The following are recent obituary notices from Austin & Barnes and Hampton funeral homes in Boone and Reins-Sturdivant in Newland.
Mr. Peter J. Tomson
(October 04, 1945 – August 20, 2018)
It is with great sadness that the family of Peter Jan Tomson announces his passing at the age of 72. He will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 41 years, Barbara, his children, Karen and husband Dwayne Fugate and Kathy and husband Robert Zalewski, his 5 grandchildren, Kaitlyn, Aiden, Adam, Isabella and Mischa. He will also be fondly remembered by his brother, Anthony Lee Tomson and a number of nieces, cousins and extended family. He was preceded in death by his parents, Harold and Isabel Tomson, grandparents and adored pet, Sable, the Alaskan malamute. In lieu of a memorial service, the family will host a celebration of life in their home Saturday August 25th at 4pm.
Peter retired from Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami Florida where he worked as Purchasing Director. Originally from Madison, WI he moved to Florida as a young child and was raised in North Miami Beach where he graduated from North Miami Beach high school and attended Miami-Dade Community College and FIU. He liked to spend his time target shooting with his grandsons and spending quality time with his granddaughters and family. He also spent countless hours ordering things from Amazon.
Online condolences may be shared with the Tomson family at www.austinandbarnesfuneralhome.com
Austin & Barnes Funeral Home & Crematory is serving the Tomson family.
Christine Kemmett Keever
(May 06, 1951 – August 20, 2018)
Christine Kemmett Keever, age 67, of South Slope, Banner Elk, the Foscoe community, passed away Monday afternoon, August 20, 2018. Christine Ivy Ann was born May 6, 1951 in Cleveland, Ohio to Mrs. Dolores Domo and the late John W. Kemmett. She was of the Catholic faith and attended St. Elizabeth Catholic Church. Christine and her late husband, Joseph Earl Keever, owned and operated High Country Coffee Service in Boone for a number of years. 
Surviving Mrs. Keever are her children, Jennifer Engler, Dennis Keever, and Joseph Keever; her mother, Dolores Domo; brothers and sisters, John Kemmett, Michele Brzezinski, Thomas Kemmett, Jacqueline Sirbaugh, and Gene Grega; and grandchildren, Jasmine, Paxton, Breana and Alyssa. She was the beloved aunt of many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.
In addition to her husband, Joseph Earl Keever, she was preceded in death by her father, John Kemmett and the father of her heart, Ralph Domo.
Memorial Services for Christine Kemmett Keever will be announced at a later date.
Online condolences may be shared at the website www.austinandbarnesfuneralhome.com
Austin & Barnes Funeral Home and Crematory is serving the Keever family.
Della R. McPeak
(January 05, 1922 – August 22, 2018)
Della (Rhea) McPeak, age 96, of Wilkesboro, passed away Wednesday, August 22, 2018 at Westwood Hills Nursing and Rehab Center. She was born January 5, 1922 in Watauga County to Samuel Smith and Maggie Miller Church. Della was a member of Mt. Paran Baptist Church in Deep Gap and enjoyed gardening. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Arthur James McPeak; numerous brothers and sisters; daughters-in-law, Barbara Hodges Waters and Paulette Adkins Waters.
Surviving are her sons, Vernon Waters of Boone, Jim Waters of Millers Creek, Bill Arvin Waters and wife Neida of Painesville, Ohio, Arthur McPeak, Jr. and wife Angela of Lenoir; daughter, Janet Rhea Waters Huffman and husband Carl of Purlear; grandchildren, Lori Waters Corbin and husband Carroll of Boone, Tony Waters of Wilkesboro, Rickie Waters and wife Sylvia of Virginia Beach, Virginia, Andrew Waters of Painesville, Ohio, Rhonda Waters Soppitt and husband Todd of Leroy, Ohio, Penny Waters Krieg of Painesville, Miranda McPeak Hammond and husband Matthew of Lenoir, Kristina McPeak Reeves and husband Will of Hickory, Laci K. McPeak of Lenoir, Carla Huffman Myers and husband Ralph of North Wilkesboro, Angela Rhea Foster and husband J.D. of Purlear; fourteen great grandchildren; and six great great grandchildren; and special friends, Margaret Honeycutt of Boone and Judy Church of Ferguson.
