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First Name: Last Name:

Thomas H. Ruth Jr.
KINCAID -- Thomas Howard Ruth Jr., 68, of Kincaid died Sunday, Feb. 1, 1998, in Beckley Veterans Administration Medical Center after a long illness. Ritchie-Johnson Funeral Home, Beckley, is in charge of arrangements.

Mark W. Sizemore
LIZEMORES -- Mark Weldod Sizemore, 82, of Lizemores died Saturday, Jan. 31, 1998, in Beckley Veterans Administration Medical Center after a long illness. He was a disabled Army veteran.
Surviving: brother, Jake Sizemore of Lizemores. Service will be 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at Laurel Fork Missionary Baptist Church with the Rev. Naaman Moore officiating. Burial will be in Sizemore Cemetery, Lizemores. Friends may call from 6 to 9 p.m. today at Carl Wilson Funeral Home, Clay.

The Rev. Donald E. Smith Sr.
The Rev. Donald E. Smith Sr., 65, of Pinch died Sunday, Feb. 1, 1998, in Sissonville. He was pastor of Pinetop Church of God, Charleston, a carrier for Charleston Newspapers, an Air Force veteran of the Korean War, a member of VFW Post 8516, Charleston, and a native of Massachusetts.
Surviving: wife, J. Carolyn Smith; sons, the Rev. Donald E. Smith Jr. of Fredericksburg, Va., Douglas E. Smith, stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Dwayne E. Smith of Tarentum, Pa., Daryle E. Smith of Elkview; daughters, Deborah E. Patchell of North East, Md., Darlene E. Lynch of Clarksburg; brothers, Leonard and Everette Smith of Townsend, Mass.; 12 grandchildren; one great-granddaughter. Memorial service will be 7 p.m. today at Pinetop Church of God with the Rev. Paul Farley officiating. Friends may call one hour prior to service at the church. The family suggests memorial contributions to Pinetop Church of God, 1611 Kenwood Road, Charleston, WV 25314. Good Shepherd Mortuary, South Charleston, is in charge of arrangements.

Christine Thompson
NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Christine Thompson, 20, of New Haven died Friday, Jan. 30, 1998, in Yale Hospital after a long illness.
Surviving: daughter, Jasmine Thompson of New Haven; parents, James E. and Joann Thompson of New Haven; brother, James Thompson of New Haven; sister, Amanda Thompson of New Haven. Graveside service will be 11 a.m. Wednesday at Mount Hope Cemetery, Chelyan. The procession will leave Handley Funeral Home, Danville, W.Va., at 10 a.m. for the cemetery. Friends may call from 6 to 9 p.m. today at the funeral home.

Andrew J. Tolley
MULLENS -- Andrew J. Tolley, 83, of Mullens died Ssaturday, Jan. 31, 1998, in a Welch hospital after a long illness He retired from Allied Chemical Coal Co., Tralee, and was a member of First United Methodist Church, Mullens.
Surviving: daughter, Peggy Foster of Tazewell, Va.; sisters, Maxine Hale of Medford, Ore., Faye Felton of Grand Prairie, Texas; brothers, Joe of Princeton, Fornie of Canton, Ohio; two granddaughters; four great-grandchildren. Service was to be 11 a.m. today at First United Methodist Church, Mullens, with the Rev. Steven Runnion officiating. Burial was to be in Roselawn Memorial Gardens, Princeton. The family suggests memorial contributions to United Methodist Church, Guyandotte Avenue, Mullens, WV 25882 or the Marshall University Foundation.Tankersley Funeral Home, Mullens, is in charge of arrangements.

Jennie V. Toney
BECKLEY -- Jennie Violet Toney, 87, of Beckley died Friday, Jan. 30, 1998, in Raleigh General Hospital after a long illness. He was a homemaker and of the Holiness faith.
Surviving: son, Waverly Lee Toney of Beckley; daughters, Elnora Austin of Cleveland, Ohio, Elizabeth Dillard of Rocky Mount, Va.; 11 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; five great-great-grandchildren. Service will be 1 p.m. Wednesday at Ritchie-Johnson Funeral Home, Beckley, with Elder Luther Hairston and the Rev. Ronald Dyer officiating. Burial will be in Stanaford Cemetery. Friends may call one hour prior to service at the funeral home.

