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.

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 - 04/17/03

Dalton Bradley

Dalton Dewayne Wyatt Bradley, 9-day-old son of Dewayne Eddie Bradley of Sylva and Denise Marie Lance of Canton, died Tuesday, April 8, 2003, at Mission-St. Joseph's Health System.

Graveside services were held at 2 p.m. Friday, April 11, at Zion Hill Baptist Church Cemetery. The Revs. Randy Lance and Brian Bird officiated.

Surviving, in addition to his parents, are his maternal grandparents, Karen and Darrell Sharpe of Canton and Randy and Debra Lance of Canton; paternal great-grandparents, Clyde and Hazel Lance of Canton; paternal grandmother, Frankie Bradley and Dewayne West, both of Sylva; three sisters, Mandy Bradley of Sylva, Brandy Bradley of Waynesville and Aubree Lance of Canton; and one brother, Randy Downs of Canton.

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

Joseph Arch

Joseph Partin Arch, infant son of Elizabeth Marie Partin and Joseph Martin Arch of Cherokee, died Friday, April 11, 2003, in a Buncombe County hospital.

Graveside services were held at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, April 13, in Watty Family Cemetery on Driver Road. The Rev. Charles Ray Ball officiated.

Surviving, in addition to his parents, are two half sisters, Tlitha Marie Partin and Julia Lynn Partin; paternal grandmother, Lorene Watty Arch of Cherokee; maternal great-grandparents, Peggy and Red Pace of Chattanooga, Tenn.; and paternal great-grandmother, Rachel Watty of Cherokee.

Crisp Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Pauline Eckenrod

Pauline Buchanan Eckenrod, 88, of Wilmington, died at her home Monday, April 14, 2003.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. today (Thursday) at Andrews Mortuary Market Street Chapel. Burial will follow in Oleander Memorial Gardens. The Revs. Phil Ortego, Kendal Danford and Jimmie Suggs Jr. will officiate.

Pallbearers will be grandsons, Rodney Carroll, Kendal Danford, Jeremy Spivey, Robert Spivey, Kevin Stokley and Charles Smith. Honorary pallbearers will be David Jaymes and Jimmie Jones.

She was born in Webster on May 30, 1914, daughter of the late Pink Candler and Theodocia Mable Stillwell Buchanan. She was a member of Scotts Hill Baptist Church.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Isaac Jewell Eckenrod; and one grandson.

Surviving are three daughters, Nancy E. Friedberg of Cary and Carolyn E. Rouse and Jewell E. Danford, both of Wilmington; two sisters, Edith Crisp of Rochester Heights, Mich., and Faye Zachary of Cullowhee; one brother, Ray Buchanan of Michigan; seven grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to Scotts Hill Baptist Church Library, 185 Scotts Hill Loop Road, Wilmington, N.C. 28411.

James Cleaveland

James "Jamie" A. Cleaveland, 47, of Sylva, died unexpectedly Friday, April 11, 2003.

Funeral services were held at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 13, at Scotts Creek Baptist Church. Pastors Larry Pons and Clemmy Queen officiated. Burial was at Highlands Cemetery.

Pallbearers were Dolphus Brown, Tom Gamble, Don Goode, Richard Harper, Neal Sellers and Phil Woody. Honorary pallbearers were Billy Baldwin, Tom Brown, Vic Costello, Carl Richardson, Pat Rogers, Mike Thompson, David Steins and Terry Tritt.

A native of Highlands, he was a graduate of Western Carolina University, where he obtained both his undergraduate and master's degrees. He taught school for 23 years in Jackson County public schools. At the time of his death, he was employed as a seventh- and eighth-grade teacher at Scotts Creek Elementary School.

He was preceded in death by his father, Henry A. Cleaveland.

Surviving are his wife, Sharon M. Cleaveland; two sons, Nathan A. Cleaveland and Christopher J. Cleaveland, all of Sylva; and his mother, Patsy A. Cleaveland of Clayton, Ga.

Contributions may be made to "Heroes of Today," a training program for young people at the Christian Training Center, 234 Watchman Lane, Franklin, N.C. 28734.

Moody Funeral Home was in charge of the arrangements. An online memorial and guest registry is available at www.pemoody.com.

Anthony Garcia

Anthony Garcia, 55, of Paul Cooper Road, Whittier, died Monday, April 7, 2003.

A memorial service was held at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 12, in the chapel of Moody Funeral Home.

An online memorial and guest registry is available at www.pemoody.com.

James Miner

James Herbert Miner, 71, of Sylva, died Thursday, April 3, 2003, at Harris Regional Hospital after a brief illness. A memorial service is planned in Florida and will be announced at a later date.

