Clinton,
Boyce Keith Shoemaker, 72, of 306 E. Arrowhead Drive passed away
Thursday, July 4, 2024 in Oak Island surrounded by family.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, July 13th at 2:00 p.m. at First
Methodist Church in Clinton with Rev. Matt Seals officiating. Visitation
will be held at 1:00 p.m. in the sanctuary prior to the service. Interment
will be held Sunday, July 14th at 2 PM at Memorial Park Cemetery in
Salisbury, N.C.
Keith, born September 9, 1951 in Statesville, NC, was the son of the late
Boyce Turner Shoemaker and Willie Crouch Shoemaker. A native of
Statesville, Keith began working for Perdue Farms at the age of 15
picking up eggs in the brooder houses. When he turned 16, and could
drive, he was put in charge of his own catching crew. After graduation
from North Iredell high school, he was accepted into the Poultry Science
Department of N.C. State. Keith earned a B.S. in Poultry Science and
Economics, graduating in 1973. He was hired by Perdue Farms in
Salisbury, Maryland. He served as director of primary breeders, then as
vice president of Perdue Foods’ Food Service and Turkey Division and
later as executive vice president of total Perdue operations. In 1996, he
was hired by Carroll’s Foods in Warsaw, NC as vice president of turkey
operations. He was responsible for the integration of Butterball and
Carolina Turkeys, which formed the largest integrated turkey company
in the United States. At the time of his retirement in 2011, Keith was
serving as chief executive officer and president of Butterball, LLC. Keith
was the 2019 recipient of the NC State Distinguished Alumni Award for
the College of Agriculture and Life Science. He was currently a partner
in W.K.D., LLC, raising turkeys for Butterball.
Keith was a member of First Methodist Church of Clinton. He held
several roles at his church to include: past Chairman of the Board of
Trustees, past Chairman of the Finance Committee, serving on the Staff
Parrish Relations Committee, and Business Manager. He was a member
of the Ben Warrick Sunday School Class.
Survivors include: wife of 52 years, Janet Walker Shoemaker; children,
Brett Shoemaker (Erin) and Kimberly Jones (Casey); sister, Sherry Stone
(Mike); grandchildren, Caleb Shoemaker, Emeline Shoemaker, Indiana
Shoemaker, Grady Jones and Violet Jones; nephew, Christopher Stone;
niece, Shelton Metaxatos (Peter); and great-nephew, Louis Metaxatos.
Memorials may be made to First Methodist Church, 208 Sampson
Street, Clinton, NC 28328, the Boys & Girls Club of Wake County, 701
Raleigh Blvd., Raleigh, NC 27610, or on-line to the Carmen R. Parkhurst
Poultry Science Teaching and Scholarship Endowment at NCSU.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at
www.crumpler-honeycutt.com.