Teddi D. Wilkinson
Teddi Deann Wilkinson, 28, of Dupont City died Sunday, Feb. 1, 1998, in CAMC, Memorial Division, after a short illness. She was a nursing instructor at West Virginia University Tech, Montgomery, a member of Sigma Theta Tau nursing honorary and Coal Fork United Methodist Church, Charleston. She was a 1991 cum laude graduate of Marshall University School of Nursing and a 1996 magna cum laude graduate of West Virginia University Master'sNursing Program and president of Marshall University Student Nurses Association.
Surviving: husband, Danny Scott Wilkinson; daughter, Alison Elaine Wilkinson at home; sons, Alexander Scott and Aaron Michael Wilkinson at home; father, Teddie D. Jackson of Charleston; mother, Betty J. Jay of Charleston; maternal grandparents, Bill and Betty Wilson of Malden; paternal grandmother, Ruby Gatens of Sissonville; brother, W. Jeffery Jackson of Belle. Service will be 1 p.m. Wednesday at Coal Fork United Methodist Church with the Rev. Earl Cochran and the Rev. Warren Faulknier and the Rev. Samuel Cale officiating. Burial will be in Montgomery Memorial Park, London. Friends may call after 6 p.m. today at Fidler & Frame Funeral Home, Belle, and one hour prior to service at the church. The family suggests memorial contributions to Wilkinson Children's Education Fund, c/o City National Bank, P.O. Box 4168, Charleston, WV 25364-4168 or the Teddi Wilkinson Nursing Scholarship, Box 64, Orndorff Hall, Montgomery, WV 25136.

Evelyn R. Wimer
CANAL FULTON, Ohio -- Evelyn R. Mitchell Wimer, 80, of Canal Fulton, formerly of Weston, W.Va., and Orlando, W.Va., died Saturday, Jan. 31, 1998, in Gas Lite Villa Convalescent Center after a long illness. She was a homemaker, attended Orlando United Methodist Church, Broad Street United Methodist Church, Weston, and Gas Lite Villa Chapel. She was a member of Villa Voices and Daughters of the American Revolution. Service will be 10 a.m. Wednesday at Boyle Funeral Home, Weston, with the Rev. W.H. Hoover officiating. Burial will be in Orlando Cemetery. Friends may call from 6 to 9 p.m. today at the funeral home.

Margaret McGhee
She made everyone from subscribers and employees to celebrities and politicians feel important. For nearly half a century, Margaret McGhee's red hair and vibrant smile greeted those who entered the Charleston Newspapers' building on Virginia Street. Known as Maggie, she died early today at the age of 78 at Good Living personal care home in Malden. "Maggie embodied the best about the Daily Mail family," said Sam Hindman, Daily Mail publisher and president and chief executive officer of Thomson Newspapers' Mid-America Group. "She was more than just a colleague," Hindman said. "She was a friend to all, young and old, and never lost her love for Charleston Newspapers, particularly the Daily Mail. We will miss her." Without ever writing a news story, McGhee shaped the perception of the paper. In 1938, she began answering the switchboard and routing callers to the proper destination. When she retired in 1987, she reminisced about those countless calls. She saw her link to callers switch from an old-fashioned cable switchboard to a modern push-button system. She adeptly dealt with complainers, news tipsters and endless talkers. For many callers, she was the voice of the paper. And she was often the first newspaper employee to hear of breaking news. From her spot at the front desk, she greeted an interesting parade of visitors from subscribers and employees to former President Ronald Reagan and Secret Service agents. U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, a former governor, always greeted her by name. Aside from offering pleasant greetings, she also often played an important role in tragedies. In 1948, a fire at the old Woolworth dime store in downtown Charleston claimed the lives of seven firefighters. Maggie came to work to spend hours fielding calls about the blaze. A Charleston native, she graduated from Charleston High School, attended business college for a year, and then took a job at the Daily Mail. Soon after she began work, she met the man she would marry. The late Chuck McGhee was a Daily Mail reporter. When she retired in 1987, she said she enjoyed every hour of her job. "You don't become a millionaire, but you have a lot of fun," she said. "You never know when you answer a call whether it'll be `The Capitol's on fire,' `The mayor's been killed,' or `I didn't get my paper.' "The company's been good to me. I hope I've been good for the company." Retired Daily Mail photographer Earl Benton, who joined the paper as a photographer in 1943, said, "She was Miss Daily Mail and Miss Charleston Newspapers. She knew everything about the whole operation, and she saw it grow. "Maggie knew everyone in town," he said. "When people came in, she knew how to make them feel welcome. She loved people. She was the nerve center of that newspaper." When she died early today, her close friend, Pat Grimmett, was at her side. Grimmett, a caregiver at Good Living personal care home, spent her days off with Maggie, taking her to lunch or shopping. "We traded red Valentine's Day hearts yesterday," Grimmett said. "They were stickers. She put one on me, and I put one on her dress. She wore it all day yesterday. We talked about (her late husband) Chuck and everything. She was so happy. There was a glow about her. "She loved the people at the paper," she added. "She got me reading the paper."
Surviving: sister Verna G. Walker of Seminole, Fla.; two nieces, one nephew. Friends may call 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Wilson Funeral Home. Services will be 11 a.m. Friday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Graceland Memorial Park.

