Register Herald Obituaries for December 21, 1999 Mary 'Ashton' Brooks FAYETTEVILLE - Mary E. "Ashton" Spearen Brooks, 87, formerly of Shrewsbury, died Sunday, Dec. 19, 1999, in a Beckley hospital following a long illness. Born May 7, 1912, at Sharples, she was the daughter of the late John Spearen and Effie Cottle Spearen. Ms. Brooks was a housewife and former manager of Spearen's Restaurant, Shrewsbury. She was a lifelong member of Doggett Chapel United Methodist Church, Dempsey. She was preceded in death by her husband, Daniel Herbert Brooks; four brothers, Jacob Spearen, Horace Spearen, Lawrence W. Spearen and James Spearen; and a sister, M.K. Susie Rogers. Survivors include two sons, Daniel H. Brooks of Oak Hill and David W. Brooks of Culloden; three daughters, Elizabeth Lane of Fayetteville, Catherine Britt of Laurinburg, N.C., and Phyllis Gagich of Hillsville, Va.; a brother, Carl Spearen of Fayetteville; 17 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. Services will be 11 a.m. Wednesday at Doggett Chapel United Methodist Church, Dempsey, with the Rev. Gordon Humphreys officiating. Burial will follow in Huse Memorial Park, Fayetteville. Friends may call 7 to 9 p.m. today at the Dodd-Payne-Hess Funeral Home, Fayetteville. Arrangements by Dodd-Payne-Hess Funeral Home, Fayetteville. ---------- Beverly 'Ray' Jennings Beverly "Ray" Jennings, 67, of Beckley, died Sunday, Dec. 19, 1999, in a Beckley hospital following a short illness. Born Aug. 17, 1932, at Spanishburg, he was the son of the late William K. Jennings and Onita Dunn Jennings. Mr. Jennings was a retired heavy equipment operator for the West Virginia Parkway Authority. He worked for Perry & Hilton Coal Co., Pavex Inc., BB Construction and Consolidation Coal Co. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy, serving on the aircraft carrier USS Block Island for three years. He was preceded in death by a brother, Donald B. Jennings. Survivors include his wife, Dorothy Lilly Jennings of Beckley; two sons, Dennis Jennings and his wife, Christine, of Concord, N.C., and Duane Jennings of Kannapolis, N.C.; two granddaughters, Tiffany Ann Jennings and Sarah Madison Jennings; a brother, Royce Jennings of Pensacola, Fla.; and three sisters, Pauline Brown of Princeton, twin sister Faye Clark and her husband, Carl, of Camp Creek and Peggy Blevins of Princeton. Services will be 1 p.m. Wednesday at Blue Ridge Funeral Home Chapel, Beckley, with the Rev. Doyle Kester officiating. Burial will follow in Blue Ridge Memorial Gardens, Beckley. Friends may call 6 to 9 p.m. today at the funeral home. Family and friends will serve as pallbearers. Arrangements by Blue Ridge Funeral Home, Beckley. ---------- Opal G. Keaton HILLDALE - Opal Geneva Keaton, 83, died Sunday, Dec. 19, 1999, in Princeton Community Hospital following a short illness. Born Feb. 28, 1916, at Pipestem, she was the daughter of the late Lloyd L. and Emma Mae Neely Keaton. Mrs. Keaton was a former employee of Keaton Cleaners and Laundry and Summers County Hospital in Hinton. She was of the Baptist faith. She was preceded in death by her husband, Harold Keaton; four sisters, Sadie Keaton, Nancy Pigg, Lottie Farley, and Maude Williams; five brothers, Opie, Bill, Dodd, Jack and Dewey Keaton. Survivors include a son, Harold L. Keaton of Springfield, Va.; two daughters, Barbara Wykle of Hinton and Phyllis Gill of Grandview, Ind.; a sister, Ruth Lilly of Baltimore, Md.; five grandchildren, Vicki Moninger, Paul Wykle Jr., Keith Wykle, Mike Keaton and Robbie Keaton; five great-grandchildren, Justin Keaton, Nicholas and Jamie Moninger, Makayla and Delaney Wykle. Services will be 1 p.m. Wednesday at Pivont Funeral Home Chapel, Hinton, with the Revs. George Cook, Sterling Morgan, and Patricia Weed officiating. Burial will follow in Restwood Memorial Gardens, Hinton. Friends may call 6 to 9 p.m. today at the funeral home. Pallbearers will be Larry, Michael, Connie, Kinnie and Melvin Lewis Keaton, Timmy and Larry Phillips, Leo Farley and Ray Rudisill. Arrangements by Pivont Funeral Home, Hinton. ---------- Mellie M. Tate ELGIN, Ill. - Mellie M. Tate, 54, of Elk Grove Village, 54, died Friday, Dec. 17, 1999, in Alexian Brothers Hospital in Elk Grove Village. Born May 14, 1945, in West Virginia, she was the daughter of Zelda Gillespie Fleshman Turner of Harvard, Ill., and the late Orville Fleshman. She was preceded in death by a brother, Tony. Other survivors include a son, Mike Tate and Peggy, of Elgin; a brother, Terry Fleshman of Harvard; two sisters, Sharon Turner of Harvard and Barbara Cameron of Wisconsin; a stepsister, Margile Rotenberry of Florida; a stepbrother, Carlton Turner of Florida; four nieces and nephews, Bob Jr., Brad, Becky and Beth Cameron. Services will be 10 a.m. Wednesday at Stout-Madison Funeral Home, 252 S. State St., Elgin, Ill., with the Rev. Don Schmidt officiating. Burial will follow in Bluff City Cemetery. Friends may call 9 a.m. until time of the services Wednesday at the funeral home. Arrangements by Stout-Madison Funeral Home, Elgin, Ill. ---------- Frances 'Juanita' Webb MIAMISBURG, Ohio - Frances J. "Juanita" Webb, 76, died Sunday, Dec. 19, 1999, in Sycamore Hospital, Miamisburg, Ohio. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Carl V. Webb, on June 22, 1993; and numerous brothers and sisters. Survivors include a son and daughter-in-law, Carl V. and Anita Webb of Miamisburg, Ohio; a daughter, Sharon K. Webb of Miamisburg; a sister, Doris Stone of Florida; and two grandchildren, Sarah and Nick Webb. Services will be 2 p.m. Wednesday at Gebhart-Schmidt-Parramore Funeral Home, 508 E. Linden Ave., Miamisburg, Ohio, with the Rev. Craig E. Showalter officiating. Burial will follow in Highland Memorial Cemetery. Friends may call one hour before the services Wednesday at the funeral home. Arrangements by Gebhart-Schmidt-Parramore Funeral Home, Miamisburg, Ohio. Submitted by Karen Monk **************************************************************** USGENWEB 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. Files may be printed or copied for personal use only. ****************************************************************