SYLVA – Cecil Doc Queen, age 85, passed away on Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022. Cecil was born in Whittier and later moved to Detroit, Mich. in the early 1950s where he married his sweetheart Julia and began his family. Cecil moved back to North Carolina in 1982. He was the son of the late Cecil Glen Queen of Swain County and the late Annie Mae Ward of Jackson County.
In addition to his parents, Cecil was preceded in death by his wife, Julia Lee Queen who he was married to for 66 years; his youngest son, Steven Queen of Jackson County; and his half-sister Shirley Settelmeyer of New Mexico.
Cecil is survived by his only daughter, Julia Ann Queen of Sylva; his two sons, Cecil Ray Queen (Cyndi) of Michigan, and Timothy Lee Queen of Florida; along with his grandchildren, Jennifer Ann Queen (George), Kelly Marie (Queen) Clark (Mark), Atreyu Edward Queen, Trevor Ray Queen, Cecil Queen, Jillian (Queen) Brigham, Keaton Ford; two great granddaughters, Gracyn and Alleighya; and one great grandson, Brendan. He is also survived by his stepsister, Kathy Matthews of Jackson County.
In the early 1980s Cecil founded the Yellowhill Judo Club in Cherokee. Cecil was the sensei and spent most of his free time coaching people of all ages the sport of judo. Cecil played a pivotal role in establishing the Waynesville Judo Club. Cecil began his love for judo in Detroit, Michigan where he was a lifelong member of the Ko-Nan Yudanshakai Detroit Judo Club. Cecil received his formal training by the legendary John Osako. While competing in Detroit, he held the rank of 1st degree black belt and trained for the Olympics in the early 1960s. In 1996, the USJA inducted Cecil into the Hall of Fame, where he was named “Coach of the Year”. Cecil earned the rank of Roku Dan 6th degree blackbelt from USJA on Aug. 1, 1992. Cecil was also a certified USJA Senior Judo Rank Examiner.
Cecil was a prominent member of the Teamster Union in Detroit Michigan where he was friends with many famous and influential people. He owned multiple businesses in the Detroit area, two of which were well known as Industrial Catering, and Queen’s Catering.
Cecil was a Ford Master Certified top salesman for Ken Wilson Ford in Canton for over 33 years. During his legendary career with Ford, he served as the Fourth Top Ranking Salesman in the entire nation. Cecil was also committed to not just selling automobiles as a job but building a lifelong trusting relationship with every person he met. Cecil was always joking and shared his love for jokes. He wanted everyone he encountered to be happy and made every attempt to share his love for happiness. In doing so he would mail jokes to everyone he knew just so he could spread happiness throughout the world.
Everyone who knew Cecil knew he was a one-of-a-kind man. He would do anything for anyone who needed help. He had a heart of gold and was the most kind, caring person you could ever meet. He was especially there for his family. He loved all animals especially his two miniature collies, Pepper and Lucky. Cecil loved traveling all throughout the United States and especially loved going on cruises with his wife, Julia. He lived a full life and enjoyed every minute of it. He was a member of the Qualla Chapel Weslayan Church in Cherokee.
For Cecil’s family, it was extremely hard to sum up in words how just remarkable of a man he was and the positive impact he made in all the communities he was involved with.
Due to COVID, no services are planned at this time.
The care of Mr. Queen has been entrusted to Wells Funeral Homes of Canton and an online memorial register is available at “Obituaries” at www.wellsfuneralhome.com