Bristol, Virginia, Obituaries: Bristol Herald Courier, March 24, 2003 Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Bristol Herald Courier http://www.bristolnews.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=TRI/Page/TRI_FrontPage ==================================================================== Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ==================================================================== Bristol Herald Courier Monday, March 24, 2003 Johnny H. Blanton RAVEN, Va. -- Mr. Johnny Harmon Blanton, 70, died Saturday, March 22, 2003, at a Richlands hospital following a brief illness. He was born in Matewan, W.Va., and was a son of the late Herbert and Amy Blanton. He had lived in Cleveland, Ohio, for 13 years, six years in Chicago, and 28 years in the Raven area. He was a retired truck driver for Exxon Oil Company in Richlands and was a member of the Bible Way Church at Raven. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by one sister, Margaret Lawson. He was the last surviving member of his immediate family. Survivors are one daughter, Mrs. Kathy Yascone of Cleveland; two sons, Mr. Michael Blanton and wife Zetta of Raven and Mr. Tommy Blanton and wife Sharon of Greenville, S.C.; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be conducted Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the Hurst-Scott Funeral Chapel in Richlands with Rev. Dannie Short officiating. Interment will follow in Greenhills Memory Gardens at Claypool Hill, Va. Relatives and friends will serve as pallbearers. Friends may call at the Hurst-Scott Funeral Home in Richlands after 6 p.m. Monday. Hurst-Scott Funeral Home in Richlands is in charge of arrangements. Those wishing to express sympathy online may do so at www.hurstscottfuneralhomes.com. Pearl H. Childress VANSANT, Va. -- Pearl Hagy Childress, 99 years of age, passed away Saturday, March 22, 2003, at Heritage Hall Nursing Home following an extended illness. Born in Buchanan County, she was a daughter of the late George W. and Hester Ann Looney Hagy. She had been a resident of Buchanan County most of her life and was a member of Big Prater Baptist Church for 80 years. Mrs. Childress was a former school teacher for Buchanan County School System. In her early years she operated logging camp boarding houses and served as an apartment house supervisor. She enjoyed crocheting afghans for friends and relatives, was a devoted wife, loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and was a homemaker. She was the last surviving member of her immediate family. She was preceded in death by her husband, James E. "Jack" Childress. Survived by one daughter, Georgia Ellen Damron, Tuscon, Ariz.; and two sons, James E. "Jim" and wife Pearlie M. Barbour Childress, Vansant, and Leon Childress, Carson City, Nev. Also, she is survived by 12 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; and four great-great-grandchildren. She was also preceded in death by one daughter, Juanita Lee Stiltner; three sisters, May Yates, Edna Baldwin and Dolly B. Looney; and three brothers, Stuart V. Hagy, A.T. "Thurm" Hagy and Earl Hagy. Funeral services will be conducted Tuesday, March 5, 2003, at 11 a.m. at Grundy Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Jeff Slone and Rev. Larry Ratliff officiating with burial to follow in Greenhills Memory Gardens, Claypool Hill, Va. Friends may call at Grundy Funeral Home Chapel Monday afternoon at 5 p.m. Active pallbearers will be men of Big Prater Baptist Church and Vansant Presbyterian Church. Honorary pallbearers will be Dr. Clint Sutherland, Dr. Jeff Larson, Rev. Ancil Childress, Evangelist Michael Trent, Evangelist Mike Rife, Phyllis Canter, Sam Justus, Mary Cook, Jean Cline, Edith Clevinger, Adelaide Looney, Lena Keen and Barbara Sutherland. The family suggests that expressions of sympathy be made in the form of memorial gifts to Big Prater Baptist Church, Route 2, Box 481, Vansant, VA 24656 or to Vansant Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 22, Vansant, VA 24656. Grundy Funeral Home of Grundy is in charge of all arrangements. Shirley M. Combow Shirley M. Myers Combow, 57, of 2316 Carolina Ave., Bristol, Tenn., went to be with the Lord Saturday, March 22, 2003, at Wellmont Hospice House. Arrangements are incomplete. Weaver Funeral Home is in charge. John C. Fields DANTE, Va. -- Funeral services for John C. Fields will be conducted at 8 p.m. Monday, March 24, 2003, at Castlewood Funeral Home Chapel, Castlewood, with Rev. Ted Phillips and Rev. D.J. Couch officiating. Committal services will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, March 