Obituary Information

The Sylva Herald prints obituaries free of charge as a service to its readers.

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.

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Obituaries - 02/13/03

Claxton

Phyllis Claxton

Phyllis Olene Dillard Claxton, 77, of Bryson City, died Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2003, at Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem.

A memorial service was held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, at Bryson City Presbyterian Church.

She was a daughter of the late William Garland and Georgia Stillwell Dillard. Born and raised in Jackson County, she taught physical education and health, was a girls' athletic coach in several sports and was May Day founder and director in Swain County Schools for 31 years.

Valedictorian of the Sylva High School Class of 1942, she was an honors graduate of Western Carolina Teachers College (now Western Carolina University) in 1946. She attended Vanderbilt University and earned her master's degree from George Peabody in Nashville, Tenn., in 1947.

She was active in the Senior Games representing Swain County and won several medals, including gold in the state competition. She taught swimming at WCU and was a member of the university's Alumni Council. She hosted several foreign students while they attended WCU and was a supporter of Western's athletics.

She was a member of Delta Kappa Gamma honor society, the American Association University of Women and was an elder of Bryson City Presbyterian Church.

She was preceded in death by one brother, William B. Dillard.

Surviving are her husband, Robert W. Claxton; four sons, Mike Claxton of Pasadena, Md., Mark Claxton and Steve Claxton, both of Bryson City, and William Claxton of Atlanta; three sisters, Jeanette Dodson, Pansey Coates and Barbara Andrews; and nine grandchildren.

A scholarship fund will be established in her name at United Community Bank in Bryson City.

Crisp Funeral Home was in charge of the arrangements.

Wykle

Floyd Wykle

Floyd "Bud Jack" Wykle, 94, of Locust Creek Road, Sylva, died Saturday, Feb. 8, 2003, at Harris Regional Hospital after a period of declining health.

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 12, at Melton-Riddle Funeral Home. The Revs. Mike Moore, Sherrill Ammons, Jay Eastridge and Hardin Nicholson officiated. Burial was in New Hope Baptist Church Cemetery.

A native of Macon County, he lived in Jackson County most of his life. He was a retired carpenter working with Johnny Painter, a member of New Hope Baptist Church and son of the late Henry and Sarah Beasley Wykle.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Ruth Shuler Wykle.

Surviving are one daughter, Frances Webb of Sylva; one son, Terry Wykle of Sylva; one sister, Maudie Jones of Sylva; two grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

Memorials may be made to Hospice, 132 Sylva Plaza, Sylva, N.C. 28779.

Margaret Troxell

Margaret Emogene Troxell, 74, of Impala Drive, Asheville, died Sunday, Feb. 9, 2003, at Autumn Care Nursing Center in Waynesville.

Funeral services were held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 12, at Melton-Riddle Funeral Home. The Rev. Riley Covin officiated. Burial was in Lower Coward Cemetery. Pallbearers were James Jones, Chris Howell, Jeremy Howell, Miranda Smith, Dale Frady Jr. and Sam Frady.

A native of Jellico, Tenn., she had lived in Buncombe County for the past 32 years. She was a nurse's aide and daughter of the late Arthur and Blanbhis Scarboro Blanchard.

She was preceded in death by three sisters and one brother.

Surviving are her husband of 29 years, Harold L. Troxell; four daughters, Gwendell Burrell of Tuckasegee, Brenda Clark and Ginny Smith, both of Balsam, and Deborah Brown of Waynesville; one son, David L. Brown of Concord; one brother, Delmar Blanchard of Nashville, Tenn.; 11 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to Hospice of Haywood County.

Clyde Springer

Clyde Springer, 88, of Sylva, died Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2003, at Mountain Trace Nursing Center after a brief illness.

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, at Buff Creek Baptist Church. The Revs. Gerald Morris and Dr. Harold Anderson officiated. Burial was in Addie Cemetery.

A native of Swain County, he lived the past 60 years in Jackson County. He was a retired carpenter, a U.S. Army veteran of World War II, serving in the Pacific theater, an outdoorsman and a Republican. He was a member of Buff Creek Baptist Church, where he worked in the nursery. He was a son of the late Haston and Aletha Webb Springer.

