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Elizabeth Lee Snipes Epley
Ms. Elizabeth Lee Snipes Epley, 59, of 211 Milton Brown Heirs Road, Boone, died Wednesday afternoon, August 29, 2007 at Glenbridge Health & Rehabilitation.
She was born Oct. 29, 1947, in Lancaster, S.C., a daughter of the late James E. “Pete” and Mary Dabney “Betsy” Snipes.
Ms. Epley was a legal secretary.
Surviving are one daughter, Holly Anne Epley of Raleigh; one son, Joshua Grant Epley and wife, Myra Farmer, of Boone; one sister, Rebecca S. Ponder of Asheville; and one brother, James “Rocky” Snipes of Tallahassee, Fla.
Memorial services will be conducted at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Huntington’s Disease Society of America, North Carolina Chapter, PO Box 240353, Charlotte, N.C. 28224-0353.
Austin & Barnes Funeral Home and Crematory is serving the Epley family.

Leroy Felder
Mr. Leroy “Mr. Robert” Felder, passed away on Sunday, August 26, 2007.
He was born on Nov. 15, 1919 in Orangeburg, S.C., to the late Hillard Felder and the late Qumiler Wolfe Felder. His family moved to North Carolina in the early 1940s.
Mr. Felder worked for the City of Lenoir for two years and pursued his own business, which is Felder’s Grocery. It has been established for 60 years and is the longest black business to operate in Caldwell County.
He was a member of Smith Memorial United Methodist Church and served as a Deacon, a Trustee and as a member of the Usher Board. He is the last of 12 siblings.
Survivors include his three children, Dorothy Roberta Horton, Samuel Lee Felder, Sr. and wife, Donyetta Felder, and Zula Christine Coles; and one step-son, William Robert Thomas. He has one Godchild and a host of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
A wake was held Thursday evening, August 30, 2007, from 7-8 p.m. at Smith Memorial United Methodist Church in Lenoir. Funeral services will be held Friday afternoon, August 31, 2007, at 3 p.m. with visitation from 2:30-3 p.m., at Smith Memorial United Methodist Church.

Sidney Dale Franklin
Mr. Sidney Dale Franklin, 56, of Banner Elk, died Monday morning, August 27, 2007 at Carolina’s Medical Center.
He was born in Buncombe County, March 2, 1951, a son of Boyd Franklin and JoAnn McGee Franklin.
Mr. Franklin was a well known and respected builder and developer. He fought the good fight.
Surviving are his wife, Kimberly Barr Franklin of Banner Elk; two sons, Matthew Franklin and wife, Burlene, of Banner Elk, and Jason Cook and wife, Mindy, of Vilas; four grandchildren, Cole and Peyton Franklin and Eva and Riley Cook; one step-daughter, Katie Kragiel of Banner Elk; his mother, JoAnn Franklin of Sugar Mountain; his father, Boyd Franklin of Foscoe; one sister, Leigh Greene of Lake Wiley, S.C.; his mother-in-law, Mary Barr of West Jefferson; one sister-in-law, Ellen Russell and husband, Raeford, of Foscoe; one brother-in-law, Randy Barr and wife, Kay, of Grove City, Ohio; his step-mother-in-law, Ann Barr of Blowing Rock; and three nieces, Dakota Russell, Stephanie Barr and Tesia Early.
He was preceded in death by his daughter, Marion Elizabeth Franklin.
Memorial services were conducted Thursday evening at 6 o’clock at Austin & Barnes Funeral Home Chapel. Officiating was the Rev. Randy Barr, the Rev. John Page and the Rev. Richard Holshouser
Memorials may be made to Watauga County Habitat for Humanity, PO Box 33 DTS, Boone, N.C. 28607 or to Avery County Habitat for Humanity, PO Box 1016, Newland, N.C. 28657.
Austin & Barnes Funeral Home and Crematory is serving the Franklin family.

Richard Donald “Harry” Ritch
Mr. Richard Donald “Harry” Ritch, 60, of Hwy 321A Hudson, passed away Wednesday, August 29, 2007 at his residence.
He was born Oct. 2, 1946 in Blowing Rock, N.C. to the late Robie Leonard Ritch and Cenia Hatley Ritch.
Mr. Ritch was a member of Rock of Ages Baptist Church.
Survivors include his wife Jennie Travis Ritch; a son, Richard Sherman Ritch of Granite Falls; a daughter, Christine Ellen Ritch Neal, also of Granite Falls; two brothers, Thomas Calvin Rich of Blowing Rock and Jesse Bergin Rich of Lenoir; three sisters, Jenny Devada Rich Eckard of Hickory, Lois Jane Rich Crisco of Landis, N.C., and Lillie Pearl Rich Crandall of Lenoir; and a granddaughter, Jennifer Ritch of Granite Falls.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his son, Johnny Luke Ritch; and his daughter, Vickie Ann Ritch; brothers, James Herman Pearson, James Henry Rich, Leonard Albert Rich, Spencer Franklin Rich, and Earl Rich; sisters, Sarah Elizabeth Ritch, Bertha Louise Rich Trivette, and Mary Francis Ritch Burns.
Services will be Friday, August 31, at 2:00 p.m. at Boones Fork Baptist Church with the Rev. Wayne Mays and the Rev. Darrell Miller officiating. Burial will follow at White Springs Cemetery.
Condolences may be placed online at www.pendrysfh.com
Pendry’s Funeral Home & Crematory, Lenoir, N.C. is assisting the family with arrangements.
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August 29, 2007

