U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014
Mary "Johnny" Jackson
Mary Virginia "Johnny" Jackson 87, of Richlands, died Jan. 3, 2006 in a Richlands hospital following a lengthy illness.
Born in Pocahontas, she was a daughter of the late Lloyd H. and Nina Long Litton, both Tazewell County natives.
She lived most of her life in the Tazewell County area and was a retired teacher for the Tazewell County School System, having taught 14 years in the Cove. She was a member of Raven Assembly of God Church in Raven.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Joseph "Red" Jackson; one brother, Raymond Litton; and one brother-in-law, Bliss Blankenship.
Survivors: sisters, Florence Blankenship and Mrs. Clarence (Phyllis) Vance, both of Richlands, and several nieces and nephews.
The funeral was conducted Jan. 6 at 2 p.m. at the Hurst-Scott Funeral Chapel in Richlands with the Rev. Max Linkous, Rev. Barry Absher and Rev. Vonley Pruitt officiating.
Interment followed in the Greenhills Memory Gardens at Claypool Hill.
Maggie Mae Jones
Maggie Mae Brewster Jones, 97, of North Tazewell, died Jan. 9, 2006 at Tazewell Community Hospital.
Born Jan. 8, 1909 in Tazewell County, she was a daughter of the late Andrew Thomas Brewster and Mary Ellen Barrett Brewster.
She was a member of the Tazewell Christian Church where she served as deaconess and an active member of the CWF for many years.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her first husband, Parl P. Monk; her second husband, David A. Jones; one son, Dallas S. Monk and wife, Emma Sue Monk; one daughter, Judith Faye Jones; one brother; and three sisters. She was the last surviving member of her immediate family.
Survivors: sons, Garner S. Monk and wife, Charlene, of Tazewell; C. Curtis (Pickle) Jones and wife, Nancy, of Hampton; daughter, Linda Jones Porter and husband, William W. Porter, of Dumfries; 13 grandchildren; 20 great grandchildren; and two great great grandchildren.
The funeral will be conducted at 11 a.m. Jan. 11 at the Tazewell Christian Church with the Rev. Michael Stump officiating.
Burial will follow at Maplewood cemetery in Tazewell.
Peery & St. Clair Funeral Home in Tazewell is in charge of arrangements.
The family requests that memorial contributions be made to the Scholarship Fund of the Tazewell Christian Church, 302 E. Pine St., Tazewell, VA 24651.
Ruth E. Messer
Ruth Evelyn Steele Messer, 79, of Raven, died Jan. 7, 2006 in a Richlands hospital following a brief illness.
Born in Buchanan County, she was the daughter of the late George W. and Pearl Keen Horn, both Buchanan County natives.
She had made her home in Buchanan and Tazewell County all of her life and was well known for making molasses stack cakes. She loved to quilt and work in the garden.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her first husband, Kermit Quinton Steele; one son, Roger Steele; one sister, Martha Ellen Horn; and three brothers, Edward, Andrew, and Hayes Horn.
Survivors: husband, Carter G. Messer; daughters, Judy Steele Horne (Roy) of Claypool Hill, Tamara Steele Altizer and husband, Bill, of Midlothian; sons, Bob Steele of Steelesburg, Donald Steele of Wytheville; sisters, Beatrice Keene and Beulah Vandyke, both of Contrary, Betty Horne of Wytheville; brothers, Charles Horn of Grand Prairie, TX, Clyde Horn and Leonard Horn, both of Claypool Hill; grandchildren, Lee Steele, Dustin Steele, Ashley Steele, Daphne Gilbert, Evans Horne and Liam Altizer; and four great grandchildren.
The funeral will be conducted Jan. 11 at 2 p.m. at the Hurst-Scott Funeral Chapel in Richlands with the Rev. Jack Ward and Rev. Rick Whitt officiating.
Interment will follow at Greenhills Memory Gardens in Claypool Hill.
Rosalie Wallace Miller
Rosalie Wallace Miller, 85, of the Lake Park section of Richlands, died Jan. 6, 2006 in an Abingdon hospital following a lengthy illness.
Born in Finney, she was a daughter of the late Johnnie and Bessie Artrip Wallace, both Russell County natives.
She made her home in the Richlands area most of her life and was a member of the Clearview United Methodist Church. She was a former member of the Richlands Garden Club and was a very active member of the Richlands Band Boosters, and was also a member of the Richlands Order of the Eastern Star Chapter #104.
She was a loving mother and grandmother who cherished her family and had a great love for flowers and birds.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Ralph E. Miller, and one daughter, Christine Robinson.
