Obituaries - 01/13/00

John James

John Kenneth James, 53, of Sylva's Green Creeks community, Sylva, died Thursday, Jan. 6, at his residence.

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 8, in the chapel of Moody Funeral Home. The Rev. L.F. "Bill" Sutton officiated. Burial was in Fairview Memorial Gardens.

A native and lifelong resident of Jackson County, he was a veteran of the U.S. Navy and a Baptist. He was a former employee of the Ashley Co. and was the son of the late Isaac and Daisy Dietz James.

Surviving are three sisters, Sarah J. Barnes of Burnsville, Linda James of Sylva and Frances Conner of Candler.

Raymond Taylor

Raymond V. Taylor, 47, of Cherokee's Adams Creek community, died Friday, Jan. 7, at his residence after a period of declining health.

Funeral services were held at 11 am. Monday, Jan. 10, at the residence. The Rev. Wayne Hornbuckle officiated. Burial was in Welch Family Cemetery. Pallbearers were Charles Taylor, Darrell Curtis, Larry McCoy, Norman McCoy, Harry Taylor, Donald Bradley, Roger McCoy and Murney Taylor.

A native and lifelong resident of Swain County, he was a self-employed mechanic and a son of the late George and Jeanette Welch Taylor. Surviving are two daughters, Melissa and Vanessa Taylor, both of Oklahoma; one son, Raymond Jesse Taylor of the home; one brother, Guy John Taylor of Cherokee; and five grandchildren.

Melton-Riddle Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Ruth Mason

Ruth Sumner Mason, 82, of Walter Ashe Road, Sylva, died Friday, Jan. 7, at Harris Regional Hospital.

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 11, at Lovedale Baptist Church, where she was a member. The Rev. Cecil Frady officiated. Burial was in Fairview Memorial Gardens. Pallbearers were Guy Dillard, Lyle Hall, Carroll Hall, Lee Robinson Sr., Steven Allen and Arthur Phillips.

A native of Cherokee County and resident of Jackson County most of her life, she retired from Western Carolina University's Hunter Library. She was the daughter of the late Crawford M. and Nannie Tatham Sumner.

Surviving are her husband, Marshall Mason; one son, Dick Mason of Casper, Wyo.; one daughter, Joyce Roberts of Tampa, Fla.; one brother, Rush Sumner of Sylva; four grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.

Moody Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Jack Tate

Jack Tate, 75, of Sugar Loaf Road, Sylva, died Saturday, Jan. 8, at Harris Regional Hospital after a period of declining health.

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Monday, Jan. 10, at Melton-Riddle Funeral Home Chapel. The Rev. J.D. Grant officiated. Burial was in Keener Cemetery. Pallbearers were Sonny McCormick, Adam Bradley, Don Edwards, Leroy Crain, Lucky Hensley and Stanley Hoyle.

A native of Yancey County, he had lived in Jackson County since 1969. He was a retired construction worker. A U.S. Army veteran of World War II, he was a son of the late Will and Pearl Hensley Tate.

Surviving are his wife, Emma E. Tate; one daughter, Shirley Lentsch of Sacramento, Calif.; one son, Kenneth Tate of Sylva; two sisters, Pauline Cram of Burnsville and Faye Cram of Sylva; three brothers, Roy Hensley of Sylva, Duff Hensley of Waynesville and Billy Hensley of Dunmore, Pa.; and three grandchildren.

Clyde Cabe

Clyde Kimsey Cabe, 78, of Sylva's Greens Creek community, died Monday, Jan. 10, at Harris Regional Hospital.

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 12, at Old Savannah Baptist Church. The Revs. Clifford Parker and Benny Bagwell officiated. Burial was in Greens Creek Cemetery.

A native and lifelong resident of Jackson County, he was a veteran of World War II, serving in the U.S. Army. He was a retired meat cutter. He was a son of the late Candler and Pearl Hall Cabe.

He was preceded in death by three brothers, Cordell, Grady and George Cabe. Surviving are his wife, Lille Green Cabe; one son, Larry Dale Cabe; one sister, Edith Buchanan of Sylva; and one granddaughter.

Moody Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Molly Clayton

Molly Lucille Henry Clayton, 81, of 904 Chipper Curve Road, Sylva, died Monday, Jan. 10, at Harris Regional Hospital.

Funeral services were held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 12, at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church. The Rev. Frank Brooks officiated. Burial was in Henry Family Cemetery.

A native of Jackson County, she was a daughter of the late Dock and Alma Cogdill Henry. She was the owner/operator of Clayton's Grocery for more than 21 years.

She was preceded in death by four brothers, Guy, Don, Bob and Clyde Henry. Surviving are her husband of 60 years, William Allen Clayton; two sons, Perry Clayton of Sylva and Michael Clayton of Marion; three sisters, Flora Mills, Sadie Henry and Nora Lee Mathis, all of Sylva; seven grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Harlie Leopard

Harlie Morgan Leopard, 85, formerly of Glenville, died Friday, Jan. 7, at his residence in Albemarle.

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 9, in the chapel of Moody Funeral Home. The Rev. David Fambrough officiated. Burial was at Hamburg Cemetery, Glenville.