Harrison Louis ‘Harry’ Gagne
Mr. Harrison Louis “Harry” Gagne, 86, formerly of Beech Mountain, passed away on Tuesday, August 7, 2007, at Wake Forest University Medical Center.
He was born on July 16, 1921, to Joseph and Lenora Davidson Gagne.
Survivors include his wife, Fay M. Gagne; a son, Greg Platt and his wife, Pam, from Langhorne, Pa.; two grandsons, David and Michael Platt; nieces, Judy Grabau, Jeanne Larson and their husbands, Phil and George, their children and many other relatives of Massachusetts.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
A memorial service will be conducted at Banner Elk Presbyterian Church at 4 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 1, 2007 by Pastor Joseph Washburn.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Banner Elk Presbyterian Church, Harry Gagne Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 158, Banner Elk, N.C. 28604.
Hayworth-Miller Funeral Home are in charge of arrangements.

Marcia Ann Gove
Mrs. Marcia Ann Gove, born Sept. 17, 1936 in Warwick, Rhode Island, passed away Nov. 22, 2006, after a long illness.
She was the widow of Irving Payson Gove, who died Sept. 15, 2003.
She traveled the world by air, sea and land, lived for a time in Berlin, watching the "wall" going up. After their boat was built in Holland, the family sailed through the canals of Europe, headed west, across the Atlantic, taking 31 days at sea when they reached port-of-call in St Croix, then up to Miami, Fla. They bought a marine store and managed that for many years before moving to Key Largo. In 1986 they retired to Land Harbor, Linville, N.C. She loved the mountains and the people. She loved tennis, gardening and flowers, helping Land Harbor beautify their tennis courts as well as helping to establish several "wild flower" trails at Grandfather. Her spirit will always be with all of you!
She is survived by her son, Steve T. Gove of Houston, Texas; and granddaughter, Elyce Payson Gove.
In lieu of flowers, she would ask that any donations be made to Avery County Hospice.
She will be buried at Western Carolina State Veterans Cemetery, Black Mountain, N.C., August 28th, 2007.

Lynn Michele Landess
Mrs. Lynn Michele Landess, 64, of Elkhart, Kansas, died Monday, August 20, 2007, at KU Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas.
She was born March 29, 1943, in Portland, Oregon, the daughter of Edgar and Genett Howard Salsbury.
Mrs. Landess was a graduate of Lambert High School in Lambert, Mont. She attended Montana State University and graduated from the Blair Business College in Colorado Springs, Colo. She moved to Elkhart in 1985 and had been employed by USD 218 for 19 years and was currently working in the elementary school library as an assistant librarian. Mrs. Landess attended the First Baptist Church in Elkhart and loved to support all of the high school sports. She loved her country and was proud of her son Brian who is currently serving in Iraq as a Lieutenant Colonel and Battalion Commander. She married Fred Landess on Oct. 29, 1985 in San Diego, Calif.
Survivors include her husband, Fred Landess; one daughter, Tana Andrews and husband, Scott, of Boone; one son, Brian Rogers and wife, Elizabeth, of Fort Drum, New York; six grandsons, Stephen Andrews, Jonathan Andrews, Timothy Andrews, Nathaniel Rogers, Connor Rogers, and Wyatt Rogers; one granddaughter, Ashleigh Rogers; a brother, Wayne Salsbury; and her sisters, Loett Williams, Maureen Irigoin, and Mavis Boyer.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Edgar and Genett Salsbury.
Services were held Friday, August 24, 2007, at 2 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in Elkhart, Kansas, with her son-in-law, Pastor Scott Andrews, officiating. Burial followed at the Elkhart Cemetery in Elkhart, Kansas.
Memorials may be made to the Friendship Inn in Kansas City in care of Garnand Funeral Home, PO Box 854, Elkhart, KS 67950.
Garnand Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Lucy Farthing McLeod
Mrs. Lucy Farthing McLeod, died August 20, 2007 in Chapel Hill, N.C.
She was born in 1914 in Watauga County, N.C., the eldest child of the late James B. and E. Gladys Farthing and was a 1935 graduate of Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, N.C. With her late husband, Henry H. McLeod, to whom she was married for 57 years, Mrs. McLeod was a long-time employee of the Methodist Home for Children and a member of Edenton Street United Methodist Church in Raleigh. She was a strong and independent woman – an avid reader and follower of current events, who enjoyed needlework, gardening and crossword puzzles.
Survivors include her sons, Thomas C. McLeod and wife, Janie, of Titusville, Fla. and Mark H. McLeod and wife, Patty, of Apex, N.C.; daughters, Susan M. Patterson and husband, James, of Siler City, N.C., Elizabeth M. Bishop of Raleigh, N.C., and Gail M. McIlwain and husband, Lee, of Chapel Hill, N.C.; sisters, Jimmie F. Mast of Vilas, N.C., Mabel F. Spach of Winston-Salem, N.C., and Peggy F. Mast and husband, Fred, of Johnson City, Tenn.; 12 nieces and nephews; 15 grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren.
In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by her brothers, Thomas Dixon Farthing and Richard Vann Farthing of Watauga County, N.C.
A graveside service will be held Saturday, September 1, 2007, at 3 p.m. at Montlawn Memorial Park, Raleigh, N.C., with the Rev. C. Gail Smith officiating.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to UNC Hospice, P.O. Box 1077, Pittsboro, N.C. 27312.
The family wishes to thank Dr. Laura C. Hanson, geriatrician with the UNC Program on Aging, the staff and volunteers of UNC Hospice, and her many caretakers and friends at Shepherd House of Chapel Hill for their care and kindness.
Online condolences may be made at www.cremnc.com.
Arrangements made by the Cremation Society of the Carolinas.

