Obituary Information

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

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 - 06/14/01

T.H. Queen

T.H. Queen, 76, of Sunrise Park, Sylva, died Sunday, June 10, 2001, at Harris Regional Hospital.

Funeral services were held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, June 12, at Ochre Hill Baptist Church. John Swanger and the Rev. Terry Wehunt officiated. Burial was at Fairview Memorial Gardens. A native of Jackson County, he was retired from Mead Corp. and Harris Regional Hospital. A member of Ochre Hill Baptist Church, he was the oldest serving deacon. He was the son of the late Rev. Cleve and Lessie Shelton Queen.

He was preceded in death by one sister and three brothers.

Surviving are his wife, Grace Queen; one son, Edwin Queen of Sylva; one daughter, Edna Queen Kreigsman of Hendersonville; three brothers, Kit Queen of High Point, Dewey Queen of Sylva and Glen Queen of Cullowhee; three sisters, Lillie Foxx of Sylva, Betty Sue Moore of Cullowhee and Eva Broom of Pickens, S.C.; one granddaughter; and a great-grandson.

Memorials may be made to the Bus Fund, Ochre Hill Baptist Church, 5059 U.S. 74 East, Sylva, N.C. 28779.

Moody Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Leona Birchfield

Leona Birchfield, 85, of Sylva's Dillardtown community, died Saturday, June 9, 2001, at her residence after a brief illness.

Funeral services were held at 11 a.m. Monday, June 11, at Melton-Riddle Funeral Home Chapel. The Rev. Charles Dean officiated. Burial was at Webster Cemetery. Pallbearers were Keith Lovedahl, Chuck Justice, Bud Rhinehart, Bud Plemmons, Arthur Skibbe and Tracy Hooper.

A native and lifelong resident of Jackson County, she was a member of East Sylva Baptist Church and daughter of the late T.F. and Louella Hatcher Dillard.

She was preceded in death by her sister, May Dillard.

Surviving are her husband, Riley Birchfield; one daughter, Glenna Buchanan of Sylva; one son, Louis Davis of Sylva; one sister, Elizabeth Beck of Sylva; two brothers, Furman Dillard of Sylva and Avery Dillard of Asheville; three grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Jimmy Boren

Jimmy Julian Boren, 77, of Skyland Care Nursing Center, Sylva, died Friday, June 8, 2001, in Harris Regional Hospital.

Services and burial were held in Belle Glade, Fla.

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

Tanya Puccini

Tanya M. Puccini, 34, of Sylva, died Thursday, June 7, 2001.

A memorial service was conducted at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 12, at Melton-Riddle Funeral Home. Buddy Owl officiated.

A native of Swain County, she was the daughter of Margaret Green McCall and the late Jasper C. McCall.

Surviving, in addition to the mother, are her husband, Frank A. Puccini; two sons, Steven A. Puccini and Kenneth M. Puccini; four sisters, Cathy Martin of Grandy and Shirley Flowers, Juanita Moon and Darlene Metcalf, all of Waynesville; and one brother, Gary McCall of Greensboro.

Memorials may be made to one's favorite charity.

Blanche Taylor

Blanche Taylor, 89, of Tilley Creek Road, Cullowhee, died Wednesday, June 6, 2001, in Harris Regional Hospital after a brief illness.

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 9, in Melton-Riddle Funeral Home Chapel. The Revs. Terry Taylor and David Branch officiated. Burial was in Hooper Cemetery in Speedwell community. Pallbearers were Phil Pressley, Dan Foxworth, Dan Pressley, Randy Pressley, Charlie McConnell and Jake Thomas.

A native and lifelong resident of Jackson County, she was the daughter of the late Jake and Mary Ashe Pressley. She was a member of Speedwell Baptist Church.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Lawton H. Taylor, who died in 1970; three children, Mary Belle Taylor Trexler, Robert Taylor and Guy Taylor; and one brother, Roy Pressley.

Surviving are two sons, Jim Taylor of Arden and Gary Taylor of Brevard; one sister, Lena McConnell of Cullowhee; three brothers, B.F. Pressley and Cling Pressley, both of Cullowhee, and Clyde Pressley of West Virginia; eight grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to Hooper Cemetery Fund.

Bonnie Hefner

Bonnie Cunningham Hefner, 92, of Harold Street, Sylva, died Thursday, June 7, 2001, in Mountain Trace Nursing Center after a brief illness.

Funeral services were held at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 9, at Melton-Riddle Funeral Home Chapel. The Revs. Carl Adams, Charles Dean, Don Moffitt and Bobby Metters officiated. Burial was in Locust Field Baptist Church Cemetery.

A native and lifelong resident of Jackson County, she was a daughter of the late Lonnie and Lillie Jones Cunningham.

She was preceded in death by her husband, William H. Hefner Sr., who died in 1989; one son, William H. Hefner Jr.; two sisters, Bell Hornsby Day and Mary C. West; and two brothers, Richard and George Cunningham.

She was a charter member and Sunday school teacher at East Sylva Baptist Church and worked at Sylva Laundry.

Surviving are two daughters, Patsy Whittington of Thomasville and Jeannean Wilson of Andrews; four sons, Richard Hefner of Clyde, Charles "Bones" Hefner of Sylva, Jack Hefner of Trinity and Conrad Hefner of Franklin; one sister, Evelyn Pannell of Franklin; seven grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to Locust Field Cemetery Fund, c/o Virginia Pangle, P.O. Box 99, Dillsboro, N.C. 28725.

Gladys Taylor

Gladys Frances Taylor, 75, of Sylva's Addie community, died at her home on Tuesday, June 5, 2001, after an extended illness.

Funeral services were held at 11 a.m. Friday, June 8, at Melton-Riddle Funeral Home Chapel. The Rev. Eddie Stillwell officiated. Burial was in Robinson Cemetery.

She was born June 19, 1925, in Cherokee County and lived most of her life in Jackson County. She was the daughter of the late Ray and Norma Queen Gragg. She was a member of Long Branch Baptist Church.

She was preceded in death by her husband, John Luther Taylor, who died in 1969.

Surviving are three sons, Randy Taylor of the home and Jim Taylor and Robert Taylor, both of Sylva; three daughters, Brenda Keener of Balsam, Norma Taylor of Dillsboro and Sandy Harris of Virginia Beach, Va.; seven grandchildren; and great-grandchildren.

Timothy Gross

Timothy Gross, 52, of Glenville, died Thursday, June 7, 2001, at his residence.

A native of Oregon, he was a graduate of the University of Oregon and was a financial consultant for Freightliner. He had been a resident of North Carolina for the past five years.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Samuel and Ethel DeLapp Gross. Surviving are his wife, Lori Lawler Gross.

Donations may be made to the Highlands-Cashiers Hospital Hospice or the American Cancer Society.

Moody Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Cathey Howard-Kalimah

Cathey Jo McDonald Howard-Kalimah, 31, formerly of Sylva, died Tuesday, June 5, 2001, in McKinney, Texas.

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 10, at Liberty Baptist Church. The Rev. J.H. Smith officiated. Burial was at Parris Cemetery.

A native of Asheville, she was a security law enforcer instructor with the Job Corps in McKinney, Texas. She was a daughter of Rudolph McDonald of Murphy and Ann-Marie Shephard McDonald of Waynesville.

Surviving are her husband, Jameel Kalimah; one daughter, Regyna Howard-Kalimah; one son, Syed Kalimah, both of the home; one brother, Darren McDonald of Morganton; and one sister, Lisa Rogers of Raleigh.