French E. Tredway Jr.
French E. Tredway Jr., 80, of Oak Hill, died Jan. 10, 2006.
Born Feb. 18, 1925, he was the son of the late French and Margaret Alta Tredway. He also was preceded in death by his wife, Ruth Maxine Blackwell Tredway; a daughter, Terri Lea Tredway; and a sister, Doris Beals.
French was an avid woodcrafter and recently became a Christian through Pastor Jerry Bush of Oak Hill Church of the Nazarene. He served in the Army during World War II.
Mr. Tredway was retired from Long-Airdox after 33 years of service.
Surviving: daughters, Sandra Tredway Meyer and husband, Richard, of Oshkosh, Wis., Judith Tredway Jones and husband, Harold, of Oak Hill, Iris Rose Patrick and husband, Jerry, of Gatewood, and Tammy Lynn Tredway Kitchen of Maryland; son, French Tredway III and wife, Starlett, of Oak Hill; sister, Freda Blackwell of Oak Hill; brother, Kenneth Tredway of Ohio; granddaughters, Susan Stark of Oshkosh, Debbie Hornacek of Lexington, S.C., Amanda Patrick of Summersville, and Rachael Kitchen of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; grandsons, Harold “Punkin” Jones Jr. of Oak Hill, Bill E. Jones of Oak Hill, and Christopher Patrick of Beckley; and eight great-grandchildren.
Service was Jan. 12 at Blue Ridge Funeral Home, Beckley, with Pastor Jerry Bush officiating. followed in Blue Ridge Memorial Gardens, Beckley.
Arrangements by Blue Ridge Funeral Home, Beckley.
Jess J. ‘Jim’ Berry Sr.
Jess J. “Jim” Berry Sr., 61, of Inglis, Fla., formerly of Page, died Sept. 22, 2005, at Seven Rivers Regional Medical Center in Crystal River, Fla.
Born May 13, 1944, at Page, he was the son of the late Jesse and Eva Lee Robinson Berry.
Mr. Berry was a floor technician for Seven Rivers Regional Medical Center, Crystal River.
Jess was a two-year resident of Inglis, having moved from Inverness. He was a member of the Church of God of Prophesy, Page.
Surviving: his wife, Ann (Christian) Berry; sons, Jess Berry Jr. of Inglis and Jason Christian of Glendale, Ariz.; daughters, Jessica Berry, Brenda Berry and Amanda Stone, all of Inglis; sisters, Loretta Martin of Page and Jessie Pauletta Elliott of Kissimmee, Fla.; a brother, Clarence Berry of Page; and grandchildren, Joshua Daniel Stone of Inglis and Myia Kaylona Christian, Micholas Kaleb Christian and Alexander Graham Christian, all of Beckley.
Graveside rites and committal, followed by burial, were Sept. 30 at I.O.O.F. Cemetery, Oak Hill, with the Rev. Richard Martin officiating.
Arrangements by Tyree Funeral Home, Oak Hill.
J. Walter Brown
Former Oak Hill Mayor J. Walter Brown, 85, died Sept. 28, 2005, at Plateau Medical Center in Oak Hill following a long illness.
Born March 13, 1920, at Union, he was the son of the late Henry Clay “H.C.” and Annie E. Cummings Brown. He also was preceded in death by his first wife, Hilda A. Scott Brown; a daughter, Linda Brown Miller; and a brother, Willie Richard Brown.
Walter was 17 years old in 1937 when he began hauling house coal from Pax and Minden. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II, being assigned to the Motor Pool.
Following the war he returned to southern West Virginia, picking back up on his coal delivery business. At the same time, he expanded into the moving business, hauling household items in a 1945 Dodge moving van, first locally and then long-distance. In 1948 he added more vehicles and called his business Brownie’s Transport.
His vocation allowed Brown to feed his family, at the same time meeting the demand for the service of hauling coal, lumber and anything else people needed to have carried by motor transport. The moving business expanded to become an agent for North American Van Lines, United Van Lines, Burnham Van Lines and Mayflower Co., operating in 48 states.
In the 1940s Brownie’s began hauling for Long-Airdox Co. Walter and his father, the late H.C. Brown, incorporated the business in the 1950s, calling it Brownie’s Service Inc. Added were the operations of Brownie’s Pennzoil Station and Grocery, Brownie’s Lumber Co. and later White Oak Lanes. In 1976, Brown bought out Perdue Transfer and Storage in Beckley, adding a second location to the transport business.