Funeral service will be held 3:30 p.m. Saturday, August 25, 2018 at Mt. Paran Baptist Church in Deep Gap with Rev. Rick Cornejo officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. The family will receive friends at Mt. Paran Baptist Church from 2:30 until 3:30 on Saturday, prior to the service. Flowers will be accepted. Miller Funeral Service in North Wilkesboro is in charge of the arrangements. Online condolences may be made to www.millerfuneralservice.com
Alfred Claude Ward
(July 02, 1930 – August 22, 2018)
Alfred Claude Ward, age 88, of Stone Mountain Road, Vilas, passed away Wednesday, morning, August 22, 2018 at Watauga Medical Center. Born July 2, 1930 in Watauga County, he was a son of Claude and Maggie Tester Ward. Mr. Ward served in the U.S. Army during the Korean Conflict. He was an active member of Mountain Dale Baptist Church where he served as a Deacon, Sunday school teacher, and Superintendent. Claude retired from Cook & Hodges Construction as a carpenter and cabinet maker. He loved the Lord, his family and his church. His favorite pastime was tinkering with tractors. 
Mr. Ward is survived by his wife of 65 years, Grace Waters Ward; sons, Ken Ward of Sugar Grove and Paul Ward and wife, Trula, of Butler, TN; sister, Carrie Cornett and husband, Allan, of Zionville; granddaughters, Kellena Chappell of Mountain City, TN., Shelley Ward of Cookeville, TN., and Kelly Garrison and husband, Aaron, of Dudley; and five great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his daughter-in-law, Linda Ward, sisters, Anna Mae Garr, Sue Presnell, Joy Millsaps Eggers and Lucille Hicks; and his brother, Clint Ward.
Funeral services for Alfred Claude Ward will be conducted Saturday afternoon, August 25, 2018, at 2 oclock at Mountain Dale Baptist Church, officiated by Pastor Eric Cornett, Rev. David Ward, and Rev. Greg Thompson. The family will receive friends Saturday from noon until 2 oclock, prior to services, at the church. Graveside services with Military Honors provided by the American Legion Post 130 and DAV Chapter 90, will follow in the Mountain Dale Baptist Church Cemetery.
Online condolences may be shared at www.austinandbarnesfuneralhome.com
Austin & Barnes Funeral Home and Crematory is serving the Ward family.
John Arnold Quick
(January 01, 1934 – August 23, 2018)
John Arnold Quick of Deep Gap, NC died unexpectedly but peacefully surrounded by his 3 sons on Thursday August 23, 2018. He was 84.
John was born January 1, 1934 in Middletown, NY to Catherine and Thomas Quick. He was raised in the Village of Roscoe, NY on the banks of the Beaverkill and Willowemoc Rivers. He grew up overlooking the world famous Junction Pool; he and his brother Tom and sister Cathy enjoyed a childhood filled with hunting, fishing and camping and enjoying small town life. John was on the Roscoe High School championship basketball team. While still In high school he and his brother Tom began working in the family business, Thomas Quick Lumber Company, where they learned the value of hard, physical work and a lifelong love of the lumber industry and woodworking.
As teenagers, John and his friends spent much of their time at the Langan family house on Tennanah Lake, just up the mountain from Roscoe. He met his future wife Kathryn (Tinky) Langan as a teenager in this idyllic setting. 
John attended the University of New Hampshire and graduated in 1956 with a degree in forestry. He joined the US Army in 1957 and served fife 2 years at both Fort Knox and Fort Dix. John married his dream girl, Tinky, on November 29, 1958.
John and Kathryn lived in Roscoe, NY where John continued to work at Thomas Quick Lumber Company. They moved with their 3 young boys to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The family has wonderful memories of their time on the island, and one of the many stories involves a labor dispute by the locals, a short hostage situation involving his sons and TInky charging in on a jeep.
His business took the family Asheville, NC, Jamestown, NC and Greensboro, NC. John and business partner, Alan Hart, founded Ultraflex Corporation and Imports of High Point, companies which supported the furniture industry. When he sold the business in 2009 John kept his hand in the furniture supply import/export business. He loved to keep his mind and sales acumen active.
