Obituary Information

When possible, obituaries should be sent to the Herald from the funeral home. Information received will be placed in our standard obituary format.

We publish names of the deceased's spouse, parents, grandparents, siblings and children; we also include the number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

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Obituaries - 05/03/01

Samuel Hoyle

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Friday, April 27, at Melton-Riddle Funeral Home. The Revs. Ray McCall and Mike Dellinger officiated. Burial was in Fisher Cemetery. Pallbearers were Steve Mathis, Wayne Edwards, Don Edwards, Floyd Connor, Gene Reece, Randy Carpenter and Cecil Fisher.

A native of Jackson County, he was the son of the late John Harrison and Nancy Farris Sitton Hoyle. He had recently retired from the Blue Ridge Parkway. He was a U.S. Army veteran, having served during the Korean War. He was a member of Balsam Baptist Church.

He was preceded in death by five brothers, Clarence, Glen, Clem, Frank and Ray Hoyle.

Surviving are his wife of 41 years, Gladys Fisher Hoyle; two sons, Michael D. Hoyle and Dustin S. Hoyle, both of Sylva; three daughters, Kay Davis, Kim Preston and Nancy Hoyle, all of Sylva; two sisters, Josephine Davis of Waynesville and Geneva Wyatt of Victorville, Calif.; and 11 grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to the Blue Ridge Parkway, c/o Dan Brown, 199 Hemphill Knob Road, Asheville, N.C. 28803.

Guy Robinson

A native of Madison County, he was retired from Memorial Mission Hospital, where he worked as custodian. He was a member of Speedwell Baptist Church and a veteran of the U. S. Army, serving in World War II. He was a son of the late John and Julia Buckner Robinson.

He was preceded in death by three brothers, Frank, Floyd and Wayne Robinson; and two sisters, Bertha Austin and Robbie Hensley.

Surviving are his wife, Marietta Robinson; one stepson, Edwin Buchanan of Webster; and one stepdaughter, Beatrice Buchanan of Webster.

Memorials may be made to Speedwell Baptist Church Building Fund, Speedwell Road, Cullowhee, N.C. 28723.

Karen Bentley

Funeral services were held at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 29, at Hamburg Baptist Church. The Revs. Harry Vance, Lester Sutton and Johnny Norris officiated. Burial was in Hamburg Cemetery.

Born in Macon County, she lived most of her life in Jackson County and was a member of Hamburg Baptist Church. She was the daughter of the late John Lee Bentley.

Surviving are her mother, Henrietta M. Bentley of Glenville; one daughter, Sheena Bentley of the home; and three sisters, Jolene Coggins of Glenville, Tracey Fowler of Cashiers and Brenda Byrd of Brevard.

Moody Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Della Hall

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 28, in the chapel of Melton-Riddle Funeral Home. The Revs. Eddie Stillwell and Clifford Parker officiated. Burial was in Old Savannah Cemetery. Pallbearers were Tony Hall, Tim Mathis, David Barnes, John Hall, Jeff Hall and Dale Barnes.

A native and lifelong resident of Jackson County, she was a daughter of the late Neil Cornelius and Lizzie Brooks Sutton. She was a member of Old Savannah Baptist Church.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Ralph William Hall, who died in 1981; one son, Jessie J. Hall; four brothers and one sister.

Surviving are two daughters, Evelyn Barnes and Wilma Mathis, both of Sylva; six sons, Isaac Hall of Sylva, Alvin Hall of Sylva and Jennings Hall, Samuel Hall, John Henry Hall and Earnest Lee Hall, all of Gastonia; one sister, Mary Ellen Estes of Sylva; 16 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; and six great-great-grandchildren.

Vivian Parker

A memorial service was held at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 29, in the chapel of Melton-Riddle Funeral Home. The Revs. Clifford Parker and Larry Bryson officiated.

A native and lifelong resident of Jackson County, she was the daughter of the late Mont and Zepher Shelton Daves. She was a member of Speedwell Methodist Church.

She was preceded in death by her husband, James T. Parker, who died in 1970; one brother; Nathan Daves; and one sister; Lillie Smith.

Surviving are her children, Jimmie P. Bryson of Cullowhee, Mary Lou Pressley of Pisgah Forest and Rebecca Symons of Eufala, Ala.; two sisters, Edith Parris of Sylva and Billie Adams of Cullowhee; 15 grandchildren; and 24 great-grandchildren.

Donations may be made to the Robert Rogers Cemetery Fund, P.0. Box 93, Cullowhee, N.C. 28723.

