J.S. Fletcher

J.S. Fletcher, “Fletch,” went to his heavenly home June 19, 2023, with his loving wife, Kathy Newbern, and beloved friend, Stella Shelton, by his side, peacefully ending his ongoing battle with cancer. He was indeed a fighter.

A native of Ohio, he was a 1968 graduate of Yorkville High School, where he was an outstanding football player and scholar. He received his Masters degree in 1978 from Bowling Green State University, where he taught two years as a graduate assistant in English. He lived in Milford, OH, where he taught middle school for four years and worked for Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel during summers and school breaks.

Both Bingo lovers, Fletcher and his sister, Jodee Vostatek (now deceased), shared a close relationship.

A poet and a writer, Fletcher also produced comedy shows after moving to the NC Outer Banks.

Most importantly, he met the love of his life while living in Dare County where he and Kathy eventually married in 1994 against an ocean backdrop. Fletcher loved to play in the water, swim, scuba dive and snorkel.

At the coast, they took a leap of faith to create a new literary genre and start their publishing business, YourNovel.com, which they continued after moving to Raleigh in 1996.

Their personalized romance adventure novel business, has successfully celebrated thousands of couples’ love for each other for 31 years, earning news coverage on national and regional media.

Simultaneously, they began their long career in award-winning travel writing and photography. Ultimately their joint occupations took them to 76 countries, all seven continents, and aboard 81 cruises.

Fletcher and Kathy specialized in covering romantic destinations (no shocker there), high-end luxury properties, spas and cruising. What they saw and did in their travel writing served as inspiration for the 25 books they created as “Fletcher Newbern” for YourNovel.com. The company brought on other writers resulting in 50+ books and ebooks in the company’s lineup. Fletcher especially enjoyed encouraging, coaching and editing their contributions.

Everyone who knows Fletcher and Kathy will tell you that theirs was a love affair for the ages, a shining example of maintaining romance for the duration of their relationship.

Their mantra: “Every day is a honeymoon if you make it one.”

Please note: The Celebration of Life service will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina, 1924 Capital Blvd., Raleigh, NC 27604