HOWARD F. WRATCHFORD
LAVALE - Howard Franklin Wratchford, 82, of 12816 Gramlich Road, SW, LaVale, died Wednesday, April 15, 1998, at his home.
Born July 18, 1915, in Hedricks, W.Va., he was the son of the late Walter Franklin and the late Clara (Pennington) Wratchford. He also was preceded in death by his first wife, Pauline Virginia (Davis) Wratchford, in 1990.
Mr. Wratchford was a retired employee of the B&O; Railroad as an engineer. He was a member of the Church of God in LaVale, LaVale Lions Club where he received the Melvin Jones Fellowship Honor Award on Tuesday past, VFW Post 7375 Oscar Jordan Post, Hyndman, Pa., and Fort Cumberland Post 13 American Legion. He was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II.
Surviving are a wife, Ella Jean (Neighbors) Dwire Wratchford, LaVale; a daughter, Linda Rothwell and husband Harry, St. Petersburg, Fla.; two stepdaughters, Jean Hast and husband Albert, Hyndman, and Jane Vega and husband Victor, Manassas, Va.; one stepson, Joseph C. Dwire and wife Bonnie, Hyndman; two sisters, Lucile L. Wratchford, Ridgeley, W.Va., and Lenora Deremer, Cumberland; six step-grandchildren; and three step-great-grandchildren.
Friends will be received at the Merritt-Adams Funeral Home, P.A., 404 Decatur St., Cumberland, on Friday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m.
Services will be conducted at the funeral home on Saturday at 11 a.m. with the Rev. Stephen Schuessler officiating.
Interment will be in Sunset Memorial Park. Military honors will be accorded at graveside by the Combined Veterans Honor Guard.
JAMES F. WRAY, JR.
LAKE OF THE WOODS, Va. - James Franklin Wray, Jr., 89, of Lake of the Woods, died Sunday, Jan. 11, 1998, at his residence.
He was born in Reidsville, N.C., on Dec. 7, 1908, and was the son of the late James F. Wray, Sr., and Margaret Herring Wray.
Mr. Wray was retired from auto sales. He was a Lutheran by faith and a member of Resurrection Lutheran Church.
Surviving are his wife, Patsy (Beckman) Wray; two sons, James M. Wray, Seattle, Wash., and John P. Wray, Cleveland, Ohio; two daughters, Lucie W. Brown, Phoenix, Ariz., and Kathryn M. Taylor, Shelburne, Vt.; three granddaughters, Kay Schrock, San Diego, Calif., Laura Taylor Goodrich, Columbia, S.C., and Zoe Wray, Cleveland; two grandsons, Shelly Brown, Phoenix, and D.J. Taylor, Columbia; and three great-grandchildren.
Funeral services were held on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 1998, at the Resurrection Lutheran Church with the Rev. Paul Conradt-Eberlin officiating.
Interment will be in Mount Hebron cemetery, Winchester, Va., on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 1998, at 11 a.m.
Serving as pallbearers will be James M. Wray, John P. Wray, D.J. Taylor and Byron Goodrich.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be made to Resurrection Lutheran Church, 6170 Plank Rd., Fredericksburg, VA 22407.
The Mullins & Thompson Fredericksburg Chapel handled the arrangements.
ALICE R. WRIGHT
WESTMINSTER - Alice Ruth Hoon Wright was born May 5, 1919, in Bloomsfield, Ohio, the daughter of John R. Hoon and Alta Evans Hoon.
Her father moved his blacksmith shop to New Concord where her two brothers and she graduated from Muskingum College.
Surviving, other than her husband of 53 years, are her daughter, Alicelyn Getty; son Richard Wright; two brothers, Evans Hoon and Rex Hoon; and two sisters, Evangeline Shooter and Dorothy Shephert; and six grandchildren.
Alice taught home economics in Ohio and Maryland. She was home service director for the Gas Company where she conducted cooking demonstrations in Western Maryland, West Virginia and in Gettysburg, Pa. Cumberland Gas Company installed the eternal flame at the battlefield. Alice participated in the endeavor by furnishing the food to the men at the sight.
Her students and the people she came into contact with felt her eternal inspiration. She taught creative living class at Toledo High School, where the home economics course is now termed Family Consumer Service.
She sang at Muskingum College; participated in the annual tour of New York City; sang solos accompanied by Anne Castor Glenn, the Senator's wife; sang at Mount Vernon Methodist Church, Lansdowne and Catonsville Methodist choirs.
Early at Catonsville U.M.C., she and the Rev. Herb Doggett's wife obtained their master's degrees.
Services and viewing will be at Hubbard Funeral Home, 4107 Wilkens Ave., Baltimore, where 43 years ago her eldest son's mortal remains began the journey to the National cemetery on Frederick Road where his mother will be interred.
In lieu of flowers, make contributions to: Catonsville U.M.C., 6 Melvin Ave., Catonsville, MD 21228; Lansdowne U.M.C., Baltimore & Laverne, Lansdowne, MD 21227; or to Carroll Lutheran Village Health Center, 200 St. Luke Circle, Westminster, MD 21158.
