Mae Mullins
SETH -- Mae Mullins, 79, died Friday, Dec. 4, 1998 in a Marmet care center following a long illness.
Graveside services will be noon Monday in Pineview cemetery, Orgas. Friends may call 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Monday at Armstrong Funeral Home, Whitesville.
Arrangements by Armstrong Funeral Home, Whitesville.
Opal Gay Simpson
SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE, Va. -- Opal Gay Simpson, 70, formerly of Kopperston, died Friday, Dec. 4, 1998, at her home following a long illness.
Born March 11, 1928, at Blair in Logan County, she was the daughter of the late Thomas Farmer and Ida Graham Farmer.
Mrs. Simpson was a homemaker and had been a resident of Smith Mountain Lake, Va., for 20 years.
Survivors include her husband of 54 years, Wayne T. Simpson; a son, Roger Simpson and his wife, Glenda, of Pineville; a brother, Thomas Farmer Jr. and his wife, Rita, of New York; four sisters, Mildred Blankenship of Fairdale, Betty Jarrell and her husband, Ray, of Columbus, Ohio, Carol Reid and her husband, Charles, of Fayetteville, N.C., and Judy McComas of Detroit, Mich.; three grandchildren, Thomas Simpson and his wife, Crystal, of Clear Fork, Mark Simpson and his wife, Cindy, of Smith Mountain Lake, Va., and Kelli Karper and her husband, John, of Princeton; and two great-grandchildren, Bradley Simpson and Thomas Blake Simpson.
Services will be 11 a.m. Monday at Evans Memorial Chapel, Oceana, with the Rev. Harrison Abbott Jr. officiating. Burial will follow in Palm Memorial Gardens, Matheny.
Friends may call 6 to 9 p.m. today at the funeral home.
Family and friends will serve as pallbearers.
Arrangements by Evans and Evans Funeral Directors, Oceana.
Thelma Forren Sproles
SUFFOLK, Va. -- Thelma Forren Sproles, 76, formerly of Meadow Bridge, died Saturday, Dec. 5, 1998, at a Suffolk, Va. care center following a long illness.
Born March 6, 1922, at Meadow Bridge, she was the daughter of the late Lonnie Forren.
Mrs. Sproles was a member of Meadow Bridge United Methodist Church, Meadow Bridge, and a former bookkeeper for Boley Chevrolet of Rainelle and Home Appliance Repair of Smithville.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Prentiss Edward Sproles, June 19, 1967; and a sister, Betty.
Survivors include two daughters, Sylvia Martin of Windfor and Avis Pierce of Arizona; a son, Lonnie Sproles of Chesapeake; five sisters, Mae Young of Pomeroy, Mildred Bowyer of Danese, Marie Forren of Windfor, Gaye Pope of Illinois and Leta Hann of Chapel Hill, S.C.; five brothers, Fred Forren of Morgantown, Clinton Forren of Yorktown, Va., Vearl Forren of the Philippines, Charles Forren of Illinois and Joe Forren of New York; eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Services will be 2 p.m. Monday at Meadow Bridge United Methodist Church, Meadow Bridge, with the Rev. Bil Lepp officiating. Burial will follow in Patton cemetery, Meadow Bridge.
Friends may call 6 to 9 p.m. today at the Wallace and Wallace Chapel, Rainelle, and one hour before services Monday at the church.
Arrangements by Wallace and Wallace Funeral Home, Rainelle.
Riley O. Summers
ROCKWOOD, Tenn. -- Riley O. Summers, 74, of Eblen Gap Road, died Friday, Dec. 4, 1998, in an Oak Ridge, Tenn. medical center.
He was the son of the late Orton T. and Bertie Carroll Summers.
Mr. Summers was a member of the Pine Orchard Baptist Church, a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, a retired coal truck driver with Valley Services, W.Va., with 36 years of service, and a lifelong member with UMWA, working in the mines in Lynch, Kentucky and Oceana.
He was preceded in death by a son, Kenneth Howard Summers; an infant daughter, Laura Ann Summers; brothers, George, Walter, Clarence Summers; and sisters, Dorothy Summers, Mildred Stonecipher and Caval Wigington.
