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Watauga, Avery Obituaries – Jan. 3, 2017

Friedman
Friedman

Ingrid Friedman (Sept. 2, 1925 – Dec. 31, 2016)

Ingrid Friedman, 91, of Phillips Branch Road, Vilas, passed away Saturday evening, Dec. 31, 2016, at her home.

Funeral arrangements for Ingrid Friedman are incomplete at this time.

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

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


John Franklin Heffren (Aug. 8, 1955 – Dec. 31, 2016)

John F. Heffren, 61, of Blue Ridge Avenue, Boone, passed away Saturday morning, December 31, 2016, at Watauga Medical Center.

Heffren
Heffren

John was born August 8, 1955 in Caldwell County, a son of the late John Harvey Heffren and Sarah Heffren. He owned and operated Burgess Fire Equipment for 25 years, and was a salesman for Newton Fire & Safety. John was also a former member of the Boone Fire Department.

John is survived by his wife, Terry Keller Heffren of the home; two sons, John Edward Heffren and Bryan Wesley Heffren, both of Boone; one brother, James B. Heffren and wife Sharon of Bethlehem, North Carolina, and three brothers-in-law, Edward Keller and wife Deborah and Tommy Keller and wife Mary Ann, all of Boone, and David Keller and wife Donna of Vilas. He is also survived by a number of nieces and nephews.

Funeral services for John F. Heffren will be conducted Wednesday afternoon, January 4, 2017, at 2:00 o’clock, at Hampton Funeral Home Chapel. The body will lie in state, at the chapel, from 12:30 until 2:00 o’clock. Officiating will be Pastor Gordon Noble. Burial will follow in Mount Lawn Memorial Park and Gardens.

The family will receive friends Wednesday afternoon, from 12:30 until 2:00 o’clock, at the funeral home, prior to the service.

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

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


John Joseph Pocepowich (Oct. 1, 1938 – Dec. 31, 2016)

John Joseph Pocepowich, 78, of Sumter Cabin Creek Road, Blowing Rock, passed away Saturday morning, Dec. 31, 2016, at his home. 

Pocepowich
Pocepowich

John was born Oct. 1, 1938 in Worcester, Massachusetts, a son of the late Alphonse Joseph Pocepowich and Adeline Woster Pocepowich. He was a retired computer programmer for Eastern Airlines and owner and operator of a gift shop on Main Street in Blowing Rock. John also served in the United States Navy.

John is survived by his wife, Joan DuDasko Gunter of the home; two sisters, Bev Sockwell of Crockett, Texas and Pat Pourbaix of Lake City, Florida, and one brother, Rick Pocepowich of Macclenny, Florida.

Military graveside rites and burial for John Joseph Pocepowich will be conducted Thursday afternoon, January 5, 2017, at 1:00 o’clock, at Salisbury National Cemetery in Salisbury, North Carolina. Officiating will be Reverend Gary Shew.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to a charity of the donor’s choice.

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

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


Anna Cox Miller (June 19, 1928 – Dec. 30, 2016) 

Anna Lee Cox Miller, 88, of Elk Creek Road, Deep Gap, passed away Friday, Dec. 30, 2016 at Blowing Rock Rehab. Born June 19, 1928 in Watauga County, she was a daughter of Fred and Betty Broyhill Cox.

Miller
Miller

Mrs. Miller was a member of Mt. Ephraim Baptist Church. Anna Lee was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother. She loved preparing meals for her family and canning and freezing the bounty of her annual vegetable gardens. Mrs. Miller enjoyed sharing her produce with friends and neighbors. 

She is survived by two sons, Carter Randall and wife Jeannie, of Boone, and Nathan Scott Randall of Port St. Lucie, FL; eight grandchildren; Josh Randall and wife Hannah, of Crownsville, MD, Mollie Thomas and husband, Jonathan, of St. Louis, MO, Allison Randall of Charlottesville, VA., Wesley Randall of Glen Allen, VA, Alan Osborne and wife, Lori of Rutherford College; Joel Osborne and wife, Steffe, and Joel and Brilan Randall; and sisters, Della Trivette of Deep Gap, Barbara Melton of Patterson and Mary Lou Wellborn and husband, Charles, of Boone. Several great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews also survive. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Willard Miller; daughter, Janice Osborne Alegria; grandson, Jordan Randall; brothers, Carson and Don Cox; and sister, Vera Hendrix. 