25, 2003, in Temple Hill Memorial Park, Castlewood. The family will meet at the funeral home and go in procession to the cemetery leaving at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday. Military rites will be conducted by the Lebanon V.F.W. Post 9864 of Lebanon. Pallbearers will be Dan "Butch" Glass Jr., Jarod Glass, Paul Phillips, Wade Holbrook, Dennis Fields and Matthew Fields. Honorary pallbearers will be Jim Smith and members of Dante Rescue Squad and Dante Fire Department. The Fields family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, March 24, 2003, in Castlewood Funeral Home, Castlewood. Online condolences may be sent to the Fields family through our website at www.castlewoodfuneralhome.com. Mr. Fields, 80, died Saturday, March 22, 2003, in Russell County Medical Center, Lebanon. Castlewood Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Phoebe Jane Fields ABINGDON -- A funeral service for Mrs. Phoebe Jane Fields will be conducted Monday, March 24, 2003, at 11 a.m. in the Farris Funeral Chapel with Reverend Lawrence Chapin officiating. Burial will follow in the Forest Hills Memory Gardens. Pallbearers will be David Fields, Joey Rodriguez, Cory Barker, Greg Case, James Hope and Charles Hope. Those wishing to express sympathy online may do so by visiting www.farrisfuneralservice.com. Mrs. Fields, 84, passed away Saturday, March 22, 2003, at the Johnston Memorial Hospital. Farris Funeral Service is serving the family of Mrs. Fields. Elaine Dallas Foster Graveside services for Elaine Dallas Foster will be conducted at 2 p.m. Tuesday, March 25, 2003, in the Mountain View Cemetery with Rev. W.A. Johnson and Rev. William Reed officiating. The family will receive friends from 6 until 8 p.m. Monday, March 24, 2003, in the Weaver Funeral Home. E-mail condolences may be sent to the family at www.weaverfuneralhome.net. Mrs. Foster, 69 of 739 Fifth St., Bristol, Tenn., went to be with the Lord Friday, March 21, 2003, in the Bristol Regional Medical Center. Weaver Funeral Home is serving the family of Mrs. Foster. Winfred Hill RAVEN, Va. -- Winfred Hill, 73, passed away Saturday, March 22, 2003, in a Richlands hospital following an apparent heart attack. Born in Russell County, Va., he was the son of the late Willie and Lillie Collins Hill. He was of the Pentecostal faith. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by one son, Danny Lewis Hill; two brothers, Robert Reece Hill and Terry Slick Hill; and two grandchildren, Gary Hill Jr. and Cybil Hill. Mr. Hill is survived by his wife of 54 years, Mrs. Hazel Hurt Hill; two sons, Randal Hill and Gary Lee Hill, both of Cedar Bluff; three daughters, Ms. Violet Hill, Raven, Va., Mrs. Linda Damron, Bluefield, W.Va., and Mrs. Sandra Houchins of Cedar Bluff; two sisters, Mrs. Fannie Dye of South Carolina, and Mrs. Rosie Prater of War, W.Va.; two brothers, Albert Hill, Raven and Alfred Hill, Richlands; 17 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be conducted Tuesday, March 24, 2003, at 3 p.m. at Singleton Funeral Service Chapel in Cedar Bluff with Rev. Clarence Brown and Rev. Jerry Welch officiating. Burial will follow in the Greenhills Memory Gardens Cemetery at Claypool Hill, Va. Pallbearers will be Tony Cordle, Scottie Cordle, David Houchins Jr., Albert Hill Jr., Timmy Hill, Bradley Cordle and Danny Cordle. The family will receive friends at the Singleton Funeral Service in Cedar Bluff from 6-9 p.m. Monday, March 24, 2003, with a song service at 7 p.m. E-mail condolences may be sent to singleton@netscope.net. Singleton Funeral Service in Cedar Bluff is serving the Hill family. Nellie Hurley DAMASCUS -- Nellie Hurley, age 108, passed away on Sunday, March 23, 2003, at Johnston Memorial Hospital in Abingdon. She was a life long resident of Washington County, Va., and was the daughter of the late John and Elizabeth Tolley. She was the oldest member of the First Baptist Church in Damascus. Mrs. Hurley was preceded in death by her husband, J.L. Hurley; two daughters, Lillie Jessie and Edith Campbell; and four sons, Paul Hurley, Robert Hurley, L.C. Hurley and Howard Hurley. She is survived by three daughters, June Veatch and her husband Carl of Americus, Ga., Margaret Taylor and her husband Robert of Charlotte, N.C., and Grace Hurley of Damascus; one son, Thomas J. Hurley of Abingdon; two daughters- in-law, Lovana Hurley of Damascus and Geraldine Hurley of Taylors Valley, Va.; 19 grandchildren; 25 great-grandchildren; 16 great-great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. The funeral service will be conducted at 11 