Eason announces engagement to Gaston County Manager Rhoten

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent

Eason, left, and Rhoten announced their engagement last weekend. They will live in Cherryville, NC. Courtesy photo

LAWNDALE – Last weekend Caroline Eason, candidate for the 110 NC House of Representatives announced her engagement to Matthew Rhoten on social media.

Eason, a pharmacist, has been campaigning for the 110 seat since July of 2025.

In a statement to the Shelby Independent, she said this blessing was unexpected and she looks forward to all that the future holds.

“For years, I prayed for my future husband and asked the Lord to prepare me for him,” Eason said. “When this campaign began seven months ago, I wasn’t expecting to be dating, much less to meet the man I would marry. Yet the Lord, in His perfect timing, brought Matthew and me together.”

Eason’s fiancé, Matthew Rhoten, is a father of three and the County Manager for Gaston County.  He joined Gaston County Government in 2014 as an intern and now serves as county manager. According to his biography on the Gaston County website, Rhoten also serves as an Adjunct professor at UNC Charlotte’s MPA Program.

“As a widower, Matthew has been balancing his demanding work with raising his three small children. Stepping up to the plate of motherhood has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life,” added Eason.

(Engagement continued below)

To quell any rumors, Eason said she is firmly entrenched in the 110 district she hopes to represent in the General Assembly. Noting that they bought a home together where they plan to live as husband and wife.

“Matthew and I recently purchased a house in Cherryville, which we plan to make our forever home. I look forward to entering the covenant of marriage with Matthew and continuing to love and care for our children.”

No public information has been shared on wedding arrangements.

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Chuck Thompson is a reporter and columnist for The Shelby Independent.