BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. - Howard Leonard Sample, 83, of Berkeley Springs, died Thursday, Feb. 3, 2000, at Winchester (Va.) Medical Center.
Born July 11, 1916, in Brooklyn, N.Y., he was the son of the late Joseph and Emma Florence Webb Sample.
He graduated from high school in Brooklyn; studied at the Insurance Institute of New York in New York City; and studied municipal government management and organization at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J.
He retired as a supervisor of group annuities in 1979 after 48 years with Equitable Life Assurance Society in New York City.
He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He decorations included the European-African-Middle Eastern Service Medal.
He was a Protestant.
He served on the Township Committee of Delaware Township, N.J., from 1968 to 1974 and served two terms as mayor. He was a member of Risinger-Stotler VFW Post 4019 in Berkeley Springs; and was treasurer of Sleepy Creek Forest Association.
He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Alice Julia Vetter Sample; two sons, Gary O. Sample of Northville, Mich., and Alan H. Sample of Pipersville, Pa.; two grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by two sisters, Florence Wenz and Lillian Groll; and two brothers, Alfred Sample and Joseph Sample.
Services will be Monday at 11 a.m. at Helsley-Johnson Funeral Home, 306 Union St. in Berkeley Springs. The Rev. Robert S. Osborne will officiate. Burial with military honors by Tri-State Honor Guard will be in Greenway cemetery in Berkeley Springs.
The family will receive friends Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. at the funeral home, which will be open from 11 a.m.
Ralph A. Fleming
MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Ralph Alexander Fleming, 76, of Martinsburg, died Friday, Jan. 28, 2000, at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Baltimore.
Born Sept. 6, 1923, in Washington, D.C., he was the son of the late Wayman and Louise Brown Fleming.
He was a postman for the U.S. Postal Service.
He served in the U.S. Army during World War II.
He was a member of VFW Post 896; and Knights of Columbus.
He is survived by his wife, Ida Scott Fleming; his caretakers, Guy Warren of Washington and Michael and Stephany Bracy of Brooklyn, N.Y.; nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be Sunday at 9 a.m. at Rosedale Funeral Home, 2060 Rosedale cemetery Road, Martinsburg. Burial will be in Rosedale cemetery.
Richard J. Smith
GERRARDSTOWN, W.Va. - Richard Junior "Smitty" Smith, 67, of Gerrardstown, died Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2000, at his home.
Born Feb. 16, 1932, in Berkeley County, W.Va., he was the son of the late Joseph P. and Clara Butts Smith.
He retired from the West Virginia Department of Highways.
A veteran of the Korean War, he served in the U.S. Army.
He was a member of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church at Arden.
He is survived by his wife, Betty Price Smith; two sons, Ricky Lee Smith and Richard Smith Jr., both of Gerrardstown; two sisters, Margie McDaniel and Janice Tyson, both of Martinsburg, W.Va.; two brothers, Leotah E. Smith of Bunker Hill, W.Va., and Joseph E. Smith of Waldorf, Md.; four grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by two sisters, Hilda Unger and Ada James.
Services will be Friday at 1 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church at Arden. The Rev. James R. Jackson will officiate. Burial will be in Trinity Lutheran cemetery with military services by Newton D. Baker Post 896 VFW and Berkeley Post 14 American Legion.
The family will receive friends today from 7 to 9 p.m. at the funeral home. Visitation also will be Friday at noon at the church.
Willis A. Shuman
CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - Willis Averal Shuman, 90, of Charles Town, died Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2000, at Jefferson Memorial Hospital in Ranson, W.Va.
Born April 17, 1909, in Fairview, W.Va., he was the son of the late Francis Ellsworth and Nora Bell Haught Shuman.
He was a graduate of Fairmont (W.Va.) High School; and attended West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon, W.Va.
He retired from the Recreation Department of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Martinsburg, W.Va.
He served in the U.S. Army during World War II in the South Pacific, and was awarded a Purple Heart.
He was a Methodist.
He is survived by his wife of more than 50 years, Helen B. Barrington Shuman; three daughters, Nora S. Corra of Parkersburg, W.Va., Lisa S. Zweifel of Houston and Mary S. Snyder of Summit Point, W.Va.; a sister, Nerva Keefover of Fairview; four grandchildren; nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by three sisters, Esta Shuman, Lizzie Swinger and Mary Conaway; and two brothers, Ernest and Gay Shuman.
Services will be Saturday at 11 a.m. at Melvin T. Strider Colonial Funeral Home in Charles Town. John Conaway will officiate. Burial will be in Edge Hill cemetery in Charles Town.
The family will receive friends Friday from 7 to 9 p.m. at the funeral home.
Memorial donations may be made to a charity of one's choice.
Katheryn W. Bates
SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. - Katheryn W. Bates, 69, of Shepherdstown, died Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2000, at Shenandoah Health Village Center in Charles Town, W.Va.
Born July 28, 1930, in Muhlenburg County, Ky., she was the daughter of the late Carlos and Elizabeth MacDonald Whitmer.
She graduated magna cum laude from Kentucky University in 1951 with a bachelor of arts degree in journalism, English and education. She was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She earned a master of arts degree in education from George Peabody College at Vanderbilt University.
She wrote for and served on the editorial staff of the magazine Motive, and wrote scripts for television, radio and educational aids for the United Methodist Church.
She assisted the director of Wesley Foundations at the universities of Indiana and Michigan. She was president and board delegate of the local chapter of the American Association of University Women, tutored in local schools, was president of band boosters, and chaired the committee to organize the Jefferson High Fine Arts Committee.
A licensed social worker, she coordinated caseworkers at Gateway Youth Home in Martinsburg, and trained and supervised volunteers at the Shenandoah Women's Center.
She was a member of New Street United Methodist Church.
She was active in the National Eosinophilia Myalgia Syndrome Network.
She is survived by three sons, Marc Bates of Washington, D.C., and Eric Bates and Karl Bates, both of San Francisco; and a brother, Joseph Whitmer of Lexington, Ky.
Services will be Saturday at 11 a.m. at Brown Funeral Home, 327 W. King St. in Martinsburg. The Rev. Elizabeth Pate Smith will officiate. Burial will be in Elmwood cemetery.
The family will receive friends Saturday at 10 a.m. at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to National EMS Network, P.O. Box 209, Shauck, OH 43349.
