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 - 05/10/01

Myrtle Brown

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, May 8, in the chapel of Melton-Riddle Funeral Home. The Revs. Eddie Stillwell and Keith Ashe officiated. Burial was in Rogers Cemetery. Pallbearers were Marvin Wilkes, Michael Ensley, John Frizzell, James Frizzell, Gerald Seagle and Scott Watson. A native and lifelong resident of Jackson County, she was a daughter of the late Amos and Hestella Frady Frizzell.

She was preceded in death by her first husband, Cecil Bradley; her second husband, Scott Brown, who died in 1978; one daughter, Brenda Lou Bradley; one sister; and five brothers.

Surviving are one daughter, Linda Sue Holder of Cullowhee; one sister, Cora Lee Ray of Cullowhee; and three grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to Cullowhee Fire Department, Long Branch Road, Cullowhee, N.C. 28723.

Bob Norris

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 6, at Pine Creek Baptist Church, of which he was a member. The Revs. Johnny Norris and Jack Hinson officiated. Burial was in the church cemetery. Pallbearers were nephews. Honorary pallbearers were Eddie Pittmen, Scotty Coggins and Bill Lewis.

A native and lifelong resident of Jackson County, he was the son of the late Charlie and Della Mae Stewart Norris. He was a retired construction worker with Blaylock Construction Co. He was preceded in death by one granddaughter.

Surviving are his wife, Dicie M. Norris; five sons, Chuck Norris and Larry Norris of Sylva, Donnie Norris of Atlanta, Ronnie Norris of Spartanburg, S.C., and Steve Norris of Cullowhee; one stepson, Kenneth Broome of Asheville; one sister, Opal Tucker of Walhalla, S.C.; three brothers, Clarence Norris of Spokane, Wash., and Warner Norris and John Ray Norris, both of Cashiers; six grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and three step granddaughters.

Melton-Riddle Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Traig Wade

Graveside services were held at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 6, in Boiling Springs Baptist Church Cemetery. The Rev. James "Bo" Parris officiated.

A native of Swain County and a resident of Jackson County for several years, he was a member of Boiling Springs Baptist Church.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Mildred Kimsey Wade.

Surviving are his father, Chester Wade, and stepmother, Wanda Wade of Knoxville, Tenn.; and one sister, Trina Stiles of Sylva.

Moody Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Kenneth Richards Sr.

A memorial service was held at 7 p.m. Sunday, May 6, in the chapel of Melton-Riddle Funeral Home. The Rev. David Harris officiated.

A native of Lawrenceville, N.Y., he lived in Jackson County for the past 11 years. He was a retired construction foreman with the power plant.

Surviving are his wife, Maxine Walker Richards; one daughter, Deborah Elizabeth McGriff of Atlanta; two sons, Kenneth Douglas Richards Jr. of Sylva and Emerson Stevenson Richards of Sylva; and five grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to Hospice, 68 Hospital Road, Sylva, N.C. 28779.

Betty Blankenship

She was preceded in death by her mother, Carolyn E. Nease; one sister, Cindy Johnson; and grandparents, Dave and Betty Nease and Curly and Ethel Powell.

Surviving are her husband, Robert "Pedro" Blankenship; two sons, Brian and Robbie, and two daughters, Lexie and Nicole, all of the home; father and stepmother, Peter and Lilly Nease Sr. of Juneau, Alaska; five brothers, Clifford Nease of Las Vegas, Steve Johnson of Washington, Peter Nease Jr. of Juneau, Alaska, Mark Nease of Anchorage, Alaska, and John Nease of Juneau, Alaska; and one sister, Colleen Nease of Juneau, Alaska.

Her extended family includes Bob and Laura Blankenship of Cherokee and many relatives in Cherokee.

Memorials may be made to the Blankenship Family, P.O. Box 53, Moose Pass, Alaska 99631.

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, three sons; three 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., Joy Oldfield of Goldbar, Wash., and Woody Patterson of Cullowhee; 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.

Donald Wiggins

Funeral services were held at 10 a.m. Monday, May 7, in the chapel of Moody-Connolly Funeral Home. The Revs. Tommy Owens and Don Riddle officiated. Burial was in Addie Cemetery.

A native of Jackson County, he was a son of the late Hayes and Ella Mae Pollard Wiggins.

