Obituary Information

When possible, obituaries should be submitted to The Herald from the funeral home in charge of arrangements. Information received will be printed in our standard obituary format. As is the case with all information submitted to The Herald, we reserve the right to edit obituary information to fit our standard format.

We publish names of the deceased's children; we also include the number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. We do not include in-laws, cousins, nieces and nephews or special friends.

Included in a brief history of the deceased is items such as their employment, professional, civic, community and religious affiliations. We omit personal tributes.

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Obituaries - 02/06/03

Billy White

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 31, at Shuford-Hatcher Funeral Home. The Revs. Jerry Ford and Dr. Wayne Brown officiated. Burial was in Oakland Cemetery. Pallbearers were Hugh Long, Richard Long, Jonathan White, Andrew White, Steven Long and Bobby Miller.

Son of the late John H. and Ann Barnes White, he was born in Gastonia. He was a retired maintenance worker at the old Cherokee County Hospital and was a member of Corinth Baptist Church. He was a U.S. Air Force veteran.

He was preceded in death by one brother, John H. White Jr.

Surviving are sisters, three Betty Long of Gaffney, Mary McNeil of Trequesta, Fla., and Peggy Bellamy of Myrtle Beach, S.C.; two brothers, Thomas White of Mooresville and Michael White of Statesville; and numerous cousins from Jackson County.

Memorials may be made to Corinth Baptist Church Building Fund, 190 Corinth Road, Gaffney, S.C. 29340.

Betty Slate

Funeral services were held at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 2, at Dalton First Baptist Church, of which she was a member. The Revs. Larry Flanagan and Larry Green officiated. Burial was in West Hill Cemetery.

She was preceded in death by one sister, Mary Frances Sapp Farr; and three brothers, Richard Sapp Jr., Julian Sapp and Dr. George Sapp.

Surviving are one daughter, Mary Anne Roos of Sylva; two sons, William R. "Bill" Slate of Marietta, Ga., and Richard H. "Dick" Slate of Blanchard, Okla.; one brother, Judson P. Sapp of Dalton; eight grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to Alzheimer's Association of NW Georgia, 100 W. Walnut Ave., Suite 90, Dalton, Ga. 30720.

Love Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Una Luker

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 5, at Community Church of God. The Revs. Joe Lipscomb, Grover Hunt, Gene Bledsole and Charles Carter officiated. Burial was at Shook Cemetery on Cedar Valley Road.

A native of Transylvania County, she was a lifelong resident of Jackson County. Daughter of Margaret Alexander Mathis of Tuckasegee and the late Eldon Mathis, she was a member of Community Church of God.

Surviving, in addition to her mother, are her husband, Randy Luker; one daughter, Penny Luker of Tuckasegee; five sisters, Marie Owen, Arlene Trantham and Tonya Franks, all of Tuckasegee, Rose Trantham of Cashiers and Wanda McDaniels of Cleveland, Ga.; and two brothers, Talmage Mathis of Tuckasegee and Earl Mathis of Cullowhee.

Moody Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Mary Roddy

Funeral services were held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 5, at Southwest Christian Church in East Point, Ga. Burial was in Westview Cemetery.

Bryant Funeral Home was in charge of local arrangements.

Corbin Allen

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 2, in the chapel of Crisp Funeral Home. The Rev. Danny Sweet officiated. Burial was in Sylva's Fairview Memorial Gardens.

A native of Georgia and former resident of Florida, he lived in Gastonia for about 20 years before moving to Whittier five years ago. He was employed as a policeman in Florida and also in Gastonia in the 1950s and 1960s. He then became an automobile mechanic. He was a member of Victory Baptist Church.

Surviving are his wife of 54 years, Jean Wilkie Allen; two sons, Corbin Benton Allen Jr. of Whittier and James Robert Allen of Gastonia; one daughter, Melanie T. Hils of Omaha, Neb.; two sisters, Kathleen Hodge of Gastonia and Betty Ann Allen of Sanford, Fla.; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Joseph George

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 1, at Old Antioch Missionary Baptist Church. The Revs. Danny Little and Greg Warren officiated. Burial was in George Family Cemetery. Steve Youngdeer American Legion Post 143 conducted graveside services.

A native and resident of Jackson County, he was a veteran of the U.S. Army, a member of Old Antioch Missionary Baptist Church and retired from White Shield Manufacturing. He was a son of the late Elijah and Nicey Wilnoty George.