Memorial services will be conducted Monday afternoon, Jan. 2, 2017 at 2 oclock at Mt. Ephraim Baptist Church, officiated By Pastor Zane Tester. The family will receive friends one hour prior to services, at the church. 

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Caldwell Hospice and Palliative Care, 902 Kirkwood St., NW, Lenoir, NC 28645. 

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


Janis Wright Davis (March 14, 1949 – Dec. 30, 2016) 

Davis
Davis

Janis Wright Davis, 67, passed away on December 30, 2016. She was born on March 14, 1949 in Baltimore, Maryland, the daughter of James Davis and Virginia Tull. 

The family will receive friends Saturday afternoon, January 14, 2017 from 2 until 4 oclock Austin & Barnes Funeral Home, 194 Queen St., Boone. 

Ms. Davis is survived by her daughters, Kimberly Smith of Deep Gap, NC, Shannon McCall and husband, Jim, of Lenoir, NC, and Pamela Morkunas and husband, Mitchell, of Wake Forest; five grandchildren, Leland Dula of Deep Gap, NC, Chase McLean and wife, Olga, of Foscoe, NC, Brian Smith and wife, Tiffany, of West Jefferson, NC, Timmy Smith and wife, Michaela, of Banner Elk, NC, and Ames McCall of Lenoir, NC; five great grandchildren with two more great-grandchildren expected in 2017; her stepmother, Peg Davis, of Baltimore, Maryland. 

Ms. Davis was preceded in death by a granddaughter, Kelsie McLean. 

In lieu of flowers donations in Janiss memory may be made to Transitions Hospice, 250 Hospice Cir., Raleigh, NC 27607 or St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital, 501 St Jude Place Memphis, TN 38105.

Online condolences may be shared with the Davis family at the websites: www.brightfunerals.com or at www.austinandbarnesfuneralhome.com. A service of Bright Funeral Home, 405 South Main St., Wake Forest, NC, 27587. (919) 556-5811, and Austin & Barnes Funeral Home and Crematory in Boone.


Norman Nelson Moody (Sept. 12, 1938 – Dec. 30, 2016)

Moody
Moody

Norman Nelson Moody, 78, of Silverbell Lane, Granite Falls, a native and former resident of Watauga County, passed away Friday morning, Dec. 30, 2016, at his home.

Norman is survived by two sons, Kevin Todd Moody and wife Crystal, and Wilbert Moody and wife Beth, all of Hickory, and one granddaughter, Alexis Nicole Moody of Hickory.

Norman was born Sept. 12, 1938 in Watauga County, the son of Margaret Harmon. He was a retired prison guard for the North Carolina Department of Correction.

In addition to his mother, he was preceded in death by his wife, Betty Main Moody.

A Celebration of Life for Norman Nelson Moody will be held Sunday afternoon, January 1, 2017, from 5:00 until 7:00 o’clock, at Hampton Funeral Service.

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

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


Frank Francis Lund (Aug. 11, 1939 – Dec. 29, 2016)

Lund
Lund

Frank Francis Lund passed away at Watauga Medical Center Thursday night surrounded by his loving wife Gail and family.

He was born Aug. 11, 1939 to Fred E. and Ida Francis Lund in Brooklyn, NY. He was the fifth child and is survived by his sister, Marion Freville, who resides in Morris, NY. 

He was the doting husband of Gail Heidenfeldt Lund and proud father of two sons, David Francis Lund, of Boone; and Jon August Lund and daughter-in-law Laurie Jones Lund of Raleigh.

