1000 x 90

Avery, Watauga Obituaries – May 6, 2015

Wilma M. Greene (Feb. 21, 1922 – May 4, 2015) 

Wilma Miller Greene, 93, of Fletcher Branch Road, Vilas, passed away Monday, May 4, at Glenbridge Health & Rehabilitation in Boone.

Born February 21, 1922 in Watauga County, she was a daughter of Monroe Cottrell Miller and Estella Mae White Miller. Mrs. Miller was a housewife and homemaker, and attended Willow Valley Baptist Church. Wilma loved her family, especially cooking for family functions, planting and tending her annual flower gardens, and growing some of the loveliest house violets.

Mrs. Greene is survived by two sons, Lynn Greene and wife, Kathy, of Mountain City, Tenn., and Perry Greene of Vilas; daughter, Joyce Eggers of Vilas; granddaughter, Marissa Greene of Deep Gap; four brothers, Jack Miller of Lenoir, Bill Miller and wife, Nell, and Lewis Miller and wife Ester, all of Vilas, and Kermit Miller and wife Willa Dean, of Hudson; and two sisters, Virginia Dare Yates of Boone, and Rena Goodman and husband, Jackie, of Vilas.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Fred Lemuel Greene; brother, Howard Miller; and sister, Georgia Hayes.

Funeral services for will be conducted Thursday afternoon, May 7, 2015, at 2 o’clock, at Willow Valley Baptist Church, officiated by Pastor Ray Greene. The body will lie in state at the church from 1 until 2 o’clock. Burial will follow in the Willow Valley Baptist Church Cemetery.

At other times, friends may call at the Greene Residence, Fletcher Branch Road in Vilas. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Willow Valley Baptist Church Cemetery Fund, c/o Brandon Greer, 436 Clark Swift Road, Vilas, NC 28692.

Online condolences may be shared at the website www.austinandbarnesfuneralhome.com. Austin & Barnes Funeral Home and Crematory is serving the Greene family.

Daniel “Danny” Dotson (Aug. 25, 1972 – May 4, 2015)

Mr. Daniel “Danny” Alan Dotson, 42, of Boone, died Monday, May 4.

Dotson
Dotson

Daniel is survived by his mother, Mary Dotson of Boone; three brothers, Dennis Dotson and Michael “Mike” Dotson of Boone, and Eddie Dotson of Sugar Grove; and three sisters, Debbie Platt of Newland, Betty Sue Ward of Sugar Grove, and Michelle Dotson, of Wadesboro. He is also survived by several nieces, nephews, aunts and uncles.

He was preceded in death by his father, Floyd Dennis Dotson, Sr.

Funeral services for Daniel “Danny” Dotson will conducted Friday, May 8, at 2:00 o’clock at Hampton Funeral Home Chapel. The body will lie in state, at the chapel, from 1:00 until 2:00. Officiating will be Reverend Zane Tester. Burial will follow in the Piney Grove Cemetery.

The family will receive friends Thursday evening, from 7:00 until 9:00 o’clock, at Hampton Funeral Service. At other times, friends may call at the home of a brother, Dennis Dotson, 660 Highway 105 Bypass, Boone.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Dotson family, in care of Dennis Dotson, 660 Highway 105 Bypass, Boone, North Carolina 28607.

Online condolences may be sent to the Dotson family at www.hamptonfuneralnc.com.

Hampton Funeral and Cremation Service is in charge of the arrangements.

Jane Heath (Jan. 26, 1941 – May 4, 2015)

Jane Heath, 74, of Banner Elk passed away on May 4 at her residence.

A native of Louisville, Ky., in Jefferson County, she was born Jan. 26, 1941 a daughter of the late Emanuel S. and Evelyn Pfanmoeller Forcht.

She was a member of the Mount Calvary Baptist Church, serving with the Prison Ministry and Mission Trips. Jane enjoyed gardening, quilting, and her daily bible study.

A loving wife, mother, and grandmother, Jane has left to cherish her memory her husband, Julian “Deac” Heath of the home; son, Scott Heath, and his wife, Anne, of Banner Elk; daughters, Cynthia Austin, and her husband, Jim, of Banner Elk, Susan Huskins, of Marion; brother, Terry Forcht, and his wife, Marion, of Corbin, Ky.; and her granchildren, Carissa Heath, Heather Austin, Tyler Sawyer, Heath Austin, Cara Heath, Deacon Heath, and Sommer “Janey” Huskins.