a.m. Tuesday, March 25, 2003, in the Garrett Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Alan McCullough officiating. Burial will follow in Sunset Memorial Park. Grandsons will serve as pallbearers. The family will receive friends from 6-8 p.m. Monday at Garrett Funeral Home. Condolences may be sent to the family through our web site at www.garrettfuneralhome.com. Garrett Funeral Home in Damascus is serving the family of Mrs. Nellie Hurley. William H. Muthard Funeral services for Mr. William H. "Bill" Muthard will be conducted 3 p.m. Wednesday, March 26, 2003, at Euclid Avenue Baptist Church with Pastor Bob Jones and Rev. Jim Best officiating. Burial will follow in West Hills Cemetery, Lebanon. Pallbearers will include Ron Simmons, Wilmer Robins, Tom Yates, Frank Phillips, Eugene Chaffin and Jackie Chaffin. Honorary pallbearers will include Ron Simmon's Sunday School Class, elders and deacons of Euclid Avenue Baptist Church and the Bristol Host Lions Club. The family will receive friends at the Akard Funeral Home Tuesday from 6 until 8 p.m. Condolences may also be made to the family at akardfh@peercom.net. Those wishing may make memorials to the Euclid Avenue Baptist Church, 900 Euclid Ave., Bristol, VA 24201. Mr. Muthard went to be with the Lord, March 21, 2003, in Columbus, Ohio. Akard Funeral Home is serving the family of Mr. Muthard. Frances O'Quinn SALTVILLE -- Mrs. Frances O'Quinn, 93, died Sunday, March 23, 2003, at her home in Saltville. Arrangements incomplete at this time. The D.R. Henderson Funeral Home is in charge. Virgie Armes Osborne VANSANT, Va. -- Virgie Armes Osborne, affectionately known as "Granny", passed away Sunday, March 23, 2003, at Buchanan General Hospital following a short illness. She was born Nov. 6, 1920, to William and Kathern Armes of Vansant where she lived her entire 82 years in the same community of Deskins surrounded by family, friends and good neighbors. As the last surviving member of that family, she was preceded in death by her parents; brothers, Doc Armes, Hal Armes, Slemp Armes, John Armes, Jim Armes and Vince Armes; and sisters, Alice Jackson, Gertie Coleman, Gustie Coleman, Florence Coleman and Lou Street. She was also preceded in death by her husband of 49 years, Earnest Sheffie Osborne, in 1990; and one granddaughter, Debbie Osborne in 1987. Surviving are five children, James Earnest Osborne and wife Stella of Defiance, Ohio, Billy Fredrick Osborne and wife Willodean of Morristown, Tenn., Ronnie Stuart Osborne and wife Glenna of Cadiz, Ohio, Geraldine O'Quin and husband James of Vansant and Delmar Lee Osborne and wife Mary of Vansant; 10 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Of these granddaughters, Tina Faye Osborne Nash, of Tampa, Fla., was more like a daughter, spending the majority of her childhood in their home. In her younger days, Virgie was a strong-willed and able-bodied wife and mother who worked very hard with her husband Earnest to provide for and raise their five children. But in recent years, she lived alone with two of her children next door. She enjoyed telephone calls and visits from her family and friends. She was blessed with a circle of friends that talk daily on the telephone just to see how each other was doing. She always looked forward to the cards and letters she would receive. Anyone coming to her home could tell by the variety of framed photographs that Virgie was a proud mother and grandmother. Her last great-grandchild was born in Arizona and was brought to visit her this week while in the hospital. Virgie's health problems included emphysema and diabetes and she was having trouble with both her vision and hearing. These illnesses only recently kept her inside the house. Even then, she would stand by the door or window and watch as her children would plant and tend the garden as she had done for so many years. Her pain and suffering is over and we are left with tears for a precious lady who will be missed. Written with love by your family. Funeral services will be conducted Tuesday, March 25, 2003, at 2 p.m. at Grundy Funeral Home Chapel with Evangelist Mike Rife officiating with burial to follow in Greenhills Memory Gardens, Claypool Hill, Va. Friends may call at Grundy Funeral Home Chapel Monday evening at 6 p.m. Pallbearers will be grandsons, James Michael Osborne, Fred Osborne, Pat Osborne, Richard Hopkins, Joshua Hopkins, Chris Osborne, Charlie Osborne and Mark Nash. Honorary pallbearers are Jean Boyd, Rachael Cook, Mabel Cook, Gladys Blankenship, Evalou Owens, June Armes, EmoJean Yates, Buddie Armes, Dr. JG Patel, Dr. JN Patel and Lucy Looney