Archived

Dovie Harmon Arnette
Mrs. Dovie Harmon Arnette, 98, of 706 Berry Place, Lenoir, a former resident of the Bethel community, died Wednesday morning, Feb. 14, 2007, at Gateway Nursing Center in Lenoir
She was born April 16, 1908, in Bluff City, Tenn., a daughter of the late David and Victoria Tester Harmon.
Mrs. Arnette was a member of Hibriten Baptist Church in Lenoir.
Survivors include one daughter, Juanita Greer of Lenoir; four sons, Ray Arnette and wife Hazel, and Bob Arnette and wife, Betty, all of Lenoir, Paul Arnette and wife, Sarah, and Boyd Arnette, all of Vilas; one brother, Arlis Tester and wife, Bina, of Vilas. She is also survived by 12 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren, 13 great-great-grandchildren and a number of nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert D. Arnette; four great-grandchildren; one sister, Thelma Norris; two brothers, Jack Tester and Ira Harmon; and one son-in-law, Lonnie Greer.
Services will be conducted Friday afternoon at 1:00 o'clock at Hampton Funeral Home Chapel. The body will lie in state from 12:00 until 1 p.m. Officiating will be the Rev. Ray Greene and the Rev. Stuart White. Burial will follow in the Norris Cemetery.
The family will receive friends Friday afternoon from 12:00 until 1:00 at the funeral home prior to the service. At other times the family will be at the home of Paul and Sarah Arnette, 447 Clark Swift Road, Vilas.
Flowers are appreciated or memorial contributions may be made to the Norris Cemetery Fund, in care of Kevin Norris, 2476 Bethel Road, Sugar Grove, N.C. 28679. Hampton Funeral Service is in charge of the arrangements.

Willie “Gene” Brown
Mr. Willie “Gene” Brown, 62, of 2367 Forge Creek Road, Mountain City, Tenn., passed away Monday, Feb. 12, 2007 at his residence.
He was born on Feb. 12, 1945 in Elkton, Md., to Maggie Price Brown and the late Carl Brown.
Mr. Brown was a member of Nelson Chapel Baptist Church and served on different committees and ministries, including House and Grounds, Tape Ministry and Van Ministry.
He was an electrician for 38 years and was an employee of Pike Electric for 20 plus years and several other electrical contractors. He was a loving husband, father and grandfather and was a man who enjoyed life. He had many friends and left a loving and lasting impression on others. He enjoyed traveling the United States, his backyard bird and squirrel sanctuary and sawmilling.
Survivors include his wife, Nancy Maine Brown; two daughters, Debbie Snyder and husband, Bob, and Deena Icenhour and husband, Sam, all of Mountain City; his mother, Maggie Price Brown; grandchildren, Ashlee Harmon, Connor Icenhour and Samuel Icenhour; aunts, Faye Thomas and Dorothy Brown; uncles, Frank Price and Richard Price; and several nieces, nephews, and cousins.
In addition to his father, he was preceded in death by an infant sister, Peggy JoAnn Brown.
Services were conducted Thursday afternoon, Feb. 15, at 2:30 p.m. at Nelson Chapel Baptist Church with Pastor Lonnie Denny, Associate Pastor Sam Icenhour, Pastor Richard Stout and Pastor Jerry Utsman officiating. Burial followed in Brown Cemetery.
Those who wish may send contributions to Nelsons Chapel Baptist Church Tape Ministry, P. O. Box 624, Mountain City, Tenn. 37683.
The family wishes to express sincere gratitude to Johnson City Medical Center 5200 staff, Dr. Farrow, Dr. Kincaid and Nursing Staff, Amedisys Caregivers – Pam Bunting and Debbie Phipps, our family, church family and many friends.
Condolences may be made online at www.mountaincityfuneralhome.com.Mountain City Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.

