Rutherford Weekly - Shelby NC
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1508162
Thursday, September 21-September 27, 2023 www.rutherfordweekly.com 828-248-1408 Rutherford Weekly - Page 15 6 DAY FORECAST RUTHERFORD COUNTY'S RUTHERFORD COUNTY'S For Up To The Minute Rutherford County Weather Go To rutherfordweekly.com 82 62 TUES SEPT 26 PARTLY CLOUDY THUR SEPT 21 76 59 FRI SEPT 22 SAT SEPT 23 72 60 SUN SEPT 24 75 60 80 61 MON SEPT 25 MOSTLY SUNNY PARTLY CLOUDY AM SHOWERS AM SHOWERS AM SHOWERS 80 58 ©Community First Media Community First Media www.duffi escopier.com www.duffi escopier.com 828-245-5116 828-245-5116 LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED FOR 50 YEARS LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED FOR 50 YEARS SUPPLIES EQUIPMENT SERVICE PRINTED MATERIALS 671 Oak St., Forest City, NC 28043 BUY LOCAL • SAVE YOUR HARD EARNED DOLL ARS! BUY LOCAL • SAVE YOUR HARD EARNED DOLL ARS! Black & White & Color Copies Many Sizes Low Cost Per Copy CALL US BEFORE YOU BUY ANYWHERE ELSE CALL US BEFORE YOU BUY ANYWHERE ELSE Rutherford County native Adam Baynard, 48, who lives in Greensboro, was recognized by some local residents recently when he appeared on TLC's reality show, "My Big Fat Fabulous Life" that aired for its fi rst show of the new season, Tuesday, Sept. 5. Baynard, who is a funeral director at Forbis and Dick Funeral Service in Greensboro, was not being paid as an actor on the reality show. Instead was on his "real" job as a funeral director and they were serving a family. "It was the real funeral," Baynard said. "When a family comes in here, they get a director. I was assigned to the family," Baynard said of his connection to the reality show. Baynard was assigned to Barbara (Babs) Thore's family to arrange her funeral service. She was the mother of the show's star Whitney Thore and she was also on the show. Mrs. Thore passed away in December 2022. Baynard explained that the family, after much discussion with the show's producers, decided to fi lm the funeral of Mrs. Thore that would be the premier show of the 2023 season in the event the show was renewed. At the time of Mrs. Thore's death producers didn't know if the show would be renewed. "Obviously we were planning a funeral, but I was nervous since it was a little bit different because it was going to be done in front of TV cameras," Baynard began. After the family and the show's producers discussed the possibility of fi lming the funeral, executive producers from Atlanta came to Greensboro to talk about the possibility of fi lming Mrs. Thore's funeral. In a meeting with a producer, Baynard said, "She explained exactly what they were looking for to a degree and told me, they wanted to make sure the integrity was not hurt and to preserve the dignity of the situation." After numerous communications between the producers, family and Baynard, the decision was made to fi lm the service. "The fi lming was over the course of two days with an evening visitation and the funeral service the following day. I was wearing a microphone on the second day of fi lming during the funeral service. The TV crew spent a week prepping the funeral home with wiring and lighting and all the other technical aspects to get ready for the show. I was honored to have been the funeral director to handle all this," Baynard said. "They seemed pleased with everything during the two day process," he said. "Although it was a reality TV show, it was the actual funeral and I was the funeral director. After the camera started rolling, I never paid attention to them," he said. He was at work doing what he had done for 30 years. Before and after the funeral, up through February, memorial gifts, cards and notes were sent to the funeral home for Mrs. Thore's family. Baynard grew up in Rutherford County and is a son of Vanessa Baynard and the late Marshall Baynard. He was a member of the fi rst R-S Central High School graduating class when the new school opened in the early 1990s. At age 11 while attending the funeral of his great- grandfather, Memory White, Baynard knew he wanted to work in the funeral service business. "I never waivered from that," he said. He worked in 1993 at Sunset Memorial Park, then Crowe's Mortuary, McMahan's. Adams moved to Concord in 2014 and later to Greensboro. He has been in the funeral service business 30 years and as a license director 25 years. He is a 1999 honor graduate of Fayetteville Technical Community College, where he was presented the President's Award. Over the years, Baynard has been involved in the North Carolina Funeral Directors Association, where he has served on the Board of Directors, several committees and has contributed articles to the association's funeral magazine, The Tar Heel Director. During his funeral service career, Baynard was selected to attend a Meet the Mentors program by the National Funeral Directors Association at the prestigious Harvard University Faculty Club in Boston. There attendees learned from three of the top funeral providers in the United States. He resides in Greensboro and in his free time enjoys spending time with his family, watching UNC Tar Heel sporting events, cooking and traveling. "I can look back on an almost 30 year career in funeral service and being on this show will probably be the pinnacle of my career showing fans of the show and people who know me what I enjoy doing and that's being a funeral director," Baynard said. He says he also misses seeing the people he grew up with and enjoys visits when he returns. He patronizes Smith's Drug store while in Forest City. Baynard's fi rst ever job as a 16-year-old teenager was working at Rutherford Weekly (then The Amazin' Shopper) "with Tommy, Pat and Jan", he said of the staff then. Article Provided By: Jean Gordon. Photos Contributed. Rutherford County native recognized on reality TV in "real job" as funeral director Rise please, Adam directs the congregation at Mrs. Thore's service. Television cameras inside the funeral home - not the average funeral. Adam leads the family into the service. Adam Baynard in the funeral parlor. Mayra Littman Advertising Representative mayra@cfmedia.info 704-472-7892 RUTHERFORD WEEKLY IS HERE FOR YOU! STRIVING TO HELP ALL BUSINESSES SUCCEED! If you're not sure what to do or how to advertise, give me a call or e-mail. Let's make an appointment and discuss ways we can help! 157 West Main Street, Forest City 828.248.1408 rutherfordweekly.com Digital & Print Ads Much More....Call TODAY!