Walter retired in 1986, right about the time of motor freight deregulation, which he felt would really hurt the industry.
Always civic-minded, he served as mayor of Oak Hill for many years and remained an active member of the Oak Hill Sanitary Board even as his health began to fail.
He was on the board of directors of Merchants and Miners National Bank, and Key Centurion Bank and Bank One. He was a member of Oak Hill Baptist Church and the Donnelly Sunday School Class and a former trustee of the church. A member and past president of the Oak Hill Rotary Club, he was a Paul Harris Fellow. He was a past president and honorary member of the Fayette Plateau Chamber of Commerce and a member of the West Virginia Motor Trucking Association, serving several times as president and continuing to this day as an honorary member.
He was also a member of the West Virginia Travel Council and the Republican Executive Committees, a former member of the American Red Cross in Oak Hill, and a member of the White Oak Country Club where he was an avid golfer. He was one of the members of the “Outdoor Plumbers” musical group. He had a degree from the School of Hard Knocks and was a Quota Club Roast honoree for the Oak Hill Quota Club.
Surviving: his wife, Lessie Keffer Donnelly Brown; a daughter, Betty (Art) Fornari of Rochester, N.Y.; a stepson, Willis (Betty) Wooten of Oak Hill; stepdaughters, Pat (Duke) Ramsey of Oak Hill and Lana (Howard) Cunningham of Parkersburg; grandsons, Michael (Andrea) Fornari, Christopher (Amy) Fornari and Todd Fornari, all of Rochester; four stepgrandchildren and three stepgreat-grandchildren.
Service was Oct. 2 at Oak Hill Baptist Church with the Rev. David White officiating. followed in High Lawn Memorial Park, Oak Hill, where military rites were conducted by VFW Post 3110.
Friends may call 5 to 8 p.m. today at Tyree Funeral Home Chapel, Oak Hill.
Please make donations to Oak Hill Baptist Church, 613 Lundale Drive, Oak Hill.
Helen Lepto Bruns
Helen Lepto Bruns, 89, died Sept. 28, 2005, at home with family by her side.
Mrs. Bruns was a member of SS. Peter and Paul Catholic Church. She was an enthusiastic gardener and homemaker and well known for her beautiful garden flowers.
She was a past member of the choir and Ladies Guild at St. Anthony’s Church in Kilsyth and sang for numerous weddings. She will be dearly missed by her family.
Surviving: her son, John E. Lepto Jr. (Ruth) of Warrenton, Va.; son, Michael Lepto (Patsy) of Beckley, and daughter, Margaret Vargo, of Belton, Mo.; grandchildren, John, Bill, Laurie and Scott, Vonda and Tim, Michelle, Mark, Denise, Diana and David; 10 great-grandchildren; stepgrandchildren, Amy and Ernie; and six stepgreat-grandchildren.
Mass of Christian burial, with arrangements by Tyree Funeral Home, Mount Hope, was Oct. 1 at SS. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Oak Hill. Entombment followed in Blue Ridge Memorial Gardens Mausoleum, Beckley.
Veda Pauline Waters Craigo
Veda Pauline Waters Craigo, 81, of Oak Hill, died Oct. 3, 2005, at Fayette Continuous Care Center in Fayetteville, following a long illness.
Born June 14, 1924, at Carbondale, she was the daughter of the late John and Flodie Moore Waters. She also was preceded in death by her husband, Charles T. Craigo; a daughter, Diane Moye; a brother, George Waters; and two sisters, Norma Castle and June Bays.
Mrs. Craigo was a homemaker.
She was a member of the Church of God, Scott Depot.
Surviving: granddaughter, Debra Caldwell of Scarbro; stepchildren, Renee Sorrell of Ansted, Adrian Craigo of Maryland, and Doug Craigo, address unknown; sisters, Beulah Demontmallin of Alabama, Isabelle Nutter of Deepwater, and Maxine Waters of Fayetteville; and four great-grandchildren.
Service was Oct. 5 at Tyree Funeral Home, Oak Hill, with Pastor Jerry Bush officiating. followed in High Lawn Memorial Park, Oak Hill.
Barbara L. Dent
Barbara L. Dent, 68, of Deepwater, died Oct. 3, 2005, in CAMC Memorial Hospital after a long illness.
Born Jan. 22, 1937, in Carbondale, she was the daughter of the late Tom and Gladys Markell Price. She also was preceded in death by her husband, Neal Dent, on June 9, 1999.