GERTRUDE WRIGHT
LAVALE - Gertrude "Bobbie" (Tyler) Wright, 89, of LaVale, died Thursday, Oct. 29, 1998, at Sacred Heart Hospital.
Born June 18, 1909, in Millington, she was the daughter of the late Arthur R. and Julia (Johnson) Tyler. She also was preceded in death by her husband, Glen P. Wright, in 1987; two brothers, Alan H. Tyler and Randolph P. Tyler; and two sisters, Helen Russell and Catherine Shulick.
Mrs. Wright was formerly employed as an operator for the C&P; Telephone Co. She was a graduate of Allegany High School and a former member of the Cumberland Country Club.
Surviving are three sisters, C. Lucille Weber and Margurite "Mock" Lindner, both of Cumberland, and Jean Fletcher, Chestertown; three nephews, Randolph Tyler and wife Lisa, Cumberland, Alan H. Tyler Jr. and wife Jayne, Oldtown, and Gary Lindner and wife Emilie, Cumberland; and three nieces, Diana Hickle, Cumberland, Jenny Rogan and husband Jim, Springfield, Va., and Susan Schrengast and husband Harry, Philadelphia.
Friends will be received at the Scarpelli Funeral Home, P.A., 108 Virginia Ave., Cumberland, Friday from 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 p.m.
Funeral services will be conducted at the funeral home Saturday at 9:30 a.m. with the Rev. Lowell Garland officiating.
Interment will be in Frostburg Memorial Park.
GLADYS J. WRIGHT
CUMBERLAND - Gladys Jean Wright, 73, of 304 Bedford St., Cumberland, died Wednesday, Oct. 14, 1998, at Cumberland Nursing Home.
Born Sept. 7, 1925, in Beryl, W.Va., she was the daughter of the late Gladys I. Stead. She was also preceded in death by her husband, the late Carlton Wright, in 1983.
Mrs. Wright was employed by the Head Start Program of Allegany County as a teacher.
Surviving are her sons, Joseph R.L. Smith and wife, Carol, Cumberland, Ernest R.A. Smith and wife, Vera, Cumberland, Ernest L. Keller and wife, Lou Ann, Ridgeley, W.Va., Carlton M. Wright and wife, Carrie, Indianapolis, Ind., and James E. Wright and wife, Tammy, Indianapolis; a daughter, C. Jeanie Often and husband, Robert, Mount Savage; 11 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.
Friends will be received at the Merritt-Adams Funeral Home, P.A., 404 Decatur St., Cumberland, on Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m.
Services will be conducted on Monday at 10 a.m. at the Merritt-Adams Funeral Home, P.A., with Pastor Wesley Beahm officiating.
Interment will be in Maryland Veterans cemetery at Rocky Gap.
ELNORA "DOTTIE" WADE
FROSTBURG - Elnora D. "Dottie," Wade, 78, of Frostburg, died Wednesday, Feb. 4, 1998, at Sacred Heart Hospital.
Born March 18, 1919, in Vale Summit, she was the daughter of the late Otis and Edna (Phillips) Wolford. She also was preceded in death by her sister, Lillian Minick; and three brothers, Irvin, Leroy and Mervin Wolford.
She was retired from Prichard's Hardware Store. She was a member of Frostburg Church of The Nazarene.
Surviving are one son, Robert Wade, at home; and one brother, Charles Wolford, Seminole, Fla.; and several nieces and nephews.
Friends will be received at the Sowers Funeral Home, P.A., 60 West Main Street, Frostburg, on Friday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m.
Services will be conducted at the funeral home on Saturday at 1 p.m. with the Rev. Doug Gonzales officiating.
Interment will be in Frostburg Memorial Park.
DOROTHY WAGNER
LAVALE - Dorothy (Schrock) Wagner, 89, of LaVale, and a resident of the Cumberland Nursing Home, died at the nursing home on Sunday, Nov. 1, 1998.
She was born May 30, 1909, in Berlin, Pa., the daughter of the late Charles L. and Matilda (Smith) Schrock. She was preceded in death by her husband, Russell S. Wagner; and a brother, Robert Schrock.
Mrs. Wagner had been a member of the Park Place United Methodist Church. She attended the Berlin High School. She was a Registered Nurse, having graduated from the old Allegany Hospital School of Nursing. She was a city nurse at Cumberland City Hall and had also been employed at the offices of Dr. Royce Hodges and Dr. Leland Ransom.
She was the last surviving member of her immediate family. Surviving are cousins Louise Smith and Isabelle Sweitzer, both of Cumberland, and Evelyn Smith, Somerset, Pa.; also, special friends, Wilma Ware, Kitty Curry and Eadie Loffert.
Friends will be received in the Hafer Chapel of the Hills Mortuary, 1302 National Highway, LaVale, on Tuesday from 2 to 4 p.m. only.
Funeral services will be conducted on Wednesday at 11 a.m. in the funeral home chapel with the Rev. Lowell Garland officiating.
Interment will be in the Restlawn Memorial Gardens.
Pallbearers will be Rick Loffert, John Loffert, Roger Robinette, Robbie Robinette, Gary Shaffer and Mark Shaffer.
