Bristol, Virginia, Obituaries: Bristol Herald Courier, October 11, 2003 Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Bristol Herald Courier http://www.bristolnews.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=TRI/Page/TRI_FrontPage ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: All documents placed in the USGenWeb Archives remain the property of the contributors, who retain publication rights in accordance with US Copyright Laws and Regulations. In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, these documents may be used by anyone for their personal research. They may be used by non-commercial entities, when written permission is obtained from the contributor, so long as all notices and submitter information are included. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit. Any other use, including copying files to other sites, requires permission from the contributors PRIOR to uploading to the other sites. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bristol Herald Courier Saturday, Oct. 11, 2003 Today's Deaths Helen Stewart Burnette, 79, Bristol Virginia Billie Andoff Clark, 78, Mendota, Va. Elizabeth F. Clark, 20, Bristol Tennessee Elsie Royston Dunn, 88, Bristol Tennessee Powell S. Elswick Jr., 83, Richlands Roscoe S. Porterfield, 79, Marion Jennette T. Skarbovick, 87 Hartsell J.C. Strouth, 70, Cedar Bluff Kaye Denise Worley, 39, McEwen, Tenn. Goldie Coleman York, 70, Vansant, Va. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Carolyn Blankenbeckler BLOUNTVILLE – Funeral services for Carolyn Ann Seymore Blankenbeckler will be held 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, 2003, in the Weaver Funeral Home Chapel, with Rev. Paul Brown officiating. The burial will follow in the Mountain View Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Greg Taylor, D.J. Reynolds, Daniel Anderson, Joey Wallace, Michael Younce and David Reynolds. Honorary pallbearers will be Dr. Michael Rowell and Dr. Rob Blanton. Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.weaverfuneralhome.net. Mrs. Blankenbeckler, age 58, of 746 Highway 394, passed away Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2003, in the Bristol Regional Medical Center. Weaver Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements. Beatrice H. Blevins BRISTOL, Va. – A funeral service for Beatrice Haga Blevins will be conducted at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, in the Seaver-Brown Funeral Home Chapel, Marion, with Rev. William Wing and Rev. Alan Chapman officiating. The family will receive friends from 1 until 2 p.m. Saturday at Seaver-Brown Funeral Home prior to the service. Burial will follow in Rose Lawn Cemetery, Marion. Flowers will be accepted or memorials are requested to McIver Memorial Presbyterian Church, 1900 Euclid Ave., Bristol, VA 24201 or Nicks Creek Presbyterian Chapel, 170 Kelly Hill Rd., Atkins, VA 24311. E-mail condolences may be sent to the family at akardfh@peercom.net. Mrs. Blevins, age 90, passed away on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2003, at Wellmont Bristol Regional Medical Center. Akard Funeral Home, 1912 W. State St., Bristol, TN 37620, (423) 989-4800, is serving the family of Mrs. Beatrice Haga Blevins. Helen S. Burnette BRISTOL, Tenn. – Helen Stewart Burnette, age 79, died Friday, Oct. 10, 2003, at Wellmont Bristol Regional Medical Center. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at this time. E-mail condolences may be sent to the family at akardfh@peercom.net. Akard Funeral Home, 1912 W. State St., Bristol, TN 37620, (423)989-4800, is serving the family of Mrs. Helen Stewart Burnette. Billie Andoff Clark MENDOTA, Va. – Billie Andoff Clark, age 78, passed away Friday, Oct. 10, 2003, at his residence. He was a former resident of Dunbar, Va., and was retired from Westmoreland Coal Company. Friends may call from l until 3 p.m. Sunday at Holding Funeral Home. Funeral services will be conducted at 3 p.m. Sunday from the funeral home chapel. Graveside services will be conducted at 11 a.m. Monday from Powell Valley Memorial Gardens. Family and friends are requested to meet at the cemetery. Holding Funeral Home in charge of arrangements. Elizabeth F. Clark BRISTOL, Tenn. – Elizabeth Fennell Clark, age 20, passed away on Oct. 7, 2003, from injuries sustained in an auto accident in Austin, Texas. Beth was a sweet and charming young woman who lived her life to the fullest. She was adventurous and enjoyed traveling to new places. She will truly be missed by her family and friends. Survivors include husband, Joshuea William Clark; mother and stepfather, Peggy and Doug Phelps; sister, Nikki; brothers, Tommy, Sheldon and Chris; father, John Fennell of Florida; parents-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Gary Clark, and brother-in-law, Justin Clark. Funeral services will be conducted at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2003, at Snyder’s Funeral Home of Gray, Tenn. Information provided by Weaver Funeral Home. Eugene F. Cordle CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Funeral services for Mr. Eugene Franklin “Boots” Cordle will be conducted Saturday, Oct. 11, 