Survivors: son-in-law, Joseph A. "Sandy" Robinson of Abingdon; brother, Wayne Wallace of Honaker; grandchildren, Barry Keith Robinson and wife, Gina, and Angela Robinson Yates and husband, Dean; great grandchildren, Heather Robinson, Dylan Robinson, Hunter Yates, Harley Yates, and Kendel Yates; and her loving caregivers and neighbors.
The funeral was conducted Jan. 8 at 8 p.m. at the Hurst-Scott Funeral Chapel in Richlands with Rev. Paul Griffith officiating.
Interment was Jan. 9 at 11 a.m. in Greenhills Memory Gardens at Claypool Hill.
Memorial contributions may be made to Clearview United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 55 Doran, VA 24612 or Cancer Outreach Foundation, Inc. 206 Abingdon Place, Abingdon, VA 24211.
Samuel Dudley Myers
Samuel Dudley Myers, 53, of Creedmoor, NC and Centreville, formerly of Tazewell, died Dec. 30, 2005 at Fair Oaks Hospital in Fairfax.
Born Jan. 14, 1952 in Tazewell, he was a son of the late Homer and Myrtle Dickens Myers.
He was a member of the Creedmoor United Methodist Church in Creedmoor. He was employed by Verizon Telephone Company.
Survivors: his wife, Georgia Thomas Myers; brothers, Dennis Myers and wife, Glenna, of Tazewell, David Myers and wife, Betty, of Warrenton; nieces, Karrie Kinder, Kayla Myers, and Beth Myers; nephew, Cody Myers; and great nephew, Nicolas Kinder.
A memorial service was conducted at 11 a.m. Jan. 7 at Peery & St. Clair Funeral Home Chapel in Tazewell with Johnny Elmore officiating.
Jerry Randall Ratliff
Jerry Randall Ratliff, 50, of Council, died Jan. 5, 2006 in a Grundy hospital.
Born June 19, 1955 in Council, he was a son of the late Luther Eulis and Ruth Johnson Ratliff.
He had spent most of his life in Ohio and was a carpenter, coal miner, landscaper and talented musician. He was an avid hunter and fisherman and he loved life.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by one brother, Eulis Ratliff, and one infant sister, Joyce Ratliff.
Survivors: sons, Dwayne Lykins, Cody Ratliff, and Jared Ratliff, all of West Liberty, KY; brothers, Guy Ratliff of Springfield, OH, Pete Ratliff of Fairborn, OH, and Benny Ratliff and Tim Ratliff, both of Council; sisters, Lois Bourne of Fairborn, Wanda Hornback of Beaver Creek, OH, Linda Tiller of Honaker, Mildred Boyd of Bee; and several nieces and nephews.
The funeral was conducted at 1 p.m. Jan. 7 in the Honaker Funeral Home Chapel, Honaker, with Rev. Roy Lee Wilson and Rev. Jerry Counts officiating.
Interment followed in the Johnson cemetery on Combs Ridge.
Danny "D.J." Shortridge
Danny Lee "D.J." Shortridge, 26, of the Dismal section of Buchanan County, died Jan. 4, 2006 in a Grundy hospital.
Born April 5, 1979 in Grundy, he was a son of Danny and Kathy Lynn Deel Shortridge of Fletchers Ridge.
A lifelong resident of Buchanan County, he was employed as an equipment operator for Western Construction. He was a member of the Rowe Pentecostal Holiness Church.
He was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, Clarence and Betty Shortridge; paternal great-grandparents, Will and Cora Shortridge; and uncle, Chuckie Shortridge.
Additional survivors: wife of two years, Misty Shortridge; son, Cameron Lee Shortridge of the home; one expected child; one sister, Faith Lynn Shortridge of Fletchers Ridge; maternal grandparents, Lee and Alice Deel of Vansant; paternal step-grandmother, Patty Shortridge of Rogersville, TN; paternal step-great-grandmother, Bertha Shortridge of Rowe; many aunts, uncles and cousins; and a host of friends.
The funeral was conducted at 2 p.m. Jan. 8 at the Rowe Pentecostal Holiness Church at Rowe with Rev. Ancil Childress, Rev. Tommie Deel, and Rev. James Tiller officiating.
Interment followed in the Shortridge cemetery at Rowe.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Danny Shortridge Memorial Fund at any Tru-Point Bank.
Honaker Funeral Home was in charge of the arrangements.
Sherry Denise Slate
Sherry Denise Slate, 43, of Raven, died Dec. 10, 2005 at her home.
