James McIlwaine Archer,'s Obituary
James McIlwaine “Sandy” Archer III passed away peacefully in the early morning hours of July 30th at his beloved Lake Norman home. Sandy was born in Charlotte, NC on January 18, 1935, the oldest son of the late James M. Archer Jr. and Dorothy White Archer.
Sandy was a graduate of the old Central High School, class of 1953, where he participated in football, basketball, and baseball. He graduated with a BS degree in business in 1957, from The University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, where he became and remained a life-long Tarheel. While attending UNC he was a member of the Chi Phi fraternity where he coached all sports as the Intramural Manager and was the Pledge Master. Sandy loved to retell the story of his freshman year, where he played catcher as a walk-on member of the baseball team. Throughout his life, Sandy was an extremely hardworking man determined to do his best. He was proud of the fact that each summer of college he sold Bibles in order to pay for his education.
After college Sandy served his country in The National Guard fulfilling six months of active duty. He continued to serve over the next seven years through attendance at weekly meetings and summer camps. Consequently, he was on call, ready to deploy during The Cuban Missile Crisis.
During this time, two significant events occurred. Sandy met and married his wife, Kay Cole Archer, and he began his career in sales at The National Cash Register Company (NCR) in Charlotte (1958-1961), being quickly promoted to Branch Manager in Hickory, NC (1961-1966). Sandy advanced to Cash Register Manager in 1967, and the family transferred to Bristol, Tennessee. Sandy and Kay consider their years in Bristol among their happiest because of the life-long friends they made and retain to this day. Sandy also enjoyed coaching Little League baseball in Bristol where his all-star team advanced to the regional finals at Newport News, Virginia.
In 1974, Sandy became the Retail Manager in the Charleston/Huntington, West Virginia territory. At that time, he was the only person to attain Century Point Club, an award that top salesmen receive for achieving outstanding sales quotas, every year of his twenty-year career. In Huntington, Sandy was a member of The Rotary Club.
In 1978, Sandy and other top NCR managers formed Century Data Systems, affording each the opportunity to return to their beloved NC hometown beginnings. During this time, he acquired Bojangles Chicken and Biscuits as a client and became familiar with their business. After almost thirty years in the cash register business, Sandy retired from sales in 1987 and formed his own company, K-Bo, Inc: his first Bojangles franchise, in Statesville, NC. He quickly expanded to eight throughout the southwestern Piedmont region of NC. The Lincolnton Bojangles was the top-grossing franchise in sales during Sandy’s time as owner. After cancer and a devastating stroke halted his career in 1995, he sold his business a year later.
With his family by his side, Sandy was able to spend his final years traveling. He especially enjoyed cruising to the Caribbean and to Europe with his wife, daughters, and grandchildren. His yearly trips to Myrtle Beach were especially fun, as he never turned down a good plate of oysters. Additionally, with his brother-in-law, daughter, and grandsons, Sandy was able to return to Kenan Stadium many times, where he could cheer for his Tarheels. While at home, Sandy used his downtime to indulge in his love of Major League Baseball, often loudly coaching The St. Louis Cardinals from his recliner.
A devout Christian, Sandy was a member and attended Pritchard Memorial Baptist Church throughout his childhood and young adulthood. He volunteered as a Sunday school teacher for young adults and served as a youth volunteer. After marriage, Sandy joined the United Methodist Church where he continued to serve in many capacities. Along with his wife, he was a youth group counselor at State Street United Methodist Church in Bristol, TN, and he served as Chairman of the Board at Johnston Memorial United Methodist Church in Huntington, WV.
Sandy will be greatly missed by those he leaves behind. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Kay Cole Archer; his daughters, Lysa Archer Craig and Kimberly Archer; son Kevin Archer and wife, Leslie; grandchildren, Marshall Cesena and wife, Allie; Brennan Cesena and wife, Lisa; Grayson Cesena, Hannah Archer, and Joe Archer; great grandchildren, Juliana, Oliver, and Brayden Cesena; step-grandchildren, Ben and Aaron Kane-Eames; brother, Ben Archer and his wife, Linda; brother-in-law, Steve Cole and his wife, Shirley. Surviving also are nieces, Amy Archer, Penny Taylor and husband, Todd; Cindy Travers and husband, Jeff; and Angela Markease and husband, Steve; cousins, David Archer and wife, Lissa. He was preceded in death by his parents and his beloved in-laws, E. Marion Cole and Lois Sherrill Cole.
His funeral service will be held at 11:00 am, Friday, August 3, at Mt. Zion United Methodist Church, 19600 Zion Ave. Cornelius, NC 28031. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service at the church. Entombment will be private for the family.
The family requests memorial donations to Hospice & Palliative Care Lake Norman at 705 Griffith Street, Suite 203, Davidson, NC 28036 and/or Mount Zion United Methodist Church, 19600 Zion Ave, Cornelius, NC 28031.
The family also wishes to express a special thank you to Hospice & Palliative Care of Lake Norman, Wendy O’Neal, and caregivers Tay and Evette.
James Funeral Home is serving the family.
What’s your fondest memory of James?
What’s a lesson you learned from James?
Share a story where James' kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with James you’ll never forget.
How did James make you smile?