John and Tinky built their dream home in Birds’ Eye View in Deep Gap. A devout Catholic, John was a parishioner of St Elizabeth of the Hills in Boone, NC. He enjoyed the great outdoors, good food, wine and spirits; he was a mountain man who understood and embraced the finer things in life. His pilot’s license and escapades are the source of many stories. An avid dancer, John would dance the jitterbug with a partner no matter what the music style. John stayed active all of his life, with many adventures with his sons, brother, nephews, nieces and grandsons. One of the most notable was a canoe trip up a river in the Adirondacks to find buried treasure left by his father 50 years before. He explored Alaska, the Sierra Nevadas in California and he and his sons took a horse trek in the wilderness of British Columbia. He traveled all over the world for business and pleasure and was glad to visit Cuba multiple times, the last time to see the Pope in 2012.
The most important thing to John throughout his life was his family and friends, and John “Big Q” never met a stranger. He was a generous man with a deep peace and joy for life. Those he loved were reminded of his affection regularly. His departure from this world to the Heavenly Kingdom leaves a giant hole in the lives of everyone who knew him. We rejoice that he is reunited with his love, Tinky, and the scores of loved ones who went before. He talked many times about heading off to the Happy Hunting Ground.
Predeceased by his wife, Kathryn Langan Quick, John is survived by sons John (Michelle) of San Rafael, CA; Kevin (partner Pam Poppenhagen) of Boone, NC; Joe (Robin) of Mt Pleasant, SC. His pride and joy were his grandsons, Sean Quick of San Rafael, CA; James Quick of Los Angeles; Ryan and Brady Quick of Mt Pleasant, SC; Brother Tom (Joanne) Quick of St Augustine, FL; a sister Cathy Rice of Hooksett, NH, many beloved nieces, nephews and friends.
Donations in honor of John Quick may be sent to Deep Gap Volunteer Fire Department, Station 23, 6583 Old 421 South, Deep Gap, NC, 28618. The Quick family owes a debt of gratitude to the Deep Gap Volunteer Fire Department as they saved the mountain house from a forest fire in the 1990s.
The visitation will be held on Monday, August 27 in the Austin and Barnes Funeral Home in Boone, from 4 until 6 p.m. The funeral mass will be held on Tuesday, August 28 at 1 pm a St. Elizabeth of the Hills Catholic Church in Boone. Internment will follow in the Woodlawn Cemetery, Blowing Rock.
Online condolences may be shared with the Quick family at the website www.austinandbarnesfuneralhome.com.
Austin & Barnes Funeral Home and Crematory is serving the Quick family.
Ricky Dennis “Catfish” McCoy
November 27, 1958 – August 28, 2018
Ricky Dennis McCoy, better known as “Catfish”, age 59, of Triplett Lane, Blowing Rock, passed away Tuesday afternoon, August 28, 2018, at his residence.
Ricky was born November 27, 1958 in Kingsport, Tennessee, a son of Kathy McNutt McCoy and the late Denver Verlin McCoy. He was a Master Carpenter and a Cabinet Builder. His work and craftman skills brought him to Blowing Rock to help his brother “Doc” build his dream, Doc’s Rocks Gem Mine. He was an avid fisherman who loved to live off the land. Ricky was a loving family man and had friends from all around the country.
Ricky is survived by his wife; Carolyn Dunaway of the home; one grandson, Copeland Dunaway of the home; his mother, Kathy McCoy of Kingsport, Tennessee; one sister, Rhonda McCoy of Kingsport, and one brother, Randy “Doc” McCoy of Blowing Rock. He is also survived by a number of nieces and nephews.
In addition to his father, he was preceded in death by two sisters,
Rotina Denise McCoy and Robin Dianna McCoy.
No memorial services for Ricky Dennis McCoy are planned at this time.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Cancer Patient Emergency Fund, in care of Seby B. Jones Cancer Center Foundation, 336 Deerfield Road, Boone, North Carolina, 28607.
Online condolences may be sent to the McCoy family at www.hamptonfuneralnc.com
Hampton Funeral and Cremation Service is in charge of the arrangements.
