Iris Langston Hand

Iris Langston Hand, 90, died Saturday, April 20, 2013, in The Heritage of Raleigh. Mrs. Hand was born in Gates County on April 30, 1922, and was the seventh of 12 children born to Malcolm Eugene and Ruth Edney Langston. She attended East Carolina University and later graduated from Johnson and Johnson Business School in Norfolk, VA. In September of 1943, she married Commander LeRoy Hand, Jr. of Gatesville. Upon completion of his schooling at Wake Forest University and Bowman Gray School of Medicine, she and LeRoy settled in Gatesville where he served as physician, and she served as the bookkeeper and office manager of the Gates Medical Clinic for 25 years. They then relocated to Camden, where she continued her career serving for 13 years until retirement as the accountant for Albemarle Emergency Associates, PA, a hospital physicians' group, headed by her husband. Dr. Hand, her husband of 62 years, died in December of 2005, and in 2009, Mrs. Hand moved to The Heritage in Raleigh to be closer to her family. Strong in her faith, Iris Hand was a member of Gatesville United Methodist Church and later transferred her membership to Camden United Methodist Church. She volunteered her time to both choirs and numerous church committees. As an active member in the United Methodist Women organizations, she served several terms as president of both the Gatesville and Camden groups, and as treasurer of the Elizabeth City District for United Methodist Women. In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by her son, Commander LeRoy Corbett Hand, III, her son-in-law, Dr. Bobby Robertson, six sisters, Evelyn Whiteside, Mollie Allen, Kathleen Goodman, Genevie Langston, Dorothy Ennis, and Mildred Bergelin, and by four brothers, George, Thomas, Edney, and Eugene Langston, all of whom she dearly loved. Surviving are her daughter and son-in-law, Dr. Robert and Linda Hatcher of Durham/Raleigh, her daughter, Mrs. June H. Robertson of Virginia Beach, her daughter and son-in-law, Mr. David and Tara Ruberg of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, son, Mr. Ted Hand of Charlotte, and son, Mr. Dean S. Hand of Raleigh. She is also survived by a brother and sister-in-law, Malcolm and Margaret Langston, and in-laws, Vera Langston, Bill and Irene Goodman, and Dorothy Wagoner. In addition she is survived by 10 grandchildren, April Hand, Lee Hand (Sonya), Katie Hickerson (Adam), Hannah Hatcher, Rob Hatcher, Carson Grass, Molly Hand, T.J. Hand, Logan Hand, and Sydney Hand, seven great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be held Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. in Gatesville United Methodist Church by the Revs. David Moehring and Steven Hall. Burial will follow in the Gatesville Cemetery, with Miller Funeral Home, 304 Main Street, Gatesville, handling arrangements. In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to either the Gatesville or Camden United Methodist Churches. Online condolences may be made by visiting www.millerfhc.com.