February 14, 2007
Ned Payne Austin
Mr. Ned Payne Austin, 8l, of Winkler’s Creek Road, Boone, died Saturday afternoon, Feb. 10, 2007 at his home.
He was born April 29, 1925 in Boone, a son of Samuel Monroe and Minnie Belle Payne Austin.
Mr. Austin was a member of the Boone Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II where he was held as a prisoner of war in Germany. After returning to the United States he attended college on the G.I. Bill, majoring in drama at Denver University and studied drama at the Berghof School in New York City under Uta Hagan and later had a directing class with Lee Strasberg. Mr. Austin acted in television and theatre productions, as well as a number of films in New York, Colorado and North Carolina over a period of 50 years. Boone audiences remember him as Willie Loman in “Death of a Salesman”, Drummond in “Inherit the Wind”, Alfred P. Dolittle in “My Fair Lady” or as the first portrayer of Daniel Boone in the local drama, Horn in the West. In July, 1997, the Town of Boone acknowledged his contribution to theatre with the presentation of a bronze star with his name on it which stands on East King Street near the Dixie Barber Shop where he barbered for 20 years. He was a member of the Screen Actors Guild.
Survivors include his wife, Bobbie Austin; three sons, David Austin and wife, Perri, of Graham, Robin Austin of Boone, and Sam Austin and partner, Barry Fecarotta, of Roanoke, Va.; three daughters, Frances Austin and husband, Rob Crutchfield, of Hagerstown, Md., Genevieve Austin of Boone and Laura Bryant and husband, Tom, of Summerville, Ga.; two sisters, Ella Beshears of Elkin and Daisy Adams of Boone. Ten grandchildren and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins also survive.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Samuel Monroe and Minnie Belle Payne Austin; two brothers, Collis and Lewis Austin; one sister, Lula Henson; two grandchildren, Jordan Austin and Sarah Grace Henville; and a daughter-in-law, Anne Austin.
Memorial services will be conducted Saturday afternoon at 2 o’clock at the First Baptist Church in Boone, officiated by the Rev. Gary Gallun.
In lieu of flowers the family suggests memorials to High Country Health Care Hospice, 400 Shadowline Drive, Suite 100-B, Boone, N.C. 28607.
The family will receive friends Friday evening from 7 until 8:30 at Austin & Barnes Funeral Home.
Austin & Barnes Funeral Home & Crematory is serving the Austin family.

Harrison Rodger Todd
Mr. Harrison Rodger Todd, 92, of Bushnell, Fla., died Friday, Feb. 9, 2007, in Leesburg, Fla.
He was born in Spring Lake, N.J.
Mr. Todd enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard in January 1942 and was discharged as Boatswaine 1st Class in September 1945. He worked in the Manufacturing Company from 1948 to 1973 and retired to Boone, N.C. in 1976. In 1982 he moved to Vero Beach, Fla. and then to Bushnell, Fla. in 2004.
Survivors include his wife, Mary Jean Todd; a son, Steven H. Todd; three daughters, Carrol D. Todd, Barbara M. Freyermuth and Maureen M. Galloway; eight grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
Services will be held at a later date at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Fla.
Purcell Funeral Home in Bushnell, Fla., are in charge of the arrangements.

Viola Mae Triplett
Mrs. Viola Mae Triplett, 93, of Tall Cypress Lane, Lenoir, passed away Sunday, Feb. 11, 2007 at Caldwell Memorial Hospital.
She was born July 21, 1913 in Caldwell County to the late Charles Roby Smith and the late Cora Elizabeth Hoyle Smith.
Mrs. Triplett was a homemaker and a member of Miller Hill Baptist Church.
Survivors include three sons, Roby Triplett of Boone, Ned Triplett and his wife, Tina, of Lenoir and Dennis Triplett and his wife, Karen, of Fort Mill, S.C.; three daughters, Rachel Bickley and her husband, Chuck, of Edgewater, Fla., Betty Moore of Boone, and Lois Parsons and her husband, Earl, of Lenoir; four sisters, Polly Nelson of Lenoir, Mildred Camp of Lenoir, Margie Wilson and her husband, Dykes, of Sawmills and Lucille Chester and her husband, Junior, of Tampa, Fla. She is also survived by 14 grandchildren, twelve great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Bryant Leonard Triplett; three daughters, Jerry Soots, Sylvia Triplett and Shirley Brakefield; and three brothers.
A graveside service will be held Wednesday, February 14, 2007 at 2:00 p.m. at Belleview Cemetery. The Rev. Robert Livingston will officiate.
Memorials may be made to the charity of one’s choice.
Online condolences may be sent to www.pendrysfuneralhome.com
Pendry’s Funeral Home and Crematory is in charge of the arrangements for the Triplett family.