E. Herald Alderson
FALLS CHURCH, Va. -- E. Herald Alderson, 82, of Falls Church, formerly of Nitro, W.Va., died Monday, Feb. 2, 1998, in Iliff Nursing Home after a long illness. He was a retired pipefitter from Avtex Fibers, Nitro, a native of Nettie, W.Va., and a member of First Baptist Church of Nitro.
Surviving: daughters, Sue Mechalski and Barbara Stull of Falls Church; brother, Reginald "Reggie" Alderson of St. Albans, W.Va.; four grandchildren; five great-grandchildren. Service will be 11 a.m. Friday at Cooke Funeral Home, Nitro, with the Rev. Lawrence Hoptry officiating. Burial will be in Tyler Mountain Memory Gardens, Cross Lanes. Friends may call from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home.

Macil Bishop
MANASSAS, Va. -- Macil "Mutt" Bishop, 80, of Manassas, formerly of Clendenin, W.Va., died Monday, Feb. 2, 1998, in Warrenton Overlook Care Center, Warrenton, Va. He was a retired coal miner from McConnis Coal Co.
Surviving: sons, Harvey of Manassas, Stephen of White Plains, Md., Michael of LaPort, Ind.; daughter, Mary Robinson of Manassas, Va.; brothers, Lawrence of Oceana, W.Va., Russell of Summersville, W.Va., Robert of Massillon, Ohio; sister, Zula Caldwell of Glenn, W.Va.; six grandchildren; five great-grandchildren. Service will be 2 p.m. Friday at Matics Funeral Home, Clendenin, with the Rev. Donald Blackwell officiating. Burial will be in Booker T. Mullins Cemetery, Clendenin. Friends may call from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home.

Howard Blankenship
McCONNELL -- Howard Blankenship, 73, of McConnell, Logan County, died Monday, Feb. 2, 1998, in Logan General Hospital. He was a retired miner, a Navy veteran and a member of Holden 5&6 Freewill Baptist Church.
Surviving: wife, Violet Blankenship; daughters, Patty Marcum Blankenship of Mount Gay, Billie Jean McComas of New Boston, Mich., Ruth Caserta of Man, Carol Shell of Crooked Creek, Brenda Mendel, Marie Compton of Stollings; son, Richard Blankenship; 18 grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren. Service will be 2 p.m. Thursday at Holden 5&6 Freewill Baptist Church with the Rev. Larry Light officiating. Burial will be in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Pecks Mill. Friends may call from 6 to 9 p.m. today at James Funeral Home, Logan.

Inez M. Blankenship
PINEVILLE -- Inez Mae Perry Blankenship, 90, of Pineville died Monday, Feb. 2, 1998, at home after a long illness. She was a retired teacher and librarian for the Wyoming County Board of Education, a Baptist, a member and officer of various civic, fraternal and educational associations, attended Davis and Elkins College and Northwestern University, Chicago, Ill.
Surviving: daughters, Carolyn Cole Norman of Jupiter, Fla., Patti Perry Wells of Elizabethton, Tenn., Mary Sue Adams of Charleston; 12 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren. Private memorial service will be at a later date. Entombment was in Sunset Memorial Park Mausoleum, Beckley. The family suggests memorial contributions to Extend-A-Care Hospice, 103 Guyandotte Ave., Mullens, WV 24882.Calfee Funeral Home, Pineville, is in charge of arrangements.

