ALDERSON - Edward Paul Hardesty, 76, died Monday, June 9, 2003, at Greenbrier Valley Medical Center, Fairlea, following a short illness.
Born May 19, 1927, in Fairchance, Pa., he was the son of the late Frederick Carlton Hardesty and the late Mary Adeline Frazee Hardesty Honaker.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a son, Frederick Spencer Hardesty; two brothers, Ronald and Carl Hardesty; and a brother-in-law, Emmett Pinnell Jr.
Mr. Hardesty was a retired paving supervisor, having retired in 1988 from the West Virginia Department of Highways after 25 years of service. He was a 15-year employee of the West Virginia State Fair as a ticket seller and also worked in the Treasurer's Office. He was a former employee of Lewisburg Wholesale, where he had worked for 11 years, and was also a theatre manager in Ronceverte and Alderson.
Mr. Hardesty joined the Merchant Marines as a teenager and was a U.S. Air Force veteran, having served during World War II and in Nagoya, Japan. He was a 45-year member of The Old Greenbrier Baptist Church, Alderson, where he had served as a deacon since 1993, served as the superintendent of Sunday school for many years, was a Sunday school teacher and served on various other committees over the years.
He was a member of the Alderson Lions Club, where he had served as past president and held other offices over the years. He was the recipient of the Leonard Jarrett Award this past December and was very involved with the Christmas Tree sale each year. He was a member and served as trustee of Tri County Memorial VFW Post No. 6723, Alderson, was a charter member of the Fairlea Ruritan Club, served as president of the Renaissance Building when first established, was a board member of the Alderson Main Street Committee and bowled with the "Over the Hill Gang" Bowling League.
Mr. Hardesty loved life, especially his family, church and town. He was interested in anything to help the youth of the town of Alderson. He helped build the Alderson Little League from a T-Shirt League with four teams to what it is today. He was proud of his teams, the Pirates and the Cubs. He served on the Alderson Little League for 40 years and was a past president and held several other positions over the years. He started the first league for girls in Alderson.
Mr. Hardesty wanted a Fourth of July in Alderson like his home town of Terra Alta and was co-chairman the first year of the Alderson Fourth of July Celebration and had served in many ways for the past 42 years helping to make it West Virginia's largest Independence Day celebration. He was an avid hunter and loved growing tomatoes in his garden.
Survivors include his wife of 53 years, Clara Pinnell Hardesty; a daughter, Rebecca Anne Pence and husband, Boyd, of Alderson; a sister, Sarah H. Costa and husband, Lewis W., of Myrtle Beach, S.C.; two brothers, Joseph Ray Hardesty of Akron, Ohio, and John C. Hardesty and wife, Margaret E., of Canadian, Okla.; his mother-in-law, Flossie Pinnell of Alderson; brother-in-law, Richard Pinnell of Alderson; sister-in-law, Kay Hardesty of Fairlea; daughter-in-law, Joanne Hardesty Lightner of Alderson; three grandchildren, Kristina Pence Schoonover and husband, Darryl, of King George, Va., Kenneth Paul Pence of Greenville and Sidney Jo Hardesty of Alderson; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
Service will be 11 a.m. Thursday at The Old Greenbrier Baptist Church, Alderson, with the Revs. Alvie Edwards, John Lares and Gary Baker officiating. Burial will follow in Alderson cemetery.
Friends may call 7 to 9 p.m. today at Lobban Funeral Home, Alderson, and one hour before service Thursday at the church.
Family and friends will serve as pallbearers.
Honorary pallbearers will be the members of the Alderson Lions Club and the members of Tri County Memorial VFW Post No. 6723, Alderson.
Military graveside rites will be conducted by the Tri County Memorial VFW Post No. 6723, Alderson.
Contributions of sympathy may be made to the Alderson Little League or to The Old Greenbrier Baptist Church, Alderson.
Arrangements by Lobban Funeral Home, Alderson.
Bessie E. Hatfield
COAL MOUNTAIN - Bessie Elizabeth Hatfield, 92, died at 4 a.m. Tuesday, June 10, 2003, at Logan Regional Medical Center.
Born Dec. 16, 1910, at Four Pole (Litwar), she was the daughter of the late Tom Wallace and Nancy Jane Browning Wallace.
Mrs. Hatfield was a homemaker and a member of the Freewill Baptist faith.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Noah Hatfield; four brothers, Richard Wallace, Bob Wallace, George Wallace and Johnny Wallace; and three sisters, Edna Wallace, Dicie Hatfield and Ida Hatfield.
