Obituaries - 06/29/00

Lenora Franklin

Lenora Carden Franklin, 88, of White Oak Street, Franklin, died Wednesday, June 21, in Harris Regional Hospital following a brief illness.

Funeral services were held at 11 a.m. Friday, June 23, at Melton-Riddle Funeral Home Chapel. The Rev. Roy Burnette officiated. Burial was in Parris Cemetery. Pallbearers were Josh Brooks, Todd Mason and Nathan, Curtis, Dick, Greg and Don Franklin.

Daughter of the late Floyd and Bertha Elmore Carden, she was a long-time resident of Jackson County and lived on Parris Cemetery Road before moving to Franklin. She was a former employee of the Jackson County Schools Food Service Department until retirement. She was a 54-year member of Jarrett Memorial Baptist Church and was active in the WMU and sanctuary choir.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Delos Coy Franklin; one son, Glenn Ray Franklin; and one brother, Floyd Carden Jr.

Surviving are three daughters, Elizabeth Mason of Franklin, Nancy Bates of Lexington and Kay McCabe of Birmingham, Ala.; two sons, Cecil Franklin of Sylva and Joe Clyde Franklin of Bigfork, Mont.; one sister, Kate C. Henson of Franklin; one brother, Bruce D. Carden of Waynesville; 12 grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.

Memorials be made to Jarrett Memorial Baptist Church or the Parris Cemetery Trust Fund, c/o Roy Shuler, 118 S. Country Club Road, Cullowhee, N.C. 28723.

Louella Brown

Louella L. Brown, 93, of Cullowhee, died Thursday, June 22, in Rickman Nursing Center in Asheville.

Funeral services were held at 3 p.m. Saturday, June 24, at Melton-Riddle Funeral Home Chapel. The Revs. Mike Vanzura and Luther Osment officiated. Burial was in Cullowhee Baptist Church Cemetery. Pallbearers were Carroll and Fred Brown, Jerry Dills, Steve Bryson, Sonny Bowman and Butch Klinkscales. Honorary pallbearer was Darrell Brown.

She was a native of Jackson County and daughter of the late Mark and Belle Buchanan Brown. She was a graduate of Western Carolina University and Southwestern Seminary. She taught in the public school system.

Most of her life was spent working in the Baptist home missions program serving as education and missions director for various churches in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. She was a member of Weaverville First Baptist Church.

Surviving are two sisters, Ethel Hooper of Cullowhee and Emma McCavitt of Anderson, S.C.

Memorials may be made to N.C. Baptist Retirement Home or Weaverville First Baptist Church.

Marilyn Thompson

Marilyn Thompson of Panama City, Fla., died Thursday, June 22, in Panama City.

Burial was in Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

She received a bachelor degree in finance and her MBA from Western Carolina University and completed substantial work on her PhD at Florida State University in Tallahassee.

She was preceded in death by one daughter, Alexandra Guth.

Surviving are her husband, Roy Thompson; her mother, Ethel Ivings of Panama City, Fla.; and one daughter, Tami Jazo.

Southerland Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Dorothy Kingstad

Dorothy Kingstad of Mountain Trace Nursing Center in Sylva died Monday, June 26, in Harris Regional Hospital.

Melton-Riddle Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Richard Johnson

Richard "Tom" Michael Johnson, 46, of Swimmer Branch Road, Cherokee, died Friday, June 23, at Memorial Mission Hospital in Asheville.

Services were held at 2 p.m. Monday, June 26, in Yellowhill Baptist Church. The Revs. James ³Red" Bradley and Roland Whitaker officiated. Burial was in Swimmer Family Cemetery.

A native and lifelong resident of Cherokee, he was a son of the late Joseph and Thelma Saunooke Johnson.

He was preceded in death by four brothers, Joseph Jr., Alfred Lee, Stephen Douglas and Russell Gary Johnson; and one sister, Doris Sharon Johnson.

Surviving are his wife of 22 years, Sarah Swimmer Johnson; two stepdaughters, Salina Swimmer Lee of Franklin and Cynthia L. Wilnoty of Graysville, Tenn.; two brothers, Charles Johnson of Cherokee and James Johnson of Indianapolis, Ind.; four sisters, Carolyn Johnson of Clinton, Okla., and Virginia Shell, Jean Jones and Doris Johnson, all of Cherokee; and eight grandchildren. Moody Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Delano Owle

Delano "Dee" Brown Owle, 27, of Wolftown Road, Cherokee, died Saturday, June 24, from injuries sustained in automobile accident.

Services were held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, June 28, at Cherokee United Methodist Church. The Revs. Steve Phillipi and Tina Evans officiated. Burial was in Mintz-Owle Family Cemetery.

A native and lifelong resident of Jackson County, he was employed with Harrah¹s Cherokee Casino as guest safety officer supervisor. The son of Buddy Adam and Alice Cabe Owle of Cherokee, he had served as a corporal in the in U.S. Marine Corps.

Surviving, in addition to his parents, are two sisters, Deborah Mintz of Cherokee and Raylene Owle of Clyde.