Surviving are his wife of 60 years, Audrey Shuler Springer; one daughter, Ginger S. Fullbright of Sylva; one son, William B. Springer of Fletcher; one sister, Agnes Stillwell of Canton; one brother, Freeman Springer of Whittier; five grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

Memorials may be made to Buff Creek Baptist Church Nursery Fund, c/o Shirley Beasley, 344 Lee St., Sylva, N.C. 28779.

Melton-Riddle Funeral Home was in charge of the arrangements.

Thomas Littlejohn

Thomas Dean "Pedro" Littlejohn, 39, of John Taylor Road, Whittier, died unexpectedly Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2003, at Cherokee Indian Hospital.

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7, at the home of the late Manley George. The Rev. Bo Parris officiated. Burial was in Manley George Cemetery.

A native of Swain County, he lived most of his life in Jackson County. He was a self-employed handyman and son of Will Thomas Littlejohn of Cherokee and the late Addie George Littlejohn.

Surviving, in addition to his father, is a sister, Savannah Darleen Cook of Cherokee.

Melton-Riddle Funeral Home was in charge of the arrangements.

Eugene Hooper

Eugene N. Hooper, 77, of Falls Church, Va., formerly of Cullowhee, died Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2003, in Fairfax County, Va.

Services were held at 3 p.m. Monday, Feb.10, at Cashiers United Methodist Church. The Rev. David Beam officiated. Burial was at Upper Zachary Cemetery.

A native of Jackson County and a developer, he was a son of the late John E. and Emma Norton Hooper.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Celeste Hooper.

Surviving are four daughters, Lynn Monday, Gaye Rettig, Jo Cheatham and Dana Smith; one son, Mark Hooper; three sisters, Hazel Lewis, Sally Bose and Ruth Fusom; one brother, James Hooper; 11 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to the American Heart Association.

Murphy's Falls Church Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements. Moody Funeral Home assisted the family with local arrangements.

Mary Charping

Mary D. Charping, 58, of 924 Pettigrew Road, Starr, S.C., died Thursday, Feb. 6, 2003, at her residence.

Funeral services were held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, at McDougald Funeral Home. The Rev. Bob Hart officiated. Burial was in Iva City Cemetery.

A native of Anderson, S.C., she was a daughter of the late Wilkes and Julie Bell Messer Potts. A homemaker, she was a member of Outreach Missions Church.

She was preceded in death by one daughter, Jacqueline Charping; and four brothers, Joe Potts, Bob Potts, Earl Potts and Ralph Potts.

Surviving are her husband, Horace J. Charping; one son, Mark Charping of Williamston, S.C.; two daughters, Sharon Craig of Calhoun Falls, S.C., and Tammy Charping of Starr, S.C.; three brothers, Lee Potts of Cullowhee, Kent Potts of North Carolina and Charles Potts of Ohio; one sister, Helen Bonds of Calhoun Falls, S.C.; and four grandchildren.

Hilda Hales

Hilda Norton Hales, 76, of Farmville, Va., died Jan. 28, 2003, after a period of declining health.

Funeral services were held Friday, Jan. 31, at Bethesda Baptist Church. The Rev. Lyman Wilson officiated. Burial was in the church cemetery.

A native of Cullowhee, she had been a member of Bethesda Baptist Church since 1984, serving in the church choir for many years and on the ordinance committee until her illness. She was a daughter of the late Lem and Mae Norton.

She was preceded in death by her husband, James A. Hales, and two brothers, Ben and Roy Norton.

Surviving are two sons, James A. Hales Jr. of Inverness, Fla., and David Brian Hales of Farmville, Va.; one sister, Sarah Sue Duke of Cullowhee; two brothers, Luther H. Norton of Brevard and Dennis L. Norton of Skyland; and two grandchildren.

Crowder-Hite-Crews Funeral Home in South Hill, Va., assisted the family with arrangements.