Survivors include three sons, Arnold Hatfield and wife, Geneva, of Coal Mountain, Gary Hatfield and wife, Kathy, of Coal Mountain and Ozie Hatfield and wife, Joyce, of Hanover; 14 grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren; nine great-great-grandchildren; a sister, Bertha Kennedy of Coal Mountain, and a brother, Jimmy Wallace of Coal Mountain.
Service will be 1 p.m. Thursday at Mounts Funeral Home Chapel, Gilbert, with the Revs. David Johnson and Beatrice Staten officiating. Burial will follow in Palm Memorial Gardens, Matheny.
Friends may call 6 to 9 p.m. today at the funeral home.
Pallbearers will be great grandsons.
Arrangements by Mounts Funeral Home, Gilbert.
Mary R. Kees
LYNCHBURG, Va. - Mary R. Kees, 71, formerly of Oak Hill, died Tuesday, June 10, 2003.
Arrangements by High Lawn Funeral Chapel, Oak Hill.
Helen Mae Milam
ARISTA MOUNTAIN - Helen Mae Milam, 88, died Tuesday, June 10, 2003, at her home.
Born July 10, 1914, in Narrows, Va., she was the daughter of the late Kale Howerton and Bertha Hale Howerton.
Mrs. Milam was a member of Garwood Church of God. She loved the Church of God and worked in the church for over 70 years. She worked in every office of the church, as Sunday school teacher, pianist and choir director. She and her husband were instrumental in the building of Clark's Gap Church of God in 1949.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Aubrey Milam in 1984; a son, Paten Louden Milam in 1940; and two brothers, Fount Howerton and Harold Howerton.
Survivors include two sons, Denver Milam and his wife, Geneva, of Oklahoma and Avery Milam of Princeton; two daughters, Norma Delp and her husband, Dillard, of Lashmeet and Joyce Bullins and her husband, Charles, of Arista Mountain; two sisters, Pauline Walters of Lake Shawnee and Kathern Robinette of California; 16 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren.
Service will be 11 a.m. Thursday at Rowland H. Bailey Funeral Chapel of Bailey-Kirk Funeral Home, Princeton, with the Revs. Johnny Gray, Ricky Shrewsbury, Charles Bullins, Kenneth Abram and L.A. Farmer officiating. Interment will follow in Roselawn Memorial Gardens, Princeton.
Friends may call from 6 to 9 p.m. today at the funeral home.
Grandchildren will serve as pallbearers.
Arrangements by Bailey-Kirk Funeral Home, Princeton.
Pauline H. Nichols
Pauline H. Nichols, 86, of Beckley, died Tuesday, June 10, 2003, in a Beckley hospital following a short illness.
Arrangements by Melton Mortuary, Beckley.
Irene Ellen O'Dell
QUINWOOD - Irene Ellen O'Dell, 74, died Tuesday, June 10, 2003, at her home following a short illness.
Born Aug. 11, 1928, in Birmingham, England, she was the daughter of the late Walter and Elizabeth Machin.
Mrs. O'Dell was a retired employee of the Greenbrier County school system, where she worked as school secretary for Crichton School for 25 years.
She was a homemaker and of the Baptist faith.
She was preceded in death by four sisters, Lucy Machin, Evelyn Shock, Eva Ward and Jane Walker.
Survivors include her husband of 58 years, Lester R. O'Dell; a daughter, Evelyn Carroll and husband, Charles, of Quinwood; a son, Brent O'Dell and wife, Donna, of Clintonville; five grandchildren, Mark Carroll of Proctorville, Ohio, Jason Carroll and wife, Sandy, of Charleston, Melanie Shaffer and husband, Michael, of Elkins, Jamie Beth Carroll of Quinwood and Jonathan O'Dell of Clintonville; and two great-grandchildren, Ethan and Zachary.
Service will be 11 a.m. Friday at Wallace & Wallace Chapel, Rainelle, with the Rev. Houston Boothe officiating. Burial will follow in End of The Trail cemetery, Clintonville.
Friends may call 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home.
Arrangements by Wallace & Wallace Funeral Home, Rain-elle.
Betty Phillips
WINSTON SALEM, N.C. - Betty Phillips, formerly of Beckley, died Monday, June 9, 2003, at a North Carolina hospital.
Arrangements by Ritchie and Johnson Funeral Parlors, Beckley.
Ruth Ellen Smith
Ruth Ellen Smith, 86, of Fairdale, died Sunday, June 6, 2003, in a Beckley hospital following a long illness.
Born March 11, 1917, in Savannah, Ga., she was the daughter of the late Samuel and Ida Mae Sanger Guthrie.