Funeral services for Jane Heath will be conducted on Thursday, May 7, at 6:00 p.m. at the Mount Calvary Baptist Church with Rev. George Wright officiating. Interment will follow in the church cemetery. The family will receive friends from 4:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. Thursday at the church.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to: The Local Missions Fund, c/o Mount Calvary Baptist Church, PO Box 125, Banner Elk, NC 28604. Words of comfort and memories may be shared with the family and viewed at www.rsfh.net.

Annie Mae Gragg Harmon (Jan. 21, 1943 – May 3, 2015)

Annie Mae Gragg Harmon 72, of Linville went home to be with Jesus on May 3.

She was born Jan. 21, 1943 in Caldwell County to the late Glenn Arthur Gragg (1987) and Lillie Mae Holden Walters (2014) step-mother, Susie Elliott Gragg (1973).

Annie-Mae-Harmon-1430750003She attended Linville Evangelical Methodist Church. She loved to help others even though she had health problems would always put herself last. She loved to cook and worked in many restaurants in Avery County before becoming disabled from back problems.

Along with her parents, Annie was preceded in death by brother, Billy Joe Walters; sisters, Shelby Jean Hughes (1992), Margie Houston (2006) and Husband Jim Houston (2008), Alma Jean Nelson (2009), Denita Walters (2007).

Left to cherish Annie’s memories are her husband Jerald (Jerry) Harmon of 53 years would have been May 21, 2015. Daughters Teresa Harmon , Lisa and Husband Russell Gaddy, Special nephew JD Hughes and his children Avery and Grant, grandchildren Brooke, Aaron (Ben) Carpenter, Noah Hicks, and Joshua Gaddy, great grandchildren Timmy, Keliyah, Kyierra, Jacobi, Isaiah, Aiden and Arabella, Brothers Randy Walters and wife Carolyn of Newland, Raudy Walters and wife Penny of Marion; sisters, Mary Glennita Dyer and Husband Randy of Wilkesboro, Karen Suzette McVay of Greensboro, Shelia Henson and husband Bill of Morganton, Freda Mae Bryant and husband Jessie of Morganton, and many nieces and nephew and special friends.

Funeral services for Annie Mae Harmon will be held on Tuesday, May 5, at 7:00 p.m. in the Grandfather Chapel of Reins-Sturdivant Funeral Home. The family will receive friends from 5:00 p.m. until the service hour Tuesday at the funeral home. Interment will follow on Wednesday morning at 11:00 a.m. in the Tanglewood Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to: Linville Evangelical Methodist Church in Linville, NC or Blue Ridge Hospice and Palliative Care of Spruce Pine, NC. Words of comfort and memories may be shared with the family and viewed at www.rsfh.net.
Reins-Sturdivant Funeral Home of Newland is serving the Harmon family.

William R. Drennan (Jan. 24, 1944 – May 2, 2015)

William Ryland (Bill) Drennan, 71, fell asleep in the Lord on May 2, following a protracted battle with cancer.

He was born Jan. 24, 1944, in suburban Philadelphia and spent his childhood in Vermont, summering on Long Beach Island, N.J. At age 10, Bill and his family moved to Sarasota, Fla., where he completed his primary and secondary education; at Sarasota High School, he played baseball, was president of the student council, won a statewide debate competition, and was ringmaster of the famous Sailor Circus.

Drennan
Drennan

Bill received his BA in English (1966) from the University of Florida and his MA (1976) and Ph.D. (1983), with a concentration on the English Renaissance, from the University of South Florida, Tampa. He was also selected as a National Endowment for the Humanities summer seminarian at Yale University.

Aside from two years of high school teaching and 10 years as a youth counselor with the State of Florida, Bill spent the bulk of his career in the University of Wisconsin Colleges, primarily at the University of Wisconsin-Baraboo/Sauk County, retiring as an emeritus full professor of English in 2007 and relocating to Blowing Rock, in the North Carolina mountains. In semi-retirement, he concluded his teaching career as an English instructor at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. Bill published over twenty articles in scholarly books and journals and authored Death in a Prairie House: Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Murders, which has sold more copies than any other book published by the University of Wisconsin Press in the 21st century. At both UW-Baraboo and at Appalachian State, Bill received numerous awards for his research and classroom teaching. He was held in affection by generations of students, and Bill returned that affection. Away from the classroom, Bill was devoted to the Green Bay Packers, Wisconsin Badgers, Florida Gators, and the Philadelphia Phillies; he enjoyed golf, racquetball, and acoustic guitar.