Mrs. Dent was a clerk for the Semet-Solvay Company store, a member of Carbondale Baptist Church and a Methodist wife for 44 years.
Surviving: her sons, Tom and Tim Dent, both of Deepwater, Charlie Dent of Oceana and Steve Dent of Arkansas; sister, Norma Jean Tackett of Oak Hill; seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Funeral service will be 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6, at Hooper, Bostic & Layne Funeral Home, Montgomery, with the Rev. Randy Black officiating. will follow in Montgomery Memorial Park, London.
Imogene Farmer
Imogene Farmer, 79, of Oak Hill, died Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2005, at Plateau Medical Center, Oak Hill.
Arrangements by High Lawn Funeral Home, Oak Hill.
Betty Martin
Betty Martin, 75, of Gauley Bridge, died Sept. 30, 2005, following a long illness.
Born Jan. 19, 1930, at Glen Ferris, she was the daughter of the late Sylvester B. “Ves” Sr. and Georgia Lee Hayes Clark. She also was preceded in death by a granddaughter, Frannie Martin; and a brother, S.B. Clark Jr.
Mrs. Martin was retired from the Fayette County Board of Education.
Surviving: her husband, Harry Martin of Gauley Bridge; a daughter, Lee Ann Martin of Gauley Bridge; sons, Chris A. Martin of Crab Orchard and Joe Bill Martin of Gauley Bridge; sisters, Ida “Ike” Arthur of Gauley Bridge, Barbara Harvey of Converse, Texas, and Sue Bulmer of Springfield, Ohio; a brother, Roy Dale Clark of Powellton; and grandchildren, Christopher Martin, Phillip Martin, Jessica Martin, and Kenton Martin.
Funeral services was Oct. 4 at the Wallace and Wallace Funeral Home Chapel in Ansted, with the Rev. Mark Skaggs officiating. followed in the Montgomery Memorial Park at London.
Susan Wheeler Mills
Susan Wheeler Mills, 52, of Winston-Salem, N.C., died Oct. 2, 2005, at Kate B. Reynolds Hospice Home.
Born April 11, 1953, in Cleveland, Ohio, she was the daughter of the late Robert Wheeler and Eunice Shepherd Wheeler of Beckley.
Mrs. Mills was employed at SciWorks as a senior service associate for 12 years and had a love for all animals, especially birds.
Surviving: sons, Donnie Mills of Orlando, Fla., and Richard Lee Bragg of Winston-Salem; daughter, Heather Reyna of Winston-Salem; grandchildren, Amber and Garrett Mills, Ciara Reyna, Gabriel and Kaylee Bragg; brother, Robert (Dottie) Wheeler of Cleveland, Ohio; sister, Ann Burdette of Beckley; special friend, Alex Brown; and one niece and one nephew.
A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 9 at SciWorks Planetarium.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to SciWorks, 400 W. Hanes Mill Rd., Winston-Salem, NC 27105 or to Hospice and Palliative CareCenter, 101 Hospice Ln., Winston-Salem, NC 27103.
Information submitted by Cremation Services, Inc., Winston-Salem, N.C.
Ethel Mae Moore
Ethel Mae Dorsey Moore, 84, of Montgomery, formerly of Elkridge, died Sept. 29, 2005, in CAMC Memorial Hospital after a long illness.
Born June 9, 1921, in Twenty Mile, she was the daughter of the late James Richmond and Viola Neal Dorsey. She also was preceded in death by her husband, Early Lawrence Moore; son, Early Lawrence Moore Jr.; and a stepson, Kenny Moore.
Mrs. Moore was a homemaker.
Surviving: children, David Lawrence Moore of Adena Village and Kathy Lynn Falbo of Nitro; stepchildren, Shirley Persinger of Smithers, Bob Moore and Linda Lett, both of Ohio, Bill Moore of Tennessee, and Tommy Moore and Ella Mae Kitchen, both of Virginia; sister, Evelyn Dunlap of Elkhart, Ind.; brothers, Ralph Dorsey of Brownsville and Dewey Dorsey of Gatewood; two grandchildren and many stepgrandchildren; and many great-grandchildren.
Funeral service was Oct. 3 at Hooper, Bostic & Layne Funeral Home, Montgomery. was in Kanawha Valley Memorial Gardens, Glasgow.
Louis Tatarski
Louis Tatarski, 84, of 910 Oakcrest Drive, Reidsville, N.C., died Oct. 3, 2005, at Annie Penn Hospital in Reidsville.
