Register Herald Obituaries for September 18, 1999 Harry E. Gandee PINEVILLE ­ Harry Emerson Gandee, 76, died Wednesday, Sept. 15, 1999, at his home following a sudden illness. Born Dec. 30, 1922, in Clendenin, he was the son of the late Haze and Earlie Pickering Gandee. Mr. Gandee was a deacon at Baileysville Baptist Church. He was a retired supervisor for Ashland Oil and was a World War II Army veteran. Survivors include his wife of 53 years, Macie Cooper Gandee; two daughters, Barbara Bailey and her husband, Bob, of Hebron, Ohio, and Linda Bailey and her husband, Jerry, of Ashland, Ky.; two sisters, Dewilla Woods and Willadean Jarrett, both of Clendenin; a nephew, Joe Cooper and his wife, Lucy, of Brenton; an extended family member, Charles "Smoky" Toms of Brenton; five grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. Services will be 11 a.m. today at Calfee Funeral Service Chapel, Pineville, with the Revs. Mike Cook and Arnold Harless officiating. Burial will follow in Cooper Cemetery, Skin Fork. Friends called 6 to 9 p.m. Friday at the chapel and may call one hour before services today. Military graveside rites will be conducted by the Wyoming County Honor Guard. Pallbearers will be Pete Haught, Kevin Davis, Harry Cooke, Bernard Stump, Bob Asbury and J.B. Growe. Arrangements by Calfee Funeral Service, Pineville. Merle Humphrey Merle Humphrey, 88, of 6639 Coal River Road, Dry Creek, died at 6:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 17, 1999, following a long illness. Born Jan. 11, 1911, at Dry Creek, she was the daughter of the late T.R. Barrett and Zadie Jones Barrett. Mrs. Humphrey was a homemaker and a member of Marsh Fork United Presbyterian Church. She was preceded in death by her husband, Walter P. Hum-phrey; a daughter, Frances Humphrey; and four brothers, Donovan Barrett, Lawson Barrett, Robert Barrett and Edward Barrett. Survivors include four daughters, Hazel Todd and her husband, Charles, of Tecumseh, Mich., Elizabeth Stanley of Eleanor, Patsy Humphrey of Dry Creek and Constance Stone and her husband, Michael, of Seth; a son, Ralph D. Humphrey of Dry Creek; a brother, Quentin Barrett and his wife, Anne, of Pearisburg, Va.; and a grandson, Brad Phelps of Cross Lanes. Services will be 2 p.m. Monday at Marsh Fork Presbyterian Church, Dry Creek, with David Pettry, CLP, officiating. Burial will follow in Barrett Cemetery, Dry Creek. Friends may call 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday at Valley Funeral Home, Whitesville. Pallbearers will be Bob Daniel, Harold Harris, Rick Jarrell, Carl Jarrell, Troy Wills and Richard "Buck" Joseph. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Hospice of Southern West Virginia, P.O. Box 1472, Beckley, WV 25802, or Marsh Fork Presbyterian Church, Dry Creek, WV 25062. Arrangements by Valley Funeral Home, Whitesville. Howard B. Mullins FANROCK ­ Howard B. "Buster" Mullins, 73, died Thursday, Sept. 16, 1999, in a Welch hospital following a long illness. Born Aug. 24, 1926, in Pineville, he was the son of the late Hiram and Kate Morgan Mullins. Mr. Mullins was a retired coal miner and automobile mechanic. He was a U.S. Army veteran and was a lifelong resident of Wyoming County. He was preceded in death by three brothers, Roland, Hiram Jr. and Forrest Mullins; and three sisters, Thelma Mullins, Ruby Jackson and Joann Coyl. Survivors include his wife, Hope Jackson Mullins; two sons, Gene Mullins and his wife, Annie, of Briar Creek and Howie Mullins of Brenton; a brother, Franklin Mullins and his wife, Sue, of Fort Wayne, Ind.; a sister, Maxine Stone and her husband, Jack, of Archdale, N.C.; three grandchildren, Crystal Mullins, Rebecca Aliff and her husband, Donald, and Howie Mullins II; two stepgrandchildren, Lisa Christian and her husband, Kevin, and David Fortner and his wife, Melissa; and two great-grandchildren, Erica and Emily Aliff. Services will be 2 p.m. Sunday at Calfee Funeral Service Chapel, Pineville, with the Rev. Timmy Brewster officiating. Burial will follow in Jackson Cemetery, Indian Creek. Friends may call 6 to 8 p.m. today at the chapel. Pallbearers will be Kevin Christian, David Fortner, Donald Aliff, Roger Wolfe, Bob Stone and Howie Mullins II. Arrangements by Calfee Funeral Service, Pineville. Cecil Raymond Rice STAFFORD, Texas ­ Cecil Raymond Rice, 89, formerly of Bradley, died Thursday, Sept. 16, 1999, in a Beckley hospital following a short illness. Born March 26, 1910, in Terry, he was the son of the late John James and Mary Mason Rice. Mr. Rice was retired from Republic Steel, Massillon, Ohio, as a recorder and was a member of Bradley Presbyterian Church. He was a member of MacDonald Warren Lodge No. 103 AF and AM, Beckley Chapter No. 38 RAM, Mount Hope Commandery No. 22 and the Beni Kedem Temple. Survivors