Della Middleton

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 29, in the chapel of Melton-Riddle Funeral Home. The Revs. J.D. Grant and Carl Adams officiated. Burial was in Middleton Cemetery in Canada community. Pallbearers were Boyd Ensley, Bailey Ensley, Chad Woody, Gary Waliezer, Sandy Prathar and Leonard Shular.

A native of Jackson County, where she resided most of her life, she was a daughter of the late John and Magdeline Alexander Watson. She was a member of Lovedale Baptist Church. She was preceded in death by her husband, Spurgeon Middleton, who died in 1970, two sons; eight daughters; and four brothers.

Surviving are eight daughters, Bernice Ensley, Virginia Moody, Linda Middleton and Patricia Shields all of Sylva, Melba Harris of Castle Rock, Wash., Elizabeth Davis of Forks, Wash., Woody Patterson of Cullowhee, and Joy Oldfield of Goldbar, Wash.; two sons, Ronnie Wilson and Kenny Middleton of Forks, Wash.; three sisters, Dora Rigdon of Tuckasegee and Lorena and Irona of Vader; Wash.; 24 grandchildren; 26 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren. Memorials may be made to Middleton Cemetery Fund, c/o Pat Shield, 190 Stormy Cove Road, Sylva, N.C. 28779.

Dorothy Gass

Funeral services were held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 2, in Patterson Chapel Baptist Church. The Revs. Sherrill Ammons and Max Cochran officiated. Burial was in Thomas Memorial Cemetery. A native of Blount County, Tenn., she was the daughter of the late Bill and Mary Teffeteller Fortner. She was a member of Patterson Chapel Baptist Church.

She was preceded in death by two grandchildren.

Surviving are her husband, the Rev. James Harvey Gass; five sons, Leslie Gass, Jimmy Gass, Joel Gass and Ricky Gass, all of Whittier, and Steve Gass of Greer, S.C.; and two daughters, Marilyn Cookie Plemmons of Bryson City and Rhonda Smith of Whittier.

Memorials may be made to Patterson Chapel Baptist Church Building Fund, 131 Cambridge Place, Whittier, N.C. 28789.

Bill Moody Funeral Home, Bryson City, was in charge of arrangements.

Wendy Legassey

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. today (Thursday) at Cherokee United Methodist Church. The Rev. Steve Phillipi will officiate. Burial will be at Birdtown Cemetery. The family will receive friends from noon until 2 p.m. prior to the service at the church.

A native of Franklin County, Vt., and a former resident of Wolcott, Conn., she had lived in the Florida Keys for 10 years before moving to Cherokee three years ago.

She attended Cherokee United Methodist Church and was the daughter of the late Ernest Frank Legassey Sr. and granddaughter of the late George Owl.

Surviving are her mother, Evelyn Owl Legassey of Milford, Conn.; one daughter, Heather Jillson Harrold of New Haven, Conn.; one son, Russell Jillson Jr. of Cherokee; two sisters, Cathy Hurt of Cherokee and Bonny Legassey of Milford, Conn.; three brothers, Ernest Legassey Jr. of Waterbury, Conn., Everett Legassey of Cherokee and Tracy Legassey of Milford, Conn.; and two grandchildren.

Moody Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Linda Franks

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. today (Thursday) in the chapel of Melton-Riddle Funeral Home. The Revs. Doug Moore and Steve Webb will officiate. Burial will be at Zion Hill Baptist Church Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Hayes Webb, Shannon Coggins, Dade Sims, Danny Ensley, Clayton Franks, John Franks, Kevin McCall and Benny Hampton.

A native and lifelong resident of Jackson County, she had been the cook at the Coffee Shop for 15 years. She was a member of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Franklin and was a daughter of Lila McCall Coggins of Sylva and the late Hayes L. Webb.

She was preceded in death by one sister, Clara Coggins, who died in 1998.

Surviving, in addition to her mother, are her husband of 31 years, Ernest Franks; one son, Ernest Lee Franks of Whittier; two sisters, Dixie Fish of Eatonton, Ga., and Phyllis Gibson of Sylva; three brothers, Dean Webb of Atlanta and Curtis Webb and Jeff Coggins, both of Sylva; and two grandchildren.

The family was to have received friends from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, May 2, at the funeral home.

Memorials may be made to the Zion Hill Baptist Church Cemetery Fund, 107 Perley Hyatt Road, Sylva, N.C. 28779.

Lewis Smith

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