Bertie-Robeson County NcArchives Obituaries.....Francis, Vernon & Virginia Carol Britt 1971 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/ncfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Bruce Saunders bs4403@verizon.net January 6, 2014, 5:32 pm THE TIDEWATER NEWS – 08-05-1971, P. 1 VERNON AND VIRGINIA CAROL BRITT FRANCIS 2 DIE IN WALTERS FIRE – “IT WAS AWFUL” NEIGHBOR REMEMBERS WALTERS – “My God, Vernon’s house is on fire” … then Lee, my husband, (Lee Presson), ran out the back door in his pajamas and in his bare feet next door to help,” Mrs. Lee Presson, sister of Vernon Francis, related concerning the tragic fire which consumed the house and belongings of Vernon and Virginia Francis of Walters. “The dogs were barking across the street, it was about 2:30 in the morning, our little night light in the bedroom had gone out. Lee got up and went into the kitchen, I followed him and just as we got into the kitchen Lee said, “There’s plenty of light in here.” It was then that I noticed Vernon’s house was on fire. It was awful!” Mrs. Presson continued. “Lee woke me up and as I went out the front door I saw Vernon’s house ablaze.” Said Albert Allen. Allen and his wife live on the west side and the Pressons live on the east side of the burned home. Allen continued, “Lee and I went to the back bedroom window.” “Those windows were at least five feet from the ground and we couldn’t reach them. It was necessary to get a ladder and then we broke the window and when we did the flames leaped up inside and the smoke rolled out. “It was just impossible to get inside, the heat was terrific and the window was so small.” The home was reportedly constructed of redwood covered with aluminum siding. It sat between two brick homes owned by Mr. and Mrs. Lee Presson and Mr. and Mrs. Albert Allen just off Route 258 (Walters Road) about a half a mile south of the community of Walters. According to Franklin fire chief Jim Wagenback of the Franklin Fire Department the fire, which took the life of 48 year old Virginia Carol Britt Francis, was received by the fire department in Franklin at 2:38 a.m. Monday morning. The central part of the house had collapsed and the trees were afire when we came on the scene,” said chief Wagenback. Wagenback said the fire apparently started in the kitchen, dining room den area. Vernon Francis was found in the central hallway and his wife Virginia Francis was still in bed. Rescuers were not able to remove the pair until about 5 a.m. due to the intense heat. In addition to the Franklin Fire Department, the Windsor Fire Department also responded to the alarm. A native of Handsom he was the son of Edith Story Presson of Franklin and the late Charlie Francis. In addition to his mother he is survived by a daughter, Mrs. Jean Francis West of Franklin; two sisters, Mrs. Luther Hunnings of Jackson, N.C. and Mrs. Lee Presson of Walters; a half-sister, Mrs. Meredith Turner of Franklin; and three brothers, Calvin Francis of Norfolk and William Francis and Fletcher Francis of Franklin. A native of Fairmont, N.C., Mrs. Francis was a daughter of Mrs. Leola Rowell Britt of Fairmont and the late H.L. Britt. Besides her daughter, she is survived by five sisters, Mrs. Ruth Gerald of Holland, Mrs. Mattie Lou Hamilton of Rigelwood, N.C., Mrs. Myrtle Allen and Mrs. Clementine Warwick of Walters, and Mrs. Marie Scott of Raleigh, N.C.; and four brothers, Marvin Britt of Fairmont, H.L. Britt of Suffolk, Hubart Britt of Charlotte, N.C. and Mac Britt of Mississippi. Both Vernon Francis and Virginia Francis were members of Beaver Dam Baptist church. A double funeral service will be held Thursday at 3 p.m. in W.J.M. Holland & Sons Funeral Home, Franklin by the Rev. Edwin Thornton. Burial will be Beaver Dam Cemetery. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/bertie/obits/f/francis3465gob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ncfiles/ File size: 4.2 Kb