He was born in Sun to Polish immigrants Joseph and Mary Dietch Tatarski. He was married for 46 years to Peggy Adams Tatarski and also was preceded in death by sisters Josephine Keeley and Jane Bowles; and a stepson, Douglas R. Baxter.
He was a 1940 graduate of Oak Hill High, and attended and played football at Marshall College and East Carolina Teachers College. He served in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Langley in the Pacific during WW II and played semi-pro football at Sampson Naval Training Base.
Mr. Tatarski retired as vice president of Adams Electric, serving from 1947 to 1986. He retired to Myrtle Beach, where he attended Pawley’s Island Community Church. He later returned to Reidsville, where he spent the last months of his life with children and grandchildren and family.
He was a member of First Baptist Church, formerly on the board of First Citizens Bank, former member of Pennrose Park Country Club, Reidsville Elks Lodge and Rotary Club. He enjoyed dancing in the Reidsville Follies.
Surviving: his wife, Mary J. Tatarski of Murrells Inlet, S.C.; sons, Eddie Tatarski and wife, Ann, and Joe Tatarski and wife, Catherine, of Reidsville; daughter, Gwynn Stone and husband, David, of Atlantic Beach, N.C.; stepsons, Ted Baxter and Robert A. Baxter; stepdaughter, Suzanne Baxter; eight grandchildren; seven stepgrandchildren; six great-grandchildren; a brother, Paul Tatarski; and sisters, Frances Hobbs and Marcella Eads.
Service will be 11 a.m. Oct. 8 at Penn Memorial Baptist Church. Entombment will be in Reidlawn Cemetery Mausoleum.
The family will receive friends from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday at Wilkerson Funeral Home, 1909 Richardson Drive, Reidsville, and at other times at the residence.
Hazel Elizabeth Toney
Hazel Elizabeth Toney, 66, of Ansted, died Sept. 28, 2005, at Appalachian Regional Hospital in Beckley following a long illness.
Born May 20, 1939, at Beckwith, she was the daughter of the late Toss Arthur and Laura Belle Strout Arthur.
Mrs. Toney was a homemaker.
Surviving: her husband, David Toney; daughters, Irene Toney of Ramsey, Debbie Layton and Elizabeth Chapman of Ansted, and Linda Sue Toney of Lexington, Ky.; sister, Ann Toney of Ansted; brother, Joseph Bickford of Tennessee; two grandsons; four granddaughters; two great-grandsons; and nine great-granddaughters.
Service was Oct. 1 at Wallace & Wallace Funeral Home Chapel, Ansted, with Brother David Nottingham and Rev. Dave Moses officiating. was in Goodhope Cemetery, Graydon.
Rhoda Lueann Honaker Underwood
Rhoda Lueann Honaker Underwood, 91, of Oak Hill, died Oct. 3, 2005, at Raleigh General Hospital in Beckley following a short illness.
Born May 8, 1914, in Fayette County, she was the daughter of the late Rev. Charles Edward and Minnie J. Ellison Honaker. Her husband, Col. Jean Underwood; brothers, Bill, Dock, Dewey, Shirley, John, Morgan, Sparrel and March Honaker; and sisters, Hazel, April and Malinda also preceded her in death.
Mrs. Underwood was a homemaker.
Surviving: brother, James H. Honaker and wife, Edith, of Oak Hill; sister, Billie Laws of Beckley, and several nieces and nephews.
Services will be on Thursday, Oct. 6 at 2 p.m. at Tyree Funeral Home, Oak Hill, with Rev. Rudell Bloomfield officiating. will be at High Lawn Memorial Park, Oak Hill.
Raymond Woodrow Wardrep
Raymond Woodrow Wardrep, 80, of Lookout, died Sept. 29, 2005, at the Beckley VA Medical Center following a long illness.
Born July 15, 1925, at Berry Mountain, he was the son of the late Raymond Claude Wardrep Sr. and Lena Rivers Frame Wardrep. He also was preceded in death by a brother, Harold Claude Wardrep Jr.
Mr. Wardrep was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, serving on the U.S.S. Saratoga, and was a member of VFW Post 7566 and the Knights of Pythias of Ansted. He was retired from the parts department of a Chevrolet dealership.
Surviving: son, Mike Wardrep and wife, Marilyn, of Lookout; and a brother, Bobby Wardrep of Lansing.
Service was Oct. 1 at Wallace & Wallace Funeral Home, Ansted, with the Rev. Freddie Parkins Sr. officiating. Burial, with military graveside rites, followed in Lansing Cemetery.