He was a lifelong Lutheran baptized at Grace Lutheran Church in Brooklyn, NY. He graduated from Glen Cove High School in Brooklyn; he served his country as a member of the Air Force as an electronic specialist stationed at Suffolk County Air Force Base in NY; he married Gail Heidenfeldt Lund on November 2, 1963; he joined the Mid States Telephone Company, Illinois in 1967 in Des Plaines, IL; while there he attended Michigan State University; after Central Telephone (Centel) purchased Mid States, he was promoted to Engineering and Traffic Concepts Manager at Centel’s Texas operations in Killeen, TX; in 1983 he joined Northern Telecom (Nortel), in RTP, NC where he was a DMS-10 Product Specialist, he ended his 20+ years there as a Network Architect designing state of the art telecommunications networks for many of America’s independent telephone companies until he retired in 2001. 

While in Illinois and Texas he was very active in the Boy Scouts of America. He also served on the YMCA Board. He attended Duke University Fuqua School of Business for Northern Telecom. In 1992 he moved to Boone, NC. He served the Lord well as a member of Grace Lutheran Church in Boone, NC as a member and treasurer of the Troutman Foundation; he served on the Church Council many times and was church treasurer for many years. He was chairman of the Finance Committee, served on the Property Fellowship Committee, usher, and a member of Grace Builders and OPUS. He also served on the River Ridge Executive Board. He belonged to the Nortel Retirement Association and was a member of the Telephone Pioneers of America. He received numerous awards from Northern Telecom.

He was an avid furniture woodworker, making beautiful pieces for friends and family, as well as the church. He was also a Volkswagon restorationist and Swedish Heritage troll collector. He loved to travel with Gail and his family, and take his grandchildren to New York City to see Broadway shows.

He was preceded in death by his grandparents Andrew and Anna Lund, of Boston, MA; Robert and Anna Louise Knapp of Brooklyn, NY; his brothers Fred Edward, wife Alice, Lund; his niece Francis Lund McAvoy; James Lund; and Robert Andrew Lund.

He was a generous and devoted husband, father, brother and friend. He is survived by his brother-in-law Dennis Heidenfeldt and wife Alma, of Mt. Morris, MI. He was a beloved uncle to many nieces and nephews including Alan Freville, his wife Laura, and Gene Freville, his wife Ellie, of NY; Dennis, Amy, Sarah, and Mark Heidenfeldt of Harrisburg, NC; Wendy, Jody, Jeremy, Jordan, and Josh Osborne of UT; Candace and Jeff Painter of CA; and Billy Heidenfeldt of Oakland, CA. He was most of all an adoring grandfather of Emily, Nathan, and Avery Lund; and was loved to the end by his loyal dachsund, Gracie.

A service of his life will be held at Grace Lutheran Church and Columbarium Monday morning, January 2, 2017, at 11:00 o’clock, with Pastor John Bollinger and Vicar Sue Lynn White officiating.

The family will receive friends following the memorial service in the church fellowship hall. At other times, friends may call at the family residence.

In lieu of flowers the family requests memorials be made to Grace Lutheran Church Building Fund.

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

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


Dr. Harry G. Padgett (Dec. 22, 1931 – Dec. 29, 2016)

Dr. Harry Gilmore Padgett, 85 of Boone peacefully passed away on Thursday, December 29, 2016. 

A celebration of his life will be held Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017 at 1:00 p.m. in the chapel at Austin & Barnes Funeral Home, 194 Queen Street in Boone, North Carolina, with Rev. Bud Russell officiating. The family will receive friends prior to the service beginning at 11:00 am. Final resting place will be at Woodlawn Cemetery in Blowing Rock. 

Dr. Padgett was born Dec. 22, 1931 in Hampton County, SC to Dan, Jr. and Margurite Padgett. He accepted JESUS CHRIST when he was 8 years old and always spoke of HIM as “My FRIEND” with him on life’s journey. He graduated from Allendale High School where he played baseball, basketball, football and was a member of the marching band. He graduated from North Greenville Junior College with an Associate’s Degree and Furman with a Bachelor’s Degree.