He was predeceased by his parents, Philip G. Drennan and Mary G. Drennan Blodgett; his step-father, Kimball Blodgett; his sister Jane Drennan Thayer; his maternal grandparents Raymond and Nellie Ammerman; his paternal grandparents, Carl and Myrtle Drennan; and by his aunts Flora Drennan, Blanche Utley, Frances Darling, and Bessie Drennan, all of Woodbury, Vt.

He is survived by his inexpressibly beloved wife Beth Roney Drennan of Blowing Rock; his adored daughter Emma Jane Drennan, Richmond, Va.; his equally-adored step-children Sarah Teresa Hancock Roney and John Paul Roney, Nashville, Tenn.; his former wife Suzanne Ellen (David) Drennan, Madison, Wis.; and his nephews Kevin (Dawn) Thayer, Micanopy, Fla; Philip Thayer, Trenton, N.J.; Timothy (Lisa) Thayer, Kelso, WA; and Glenn Thayer, Las Vegas, N.V. He is survived as well by a host of friends, a sweet cloud of memories, and two terrific dogs.

A devout Christian believer with a theological background in Eastern Orthodoxy and Anglicanism, Bill has most recently attended Christ the King Anglican Fellowship in Boone.

Austin and Barnes Funeral Home, 194 Queen Street, Boone, is serving the family. A memorial service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Christ the King Anglican Fellowship, c/o Richard Prentiss, 446 Peaceful Haven Drive, Unit 822, Boone, NC 28607; or to Medi Home Health and Hospice, Boone Office, 400 Shadowline Drive, Suite 102 Boone, NC 28607. The family remains unspeakably grateful to both Christ the King and to Medi Home Hospice for their remarkable compassion, displaying as they did an unparalleled level of outright love, right to the end.

Online condolences may be shared at the website www.austinandbarnesfuneralhome.com. Austin & Barnes Funeral Home and Crematory is serving the Drennan family.

Lavola Brown Isaacs (Nov. 21, 1922 – May 2, 2015)

Lavola Brown Isaacs, 92, of Fletcher Branch Road, Vilas, passed away Saturday evening, May 2, at Watauga Medical Center.

Isaacs
Isaacs

She was born Nov. 21, 1922, in Watauga County, a daughter of the late Roy Steadman Brown and Nancy Naomi Vines Brown. Lavola, and husband Lynn, were devoted to each other and were married sixty-two years.

After graduating high school, she was associated with her parents in the family owned restaurant business. She was a retired inspector from Shadowline in Boone, and was a member of Henson Chapel United Methodist Church.

Mrs. Isaacs is survived by one sister, Lennis Brown Wilson of Vilas; one sister-in-law, Sandra Isaacs of Reidsville, North Carolina, and special friends, Tim and Janice Baxter of Boone. She is also survived by a number of cousins.

In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by two brothers-in-law, James E. Wilson, and Hoy Isaacs, and one sister-in-law, Tensie Isaacs.

Funeral services for Lavola Brown Isaacs will be conducted Tuesday afternoon, May 5, 2015, at 2:00 o’clock, at Hampton Funeral Home Chapel. The body will lie in state, at the chapel, from 1:00 until 2:00 o’clock. Officiating will be Reverend Linda Owenby and Reverend Avery Owenby. Entombment will follow in the Mount Lawn Memorial Park and Gardens Mausoleum.

The family will receive friends Tuesday afternoon, from 1:00 until 2:00 o’clock, at the funeral home, prior to the service.

Flowers are welcome, or memorial contributions may be made to Henson Chapel United Methodist Church, 2351 Old Highway 421, Vilas, North Carolina, 28692.

Online condolences may be sent to the Isaacs family at www.hamptonfuneralnc.com.

Mary Winifred “Winnie” Donato (Nov. 20, 1930 – May 1, 2015) 

DonatoMrs. Mary Winifred “Winnie” Donato, 84, of 243 Mid Valley Road, Blowing Rock, loving wife of the late Natale J. Donato, passed away Friday afternoon, May 1, at Watauga Medical Center.

Winnie was born Nov. 20, 1930 in Queens, New York, a daughter of the late Patrick and Mary Clancy McAnaw. Before retiring, Winnie worked for Whalen Computer Services and was a board member of Stissing National Bank. An avid gardner and reader, Winnie was an active member of the Garden Club and a volunteer at the library.

Winnie will be remembered as a loving mother by her four surviving children.

Mrs. Donato is survived by one daughter, Patricia Harrington and husband Gregory of Schenectady, New York; three sons, Robert E. Donato of Blowing Rock, Eugene F. Donato and wife Sandra of Tampa, Florida, and Matthew J. Donato of Pineville, North Carolina; three grandsons, Nicholas Donato of California, Tristan Harrington of Los Angeles, California, and Joshua Harrington of Schenectady, New York; one granddaughter, Lorena Donato of Orlando, Florida, and one sister, Bonnie Niedermeyer and husband Joseph of Sandy Hook, Connecticut. She is also survived by five nieces and nephews, and a number of grand nieces and nephews.

