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 - 09/20/01

Albert Miles

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 16, in the chapel of Moody Funeral Home. The Rev. Tommy Holden officiated. Burial was at Pine Creek Baptist Church Cemetery in Glenville.

A native of Larenceville, Ill., he was retired from the U.S. Marine Corps as a gunnery sergeant, serving in both the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War. He was a son of the late Glenn and Lela A. Miles.

Surviving are his wife, Hilda Brooks Miles; four sons, Anthony Miles of Asheboro, Rodrick Miles of Cashiers, Gregory Miles of Longview and Timothy Miles of Atlanta; one daughter, Tamara Miles of Longview; one brother, Donald Miles of Springfield, Ill.; one sister, Margrette Miles of Greenville, Ill.; and three grandchildren.

James Woodard

Funeral services were held at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Sept.19, in the chapel of Moody Funeral Home. The Rev. Eddie Stillwell officiated. Burial was at Fall Cliff Baptist Church Cemetery in Cullowhee. Pallbearers were James London, Ray Trantham, James Middleton, Richard Middleton, David Lee Woodard and Billy Gunter.

A native and lifelong resident of Jackson County, he was a member of Speedwell Baptist Church and was a retired logger.

He was preceded in death by his parents, John Thomas and Annie Ardella Woodard; one daughter, Annie Ruth Warren; four brothers, Curt Wilkes, June Wilkes, Dave Woodard and Erastus Woodard; and one sister, Edna Bennett.

Surviving are his wife, Gladys Woodard; four sons, Dale Woodard of Midlothin, Texas, James L. Woodard of Cullowhee and Vernon Woodard and Jimmy Woodard, both of Sylva; one daughter, Rebecca Smathers of Wellford, S.C.; one brother, Alvin Woodard of Sylva; one sister, Alice Adams of Sylva; nine grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Ollie Owle

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 19, at Bethabara Baptist Church. The Revs. Dan Lambert and Red Bradley officiated. Burial was in Mountain Noble Cemetery. Nephews were pallbearers.

A native and lifelong resident of Swain County, she was the daughter of the late Tahquette and Maggie Welch Wallace and adopted parents Epps and Stacey Owle Welch. She retired from Oconaluftee Indian Village, was a member of the Qualla Arts and Craft Co-op and Echota Baptist Church.

Surviving are two daughters, Stacy Bessie Wallace and M. Christine Toineeta, both of Cherokee; one son, Earl Wallace of Cherokee; 10 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to Cherokee Dialysis Center, 53 Echota Church Road, Cherokee, N.C. 28719.

Melton-Riddle Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Cecil Ward

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15, at Melton-Riddle Funeral Home Chapel. The Revs. Steve Webb and Kevin Brooks officiated. Burial was in Fairview Memorial Gardens.

A native and lifelong resident of Jackson County, he was the son of the late Grady and Selma Jones Ward.

He retired in October 1993 as director of food services with Western Carolina University with 39 1/2 years of service. He was a former Jackson County Board of Education member, serving three terms, one term as chairman.

He was instrumental in the development of the Cullowhee Valley School and Recreational Park and served on the committee to save the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. A recipient of the Paul A. Reid Award, he was a cattleman, farmer and Angus breeder.

He was preceded in death by his first wife and his children's mother, Betty Jo Moore Ward. Surviving are his wife, Cathi Faull Ward; two sons, Samuel Clay Ward of Charlotte and David Brian Ward of Cullowhee; one stepdaughter, Heather Lennox of Charlotte; one stepson, Chad Lennox of Columbia, S.C.; two sisters, Katherine Brooks of Waynesville and Ellen Ashe of Cullowhee; two brothers, Grady Ward of Lawndale and Carl Ward of Sylva; and two grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to Cullowhee Fire Department or Hospice, 68 Hospital Road, Sylva, N.C. 28779.

Kenneth Yelle

Funeral services were held Monday, Sept. 10, at 3 p.m. in Sherrill-Guerry Memorial Chapel. The Rev. Charles Knight officiated.

A former resident of Jackson County, he lived in Obrien since 1994, coming from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. He was of the Christian faith and was a truck driver owner/operator.

Surviving are his wife, Tammy Buchanan Yelle; one son, Kenneth Wayne Yelle Jr. of Obrien; two daughters, Crissy Kay Woodham of Lake City, Fla., and Jessica Nichole Yelle of Obrien; one brother, Gary Yelle Jr. of Kissimmee, Fla.; two sisters, Cheri Coward of Seattle and Patricia Ann Smith of Kissimmee; his father, Gary Yelle Sr. of Douglasville, Ga.; his mother, Patricia Ann Morris of Smithton, Penn.; and one granddaughter.

Contributions can be made to the Yelle family at Route 1, Box 1494 Obrien, Fla. 32011.

Alvin Cabe

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Monday, Sept. 17, at Melton-Riddle Funeral Home chapel. The Revs. Charles Carnes and Dennis Burrell officiated. Burial was in Locust Field Baptist Church Cemetery. Pallbearers were Pete Rednour, Joe Bell, Tom Massie, Ronnie Melton, Keith Allison and Tony Webb.

He was a native of Jackson County, where he lived most of his life. He retired as a draftsman with Homelite Textron, was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II and a member of Locust Field Baptist Church. He was a son of the late Oscar and Dora Sutton Cabe.

He was preceded in death by two sisters, Nellie Hensley and Helen Massie; and two brothers, Frank and Baxter Cabe.

Surviving is his wife of 51 years, Margaret Hendrick Cabe.