Gene Gragg
June 8, 1946 – August 24, 2018
Douglas Eugene Gragg, age 72, of Blowing Rock, North Carolina passed peacefully into the waiting arms of Jesus on Friday, August 24, 2018 at his residence.
He was born on June 8, 1946 in Avery County, North Carolina, a son of the late Edward Gragg and the late Hazel Clark Gragg.
He enjoyed hunting and fishing with his grandsons and was a carpenter and a nurseryman most of his life. More than anything he loved serving his Lord and preaching His word.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by; Sister, Essie Elaine Daniels; Brother, William Leon Gragg.
Gene leaves behind to cherish his memory his: Wife of 53 years, Ada Harris Gragg of the home, NC; Daughter, Leda (Darrell) Shatley of Linville, NC, Sons, Douglas (Trisha) Gragg, Jr. of Lenoir, NC, Joseph (Michele) Gragg of Blowing Rock, NC, Sister, Carolyn Gragg of Lenoir, NC, Brothers, Charles Gragg of Lenoir, NC, Wayne (Frances) Gragg of Lenoir, NC, Grandchildren, Timothy Shatley, Jacob Gragg, Joseph Gragg, Ben Shatley, Caleb Gragg, Isaiah Gragg, Noah Harmon, Emma Ruth Shately, Joshua Shatley, Dakota Harmon, Great Grandchild, Ethan Gragg.
The family will receive friends on Saturday evening at Reins-Sturdivant Funeral Home from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.
Funeral services for Douglas E. Gragg will be held on Sunday, August 26, 2018 beginning at 2:00 pm from the Church of Jesus Christ Linville with Pastor Steve Turbyfill, Evangelist Jerry Grogan and Brother Wayne Gragg officiating. Interment will follow in the Gragg Family Cemetery. Doug’s grandson’s will serve as pallbearers.
The family would like to extend a very heartfelt thank you to Cindy Houser and the staff of Medi Home Hospice for the loving care they provided to Gene and the family.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Memorials Processing 501 St Jude Place, Memphis , TN, 38105-9959
Words of Comfort and Memories may be shared with the Gragg family by visiting our websitewww.rsfh.net
The care of Gene and his family has been entrusted to Reins-Sturdivant Funeral Home of Newland.
Bertha Ellen Cole
April 17, 1944 – August 28, 2018
Bertha Ellen Cole, age 74, of Lenoir, North Carolina passed away on Tuesday, August 28, 2018 at her home in Lenoir, NC.
She was born on April 17, 1944 in Carter County, Tennessee, a daughter of David and Etta Hicks Johnson
Bertha was a devoted mother and grandmother who never met a stranger. She enjoyed gardening, sewing and cooking, but mostly spending time with her grand-babies
Along with her parents she is preceded in death by her son Lonnie Johnson, daughter Linda Ann Cole.
Brothers Jake Johnson, John Johnson and Jim Johnson; Sisters: Helen Oakes, Sylvia Clawson, Cleo Marlowe and Kay Cole.
Bertha leaves behind to cherish her memory her: Husband Willie Cole; Daughters; Irma (Darrell) Higgins of Lenoir, NC: Donna (Randall) Fillers of Lenoir, NC: Jessica (Blake) Bouillion of Lenoir, NC. Sisters: Kathleen Clawson of Roan Mountain, TN., Suzanne (Roy) Thomas of Roan Mountain, TN. and Judy Philyaw of Lenoir, NC.
Grandchildren: Amanda Higgins, Angela Higgins, Joshua Higgins, Amanda Kaylor, Ashley Clawson, Amber Johnson, Aimee Johnson , Henry Bouillion, Randy Greene( who lived with his granny) and Brandon Greene.
12 Great Grandchildren
Services for Bertha Ellen Cole will be held on Saturday, September 1, 2018 beginning at 2PM from the Grandfather Chapel of Reins-Sturdivant Funeral Home with Pastor Danny Cooke officiating.
The family will receive friends beginning at12PM on Saturday, September 1, 2018 at the funeral home.
Interment will be in the Johnson Cemetery on Buck Mountain following the funeral service.
Words of Comfort and Memories may be shared with the Cole family by visiting our websitewww.rsfh.net
The care of Bertha and her family has been entrusted to Reins-Sturdivant Funeral Home of Newland.
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