Born in St. Petersburg, Fla., to the late Daniel and Ruth Miner, he worked for General Electric for 35 years before retiring to the mountains of North Carolina. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy, having served on the USS Pittsburgh.

He played softball for the Clearwater Bombers during their World Championship of 1960. His Clearwater Bombers uniform is on display in the Softball Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City, Okla. He was also a member of the 1988 Seniors World Series Softball Team and continued playing softball through 2002.

Surviving are his wife of 19 years, Helen Miner; two daughters, Debra Risteyn and Sandra Moffat; one son, James A. Miner; two stepsons, Michael and Timothy Calhoun; one sister, Joanne McHoul; six grandchildren; and six step grandchildren.

Moody Funeral Home is in charge of local arrangements. An online memorial and guest registry is available at www.pemoody.com.

Sarah Blount

Sarah McCollum Hall Blount, 81, of State Road, Ga., died Thursday, April 10, 2003, after a long decline with Alzheimer's disease.

She was born Aug. 17, 1921, in Colquit, Ga., the daughter of the late Robert and Flernoy McCollum. She graduated as a registered nurse from Duke University School of Nursing.

She was preceded in death by her first husband, Congressman David McKee Hall, Jr.; and one granddaughter.

Surviving are her husband, Frank Blount; three daughters, Anne Hall Hines of Cary, Allison Hall Kiesler of Richmond, Va., and Hannah Hall Duke of Woodbridge, Va.; five grandchildren; and one great grandson.

Memorial donations can be made to Hospice of Surry and Yadkin Counties, 1326 N. Main St., Mt. Airy, N.C. 27030; or Bryan ADRC, Attn: Leticia Grace-Carter, 2200 W. Main St., Suite A230, Durham, N.C. 27705.

Arrangements were by Davis Brothers Funeral Home, Dobson.

Clifton Nixon

The Rev. Clifton Bert Nixon, 84, died Saturday, April 5, 2003, in Lakeland, Fla., after a period of declining health. Graveside services were held at 11 a.m. Friday, April 11, at Fairview Memorial Gardens. His son, the Rev. Dr. David F. Nixon, officiated.

A native of Pickford, Mich., he was a former resident of Jackson County, moving from Sylva in 1999. He served in the ministry for over 55 years. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army, serving during World War II. Son of the late Bert Hoyt and Selena Portice Nixon, he was a member of Highland Park Church of the Nazarene in Lakeland.

Surviving are his wife, Margaret May Nixon of Lakeland, Fla.; three sons, Robert C. Nixon of Tampa, Fla., David F. Nixon of Allen, Texas, and Wendel L. Nixon of Columbia, S.C.; one daughter, Rebecca S. Davis of Nashville, Tenn.; two sisters, Marie Long of Sault Sainte Marie, Mich., and Vivian Nalley of Rogersville, Tenn.; nine grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to the Pickford Church of Nazarene, Building Fund, Pickford, Mich., 49774.

Moody Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Ruby Rayfield

Ruby Lee Green Rayfield, 81, of Dallas, N.C., died Saturday, April 12, 2003, at Lincoln Medical Center.

Funeral services were held at 3 p.m. Monday, April 14, at David Memorial Baptist Church in Lincolnton. The Rev. Greg Hager officiated. Burial was in the church cemetery.

She was born July 16, 1921, in Sylva, daughter of the late Rev. Roy Sevier Green and Maggie Jones Green. She was married to the late Willie Lee Rayfield.

A winder, she was retired from Hardin Mfg. Co. after 37 years service. She coordinated special singing events at David Memorial Baptist Church, of which she was a member.

In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by one son, Bruce Rayfield; and three brothers, David Green, Gentry Green and Earl Green.

Surviving are two sons, William Rayfield and Troy Rayfield, both of Dallas; two daughters, Cathy Patterson of Kings Mountain and Irene Tindall of Dallas; three brothers, Felix Green, Bufford Green and Neil Green, all of Darrington, Wash.; seven sisters, Evelyn Beam of Everett, Wash., Kathleen Gunter of Yakima, Wash., Beulah Littrel of Smokey Point, Wash., Pauline Jones of Darrington, Wash., Jheri Wood of Morganton and Eva Gates and Eula Brooks, both of Dillsboro; nine grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.

Laurence Karcher

Laurence L. Karcher, 77, of Sylva, died Sunday, April 13, 2003, at his residence.

Moody Funeral Home will announce arrangements.

Beatrice Morris

Beatrice V. Morris, 86, of Topeka Drive, Sylva, died Sunday, April 13, 2003, at Harris Regional Hospital.

Moody Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

John Reece

John W. Reece of Cullowhee died unexpectedly Tuesday, April 15.

Melton-Riddle Funeral Home will announce arrangements.