Leona Burdiss
BECKLEY -- Leona Burdiss, 57, of Beckley died Tuesday, Feb. 3, 1998, at home after a long illness. Rose-Quesenberry Funeral Home, Beckley, is in charge of arrangements.

Buddy P. Burgess
Buddy Paul Burgess, 57, of Charleston died Tuesday, Feb. 3, 1998, at home after a long illness. He was self-employed and a member of Humphreys Memorial United Methodist Church, Sissonville. He was a lifelong resident of Kanawha County.
Surviving: wife, Nancy Jane Burgess; stepdaughters, Cynthia Haynes and Traci Hicks of Cary, N.C.; stepson, Scott Donohew of Charleston; sisters, Delphia Boner, Estelle Lude and Lorene Holtsclaw of Charleston; brothers, Robert Leon, Harold Gene, Chester Ray, Jerry Lee and Dennis Wayne Burgess of Charleston; two grandchildren. Service will be 1 p.m. Thursday at Wilson Funeral Home, Charleston, with the Rev. James W. Holtsclaw officiating. Burial will be in Graceland Memorial Park, South Charleston. Friends may call from 7 to 9 p.m. today at the funeral home.

Harriet R. Carr
CLERMONT, Fla. -- Harriett Russell Carr, 80, of Clermont, formerly of Charleston, W.Va., died Wednesday, Jan. 28, 1998, in Clermont after a long illness. She was a retired accountant for the former Evans Lead Co., Charleston, a member of First Baptist Church, Clermont, and the Pilot Club, a former member of Calvary Baptist Church, Charleston, and attended Marshall University.
Surviving: son, Richard Carr of Santa Rosa, Calif.; sisters, Mary Carver of Charleston, Mildred Hanshaw of Lexington, N.C., Evelyn Shannon of St. Albans, W.Va.; brothers, Lawrence Russell of Leesburg, Fla., Owen Russell of Charleston, Frank Russell of Jeffersontown, Ky.; two grandchildren. Graveside service was Jan. 31 in Oak Hill Cemetery, Clermont, with Pastor Danny Davis officiating. Becker Funeral Home, Clermont, was in charge of arrangements. Information provided by Stevens-Grass Funeral Home, Malden, W.Va.

Sara R. Carter
Sara Ruby Carter, 81, of St. Albans died Saturday, Jan. 31, 1998, in Doctors Hospital, Sarasota, Fla., after a short illness. She was a homemaker, a member of Lakeview Methodist Church, St. Albans, and St. Albans Women's Club.
Surviving: sons, Jack of Sarasota, Stan of Gatlinburg, Tenn; sisters, Pauline Miles of Richmond, Va., Marie Thompson of Hope, Ark.; brother, O.H. Aliff Jr. of El Paso, Texas; two grandchildren. Service will be 11 a.m. Thursday at Bartlett-Chapman Funeral Home, St. Albans, with the Rev. Ravi Isaiah officiating. Burial will be in Cunningham Memorial Park, St. Albans. Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. today at the funeral home.

Ann Marie Cavallaro
MORGANTOWN -- Ann Marie Cavallaro, 78, of Morgantown died Tuesday, Feb. 3, 1998, at home. She was a member of St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Star City, former owner/operator of Freddie's Restaurant, Morgantown, a member of Beta Sigma Phi, president of the Ladies Golf Association at Pines Country Club, a member of the West Virginia Golf Association and USGA and was an inductee into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Surviving: daughter, Sandra Jeanne Guidi of Morgantown; grandsons, Fred T. and Terry M. Guidi of Morgantown; four great-grandchildren. Service will be 10 a.m. Friday at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church with the Rev. Carl E. Bauer officiating. Burial will be in Beverly Hills Memorial Gardens Cemetery. Friends may call from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Hastings Funeral Home, Morgantown, where a scriptural wake service will be 6:45 p.m., and friends may call one hour prior to service at the church. The family suggests memorial contributions to Monongalia County Health Department Hospice, 453 VanVoorhis Road, Morgantown, WV 26505 or the Food Pantry, P.O. Box 2010, Westover, WV 26502.

