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 - 05/15/03

Clarence Mathis

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, May 13, in the Waynesville Chapel of Wells Funeral Home. The Revs. Frank Brooks and James Brown officiated. Burial was in Bethel Cemetery.

A native of Haywood County, he retired from A.C. Lawrence Co. with 15 years of service and from Harris Regional Hospital with 11 years of service.

He was a son of the late Robert "Bob" and Sarah Lanning Mathis. He was preceded in death by one sister, Lula Bell Swanger.

Surviving are his wife of 41 years, Mae Mintz Mathis; two daughters, Carol Cagle of Sylva and Patsy Gunter of Whittier; one son, Ricky Mathis of Waynesville; four sisters, Ruby Parker and Edna Ledford, both of Gastonia, and Lucy Gaddis and Roeina Smith, both of Waynesville; one brother, Ralph Mathis of Waynesville; four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

An online memorial register is available at Obituaries at www.wellsfuneralhome. com.

Doris Muse

A family memorial is planned for a later date.

A native of Jackson County and former resident of Swain County, she was the daughter of the late Grover and Mary Tallent.

Surviving are three daughters, Glenda Cole of Arden, Rita Mattox of Bryson City and Margaret Fisher of Cullowhee; two sons, Jeff Muse of Cullowhee and Danny Muse of Bryson City; and three sisters, Margaret Tallent of Arden, Joann Woody of Tennessee and Pat Blackburn of Texas.

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

Bill Moody Funeral Home in Bryson City is assisting the family with arrangements. An online memorial and guest registry is available at www.pemoody.com.

Mary Ellen Pressley

Funeral services were held at 4 p.m. Saturday, May 10, at Melton-Riddle Funeral Home. The Revs. William Wooten, Tommy Holden, Johnny Norris and Roger Stewman officiated. Burial was in Hooper Cemetery in Speedwell.

A native of Kingsport, Tenn., she lived most of her life in Jackson County. She worked several years at the Cullowhee School lunch room and was a member of Fall Cliff Baptist Church. She was a daughter of the late Bill and Ida Pierce.

She was preceded in death by one sister, Martha Pierce.

Surviving are her husband of 64 years, Cling Pressley; three sons, Clarence Pressley and Ray Pressley, both of Cullowhee, and Phil Pressley of Candler; two sisters, Marguerite Hooper of Cashiers and Nora Mae Gaulden of Rock Hill, S.C.; two brothers, John Pierce of Catawba, S.C., and Charlie Pierce of Rock Hill, S.C.; five grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to Hooper Cemetery Fund, c/o Marvin Adams, Cullowhee, N.C. 28723; Cullowhee Fire Department, Long Branch Road, Cullowhee, N.C. 28723; or Savannah Fire Department, 323 Billy Cove Road, Sylva, N.C. 28779.

Lula Carter

Funeral services were held at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 10, at Melton-Riddle Funeral Home. The Rev. Gary McCoy officiated. Burial was in Fairview Memorial Gardens.

A native of Macon County, she had lived in Jackson County since 1936. She worked at Sylco and she and her husband, Louie Edward Carter, who died in 1977, owned Carter Furniture Shop. She was the daughter of the late Jesse and Fannie Hurst Flowers.

She was preceded in death by one son, Edward Carter; and one brother, Claude Flowers.

Surviving are four daughters, Joycelyn Sturgeon of Sorrento, Fla., Betty Lou Spague of Central, S.C., and Lida White and Vicki Dalton, both of Franklin; two sons, Van Buren Carter and Ernest A. Carter, both of Sylva; 13 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

Merle Stewart

Graveside services were held at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 10, at Drama Cemetery. The Rev. Steve Youngdeer officiated.

A native of Jackson County, she was born Nov. 27, 1924, at Smokemont. She was the daughter of the late Roy and Grace Rose Bowman. She attended the Cherokee Indian Boarding School. She resided in Norfolk, Va., for many years, where she was supervisor at C&P Telephone Co. and switchboard operator at Dominion University. She returned to Cherokee in 1974.

Surviving are two sons, James R. Lee of Memphis, Tenn., and Kenneth M. Lee of Sylva; and three sisters, Dorothy Franklin, Jean Bowman Ward and Kathryn Bradley.

Memorials may be made to Tsali Care Center, Cherokee, N.C. 28719.

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

Blanche Painter

Funeral services were held at 3 p.m. Friday, May 9, at Lovedale Baptist Church. The Rev. Mike Farmer officiated. Burial was at Lovedale Cemetery.

A native and lifelong resident of Jackson County, she was the oldest member of Lovedale Baptist Church. She was the daughter of the late John and Clara Smith Phillips.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Ed Painter, and one son, Lewis Painter.

Surviving are one son, Carl Painter of Sylva; two daughters, Joann P. Stamey of Hayesville and Judy Herron of Cleveland, Tenn.; 10 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to WestCare Hospice, 68 Hospital Road, Sylva, N.C. 28779; or Lovedale Baptist Church, 160 Lovedale Church Road, Sylva, N.C. 28779.

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

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