Survivors include his wife of 53 years, Rita Hawkins Summers of Rockwood; three daughters, Linda Green of Oceana, Rose Tilley and her husband, Gerald, of Grantsville, and Betty Summers of Kingston; three sons, Thomas Summers of Rockwood, Billy Summers and his wife, Francis of Jesse and Jeremy Summers and his wife, Jennifer, of Rockwood; three sisters, Louise Felix of Milford, Ohio, Helen Blanton and her husband, Martin of Rockwood, and Vivian Roles and her husband, James A., of Spring City; 10 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
Services will be 2 p.m. today at Pine Orchard Baptist Church, with the Rev. Mitch Walker officiating. Burial will follow in Odd Fellows cemetery, with full military honors by the Roane County Volunteer Honor Guard.
Friends called Saturday at Evans Mortuary, Rockwood, Tenn.
Arrangements by Evans Mortuary, Rockwood, Tenn.
Larry Underwood
Larry Underwood, 40, of Hinton, died Saturday, Dec. 5, 1998 in a Roanoke, Va., hospital.
Arrangements by High Lawn Funeral Home, Oak Hill.
Margaret J. Ayers
ALDERSON -- Margaret J. Ayers, 63, formerly of Snowflake, died Monday, Feb. 1, 1999.
Services will be 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Griffiths Creek Baptist Church, Alderson. Friends may call 7 to 9 p.m. today at Lobban Funeral Home, Alderson, and one hour before services at the church.
Arrangements by Lobban Funeral Home, Alderson.
Delilah Bailey
Mrs. Delilah Rhodes Bailey, 86, of 150 Autumn Lane, Beckley, died at 4:20 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 28, 1999, in a Beckley hospital following a long illness.
Born Sept. 6, 1912, at Hemphill, she was the daughter of the late Eugene Joseph Rhodes and Ethel Walker.
Mrs. Bailey was a homemaker and member of the United Apostolic Faith Church.
She was preceded in death by two brothers, Charles E. Rhodes in January 1983 and S.G. Totten on May 24, 1984 and five nephews, Charles, Eugene, Rossevelt, Donald Ray and Garson Rhodes.
Survivors include four nieces, Ila Russell and Delilah Young, both of Beckley, Edna Revels and husband, Theodore of Sophia and Shirlene Brown and husband, Philip of Inkster, Mich.; a nephew, James R. Rhodes and wife, Brenda of Beckley; a sister-in-law, Audrey M. Totten of Beckley; a stepdaughter, Helen Alexander and husband, George of Beckley; a host of great-nieces, nephews and friends.
Services will be 1 p.m. Wednesday at the United Apostolic Faith Church, 1010 S. Kanawha St., Beckley, with Elders Timothy Schofield and James Claytor officiating. Burial will follow in Blue Ridge Memorial Gardens, Beckley.
Friends may call one hour before service at the church.
Arrangements by Ritchie and Johnson Funeral Parlor, Beckley.
Ethel Ballard
ALDERSON -- Ethel Kirby Meadows Ballard, 80, formerly of Belle Point, died Monday, Feb. 1, 1999, in a Princeton hospital following a long illness.
Born Dec. 24, 1918, at Griffiths Creek, she was the daughter of the late Frank O. and Mildred Hamm Kirby.
Mrs. Ballard was retired from the housekeeping staff at Summers County Hospital, Hinton and was a homemaker. She was a member of the Old Greenbrier Baptist Church, Alderson, the Ladies Auxiliary, Tri-County Memorial and VFW Post No. 6723 of Alderson.
She was preceded in death by a daughter, Marie Carol Huffman; three brothers, Oral, Howard and Paul Kirby; two sisters, Georgia Pack and Virginia Grimes; a granddaughter, Sharon Huffman.
Survivors include her husband, Harold H. Ballard of Alderson; three sons, Phillip "Sonnie" Meadows and wife, Sara of Hinton, Bernard "B.J." Meadows and wife, Sandra of Larona and Billy Joe Meadows and wife, Marie of Hinton; two sisters, Mary Weiss of Crab Orchard and May White of Germantown, Md.; a stepson, David Lee Ballard and wife, Debbie of Alderson; nine grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; a stepgranddaughter; many nieces and nephews.
Services will be 2 p.m. Wednesday at Lobban Funeral Home Chapel, Alderson, with the Rev. George Cook officiating. Burial will follow in the Alderson cemetery, Alderson.
Friends may call 7 to 9 p.m. today at the funeral home.