2003, at 1 p.m. at the Hurst-Scott Funeral Chapel in Richlands, with the Rev. Jerry Welch officiating. Interment will follow in Greenhills Memory Gardens at Claypool Hill, Va. Pallbearers will be Daniel Hurt, Edward Meadows, Ricky Smith, T.J. Blanton, Zachary Cordle and Christopher Kessinger. Mr. Cordle, age 76, formerly of the Raven area, passed away at a Charleston hospital, Oct. 8, 2003. Hurst-Scott Funeral Home in Richlands is in charge of arrangements. Those wishing to express sympathy online may do so at www.hurstscottfuneralhomes.com. Dorothy D. Dickey BRISTOL, Va. – A funeral service for Dorothy Douglass Dickey will be conducted at 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, at First Baptist Church, with Dr. David Stancil and Dr. Jack Heacock officiating. Burial will follow in Mountain View Cemetery. The grandchildren will serve as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers will be the great- grandchildren, Bob and Becky Ingram, Gayle Stevens, Jane and Nat Copenhaver and Glenn Lawson. For those wishing to attend the funeral service and not familiar with First Baptist Church, there is an elevator available. Memorials are requested to First Baptist Church, Sequoyia Council Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts Council or Pi Beta Phi Friendship Fund. E-mail condolences may be sent to the family at akardfh@peercom.net. Mrs. Dickey, age 101, of Prospect Avenue, passed away on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2003, at NHC Healthcare of Bristol. Akard Funeral Home, 1912 W. State St., Bristol, TN 37620, (423)989-4800, is serving the family of Mrs. Dorothy Douglass Dickey. Elsie Royston Dunn BRISTOL, Tenn. – The funeral service for Elsie Royston Dunn was conducted at 8 o’clock Friday evening at Oakley-Cook Funeral Home. Rev. Steve Brown officiated. A candlelight committal service followed in the Chapel of Memories Mausoleum at Glenwood Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to the Building Fund of Addilynn Memorial United Methodist Church. Condolences and memories may be sent to the family by visiting www.oakley-cook.com. Mrs. Dunn, 88, died Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2003, at Bristol Regional Medical Center. Mrs. Dunn and her family are in the care of Oakley-Cook Funeral Home, 2223 Volunteer Parkway, Bristol, Tenn. Powell S. Elswick Jr. RICHLANDS – Mr. Powell S. “Bud” Elswick Jr., age 83, of 1821 5th St., died Friday, Oct. 10, 2003, at his home following a lengthy illness. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at the Hurst-Scott Funeral Home in Richlands. Those wishing to express sympathy online may do so at www.hurstscottfuneralhomes.com. Elmer Mills SPOTSYLVANIA, Va. – Funeral services for Elmer Mills will be held on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2003, at 11 a.m. at Owens Funeral Service Chapel. Interment will follow at Tom Sparks Cemetery, Paynesville, W.Va. Mr. Mills passed away at his home on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2003. John S. Porter Jr. KINGSPORT – The funeral service for John Skaggs Porter Jr. will be conducted at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, 2003, in the Combs Funeral Service Chapel in Lebanon, with the Rev. Eugene Miller and the Rev. Wayne Baker officiating. Burial will follow in Temple Hill Memorial Park in Castlewood. Serving the family as pallbearers will be Craig Rasnake, John Duty, Roger Sisk, Harmon Rasnake, Ivan Duty, Leon Porter, Gregory Harrison and Ronnie Hall. The family will receive friends 6-9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10, 2003, at the funeral home. Mr. Porter Jr., 75, died Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2003, in the Wellmont Hospice House in Bristol Tennessee. Combs Funeral Service in Lebanon is serving the family of Mr. Porter. Roscoe Porterfield MARION – Roscoe Stuart Porterfield, age 79, died Friday, Oct. 10, 2003, in Smyth County Community Hospital, Marion. Survivors and funeral arrangements will be announced later by Seaver-Brown Funeral Service. Faye Potter BRISTOL, Tenn. – The memorial service for Mrs. Lallah Faye Potter will be conducted Saturday, Oct. 11, 2003, at 2 p.m. in the Farris Funeral Chapel, with Mr. Jeff Noah and Brother Phil Whitaker officiating. The family will greet friends immediately following the memorial service. Those wishing to express messages of sympathy online may do so by visiting www.farrisfuneralservice.com. Instead of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to the Wellmont Bristol Regional Cancer Center, c/o Foundation Office, One Medical Park Blvd., Bristol, TN 37620, in memory of Faye. Mrs. Potter died Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2003, in the Wellmont Bristol Regional Medical Center. Farris Funeral Service, 427 East Main St., Abingdon, is serving the family of Mrs. Faye Potter. Jennette Skarbovick Jennette Thurmond Skarbovick, 87, died Friday, Oct. 10, 2003, in Bristol Virginia. She formerly lived in Memphis and Helena, Ark. Mrs. Skarbovick was the widow of Robert J. Skarbovick. She was a member of Brooks League and Church of the Holy Communion. She leaves a brother, Jack