A native of Jackson County, he was the son of the late Grover Hampton Leopard and Callie Enloe Leopard. He was a retired carpenter. He served in the U.S. Army Crops and was a lifetime member of Albemarle VFW.

Surviving are his wife, Myrtle Ruby Franks Leopard of Albemarle; one son, Jim Leopard of Albemarle; three sisters, Evelyn Parker of Brevard, Annie Ashe of Canton and Mrytle Buchanan of Sylva; and one granddaughter.

Wallace Ford

Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Wallace Stafford Ford, 86, of North Point Road, Sylva, died Tuesday, Jan. 4, at Harris Regional Hospital.

A memorial service was held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan., 8, at St. Johns Episcopal Church. He was born in New Orleans and raised in Pass Christian, Miss. He was a West Point graduate, Class of 1938, and a World War II veteran who organized the first air-to-sea rescue squadron in the South Pacific.

After retiring from the military in 1958 with 22 years of service, he had a second career at North American Rockwell where he was general manager of the Apollo Program that put a man on the moon.

After the Apollo Program, he retired from North American and went into real estate with National Realty in Melbourne, Fla., until moving to North Carolina in 1985. He was a member of St. Johns Episcopal Church in Sylva, serving on the vestry as junior warden and as church treasurer.

Surviving are his wife, Geraldine Zeller Ford; two daughters, Suzanna Al Bakhit of Kuwait City, Kuwait, and Diana Solmes of Hastings, Mich.; two sons, Lt. Col. (retired) Brian Ford of Wauconda, Ill., and Jeff Ford of Atlanta; one stepson, Greg Zeller of Merritt Island, Fla.; 14 grandchildren; eight grandchildren; and one step grandson.

Melton-Riddle Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Dink Merrell

M.L. "Dink" Merrell of Cashiers, died Monday, Jan. 10, in Warner Robins, Ga. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. today (Thursday) at Cashiers United Methodist Church. The Revs. David Beam and Steve Kerhoulas will officiate. Burial will be in Lower Coward Cemetery.

A member of Cashiers United Methodist Church, he was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and was a self-employed contractor.

Surviving are two sons, Butch Merrell and Larry Merrell, both of Macon, Ga.; two daughters, Monica Wade and Marcia Baker, both of Macon, Ga.; his mother, Madge D. Merrell of Cashiers; and nine grandchildren.

The family has requested that flowers be sent to Cashiers United Methodist Church. The family may be contacted at the residence of Madge D. Merrell, Lake Street, Cashiers. The family will receive friends from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. prior to the service. Moody Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Nell Edwards

Nell O. Edwards, 78, of Melbourne, Fla., died Saturday, Jan. 1, at Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne, Fla.

Memorial services were held at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 5, at Christian Life Church in Palm Bay, Fla.

A homemaker, she was a native of Pickens, S.C. She was the wife of the late Sam Edwards, a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, and an English teacher at Melbourne High School for many years. She was a member of Eau Gallie Garden Club, Sigma Alpha Sorority, Zeta Zeta Chapter and the Retired Officers Association. She was of the Baptist faith.

Surviving are three sons, Sam Edwards of Melbourne, Fla., David Edwards of Grant, Fla., and Joe Edwards of Hendersonville; one sister, Edna Young of Hendersonville; eight grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

Bernard Hirsch

Bernard Benedict Hirsch, 89, of Nuway Circle, Lenoir, died Thursday, Jan. 6, at Lenoir Living Center.

A mass was held at 11 a.m. Monday, Jan. 10, at Greer-McElveen Funeral Home Chapel. Father Michael Buttner and the Rev. Gerrit S. Dawson officiated. Burial was in Blue Ridge Memorial Park. Pallbearers were Bob Love, Ed Schell, Jim Gossler Jr., Ed Whitener Jr., Jim Malcolm and Montrose DeVane.

He was born in Aberdeen, S.C., and was a former resident of Sylva. The son of the late William M. and Catherine Deschner Hirsch, he received his both his bachelor's and master's degrees in music from the University at Michigan. He did post-graduate work at Columbia University in New York.

He was named Man of the Year in Marion in 1954 and was a member of Francis Marion Club, Lenoir Lions Club, a member of the N.C. Band Masters Association and the N.C. Music Educators Association. He was band director at Marion High School from 1935-1942, Hanes High School and Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem in 1946, Marion High School 1947-1958 and Lenoir High School from 1958-1969.

While in Sylva he served as assistant director of Smoky Mountain Cultural Arts Development Association from 1969-71 and director of Two Arts, Cultural Three from 1971-74. Both SMCADA and TACT were federal program geared toward providing art and music education for students in the region.

He was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II where he served in New Guinea and Borneo and was a member of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church.

He was preceded in death by one brother, Robert Hirsch. Surviving are his wife, Rebekah Lowe Hirsch; one son, Bill Hirsch of Raleigh; and one sister, Gertrude Norris of Conway, Ark.

Memorials may be made to Muhammad Ali Parkinson Research Center, 500 W. Thomas Road, Suite 70, Phoenix, Ariz. 85013.