James Chapman
James Chapman, 61, of Charleston died Tuesday, Feb. 3, 1998, at home after a short illness. Powell-Jarrett Funeral Home, Charleston, is in charge of arrangements.

Emmons Cumbridge
Emmons Cumbridge, 90, of Glasgow died Monday, Feb. 2, 1998, at home after a long illness. He was a retired miner from Valley Camp Coal Co. with 38 years of service, a charter member of Glasgow Fire Department and a member of Glasgow United Methodist Church.
Surviving: wife, Oleta C. Hall Cumbridge; son, LeonardS. Cumbridge of Glasgow; daughters, Naomi E. Davis of Baldwin, Mich., Judy Buckley of Glasgow; sisters, Anne Eagle of Pennsylvania, Audrey Rose of Ohio, Pearl McMillian of Michigan; six grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren. Service will be 1 p.m. Thursday at Glasgow United Methodist Church with the Rev. George Bramble officiating. Burial will be in Montgomery Memorial Park, London. Friends may call from 7 to 9 p.m. today at Cooke Funeral Home, Cedar Grove, and one hour prior to service at the church.

Virginia C. Diehl
BALTIMORE, Md. -- Virginia Catherine Fleshman Diehl, 78, of Baltimore, formerly of Alderson, W.Va., died Sunday, Feb. 1, 1998, at home after a short illness.
Surviving: husband, Charles R. Diehl; son, Clarence "Sonny" Simms of Baltimore; daughters, Judy Ogden of Coral Springs, Fla., Bobbi Caspaitiello of Baltimore; brothers, James G. and Lewis A. Fleshman Jr. of Alderson; sisters, Roberta McClung and Rebecca Lineberry of Alderson; four grandchildren; six great-grandchildren. Service will be 10 a.m. Thursday at Connelly Funeral Home, Dundale, Md. Burial will be in Meadowridge Memorial Park, Baltimore. Friends may call from 3 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. today at Connelly Funeral Home. Information provided by Lobban Funeral Home, Alderson.

Ronnal A. Dozier
DALY CITY, Calif. -- Ronnal A. Dozier, 84, of Daly City, formerly of Teays Valley, W.Va., died Saturday, Jan. 31, 1998, in St. Francis Heights Convalescent Hospital after a long illness. He was a retired chemist from Union Carbide, Blain Island, South Charleston, W.Va., with 35 years of service, and was a Mormon.
Surviving: wife, Lilla C. Dozier; daughters, Gayle Bautz of Moonachie,, N.J., Sandra Rawlings of Charleston, W.Va.; stepdaughter, Leila Lagarda of Daly City; son, Allan Dozier of St. Albans, W.Va.; sisters, Birdie Deal and Kathryn Nester, of Buffalo, Ohio, Violet Nester of Sissonville, W.Va.; brothers, Walter Dozier of Buffalo, Luther Dozier of Charleston; six grandchildren; four great-grandchildren. Service will be 2 p.m. Friday at Chapman Funeral Home, Teays Valley, with Bishop Kevin Casto officiating. Burial will be in Mount Vernon Cemetery, Hurricane. Friends may call from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home.

Howard Elliott
TAPLIN -- Howard Elliott, 88, of Taplin died Monday, Feb. 2, 1998, in Logan General Hospital after a long illness. He was a retired miner from Chafin Coal Co., a member of the UMW and Bethlehem Freewill Baptist Church, Rita, a former Sunday school teacher, church trustee and member of the original Rita Quartet.
Surviving: wife, Nellie Price Elliott; daughters, Wanda Lou Williams of Amherstdale, Willa Jean Collins of Davin; sons, Wincel of Palestine, Wylie of Neibert; sister Opal Johnson of Springfield, Ohio; brothers, Ray of Albany, Ohio, Warren of Guysville, Ohio; 14 grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild. Service will be 11 a.m. Thursday at Bethlehem Freewill Baptist Church with the Rev. Andrew Parsons and the Rev. John T. Vance officiating. Burial will be in Saunders Cemetery, Ranger. Friends may call from 6 to 9 p.m. today at Krantz-McNeely Funeral Home, Man, and one hour prior to service at the church.