Thurmond and his wife Barbara of Memphis; the niece who cared for her, Mary Wampler of Bristol Virginia; three other nieces, Susan Annison and Elizabeth McDonald of Atlanta and Libby Banton of Columbia, Mo., and a nephew, Andy Thurmond of Birmingham, Ala. A memorial service will be held at Church of the Holy Communion, Memphis, at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 13, 2003. The family requests that memorials be sent to Church Health Center, Brooks League, Church of the Holy Communion or a charity of the donor’s choice. Condolences and memories may be sent to the family by visiting www.oakley- cook.com. Ms. Skarbovick is in the care of Oakley-Cook Funeral Home and Crematory, Bristol Tennessee. Hartsell Strouth CEDAR BLUFF – Mr. Hartsell J.C. Strouth, age 70, of the Kents Ridge section, died Friday, Oct. 10, 2003, at a Bristol Tennessee hospital following an illness of several months. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at the Hurst-Scott Funeral Home in Richlands. Those wishing to express sympathy online may do so at www.hurstscottfuneralhomes.com. Elvin B. Tester BRISTOL, Tenn. – Elvin B. Tester, age 73, passed away on Oct. 9, 2003. He is survived by his wife, Doreen Tester of the home; one daughter, Tina Tester; two sons, Donald Tester and Steve Tester; two brothers, Guy M. Tester, Glen Tester; one sister, Emma Lee Talley; five grandchildren, Amy Tester, Vincent Tester, Caleb Tester, Hannah Tester and Cori Tester, and two great- grandchildren, Jacob Tester and Hayley Tester. The memorial service will be held at Belle Meadows Baptist Church in Bristol on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2003, at 6 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Mountain Empire Baptist School, 1317 Weaver Pike, Bristol TN 37620. Services provided by Mountain Empire Cremation, Elizabethton. Edward C. Wagner BRISTOL, Tenn. – The funeral mass for Edward C. Wagner will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, at St. Anne’s Catholic Church, with Rev. Timothy E. Keeney, celebrant, and Deacon Harry Hall officiating. Burial will follow in Glenwood Cemetery. Pallbearers will be John Snyder, Kenny Brewer, Jerry Hagy, David Wagner, Jack Welch and H.E. Gillespie Jr. Honorary pallbearers will be Bill Hunt, James Tayloe, Dr. Fred Slaughter, John Fleming and Walt Ash. The family will receive friends from 10 until 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Anne’s Catholic Church prior to the service. E-mail condolences may be sent to the family at akardfh@peercom.net. Mr. Wagner, age 91, passed away on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2003, at Wellmont Bristol Regional Medical Center. Akard Funeral Home, 1912 W. State St., Bristol, TN 37620, (423) 989-4800, is serving the family of Mr. Edward C. Wagner. Kaye Denise Worley McEWEN, Tenn. – Kaye Denise Worley, 39, died Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2003, at Russell County Medical Center, Lebanon. She was born in Gary, Ind. She is survived by two sons, Brandon Hall of Dante, Va., and Shaun Hall of Dante; father and stepmother, Homer Lee and Wanda Worley of McEwen; mother and stepfather, Shirley and Blaine Kelley of Clintwood, Va.; two sisters, Kimbley Eden of Clintwood and Karen Newton of Colorado, and five nephews. Graveside services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, 2003, in Temple Hill Memorial Park, Castlewood, with Rev. Mack Hall and Mr. Jason Rawls officiating. The family will meet at the funeral home and go in procession to the cemetery at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. Pallbearers will be family and friends. Online condolences may be sent to the Worley family through our Web site at www.castlewoodfuneralhome.com. Castlewood Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Goldie Coleman York VANSANT, Va. – Goldie Coleman York, age 70, passed away Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2003, at Bristol Regional Medical Center. Born in Buchanan County, she was a daughter of the late Jessee Bowman and Sarah Jane Charles Bowman. Mrs. York was also preceded in death by her first husband, Lonzie Coleman, a daughter, Meade Owens, a son, Kermit Coleman, a sister, Rosie Stiltner, and four brothers, John, George, Columbus and Earl Bowman. She was a homemaker and of the Baptist faith. She is survived by her husband, Issac June York; sons, Clinton Coleman, Eugene (Sandy) Coleman, Ira Jesse (Rita) Coleman, Douglas (Linda) Coleman and Jerry (Barbara) Coleman, all of Vansant; daughters, Barbara Charles and Susie (Willard) Charles, both of Vansant, and Karen (Randy) Stiltner of Galax; a sister, Flornia Stiltner of Keen Mountain; brothers, Ferdie Bowman, Kednie Bowman and Arlie Bowman, all of Vansant, and Clyde Bowman of Clinchco; 19 grandchildren; 32 great--grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild. The funeral service will be Saturday, Oct. 11, 2003, at 11 a.m. at Haysi Funeral Home, with Elders Elmer Brown and Garnell Gilbert officiating. Burial will follow in the Coleman Cemetery at Vansant. Family and friends will serve as pallbearers. Haysi Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.