Mrs. Smith came to Raleigh County at a very young age, settling in Glen View, and she had been a resident of Fairdale for the past 55 years. She was the oldest living charter member of Bolt Church of God.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Edward E. Smith on Dec. 7, 1978; a daughter, Thelma June Smith; a grandson, Michael Hawley; two brothers, Roy Walter and Earl Mosley Guthrie; and two sisters, Mary Ashley and her twin, Ruby Craghead.
Survivors include two sons, Ivan Smith and his wife, Vernie, of Fairdale and Ernest Clay Smith and his wife, Caretta, of Thomasville, N.C.; two daughters, Joyce Hawley and her husband, Kenneth, and Eleanor Ann Hawley, all of Beckley; 15 grandchildren, Ronald Ivan, Tina Louise, Carolyn Jean, Mark, Marvin, Randall, Ernie, Kathy, Brenda, Mark, Cheryl, Carla, David, Crystal and Steve; 20 great-grandchildren; a great-great-grandchild; a sister, Lois Mae Bragg and her husband, Floyd, of Cooksville, Tenn.; and a sister-in-law, Edna Mae Smith of Santee, S.C.
Service will be 1 p.m. Thursday at Melton Mortuary Chapel, Beckley, with the Revs. Randall Pugh and Stollie Parsons officiating. Burial will follow in Sunset Memorial Park, Beckley.
Friends may call 6 to 9 p.m. today at the funeral home.
Grandsons will serve as pallbearers.
Arrangements by Melton Mortuary, Beckley.
Annie Marie Bennett
MATOAKA — Annie Marie Bennett, 38, died Friday, June 23, 2006.
Service will be 11 a.m. Wednesday at Rowland H. Bailey Funeral Chapel of the Bailey-Kirk Funeral Home, Princeton.
Friends may call 10 a.m. until time of the service Wednesday at the funeral home.
Arrangements by Bailey-Kirk Funeral Home, Princeton.
Louise I. Bernath
HILLTOP — Louise Imogene Sumner Bernath, 86, died Sunday, June 25, 2006, at her home.
Born Oct. 7, 1919, at Hilltop, she was the daughter of the late Frank James and Delia Belle Greer Sumner.
Mrs. Bernath was a longtime member of the Fellowship Memorial Baptist Church of Oak Hill. She was the secretary for the Fayette County Singing Convention.
Louise loved the Lord and served Him as she cared for her family, church family and the family of God. She was an expert seamstress, crafter and homemaker, as well as a poet. She wrote about her Christian faith. She will be dearly missed by all who knew her.
The family wishes to extend their heartfelt thanks to the staff of Ansted Center and Plateau Medical Center for their wonderful care.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Joe Bernath; five brothers, Wesley, Virgil Floyd, Emory Eugene, Billy Leroy and Frank James Sumner; and a sister, Thelma Marie Sumner.
Survivors include a stepson, Billy Joe Bernath and wife, Helen, of Scarbro; stepdaughter, Delma Jean Samuelson of Lavergne, Tenn.; four sisters, Ruth Ferres and husband, Bill, of Fairfield, Calif., Venita Shuff and husband, Arnold, of Minden, Joann Smith of Hilltop and Laura Miller and husband, Harry, of Beckley; two brothers, Robert Sumner and wife, Joanne, of Canandaigue, N.Y., and George Sumner and wife, Irene, of Colonial Heights, Va.; three step grandchildren, Kathy Naylor and husband, Mark, of St. Peter, Mo., Donald Boetel and wife, Wendy, of Dayton, Ohio and Robert Boetel and wife, Jenny, of Mesa, Ariz., and three step great-grandchildren. Also surviving are a special nephew, Leon Roop and wife, Carol, of New Castle, Ind.; dear friends, Edith and Leonard Phelps, 46 nieces and nephews; 72 great nieces and nephews and many great-great nieces and nephews.
Service will be 2 p.m. Thursday at Tyree Funeral Home, Oak Hill, with the Revs. Harry Miller and Daniel Rice officiating. Burial will follow in High Lawn Memorial Park, Oak Hill.
Friends may call 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home.
Nephews and other family members will serve as pallbearers.
Bertha Brooks
MARIANNA — Bertha Brooks, 49, passed away Sunday, June 25, 2006, at Welch Community Hospital following a sudden illness.
Evans Funeral Home of Oceana is serving the Brooks family.
Landin Everett Bryant
Landin Everett Bryant, infant son of Jeremy Bryant and Danyelle Wright, was stillborn Saturday, June 24, 2006.
Graveside service will be 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Miller cemetery at Naoma.
Arrangements by Armstrong Funeral Home, Whitesville.