Moody Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Sheridan Smith

Sheridan C. Smith, 53, of Ajuga Drive, Sylva, died Saturday, June 24, in Harris Regional Hospital. Funeral services were held at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 27, at Lovedale Baptist Church. Father Henry Burton and the Rev. Cecil Frady officiated. Burial was in Lovedale Baptist Church Cemetery.

A native and lifelong resident of Jackson County, he was a member of Jackson County GoIf Club. He retired in December 1998 from Southwestern Community College.

He received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Western Carolina University. Son of the late Franklin Grady and Lillie Daves Smith, he was a member of the Sylva-Webster High School Class of 1964.

Surviving are his wife, Reta Hamilton Smith; and two sisters, Katie S. Allman of Sylva and Gladys S. Ray of Waynesville.

Memorials may be made to Sheridan C. Smith Scholarship Fund, c/o Southwestern Community College, 447 College Drive, Sylva, N.C. 28779; and/or Lovedale Baptist Church, c/o Walter Painter, 720 Ashe Loop Road, Sylva, N.C. 28779.

Moody Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Verlin Burch

Verlin Burch, 71, of Live Oak Drive, Dillsboro, died Friday, June 23, at his residence.

Funeral services were held at 11 a.m. Monday, June 26, at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, of which he was a member. The Rev. Tommy Ashe officiated. Burial was in the Burch Family Cemetery. Pallbearers were Matt Orr, Butch Rhinehart and Shane, Jamie, David Jr., Delous and Dennis Burch.

A native and lifelong resident of Jackson County, he retired after 27 years with the N.C.

Department of Transportation. He was a son of Matilda Burch Shuler of Sylva and the late Delous Burch.

He was preceded in death by his infant sister, Kathy.

Surviving, in addition to his mother, are his wife of 39 years, Geraldine "Gerrie" Frizzell Burch; two daughters, Sandra Kay Thomas of Clyde and Wanda Kay Conner of Kannapolis; one son, Gary Burch of Fayetteville; five brothers, Ernest, Lyde, David, Joe, and Jimmy Burch, all of Sylva; one sister: Bessie B. Johnson of Salisbury; six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Moody Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

John Battle

John Bascombe Battle, 103, of 16 Shackleford Drive, Asheville, formerly of Jackson County, died Saturday, June 24.

Funeral services were held 11 a.m. Monday, June 26, in the Patton Avenue Chapel of Groce Funeral Home. The Rev. Dr. James H. Johnson officiated. Masonic graveside services were conducted by the Dillsboro Lodge at 1 p.m. at Swain Memorial Park. Pallbearers were grandsons Michael Fisher, Philip Fisher, John Isaac Battle, Brian C. Battle, Jeffrey D. Battle and Gregory Nichols.

A native of Jackson County, he was a son of the late William and Lou Zena Hughes Battle. He was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II where he served in the infantry in France. He was a graduate of Western Carolina University and was a merchant in Whittier for many years. He was a member of West Asheville Baptist Church, a Shriner and a 75-year member of the Dillsboro Lodge 459 AF and AM.

He erected a hand-hewn log building in the Ela community and maintained it as a museum of tools and artifacts made by mountain forebearers. He was featured in one of John Parris' "Roaming the Mountains" articles in the Asheville Citizen-Times.

When he retired and closed the museum, he donated the collection to Western Carolina University. In 1983, the university presented him with the Mountain Heritage Award.

Surviving are his wife of 66 years, Verna DeBord Battle; one daughter, Jean Battle Fisher of Asheville; one son, John B. Battle Jr. of North Wilkesboro; one stepson, A.A. "Nick" Nichols of Tallahassee, Fla.; seven grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to the West Asheville Baptist Church Building Fund, 926 Haywood Road, Asheville, N.C. 28806; or to the Shriners Hospital for Crippled Children, 940 W. Faris Road, Greenville, S.C. 29506.

Hugh Wiggins

Hugh Allen Wiggins, 60, of Olivet Church Road, Twin City, Ga., died Sunday, June 25, at St. Luke¹s Hospital in Jacksonville, Fla.

Funeral services were held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, June 28, at Hawhammock Baptist Church. The Revs. Cail Pressey and Louis Pearce officiated.

Burial followed in the Swainsboro City Cemetery. Pallbearers were Kim McNeely, Verlon Price, Wallace Alford, Marvin Skinner, Bob Seamons, Jack Jones, Billy Thompson, and Billy Morrison. Honorary pallbearers were deacons of Hawhammock Baptist Church and members of the Elmo Youngblood Sunday school class.

A native of Emanuel County, Ga., he lived all of his life in Twin City, Ga. He was employed for 37 years with United Insurance Company of America. He had been a member of the Swainsboro National Guard Unit for a number of years and was a member of Hawhammock Baptist Church, where he taught the Elmo Youngblood Sunday school class.

Surviving are his wife, Grace Wiggins; one son, Randy Allen Wiggins of Sylva; one brother, Harry Dean Wiggins of Midville, Ga.; and two grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to Hawhammock Baptist Church Building Fund.