Jones: Norgie Hester was a ‘Bladen County treasure’

The visitation line inside the Fellowship Hall was long and every seat was taken Friday afternoon inside Wesley’s Chapel Church.

Folks had come to this place of worship located off Old Peanut Road just outside of Elizabethtown on a beautiful sunny afternoon to bid farewell to Norwood “Norgie” Allen Hester Jr.

He was, as Pastor Jonathan Hayes said during a Celebration of Life, a “Bladen County treasure.”

The 86-year-old Bladen County native died Tuesday, Jan. 6 in a vehicle accident near his home beside Vineyard Golf at White Lake.

Norgie loved to play golf. His bag and clubs were prominently displayed at the front of the church and golf balls fittingly adorned a flower arrangement.

Whether it was known as White Lake Golf Course, Carolina Sands or Vineyard Golf at White Lake, Norgie often could be found teeing it up at his home course. He recorded his ninth hole-in-one in November 2024, using a driver on the par-3 16th hole at Vineyard.

Dr. Dave Allen, Chares DeVane, Lenon Fisher, Bobby Gooden, Ebbie Clark and Emery White were among Norgie’s many golfing partners on hand Friday to pay their final respects. Long time loyal friend Robert G. Hester, the founder of the former online news site Bladen Online, also was there as were several other friends too numerous to mention.

Norgie Hester could be funny, fun-loving, sarcastic, witty and wise within the same conversation. He would pull your leg with an off-the-wall question or comment, but would be there to pull you up when you needed it.

Once you met Norgie you had a friend for life. Maybe you saw him often. Maybe, like me, you only chatted occasionally. Either way, it always was uplifting because you could tell he was a man who enjoyed his life.

However — there’s always a however when remembering a friend in death — Norgie, like all of us, could be frustrating and irritating, especially when it was payday. When I spent a few months in 1979 covering sports for the newspaper Norgie founded, The Southeastern Times, I didn’t look forward to the monthly visit to his office to receive my check. The part-time gig paid a whopping $200 per month. Maybe that was a lot of money back then, but Norgie made it feel like I was asking for $20,000 each month.

We would chat for a few minutes. I’d have to ask about the check. He would hem and haw. We would chat for a few minutes. I’d have to ask about the check. He would hem and haw. It was like using Head & Shoulders shampoo in the shower: rinse and repeat.

Norgie knew he was going to pay, but he wanted to push my button a bit. It worked. When I walked out of The Southeastern Times each month with that $200 check I felt like I had finally worn him down and forced him to sign.

Above all else, Norgie Hester loved Bladen County and loved calling our little corner of the world home. He played a major role in marketing Bladen County Hospital and, most likely, did many, many things behind the scenes to help his community and serve the people who live here. He was a board member with Bladen We Care, the local philanthropic organization that has helped thousands of Bladen folks in need for more than 30 years.

Norgie leaves behind his wife, Sherry, children Scott Hinson and wife Nicole, Karen Pope and husband Michael, Beverly Hardee and husband Jim and Christie Gower and husband Todd, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Pastor Jonathan Hayes said it best. Norgie Hester was a “Bladen County treasure.” He will be missed by all of us.