where they reminisced about all the fish that got away. Although never a member of a local Rotary club, Reece was nominated for and recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow, a coveted distinction awarded by Rotary International for service to others. Reece is survived by three daughters and their spouses, Brenda K. Canup (Johnny) of Kinston, Pamela K. Crowell (Mike) and Joy K. Fisher (John), all of Granite Quarry; two grandsons, John Jacob Fisher and Hunter Alexander Fisher, and fiancé, Alexandra Minor; a granddaughter, Mallison Jane Fisher; a great granddaughter, Caroline Reece Peeler Fisher; a step-granddaughter, Susan C. Beatty (Rob); a step-great grandson, Eason Michael Beatty; and a special sister-in-law, Alma S. Blackwelder whom he adored. Contributions in Reece’s memory may be directed to the Cross of Christ Cemetery Fund, 4500 Rimer Road, Concord, NC, 28025.