Grandsons will serve as pallbearers.
Arrangements by Lobban Funeral Home, Alderson.
Betty Barrett
Mrs. Betty Barrett, 78, of Beckley, died Monday, Feb. 1, 1999, in a Beckley hospital of natural causes.
Arrangements by Ritchie and Johnson Funeral Parlor, Beckley.
Mabel S. Bibb
CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. -- Mabel Smith Bibb, 89, died Sunday, Jan. 31, 1999, in a Blacksburg retirement home.
Survivors include two sons and daughters-in-law, James B. and Kathleen Bibb Jr. of Celene, Mich. and Dr. Thomas L. and Susan Bibb of Christiansburg, Va.; a brother, Harry Smith of Charlotte, N.C.; three sisters, Annette Widmer and Margaret Sherrod of Richmond and Florence Carr of Williston, S.C.; two granddaughters and three great-grandchildren.
Graveside services will be 11 a.m. Thursday at Sunset Memorial Park, Beckley.
Friends may call 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at Blue Ridge Funeral Home, Beckley.
Arrangements by De Vilbiss Funeral Home, Radford, Va. and Blue Ridge Funeral Home, Beckley.
Martha Jane Brown
MEADOW BRIDGE -- Martha Jane Brown, 73, died Saturday, Jan. 30, 1999 at her home following a long illness.
Born July 26, 1925, at Hominy Falls, she was the daughter of the late Albin and Maude Thomas Hellems.
Mrs. Brown was a homemaker, devoted mother, grandmother and great-grandmother and was of the Freewill Baptist faith.
She was preceded in death by a daughter, Alice Marie Brown; and a brother, Robert Lee Hellems.
Survivors include her husband of 53 years, Huling Paris Brown; two daughters, Janet O'Dell and her husband, Douglas, of Elkton, Md., and Shelby Ennis and her husband, Jay, of Meadow Bridge; four grandsons, Randy and Jeffrey O'Dell, both of Elkton, Md., Jason and Jeremy Ennis, both of Meadow Bridge; a granddaughter, Natasha Ennis of Meadow Bridge; two great-granddaughters, Mandee and Amy O'Dell; two great-grandsons, J.D. and Sean O'Dell; three sisters, Opal Walton and Ruby Sears, both of Snow Hill, and Alta Bays of Cumming, Ga.; and two brothers, Harry Hellems of Snow Hill and Clell Hellems of Columbus, Ohio.
Services will be 11 a.m. Thursday at Smathers Funeral Home Chapel, Rainelle, with the Revs. Charles Donaldson and Tom Shaver officiating. Burial will follow in the Spruce Grove cemetery, Mt. Nebo.
Friends may call 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Smathers Funeral Home, Rainelle.
Pallbearers will be Randy and Jeff O'Dell, Jason and Jeremy Ennis, Jim Frost and Bob Hellems.
Arrangements by Smathers Funeral Home, Rainelle.
Freeda A. Cooke
OAK HILL -- Freeda Adkins Cooke, 54, died Saturday, Jan. 30, 1999, at her home following a long illness.
Born Aug. 5, 1944, at Maynard, she was the daughter of Lura Adkins of Oak Hill and the late Clark Adkins.
Ms. Cooke was a homemaker.
She was preceded in death by three brothers; a sister and a grandson.
Other survivors include three daughters, Carla Ann Zoll of Elgin, S.C., Teresa Marie Mitchell and husband, Gregory of Glen Jean and Tina Louise Barbur and husband, Steve of Syracuse, N.Y.; three brothers, Joe Adkins and wife, Shirley of Cleveland, Ohio, Richard Adkins and wife, Vivian of Charlotte, N.C. and Estle Adkins of Layland; two sisters, Lorene Marciniak of Andover, Ohio and Joyce Breeden of Mount Hope and seven grandchildren.
Services will be 11 a.m. Wednesday at Blue Ridge Funeral Home Chapel with Pastor Robert Burnett officiating. Burial will follow in Adkins Family cemetery, Long Bottom.
Friends may call 6 to 9 p.m. today at the funeral home.
Pallbearers will be Roy Adkins, Ronnie Adkins, Ray Adkins, Steve Barbur, Gregory Mitchell and Sam Byers.
Arrangements by Blue Ridge Funeral Home, Beckley.