February 12, 2007
Clarence W. Howard
Mr. Clarence W. Howard, 53, of Antioch Road, Mountain City, Tenn., passed away Thursday, Feb. 8, 2007 at Johnson City Medical Center.
He was a lifelong resident of Johnson County. He was a 1972 graduate of Johnson County High School and a graduate of Elizabethton Business College. He had worked as a purchasing agent for Johnson County for five years and at Appalachian State University for 14 years. Friends, neighbors, and others elected him in 1992 as the Johnson County Assessor of Property. He was serving in his fourth four-year term as the county’s property assessor when he passed away.
Mr. Howard was a lifelong Baptist and a member of Antioch Baptist Church. At the age of 11, he accepted Jesus as his personal savior. He was also a long-time farmer who loved cattle and horses. He liked to wear a western hat and would often be seen around Johnson County with his family or friends, riding a horse. He loved western movies, the great outdoors and such stars as John Wayne and Andy Griffin.
Mr. Howard was a multi-talented musician playing lead guitar, mandolin and singing bass, baritone, lead and tenor. He played regularly over the past 40 years at festivals and concerts throughout the United States. Most recently, he performed on the Traditional Stage at Merlefest, as well as at Doc Days, Studio One at ETSU’s public radio station WETS, the Down Home in Johnson City, Butler Days, the Rex Theater, Galax, Va., the Laurel Theater in Knoxville, the Carolina in the Fall Concert and at Heritage Hall in Mountain City.
Survivors include his wife, Glenda Proffitt Howard; daughter, Sandra McCloud and husband, Larry; two sons, Garet Howard and wife, Tracie, and Brad Howard; parents, Clint and Betty Snyder Howard; sister, Patsy Robinson and husband, Larry Timbs; brother, Ray Howard; three grandchildren, Will McCloud, Leah McCloud and Portia Howard; three nieces, Ashley Howard, Hana Howard and Rachel Shearin; and one nephew, Clint Robinson, all of Mountain City.
He was preceded in death by a nephew, Mitch Howard in 2002.
Services were conducted Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. at Mountain City Funeral Home with the Rev. Clyde Campbell and the Rev. Rick Thomason officiating. Burial followed in Reece Memorial Cemetery.
Those who wish may send contributions to Antioch Baptist Church, Building Fund, 117 Antioch Rd., Mountain City, TN 37683.
Condolences may be made online at www.mountaincityfuneralhome.com.
Mountain City Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.

Joanne Antoinette Imperatore
Mrs. Joanne Antoinette Imperatore, 66, of Silverstone Road, Zionville, passed away Feb. 8, 2007 at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem.
She was born Sept. 29, 1940 in Pittsburgh, Pa., to Mary and Felix Lukasik.
Mrs. Imperatore was a graduate of Schenley High School. She and her husband met on a train from Pittsburg to New York City when Bill was returning to his ship. They married on June 28, 1958. She was the mother of three children, LouAnn Phillips of Boone, Anthony Robert Imperatore of New Bern and William Imperatore, Jr. and his wife, Alma, of Hendersonville; and grandmother to Autumn Phillips and William Imperatore, III.
She was preceded in death by her parents and one brother, Robert Lukasik.
Over the years Joanne, as well as being a homemaker, worked at ASU in Records and was a K-5 elementary school teacher at Anderley Academy. She has most recently served as Treasurer of the Watauga Amateur Radio Club and, even though she didn’t have a ham radio license, helped provide safety communications through the use of Family Radio Service radios and her cell phone for such community events as Blood, Sweat and Gears, Grandfather Mountain Marathon, Dog Jog, the Run for Hunger and others. She also was president of the Cove Creek Crafty Critters which creates a craft favor once each month to include with the meal delivered to shut-ins. The club also helps to sponsor the Summer Reading Program at the West Watauga Community Center library.
Active in various church related organizations, she was a member of Mountainside Lutheran Church in Linville where she used her craft skills to make blankets for children in need. She was also a member and past president of the Dingbats In Hats Red Hatters Club which supports worldwide charities.
Mrs. Imperatore was diagnosed with cancer of the pancreas on Oct. 20, 2006.
After five weeks of radiation and chemotherapy treatments in Boone, she was operated on Feb. 2 at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. Unable to overcome the effects of ten hours of surgery, she passed away on Thursday morning. Bill and the family will miss her terribly.
Memorial services were conducted Sunday afternoon at 2 o’clock at the Austin & Barnes Funeral Home Chapel, officiated by Pastor Dennis Quackenboss. Entombment at a later date will be at the Mount Lawn Memorial Park & Gardens Mausoleum.
In lieu of flowers the family suggests memorials to the Watauga County Unit of the American Cancer Society, Post Office Box 1903, Boone, N.C. 28607.
Austin & Barnes Funeral Home and Crematory is serving the Imperatore family.

Samuel H. Kraft, Jr.
Mr. Kraft, 81, of Richmond, Va., died Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2007, from complications of Parkinson’s disease.
He was born Oct. 25, 1925 in Cabin Creek, West Virginia, to the late Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Kraft, Sr.
Mr. Kraft served his country as a U.S. Navy pilot in World War II.
He retired after 26 years from the Hollywood, Fla. police department and was a 50 year member of the Masons, a member of the Shriners and a lifelong member of the United Methodist Church.
Survivors include his sons, Sam and wife, Linda Carr, of Powhatan, Va., and the Rev. Rick Bonfim and wife, Mary Lucie, of Conyers, Ga.; sister, Louise Bowling of Montgomery, West Virginia; brothers, Hugh of Raleigh, N.C. and Arthur; and grandchildren, Sammy, Rick and Sandy.
Mr. Kraft was preceded in death by his wife of 55 years, Martha M. Kraft.
Memorial services will be held at a later date in Boone, N.C.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research at www.michaeljfox.org or Grand Central Station; PO Box 4774, New York, N.Y. 10163.