Surviving are his wife, Mary Wiggins; two daughters, Freida Wade of Horse Shoe and Darlene Silver of Canton; two sons, Donald Larry Wiggins of Brevard and Michael Thomas Wiggins of El Vertea, Calif.; three stepdaughters, Shirley Galloway, Anita Anstee and Betty Phillips; one stepson, Allen Jones; three sisters, Lois Stephens, Catherine Conner and Linda Hedden; three brothers, Ernest Wiggins, Eugene Wiggins and Ronald Wiggins; 19 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

James Long

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Friday, May 4, at Bethabara Baptist Church. Burial was at Drama Cemetery.

A native and lifelong resident of Cherokee, he was a son of the late Alvin Houston.

Surviving are his wife, Ruth Long; his mother, Katherine Long Jumper of Cherokee; one stepdaughter, Gail Johnson of Cherokee; one brother, Jerry Long of Texas; two sisters, Carolyn Mintz of Waynesville and Brenda Christopher of Shreveport, La.; two grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Clarence Hooper

Son of the late Dillard and Annie Hooper Moore, he retired from BASF in Williamsburg, Va. He was a U.S. veteran, serving in World War II and was a member of the Beth Eden Baptist Church and the American Legion. He was also a craftsman.

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 6, at Beth Eden Baptist Church. The Revs. Carl Chastain and Virgil Holloway officiated.

He was preceded in death by one son, Thomas H. Hooper; and one brother, Hubert Hooper.

Surviving are his wife, Bessie Hooper of Saunooke; two daughters, Carolyn Counts of Waynesville and Susan Bridges of Slidell, La.; one son, C.J. Hooper Jr. of Orlando, Fla.; five sisters, Margie Hall, Artherine Smathers, Catherine Jordan, Lois Freeman and Imogene Hall, all of Waynesville; two brothers, Manuel Hooper of Waynesville and Carroll Hooper of Midlothian, Va.; six grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

Memorials may be made to building fund for Beth Eden Baptist Church. Garrett Funeral Home in Waynesville was in charge of arrangements.

Levi Smith

Graveside services were held at 2 p.m. Friday, May 4, at Smith Family Cemetery in Big Cove. The Rev. Red Bradley officiated. Military graveside rites were conducted by Steve Youngdeer VFW Post 143.

He was a native and lifelong resident of Swain County and was the son of the late Samuel and Artie Ann Hornbuckle Smith. He was a retired plumber with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, a U.S. Navy veteran of the Korean Conflict and was of the Baptist denomination.

He was preceded in death by three sisters and three brothers.

Surviving are his wife of 39 years, Emily Wolfe Smith; two daughters, Jo Blaylock of Cherokee and Marie Brock of Tampa, Fla.; one son, Jack Smith of Cherokee; four sisters, Sallie Bradley and Margaret Ratliff, both of Cherokee, Candy Smith of Siler City and Florene Fagg of Walland, Tenn.; one brother, James Smith of Cherokee; and four grandchildren.

Melton-Riddle Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Robert Buchanan Jr.

A memorial service was held at 11 a.m. Friday, May 4, at Hayworth-Miller Funeral Home, Silas Creek Chapel.

He was born Aug. 9, 1937, in Jackson County. He was a graduate of Yadkinville High School and N.C. State University. He was with the California Division of Highways from 1959-1960. From 1960-1963 he was on active duty in the Civil Engineering Corps of the U.S. Navy and in the Reserves until 1973.

He was employed by Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center as director of hospital engineering and in facilities planning from 1963-1995. He was a consultant with SafetyTech for five years. He was a volunteer in Forsyth Rescue Squad for many years and was a founding member of Special Operations Response Team.

He was recognized for this work on the state and national level with the Governor's Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service in 1988 and a certificate of appreciation from National Disaster Medical Systems in 1998.

Surviving are his parents, Louise G. and R. Paul Buchanan of Sylva; his wife, Gloria Lee Gardner; two sons, Robert Buchanan-Linebaugh of Milwaukie, Ore., and Thomas Buchanan of Butner; and one sister, Martha Wood of Waynesville.

Henry Leigh

A memorial service will be held 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 18, at Cullowhee Presbyterian Church. A pot luck will be held at 6:30 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to one's preferred charity.

Moody Funeral Home will announce arrangements.

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