While at North Greenville he played on the college basketball team. While at Furman he spoke passionately about his love for studying Greek and Hebrew, and of his desire to teach. Upon completing his undergraduate studies, he entered Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, where he earned both a Bachelor of Divinity Degree and a Master of Theology Degree. While on revival he met Melvrene Lloyd whom he later married on August 27, 1955.

Dr. Padgett pastored Jefferson Baptist Church in Jefferson, S.C. while simultaneously serving as the Director of Counseling and the band director at Buford High School. He next pastored Elgin Baptist Church in Elgin, S.C. while at the same time pursuing his counseling studies at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, where he earned a Master of Education Degree in counseling.

The family moved to Athens from 1965-67 where he complete his Doctor of Education degree in psychological counseling. After completing these degrees he accepted a professorship at Appalachian State University (ASU) in 1967 in the Counselor Education Department and moved his family to Boone, N.C. He retired from ASU in 1992 after 26 years of service. During his professorship at ASU he continued his post-graduate studies in dream analysis at the C.G. Jung Institute of Analytical Psychology in Kusnacht, Switzerland and introduced classes at ASU about dream analysis.

During his tenure at ASU he also worked in private practice as a psychologist as the founder of the Agape-Onoma Psychological Center in Boone and Wilkesboro, N.C. During his work in private practice he provided testing services for the Social Security Administration as well as for other state and local agencies, lead workshops and provided psychotherapy counseling. His life passion was to help people grow and reach their full GOD-given potential, and to become mentally and spiritually healthy. He retired from private practice in 2010. In addition to being a full-time professional, he, also, volunteered his time as a Little League baseball coach. He enjoyed fishing, Atlanta Braves Baseball and ACC Basketball, particularly Duke.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Dan, Jr. and Margurite Padgett, his brothers, Marion and Dan Padgett, his sister, Helen Eldridge, and his son-in-law, Tony Pezzella.

He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Melvrene Lloyd Padgett; son, Harry G. Padgett II and wife, Sue of Wilkesboro; daughter, Melva Padgett Pezzella of Virginia Beach, Virginia; son, John Lloyd Padgett and wife, Annette of Boone; five grandchildren: Nat Padgett, Jonathan Padgett and wife, Erin, Hannah Padgett, Julia Padgett and Noah Padgett and one sister, Lillian Burkhead of Longmont, Colorado.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Living Hope Ministries, P.O. Box 1333, Boone, NC 28607 or Wilkes A.D.A.P., P.O. Box 968, North Wilkesboro, NC 28659. 

Online condolences may shared with Padgett family at www.austinandbarnesfuneralhome.com. Austin & Barnes Funeral Home & Crematory is serving the Padgett family.


Stanley “Stan” Braswell (Oct. 29, 1948 – Dec. 28, 2016)

Braswell
Braswell

Mr. Stanley “Stan” Braswell, age 68, of Linville passed away on December 28, 2016.

Stan was born Oct. 29, 1948 in Norfolk, VA a son of the late Harvey Vernon and Sadie Stallings Braswell.

Stan retired from the Parks and Recreation profession after 38 years of service.

He was a graduate of Walter Hines Page High School (1967), Mitchell College, Statesville (1971) and Appalachian State (1973).

Stan loved life, his children, grandchildren and family. He also loved App State sports, minor league baseball, but most of all Stan loved Jesus Christ.

He was a member of First Baptist Church Newland.

Stan has left to cherish his memory, his: two children, Leah Braswell Stark and husband Brad of Wake Forest, Brandon Alexander Braswell and wife Shannon of Marion; four grandchildren, Miller Stark, Nolan Stark, Ryleigh Williams and Carter Alexander Braswell. Stan is also survived by his brother, William Douglas Braswell of Greensboro.

Funeral services for Stan Braswell will be Saturday December 31, 2016 at 1:00 p.m. at First Baptist Church Newland with Dr. Bill Jones officiating. The family will receive friends from 11:00 a.m. until the service hour at the church. 

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association or to the Diabetes Association of America.

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

The care of Stanley and his family has been entrusted to Reins-Sturdivant Funeral Home of Newland.