In addition to her husband and parents, she was preceded in death by an infant sister, Patricia Margaret McAnaw.

Memorial services for Mary Winifred “Winnie” Donato will be conducted at a later date, at Hampton Funeral Home Chapel.

Online condolences may be sent to the Donato family at www.hamptonfuneralnc.com.

Hampton Funeral and Cremation Service is in charge of the arrangements.

 

Ruth Jessie Winebarger (May 31, 1921 – May 1, 2015) 

Winebarger
Winebarger

Mrs. Ruth Jessie Winebarger, 93, of 2132 Hardin Road, Boone, passed away Friday afternoon, May 1, 2015, at Watauga Medical Center.

Mrs. Winebarger was born May 31, 1921 in Watauga County, a daughter of the late Jake Winebarger and Ann Phillips Winebarger. She was a homemaker and farmer, and a member of Pilot Mountain Baptist Church.

Mrs. Winebarger is survived by one daughter, Rebecca Ann Trivette and husband Junior of Boone; one son, Conley Winebarger and wife Carolyn of Winston Salem; one granddaughter, Regina Houck and husband Ashley, of Boone; one great-granddaughter, Alysha Trivette and one great-grandson, Clay Trivette, both of Boone. She is also survived by a number of nieces and nephews.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Fred Winebarger, one sister, Mary Taylor, and one grandson, Mitchell Trivette.

Funeral services for Ruth Jessie Winebarger will be conducted Sunday afternoon, May 3, 2015, at 3:00 o’clock at Pilot Mountain Baptist Church. The body will lie in state at the church from 2:00 until 3:00. Officiating will be Reverend Keith Woodie and Reverend Fred Vannoy. Burial will follow in the Pilot Mountain Baptist Church Cemetery.

The family will receive friends Sunday afternoon, from 2:00 until 3:00 o’clock, at the church, prior to the service.

Flowers are appreciated, or memorial contributions may be made to the Pilot Mountain Baptist Church Cemetery Fund, 160 Winebarger Drive, Boone, North Carolina, 28607.

Online condolences may be sent to the Winebarger Family at www.hamptonfuneralnc.com.

Hampton Funeral and Cremation Service is in charge of the arrangements.

 

Margie L. Phillips (Dec. 1, 1939 – April 30, 2015) 

Phillips
Phillips

Mrs. Margie L. Phillips, 75, of Hardin Road, Boone, passed away Thursday morning, April 30, 2015 at her residence.

Mrs. Phillips was born Dec. 1, 1939 in Watauga County, a daughter of the late Clayton Hicks and Bonnie Lee Dotson Hicks. She was a Certified Nursing Assistant for Watauga County. She was a member of Hardin Road Baptist Church.

Mrs. Phillips is survived by a her husband, Johnny Phillips, Sr. of the home; two sons, Eddie Phillips and wife Dot of Boone and Johnny Phillips, Jr. and wife Tammy of Deep Gap; one daughter, Pat Baldwin and husband Rick of West Jefferson; two granddaughters, Autum Phillips of Boone and Katie Arnette and husband Jonathan of Deep Gap; two grandsons, Drew Baldwin of West Jefferson and Joshua Phillips of Deep Gap; one great-granddaughter, Gracie Arnette of Deep Gap; one sister, Irene Church and husband Marion of Newport News, Virginia; and one brother, Larry Hicks of Sugar Grove. She is also survived by a number of nieces and nephews.

In addition to her father and mother, she was preceded in death by an infant daughter, Mary Lee Phillips, three sisters, Georgie Lehner, Frankie Hendrix and Betty Greer, and one brother, Clarence Hicks.

Funeral services for Margie L. Phillips will be conducted Saturday afternoon, May 2, 2015 at 2:00 o’clock at Hampton Funeral Service. The body will lie in state at the chapel from 1:00 until 2:00 o’clock. Officiating will be Reverend Guy Testerman and Reverend Jonathan Arnette. Burial will follow in the follow in the Hardin Road Baptist Church Cemetery.

The family will receive friends Saturday afternoon from 1:00 until 2:00 o’clock prior to the service at Hampton Funeral Service.

Flowers are appreciated, or memorial contributions may be made to Medi Home Hospice, 400 Shadowline Drive, Suite 102, Boone, North Carolina, 28607. Online condolences may be sent to the Phillips family at www.hamptonfuneralnc.com.