include two daughters, Mary Catherine Halstead and her husband, Dana, of Shawnee, Kan., and Patty S. Spade and her husband, Richard, of Stafford; five grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren. Services will be 3 p.m. Sunday at Tyree Funeral Home Chapel, Mount Hope, with the Rev. William A. Shumate officiating. Burial will follow in Blue Ridge Memorial Gardens, Beckley. Friends may call two hours before services Sunday at the funeral home. Masonic graveside rites will be conducted by MacDonald Warren Lodge No. 103. Arrangements by Tyree Funeral Home, Mount Hope. Sara C. Sowers TALCOTT ­ Sara Carter Sowers, 87, died Thursday, Sept. 16, 1999, in a Hinton hospital following a long illness. Born Nov. 8, 1911, in Talcott, she was a daughter of the late George and Myrtle Estelle Williamson Carter. Mrs. Sowers was a lifelong resident of Talcott. She was a retired secretary for the Summers County Board of Education, having worked many years at Talcott School. She was a member of Trinity United Methodist Church, Talcott, and Talcott Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star. She was preceded in death by her husband, Arthur Benson Sowers; and a son, Arthur Benson "Benny" Sowers Jr. Survivors include a son, Joel Sowers of Lake Mary, Fla.; six granddaughters; and several great-grandchildren. Services will be 11 a.m. Monday at Ronald Meadows Funeral Parlors Chapel, Hinton, with Pastor Sam Groves officiating. Burial will follow in Talcott Cemetery. Friends may call 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday at the funeral parlors. Men of the church will serve as pallbearers. Arrangements by Ronald Meadows Funeral Parlors, Hinton. William W. Woods Sr. William W. Woods Sr., 83, of Beckley, died Thursday, Sept. 16, 1999, in a Charleston hospital following a long illness. Born Dec. 16, 1915, at Slab Fork, he was the son of the late Steven A. and Lois Radford Woods. Mr. Woods was actively involved in the automobile industry in Beckley for more than 60 years, having been associated with VW and Nissan, and was a longtime member of the West Virginia Automobile Dealers Association. He was a 50-year member of Beckley Moose Lodge No. 1606 and was a member of Calloway Heights Baptist Church. He was the former owner of Waterdale Swimming Pool at Sprague and later owned and operated Economy Motors in Beckley. He was preceded in death by his wife of 53 years, Eleanor A. Woods; and a grandson, William Woods III. Survivors include a daughter, Janet Woods Lilly and her husband, Thomas E. Lilly, of Beckley; a son, William W. Woods Jr. of Beckley; four granddaughters, Lisa Lilly and her husband, Keith Gutzman, of Charleston, Susanne Prudnick and her husband, Rick Prudnick, of Richmond, Va., Laura Lilly and her husband, Mark Sutton, of Martinsburg and Heather Woods of Hickory, N.C.; a grandson, David Woods of Beckley; and two great-grandsons, Andrews Woods Prudnick and Tyler Stanton Prudnick. Services will be 2 p.m. Sunday at Calfee Funeral Home Chapel, Beckley, with the Rev. Bill Parker officiating. Entombment will follow in Blue Ridge Memorial Garden Chapel of Faith, Beckley. Friends may call 6 to 8 p.m. today at the funeral home. Grandson and grandsons-in-law and good friends, Fred Gravely, John Kelley and Ernest Tucker, will serve as pallbearers. Memorial contributions may be made to Calloway Heights Baptist Church, 132 Rural Acres Drive, Beckley, WV 25801. Arrangements by Calfee Funeral Home, Beckley. Fredrick L. Wooten KOPPERSTON ­ Fredrick L. "Fred" Wooten, 59, passed into another life Thursday, Sept. 16, 1999, at a Princeton hospital. Born Feb. 14, 1940, at Premier, he was the son of the late Jack Wooten and Verna Stone Wooten. Mr. Wooten was a retired employee of U.S. Steel No. 50 Mine of Pinnacle and a member of UMWA Local No. 1713. He was preceded in death by a brother, Ray Wooten. Survivors include his loving wife of 40 years, Peggy McBrayer Wooten; two daughters, Deanna Aliff of Rocky Gap, Va., and Jennifer Wooten of Bluefield; and three grandchildren, Penny Aliff of Roanoke, Va., and Krista Marie Aliff and John Robert Aliff of Kopperston; a brother, Jack Wooten of Sarasota, Fla.; a sister, Anita Boblett of Maryland; his beloved friend, "Cajun" Kenneth Aliff; and a host of family and friends. Services will be 2 p.m. Sunday at Kopperston Presbyterian Church with the Revs. Bill Stanley and Randall Topping officiating. Burial will be private. Friends may call 6 to 9 p.m. today at Evans Memorial Chapel, Oceana. Pallbearers will be Donnie Wooten, Scott Richardson, Danny Lusk, Kenneth Aliff, Rick Dinkins and Jeff Miller. Arrangements by Evans and Evans Funeral Directors, Oceana. 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. ****************************************************************