Obituaries in the Appalachian News-Express, Pike Co on Nov 20 1998 ********************************************************************** USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net Transcribed by: Gloria R. gloriag@iwaynet.net Date: Nov 1998 *********************************************************************** Randy Blake, 48, of Dana, died Wednesday, Nov. 18, 1998, at Central Baptist Hospital in Lexington. He was born in Pike County, March 8, 1950, a son of Earl and Amba Burris Murphy of Pikeville. He was a mechanic employed by Childers & Venters. Besides his parents, he is survived by three sisters,Loretta Adkins of Pikeville, Sandra Leslie of Harold, and Vanessa Townes of Ivel. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, in the J.W. Call & Son Funeral Home Chapel, with Jim Farley officiating. Burial will follow in the Miller Family Cemetery at Stone Coal. Arrangements are under direction of J.W. Call & Son Funeral Home of Pikeville. Special services will be held Friday at 7 p.m. Pallbearers are Rondal Miller, Gene Slone, Marvin Leslie, John Townes, Stallard Boyd, Ray Vanover, Curry Vanover, and Tim Adkins. Velcie Mae Gibson Clevinger, 78, of Jeffersonville, died Tuesday, Nov. 17, 1998, at Tri-County Baptist Hospital in LaGrange. She was born in Pike County, May 8, 1920, a daughter of the late Willia and Jane Bartley Gibson. She was a homemaker and a member of the Old Regular Baptist Church. She is survived by her husband, Hansel Clevinger; three sons, Rick Clevinger of LaGrange, Wendell Clevinger of Mt. Sterling, Ken Clevinger of Lawrenceburg; two daughters, Verna Jane Hackney of Hamilton, Ohio, Lucy Ratliff of LaGrange; three brothers, K.T. Gibson of Oakhill, W.Va., Lloyd Gibson and Jim Gibson, both of Montgomery, W.Va.; 12 grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, in the Herald & Stewart Home for Funerals, with burial following in the Lovely Cemetery. Arrangements are under direction of Herald & Stewart Home for Funerals Inc. of Mt. Sterling. James A. Damron, 60, of Rootstown, Ohio, died Thursday, Nov. 12, 1998, at his home. He was born in Pikeville, May 12, 1938, a son of the late Rob and Hattie Kiser Damron. He was retired, formerly employed by the Chrysler Corp. in Twinsburg, Ohio, as a conveyor loader, and attended the True Vine Church in Clinton, Ohio. He was preceded in death by his wife, Rosemary Damron, who died May 19, 1996; and by one son, Chuck, who died March 9, 1995. He is survived by three daughters, Faye Damron of Kent, Ohio, Vickie (Mrs. Michael) Bennett of Rootstown; Tammy (Mrs. Thomas) Paluscsak of Streetsboro, Ohio; two brothers, Robert Damron of Florida, Fred Damron of Kentucky; one sister, Martha Newcomb of Kentucky; three half-brothers, Carvin Damron of Kentucky, Ernest Damron of Michigan, Raymond Damron of Baltimore; two half-sisters, Nancy Damron of Elkhorn City, Clara Inman of Delaware; and two grandsons. Funeral services were held at 1 p.m. Monday, Nov. 16, in the Wood-Kortright Funeral Home-Ravenna Chapel, with Kenneth Robinson officiating. Burial followed in Grandview Memorial Park of Ravenna, Ohio. Arrangements were under direction of Wood-Kortright Funeral Home-Ravenna Chapel of Ravenna. Alpha Sword Fields, 85, of Pikeville, died at 11:25 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17, 1998, at her home. She was born in Pike County, April 4, 1913, a daughter of the late Virgil and Gertrude Johnson Sword. She was employed for 45 years at Shurtleff's Laundry, and was a member of the Baptist Church. She was preceded in death by her husband, Candy Fields, who died in 1981. She is survived by three sons, Ed Fields of Louisville, Lestin Fields of Southgate, Mich., Clyde Fields of Pike County; four daughters, Lois (Mrs. Charles) Southard of Mt. Vernon, Ill., Lesta (Mrs. Dallas) Gibson of Springfield, Va., Jo Ann (Mrs. Rush) Coleman of Westland, Mich., Cora (Mrs. Frank) Johnson of Pike County; two brothers, Vernon Sword of Drayton Plains, Mich., Palmer Sword of Clearwater, Fla.; four sisters, Orpha Fields, Marie West, Dorothy Fields, and Loretta Sweeney, all of Pike County; seven grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, in the J.W. Call & Son Funeral Home Chapel, with Windell Hamilton and Don Lee officiating. Entombment will follow in the York Mausoleum at Johnson Memorial Park, Pikeville. Arrangements are under direction of J.W. Call & Son Funeral Home of Pikeville. Special services will be held Friday at 7 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Hospice of Pike County. Grandsons will serve as pallbearers. Lurlene Carter Howell, 61, of Chloe Road, Pikeville, died at 6:05 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18, 1998, at her home. She was born in Pike County, April 14, 1937, a daughter of the late Thurston and Fannie Ray Carter. She was a homemaker and a member of the Holiness Church of God. She was preceded in death by two sons, Ricky Joe Howell, who died in 1962, and Mark Keith Howell, who died in 1994. She is survived by her husband, Billy Joe Howell; four sons, Zachry Howell, Vince Howell, Billy Howell, and Bruce Howell, all of Pikeville; one daughter, Renee West of Pikeville; one brother, Johnny Carter of Pikeville; four sisters, Lillian Smith and Mary O'Neil, both of Pikeville, Marcelene Hicks of Sturgess, Mich., Janice Polley of Millard; and six grandchildren. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20, in the J.W. Call & Son Funeral Home Chapel, with Holiness Church of God ministers officiating. Burial will follow in the Annie E. Young Cemetery, East Shelbiana. Arrangements are under direction of J.W. Call & Son Funeral Home of Pikeville. Myra Roberts, 98, of Pikeville, died Tuesday, Nov. 17, 1998, at Parkview Manor Nursing Home, Robinson Creek. She was born April 9, 1900, a daughter of the late Caleb and Lucy Martin Damron. She was a homemaker. She was preceded in death by her husband, Hatler Roberts. She is survived by three sons, Richard Roberts of Kingsport, Tenn., Enos Roberts of South Carolina, James Roberts of Murrells Inlet, S.C.; one daughter, Imogene Mullins of Virgie; nine grandchildren, and host of great-grandchildren, and six great-great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 20, in the R.S. Jones & Son Funeral Home Chapel, with Kermit Wright, Carson Wright, and Mike Justice officiating. Burial will follow in Johnson Memorial Park, Pikeville. Arrangements are under direction of R.S. Jones & Son Funeral Home of Virgie.