He was preceded in death by one daughter, Mary G. Hornbuckle; and one son, Simond E. George.

Surviving are his wife, Edith C. George; five sons, Denny Crowe, Joseph C. George, Shon George, Herbert George and Albert George, all of Cherokee; one brother, Davis George of Cherokee; one sister, Encie Littlejohn of Cherokee; 15 grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren.

Moody Funeral Home assisted the family with the arrangements. An online memorial and guest registry is available at www.pemoody.com.

Bessie Sutton

Funeral services were held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 1, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Elder Ronnie Blythe officiated. Burial was in the family cemetery.

A native of Alexandria, Va., he had lived in Jackson County since 1979. He was a cook, having worked at McDonald's. He was the son of Wallace Hinton Miles of Alexandria, Va., and the late Jo Anne Wallace Miles.

He was preceded in death by one daughter, Michele Lee Miles; one son, Geoffrey Wayne Miles; and his grandparents.

Surviving are his wife of 24 years, Iva Larch Miles; four sons, Ian Christopher Miles of England and Michael Wayne Miles Jr., Christopher Allen Miles and Aaron David Miles, all of the home; and one sister, Bonnie Giles of Fredericksburg, Va.

Melton-Riddle Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Margaret Lambert

Funeral services were 2 p.m. Monday, Feb. 3, at Macedonia Baptist Church. The Revs. James "Bo" Parris and Wayne Carson officiated. Burial was in the Jimmy Reed Family Cemetery.

A native and lifelong resident of the Qualla Boundary, she was a member of Macedonia Baptist Church and daughter of the late Jimmy and Minda Reed. She was preceded in death by her husband, Guy Lambert; two sons, Charles Marcel and Wayne Elliott Lambert; two brothers, Edison Littlejohn and Meroney Reed; and one grandson.

Surviving are two sons, Ernest Lillard and Gary David Lambert Sr. of Cherokee; two daughters, Sara Jane Lambert and Marie Lambert Junaluska, both of Cherokee; two sisters, Martha Reed Bark and Ollie Reed George, both of Cherokee; 10 grandchildren; 7 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild. Moody Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Wayne Melton

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. today (Thursday) at Prentiss Church of God. The Rev. Don Moffitt will officiate. Burial will be in Rush Cemetery. The family was to have received friends from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 5, at Bryant Funeral Home.

A native of Jackson County, he was a son of the late Claude and Beulah Hoxit Melton. He owned and operated Melton's Roofing Co. and was a member of the Prentiss Church of God.

Surviving are his wife of 30 years, Brenda Bates Melton; one daughter, Tammy Claudette Melton of Franklin; two sons, Michael Dwayne Melton and Tony James Melton, both of Franklin; three sisters, Louise Buchanan of Prosperity, S.C., Ruth Brooks of Sylva and Wanda Hodgins of Franklin; five brothers, Howard Melton and Glenn Melton, both of Sylva, Burder Melton of Phyllis, Ky., Grady Melton of Eureka, Calif., and Kelly Melton of Franklin; and one grandson.

Mike Rattler

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 31, 2003, at Tomatla Baptist Church, of which he was a member. The Rev. Harold Stiles officiated. Burial was in Tomalta Baptist Church Cemetery.

He was a native of Cherokee County, living most of his life there. He was the son of the late John and Emmaline Cornsilk Rattler. A logger and sawmill operator in the timber business, he was a member of the National Rifle Association.

He was preceded in death by five brothers, John West Rattler, Wilson Rattler, Willie Rattler, Joe Rattler and Mark Rattler; and two sisters, Lucy Rattler Smoker and Roxie Rattler Davis.

Surviving are several relatives of Cherokee.

Bill Moody Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

June Hickok

A memorial service will be held at a later date.

A native of Leesburg, Fla., she had lived the past year in Jackson County. She was a daughter of the late George and Marie Sims Darley. She was preceded in death by one sister and two brothers.

Surviving are one daughter, Debra Jackson of Cullowhee; four sons, Rodney Keith Woodward, Timothy Wayne Woodward and Fred Clifton Woodward, all of Plant City, Fla., and James Albert Woodward of Lakeland, Fla.; one sister, Grace Boone of Lake City, Fla.; two brothers, James Darley of Lake City, Fla., and Darrell Darley of Stein Hatchee, Fla.; and six grandchildren.

Melton-Riddle Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

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