Margaret Iona Lingerfelt Bumgarner, 77, of Connelly Springs, passed away on Friday, July 10, 2026, at Catawba Valley Medical Center after a period of declining health.
Mrs. Bumgarner was born Jan. 13, 1949, in Burke County, a daughter of the late Zinnie and Eula Smith Lingerfelt.
Margaret’s dedication to her family and friends was a lifelong inspiration to us all. She loved well, encouraged well, lived life on her own terms, and ended well. She was greatly loved and will be greatly missed.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Mack A. Bumgarner Sr.; a son, Mark Allen Bumgarner; daughter, Debra Dianne Pitts; and siblings, the Rev. Jerry Lingerfelt, Joanne Stephens, Lois Johnson, Faye Zimmerman, and James Lingerfelt.
Those left to cherish her memory are her daughter, Rachel Huffman and husband, Doug, of Morganton; son, Mack A. Bumgarner Jr. and wife, Kimberly, of the home; and brother, Harold Lingerfelt, of Long View. Also surviving are the apples of her eye, her grandchildren, Jessica Dale (Chris), Nikki Bumgarner (Chris Ashley), Kacey Tallent (Josh), Kendell Huffman (Red), Kelsey Little and Destiny Horton (Drew); great-grandchildren, Cloie Williamson, Jordon Ashley, Lukas Tallent, Oaklee Huffman, Kamron Horton, Ivy Horton, Jayda Ashley, Cooper Ashley, Leland Huffman, and Levi Huffman; and a number of nieces and nephews.
A service of remembrance will be held at 5 p.m. Saturday, July 18, 2026, in the chapel of Heritage Funeral Service, Valdese, with the Rev. Derek Lingerfelt officiating.
The family will receive friends from 4-5 p.m. Saturday at Heritage Funeral Service, Valdese.
The family would like to thank Kimberly Bumgarner at this time for her loving dedication to our Mama. Her constant care and selflessness made it possible for other family members to have a semblance of normalcy in Mama’s period of declining health. She is appreciated and loved. A special thank you as well to the Rev. and Mrs. Derek Lingerfelt, who diligently and lovingly walked with us and met our emotional and spiritual needs. We are grateful for you both.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.