Burks. Grundy Funeral Home of Grundy is in charge of all arrangements. David Price MATOACA, Va. -- David "Junior" Price, 76, died on Sunday, March 23, 2003, in John Randolph Hospital, Hopewell. A native of Washington County, Va., he was the son of the late Dave and Lilly Roark Price. Mr. Price was a former pack operator with Brown & Williamson Tobacco Co. in Petersburg. He is survived by his wife, Betty Murray Price; two sons, Ricky L. Price of Pollocksville, N.C., and Darrell W. Price of Matoaca; two daughters, Lola J. Price of Hopewell and Teresa L. Price of Matoaca; seven grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; a brother, Dewey M. Price of Bristol Virginia; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. A graveside funeral service will be held 1 p.m. Tuesday, March 25, 2003, in Southlawn Memorial Park, Prince George, with Reverend Marshall O. Bonds officiating. The procession will leave the funeral home at 12:30 p.m. The family will receive friends 7 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, at the E. Alvin Small Funeral Home, 2033 Boulevard, Colonial Heights. Mary Ruth Sharrett Mary Ruth Sharrett, 44, of 831 Clinton Ave., Bristol Virginia, passed away Saturday, March 22, 2003, in the Bristol Regional Medical Center. Weaver Funeral Home is serving the family of Mrs. Sharrett. Arrangements are incomplete. Darris G. Viars BLOUNTVILLE -- Darris Gray Viars, 68, died Saturday, March 22, 2003, at Wellmont Bristol Regional Medical Center. Mr. Viars was a native of Dickenson County and had lived in Indiana for many years before moving to the Blountville area. He was a graduate of the University of Indiana with a B.S. degree in business. Mr. Viars as a retired cost analyst with U.S. Steel Company. He retired with 36 years of dedicated service. He was preceded in death by his father, Edgar H. Viars. Survivors include his wife, Wanda Marie Viars; a son and daughter-in-law, Steve Viars and Kristy Viars of Lafayette, Ind.; two daughters and son-in-law, Ruth Ann Viars of Blountville and Sharon K. Lewallen and Lane Lewallen of Wheatfield, Ind.; his mother, Ruth Ellen Viars of Clemons, N.C.; two sisters and brothers-in-law, Mary Kiser and Denver Kiser of Clemons, N.C., and Anna Lou Kline and James Kline of Crown Point, Ind.; and five grandchildren, Bethany, Karis, Andrew, Lorrie and Danny. The funeral service will be conducted at 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 25, 2003, in the Farris Funeral Chapel with Pastor Steve Viars officiating. Interment will follow in Forest Hills Memory Gardens. Casketbearers will be selected form family and friends. The family will receive friends from 6-8 p.m. Monday at the funeral home. Those wishing to send messages of sympathy online may do so by visiting www.farrisfuneralservice.com. Farris Funeral Service is serving the family of Mr. Darris Gray Viars. Janice Mullins Willis HOLLISTER, Fla. -- Janice Mullins Willis, 63, died on March 22, 2003, at her residence after an extended illness. Mrs. Willis was born in Haysi, Va., and moved to Hollister in 1960 where she has resided ever since. She was devoted to her home and family and was under the ministry of the Interlachen United Methodist Church. Mrs. Willis was well known for creating hand made porcelain dolls and for her generosity. Mrs. Willis was preceded in death by her parents, Bernie and Marie Mullins; two brothers, Joe Mullins and Kenneth Mullins; and one sister, Ann Jordan. She is survived by her husband of 45 years, Bana Willis of Hollister; two sons, David and Matthew Willis, both of Interlachen; one daughter and son-in- law, Rose and Kent Smith of Interlachen; seven brothers, Bob Mullins of Cleveland, Tenn., Harry Mullins of Columbus, Ohio, Wayne Mullins of Richmond, Mike Mullins of Austin, Texas, Billy Mullins of Richmond, Rick Mullins of Haysi and Mark Mullins of Haysi; three sisters, Barbara Mumpower of Bristol Virginia, Carol Timberlake of Richmond and Sharon Stork in Maryland, along with three grandchildren, Kortney Marie Smith, Klint Hart Smith and Klip Willis Smith, all of Interlachen; and numerous nieces and nephews. Visitation will be held on Monday evening March 24, 2003, at the funeral home between the hours of 6 until 8 p.m. Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, March 25, 2003, at 10 a.m. at the Masters Funeral Home in Palatka with the Reverend Bill Fields officiating. Burial will follow in the Pineview Cemetery in Interlachen. Memorial gifts may be made to Hospice of the Lakes, 6400 St. Johns Ave., Palatka, FL 32177. Master Funeral Home of Palatka is in charge of arrangements.