Wayne County NcArchives Obituaries.....Sasser, Asa Lafayette February 17, 1908
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Dorothy Lou T Walker skywalk1@embarqmail.com May 18, 2009, 3:53 pm

Unknown newspaper clipping
IN MEMORIAM OF A. L. SASSER
     Asa Lafayette Sasser was born in what is now Fork Township. Wayne county, 
77 years ago, and lived and died within one-half mile of where he was born.  
He came of a sturdy ancestry whose greatest ambition was to be honest and 
upright before God and man.  The subject of this sketch was like minded – 
never had any political aspirations to gratify and through frequently 
solicited by his friends to become a candidate for political honors he 
steadfastly refused until when those in authority had well night ruined the 
county with debt he then consented to run for Commissioner and was elected by 
a handsome majority, and in this capacity he astonished his most intimate 
friends by his wide knowledge of things, his tact and ability.  After serving 
his people until they were free he retired from office with their plaudits, 
preferring the life of a private citizen, yet manifesting a lively interest in 
their welfare at all times.  In 1856 he was happily married to Miss Bettie 
Holt, daughter of Wiley Holt, of Johnston county.  To this union were born 
nine children, six of whom with the widow survive the husband and father.
     The deceased was for many years a member of the Methodist church at Old 
Ebenezer, in Fork Township, but when the Methodist built a church at Pine 
Forest, near his home, he became a charter member there.  His son, Rev. W. D. 
Sasser, (a former pupil of mine), preached the dedicatory sermon, by accident, 
I happened to be present, and I shall never forget how the face of that father 
in Israel beamed with joy as he listened to the words of life as they dropped 
from the lips of the man of God in the person of his own child.  For two years 
I was a sojourner under the roof of this good man.  He was a friend of my 
young manhood and his life was an inspiration.  The home life was exceedingly 
beautiful, and while everything was well ordered, there was nothing harsh.  
Parent and child were companions.  Fayette may have grown old in years but 
never in spirit.  He loved the company of young people and often took part in 
their pasttimes and pleasures.  He was of a philosophic turn of mind and one 
of his standing maxims was, “It is always well to let well enough alone.”
     He was a beacon light and a blessing to his community.  He was liberal to 
a fault and nothing gave him more pleasure than to relieve the suffering of 
comfort the distressed and no one except his God will ever know the alms he 
has distributed.
     He was far from Phorisaic, he never boasted of his good deeds; he did 
them because he loved God and man; he kept the law because he loved the law, 
both sacred and profane.  He abhorred sham, boasting or flattery; he was 
plainly honest and frankly candid, and his life stood out in plain relief 
before all men.  In him was personified the “State’s Motto”; “To Be rather 
than to seem to be,” and no more fitting epitaph could be selected for his 
tomb than
                  “Esse Quam Videri.”
     He laid no claims to greatness, yet he was one of the Lord’s noblemen, 
and honest man and raised a large family of children to manhood and womanhood, 
and not one is an idler or a drone; all serving their day and generation in 
some useful profession or vocation and each one standing in the from ranks in 
his chosen calling.  What a rich legacy to leave to the world!  This is true 
greatness.  The memory of Fayette Sasser will linger in the minds of that 
community for generations.  He met death as he had lived, calmly and 
philosophically.  It was not a leap in the dark to him; he had long since 
learned the road and was not afraid to meet his Lord.
     He fell on sleep the 17th day of February, 1908.  The bereaved widow and 
sorrowing children have my tenderest sympathies.  I, too, am stricken.  I have 
lost a friend.
          A father in Israel has fallen.
          A tear to his memory!
          Peace to his ashes!
                                          W. S. Stevens
Smithfield, N. C., Feb. 22, 1908


Additional Comments:
Clipping from the files of Virginia Tate Alexander [great granddaughter] of 
Asa Lafayette Sasser.

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/wayne/obits/s/sasser2581gob.txt

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