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

Fancheon Elders

Funeral services were held at 1 p.m. Sunday. Sept. 16, at Yellowhill Baptist Church, of which she was a member. The Revs. Red Bradley and Bo Parris officiated. Burial was in Elders Family Cemetery. Pallbearers were Bob Bradley, Dean Bradley, James Raby, Tony Cabe, Tince Cabe, Tommy Cabe, Denver Elders and Danny Elders.

A native of Jackson County, she had lived in Leesburg, Fla., and returned to Jackson County in April 2000. She was a daughter of the late Charles H. and Elma Arch Smith. She was preceded in death by one brother, Delbert Smith.

Surviving are her husband of 40 years, Dallas H. Elders; four daughters, Ernie Crowe, Nancy Taylor, Libby Wolfe and Debbie Ramirez, all of Cherokee; one stepdaughter, Patsy Elders of Oklahoma City; one son, Gary Dean Smith of Cherokee; one stepson, Dale Elders of Montgomery, Texas; seven sisters, Ossie Smith, Joe Lou Bradley, Nancy Smith, Connie Cabe, Jo Ann Henry, Linda Raby and Becky Bridges, all of Cherokee; nine grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.

Melton-Riddle Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Lois Laughter

A graveside service was held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 15, at Shepherd Memorial Park. The Rev. Wayne Hembree officiated.

A native of Sylva, she had been a resident of Henderson County since 1970. She was a daughter of the late Roy M. Powell and Bessie Bridges Powell. She was a graduate of the Woodbury High School Class of 1965 in Salem, N.H. She had provided child care for a number of years to many children in the Henderson County area and was known as "Aunt Blue" and "Momma Lois." She was a member of Macedonia Baptist Church.

She was preceded in death by one brother, Clarence D. Powell.

Surviving are two daughters, Tracie Powell Berg of Heidelberg, Germany, and Kimberly A. Kelley of Jacksonville, Fla.; one brother, Lee Roy Powell of Salem, N.H.; and one sister, Sylvia "Willie" Speannan of Saluda.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Humane Society, Route 1, Box 28l-K, Hendersonville, N.C. 28792.

Thos. Shepherd and Son Funeral Directors is in charge of arrangements.

Etheleen McCutcheon

Burial was in Woodlawn Cemetery in Franklin.

A native of Ocala, Fla., she had lived in Whittier for the past 25 years. She was self-employed at Gateway Flea Market. She was the daughter of the late Jim and Doris Walder Gunn.

Surviving are two daughters, Katherine Radpolh of Panama City, Fla., Shery Pluglesy of Memphis, Tenn.; three sons, Thomas Ellwood of Cherokee, Tim Brooks of Vero Beach, Fla., and Jim Brooks of Arkansas; one sister, Barbara J. Munch of Whittier; 12 grandchildren; and several great-grandchildren.

Melton-Riddle Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Zola Dills

A memorial service will be held at 1p.m. Saturday, Sept. 22, at Skyland Care Center. Burial will be in Keener Cemetery.

A native and lifelong resident of Jackson County, she was a member of Sylva First Baptist Church, where she was a former Sunday school teacher. She was a long-time employee of Sylva Supply. She was a daughter of the late Charles Wesley and Artie McMahan Hensley. She was preceded in death by her husband, James Roscoe Dills Sr., who died in 1980; two sons, Phillip Edwards and Charles A. Dills; four sisters; and one brother.

Surviving are one daughter, Patsy Dills Tracy of Wilmore, Ky.; one son, James Roscoe Dills Jr. of West Hills, Calif.; one sister, Edith Ensley Blanton of Sylva; two grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Melton-Riddle Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Paul Walk

Melton-Riddle Funeral Home will announce arrangements.

Harvey Mason Jr.

No services are scheduled.

A native of Houston, he graduated from Madison High School and was a veteran of the Vietnam War, serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. He had a long career in marine geophysics and was a recent employee of Wal-Mart Store 2440.

A resident of Jackson County for the past 10 years, he was a magna cum laude graduate of Western Carolina University, where he earned a degree in geography planning. He was a member of Phi Theta Kappa, Pi Gamma Mu honor societies, a member of ESRI Disaster Mitigation Club and ESRI North Carolina and Planning Clubs. He was the son of the late Harvey E. and Kiness Cunningham Mason Sr.

Surviving are his wife, Dee Mason; and his father and mother-in-law, Walker Samuel and Frances Josephine Evey.

Memorials may be made to the American Heart Association, 50 South French Broad St., Asheville, N.C. 28801.

Moody Funeral Home assisted the family.

Phena Lynn

Funeral services were held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 19, at Whittier Church of God. Burial was at Swain Memorial Park.

Moody Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Leroy Clawson

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. today (Thursday) in the chapel of Moody Funeral Home. The Revs. Carl Adams and Ricky Connor will officiate. The family was to have received friends from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 19, at the funeral home.

A native and lifelong resident of Jackson County, he was retired as chief deputy with the Jackson County Sheriff's Department and as chief of special police with the Sapphire Valley Public Safety. He was the son of the late William L. "Jim" Clawson.

He was preceded in death by one sister, Joyce Clawson; and one son, Ricky Clawson.

Surviving are his mother, Lillian M. Clawson of Sylva; two daughters, Teresa Clawson Bradley of Cherokee and Amanda Clawson of Cashiers; two sons, Jimmy Clawson and Ben Clawson, both of Sylva; four sisters, Shirley Mace, Lois Clawson and Brenda Clawson, all of Sylva, and Trish Tucker of Candler; one brother, Donald Clawson of Sylva; and six grandchildren.

An online memorial register is available at www.pemoody.com.

Ada George

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15, at Yellowhill Baptist Church. Burial was in Yellowhill Cemetery.

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

Back to Archive: 09/20/01.