Ian Machent

Ian Machent of Advance NC passed away on Saturday, December 9, 2023, at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Hospital. He was born January 30, 1944, in Chesterfield, England to Frederick William and Mabel Annie Brocklehurst Machent. At a very young age Ian sang in the Crooked Spire Choir. Ian was very athletic, playing cricket for Derbyshire when a teenager; football for Chesterfield and Boston Utd. Later in life he took up badminton (Derbys team player), golf and squash. In his teens he worked for Chesterfield Tube Works from school at age 15. When going for a sports company interview, he chatted to a man in a bar who offered him a job in the steel industry. He was next headhunted by Halstammer Steel a Swedish company. This company merged with an American Company and became Earle M Jorgensen Company. He was working in the UK and traveling. In 2006 Ian was instrumental in the formation of the ABS and again in 2013 in the formation of ICD Alloys and metals.  He retired from ICD Alloys in December 2022. His passion for competition, business and sports were on show every day in the way he lived his life. Ian married his loving wife, Kathleen on October 4, 2003, in Hilton Head, SC, one of his favorite places to visit. Ian enjoyed traveling the world with his wife, not many places he didn’t visit. Ian made many trips back to the UK to spend time with his children and grandchildren and always made sure they were well looked after. He followed Chesterfield Football Club and made the regular phone calls on a Saturday to discuss the game with Jonathan and tell him how rubbish they were and questioned why he was still going to watch them.  He had a passion for golf and entertaining his many friends and sharing an amazing English humor (A good crack.) Ian was a very generous person, putting other people before himself. One of Ian’s quotes “we are all equal, we all use the same gas station and same grocery store, Title is nothing”.

He leaves behind to cherish his memories, his loving wife, Kathleen Nixon Machent, a son Jonathan and wife Amanda, a daughter, Danielle Machent Brown and husband Steven, grandchildren, Jessica Annie Machent, Bradley Daryl Machent, Joseph William Machent and one precious great-grandchild, Jax Thomas Hill, all of England. Also surviving are his father and mother-in-law, William Earl and Aby Godfrey Nixon, brothers-in-law, Ronnie, Michael (Amy), William (Robin) Nixon, sister-in-law, Terri Nixon Britton (Paul), all of Edenton, NC.  Also, to cherish his memory are many nieces and nephews from Edenton NC and many good friends from America and United Kingdom.

Ian was preceded in death by his parents and a brother Brian Machent.

A memorial service will be held on Thursday, December 14, 2023, at 1:00 pm at Bethlehem Methodist Church, 321 Redland Road, Advance, NC 27006, with Pastor Noah La Coursiere officiating. The family will receive friends at Bermuda Run West following the service for an English Tea to celebrate Ian’s life. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to the Davie High School Men’s Golf Team, at 180 War Eagle Drive Mocksville NC 27028.