Hampton Funeral and Cremation Service is in charge of the arrangements.

Mrs. Laura F. Carvalho (Dec. 17, 1911 – April 29, 2015) 

Mrs. Laura Farache Carvalho, 103, of Shagbark Road, Beech Mountain, passed away Wednesday evening, April 29, 2015 at her home.

Carvalho
Carvalho

Born Dec. 17, 1911 in New Bedford, Massachusetts, she was a daughter of Manuel Elias and Maria Emilia Loureiro Farache. Mrs. Carvalho was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Esopus, New York. She was a massage therapist and a seamstress.

Mrs. Carvalho is survived by her daughter, Laura Marie Carvalho of Beech Mountain; granddaughters, Belmira Garcia of Hollywood, Florida, and Sonia Garcia of Beech Mountain; great-granddaughters, Payton Belle Wright of Florida, and Isabella Lin Stonecipher of Beech Mountain; niece, Christine Dillinger of Mashpee, Massachusetts; and nephew, Luis Melo of Delaware. Numerous great nieces and great nephews also survive.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Augusto Andrade Carvalho and a great-granddaughter, Gabriella Elena Cabanas.

Funeral arrangements for Laura Farache Carvalho are incomplete and will be announced at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the family to assist with expenses, at ll6 Shagbark Road, Beech Mountain, NC 28604-8181.

Online condolences may be shared at the website www.austinandbarnesfuneralhome.com. Austin & Barnes Funeral Home and Crematory in Boone, and Gilpatric-VanVliet Funeral Home in Ulster Park, New York are serving the Carvalho family.

Norma L. Johnson (April 4, 1927 – April 29, 2015)

Johnson
Johnson

Norma L. Johnson, 88, of Newland passed away on April 29,  at Mission Hospital Memorial Campus in Asheville, NC.

A native of Avery County, she was born April 4, 1927 a daughter of the late Jeter and Lula Johnson Isaacs.

She was a member of Chestnut Dale Baptist Church and the DAV Ladies Auxiliary. She also enjoyed gardening and cooking

Along with her parents, Norma was preceded in death by her: husband, Silas Johnson; brothers, Lane Isaacs, J.C. Isaacs, J.D. Isaacs.

Norma has left to cherish her memory her: daughter, Carolyn Ann Parker (Randall) of Greenfield, Indiana; grandchildren, Lucinda Haley (Mike), Scott Parker (Carrie), Ellen Halcomb (Mike); great grandchildren, Brock Haley, Emily Haley, Olivia Halcomb, Lane Parker, Emma Parker, Charlie Halcomb, Randy Halcomb; sisters, Evanell Stafford, Floye Bradshaw; several nieces and nephews.

Funeral services for Norma L. Johnson will be conducted on Friday, May 1, 2015 at 7:00 pm in the Grandfather Chapel of Reins-Sturdivant Funeral Home. The family will receive friends from 4:00 p.m. until the service hour. Interment will be in the Daniels Cemetery on Saturday, May 2, 2015 at 9:00 am.

Words of comfort and memories may be shared with the family and viewed at www.rsfh.net.

John Henry Brinkman  (March 24, 1934 – April 28, 2015) 

John Henry Brinkman, 81, of Laurel Wood Lane, Boone, passed away Tuesday morning, April 28, 2015, at Watauga Medical Center in Boone.

Brinkman
Brinkman

Mr. Brinkman was a graduate of North Carolina State University, and was employed with IBM as a staff programmer.

Mr. Brinkman is survived by his wife, June Lamm Brinkman of the home; two daughters, Debbie Martin and husband Dave of Wake Forest, and Robin Swartzbeck and husband Jeff of Orlando, Florida; two sons, Marty Brinkman and wife Cathy of Wake Forest, and Jimmie Gardner of Fort Mill, South Carolina, and eight grandchildren, one sister, Edith Elerick of Vancouver, Washington, and a son-in-law, Bob Hoyle, of Raleigh.

He was preceded in death by his father and mother, Martin A. Brinkman and Helen Mueller Brinkman, and one daughter, Donna Hoyle.

Memorial services for John Henry Brinkman will be conducted Friday afternoon, May 8, 2015, at 1:00 o’clock, at Wake Forest United Methodist Church Chapel. Officiating will be Reverend Donald Warren.

Memorial contributions may be made to humanesociety.org.

Online condolences may be sent to the Brinkman family at www.hamptonfuneralnc.com.

Hampton Funeral and Cremation Service is in charge of the arrangements.