Born June 29, 1962 in Tazewell County, she was the daughter of Madge Broadhead Slate of Raven and the late James Harvey Slate.
Additional survivors: daughter, Samantha Lynn Whitaker of the home; son, James Curtis Whitaker of Richlands; brother, Danny Slate and wife, Martha Ann, of Cedar Bluff; and grandchildren, Amy Brewster, Tyler Brown and Isaac Brown.
The funeral was conducted Dec. 13, 2005 at 11 a.m. at Singleton Funeral Service Chapel in Cedar Bluff with Rev. Johnny Hatfield of Toler, KY officiating.
Burial followed in the Greenhills Memory Gardens at Claypool Hill.
Laura (Ethel) Smith
Laura (Ethel) Lowe Smith, 88, died at her home on Ravens Nest Branch Dec. 7, 2005 after a lengthy illness.
She was the daughter of the late Riley and Mintie Lowe. She was known for her hospitality and was of the Pentecostal faith.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Caleb Smith; one sister, Ruby Blankenship; and two brothers, Lundy and John Lowe.
Survivors: daughter, Carolyn Miller of Roanoke; sons and spouses, Clayton and Debbie Smith and Larry and Doris Smith, all of Cedar Bluff; grandchildren, Thomas Dickens, Ralph Miller, Jr., Dennis Miller and wife, Gail, all of Roanoke, Clay Smith and Mark Smith, both of Cedar Bluff, Lindsay Pellatt and husband, Bryan, of Virginia Beach; great granddaughter, Carrie Pellatt of Virginia Beach; sister, Ruth Lowe of Havre De Grace, MD; brother and wife, Mason and Annie Lowe of Cedar Bluff; many friends, nieces, nephews and cousins; four sisters-in-law; a close friend and caregiver, Linda Johnson; and a true friend and companion, Elsa.
The funeral was conducted Dec. 10, 2005 at 1 p.m. at Singleton Funeral Service Chapel in Cedar Bluff with Rev. Max Linkous and Rev. Rick Herald officiating.
Burial followed in the Lowe/Beavers Family cemetery at Ravens Nest Branch.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, 1808 Jefferson St., Bluefield, WV 24701 or the American Heart Association, PO Box 5216 Glen Allen, VA 23058.
Betty Cooley White
Betty Cooley White, 90, of Richmond, formerly of Maxwell, died Jan. 1, 2006 in Richmond.
She was born at Maxwell and was a daughter of the late George Tucker "Tuck" and Myrtle Maxwell Cooley.
She was a homemaker and of the Methodist faith.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Herbert White, three children and three brothers.
Survivors: daughters, Betty Jean Casteel of Richmond, Delorse Jessee of Sandston; nine grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; one great-great granddaughter; sister, Mattie Mulkey of Pounding Mill; and lifetime friend, Babe Asbury of Maxwell.
The funeral was conducted Jan. 6 at 11 a.m. at Hurst-Scott Funeral Chapel of Tazewell with Rev. William Fletcher officiating.
Interment followed at Maxwell cemetery in Maxwell.
Sharon Diane Wicks
Sharon Diane Wicks, 56, of Doran, died Dec. 30, 2005 at her home following a lengthy illness.
Born in Dye, she was a daughter of the late Stanley "Bud" and Cora Ellen Plaster Saunders.
She made her home in the Russell County area several years before moving to Doran ten years ago. She was a member of the Ivy Springs Baptist Church and Calvary Baptist Church. She was a homemaker and served in the Honaker High School Cafeteria.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by one brother, Wayne Saunders and one sister, Alice Faye Shelton.
Survivors: husband, Alfred "Smiley" Wicks; son, Alfred Jr. Wicks and wife, Tanya, of Claypool Hill; daughter, Patricia Diane Harman of Swords Creek; sisters, Gwen Price of Honaker, Debbie Horn of Garden Creek, Sandy Osborne of the Horton Ridge section of Raven; brothers, Frazier Saunders of North Carolina, Steve Saunders of Richlands, David Saunders of Doran, Ricky Saunders of Swords Creek; grandchildren, Shane and Kiera Wicks of Claypool Hill, Cora, Casey, and Evan Harman of Swords Creek; many nieces and nephews; and a special friend of the family, Brian White of Maple Gap.
The funeral was conducted Jan. 1, 2006 at 2 p.m. at the Hurst-Scott Funeral Chapel in Richlands with Rev. Buddy Herald and Rev. Grady McGlothlin officiating.
Interment followed in Greenhills Memory Gardens at Claypool Hill.