Tommy Lee Miller Sr.
Mr. Tommy Lee Miller, Sr., 73, of Haire Road, Yadkinville, N.C., passed away Saturday, August 25, 2007 at Forsyth Medical Center.
He was born April 20, 1934 in Watauga County, to the late Thomas and Faye Gross Miller.
Mr. Miller was a loving, caring, and a very devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend. He served in the U.S. Army Paratroop division during the Korean War and was a manager of the PX. He owned and operated several Assisted Living Facilities in North Carolina.
Surviving are his wife, Wanda Haire Miller; children, Chris Miller of Yadkinville, Danita Miller of Shallotte, Gerald Ruffin Miller of Boone, and Renee (Gwyn) Gregory of Yadkinville; grandchildren, Lee Miller of Macon, Ga., Jodi Miller (Johnny) Robertson of Macon, Ga., Andrew Miller, Ashton Gregory, Kyler Gregory, all of Yadkinville; great-grandchild, Blake Miller of Macon, Ga.; sisters, Billie (Cabell) Gragg of Boone, Gail Chapman of Clemmons, Mary Matthews of Lewisville; brothers, Glenn Miller of Clemmons, Gene (Edna) Miller of Dobson, Johnny (Lisa) Miller of Advance; several nieces, nephews, and special friends.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a son, Tommy Lee Miller, Jr.; a grandchild, Sasha Miller; and a brother, Joseph Bruce Miller.
The family received friends on Tuesday, August 28, 2007 from 6-8 p.m. at Gentry Family Funeral Service in Yadkinville. A graveside service and burial will be held at a later time.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Mountain Valley Hospice, PO Box 1267, Yadkinville, N.C. 27055 or to Center United Methodist Church Cemetery Fund, 1349 Center Rd., Yadkinville, N.C. 27055.
Gentry Family Funeral Service in Yadkinville is serving the Miller family.

Odell M. Woodring
Mr. Odell M. Woodring, 79, of 130 Glenn Woodring Drive, Boone, died Sunday, August 26, 2007, at Forsyth Memorial Hospital in Winston-Salem.
He was born May 20, 1928 in Watauga County, a son of Bina Lewis Woodring and the late Glenn Howard Woodring.
Mr. Woodring retired from Blue Ridge Shoe Company in Boone, and was of the Baptist faith. Prayer sessions for Mr. Woodring were led by his son-in-law, Pastor Thant McManus, who regretfully could not take part in the service because of a mission trip to Macedonia.
In addition to his mother, Mr. Woodring is survived by his wife, Lona Stevens Woodring; one son, Morris O. Woodring and wife, Linda, of Mountain City, Tenn.; one daughter, Margo McManus and husband, Thant, of Concord; three granddaughters, Susan Woodring of Mountain City, Kaylah McManus and Adellah McManus, both of Concord; one grandson, Brock Woodring of Mountain City; two brothers, Ronda Woodring and wife, Carol, of Sawmills, and Earl Woodring and wife, Rachel, of Zionville; three sisters, Pearl Watson and husband, Nulan; Thelma Taylor, and Wilma Sutherland, all of Boone; two sisters-in-law, Rebecca House and husband, Donnie, of Rockwell, N.C., and Betty Crosby of Kannapolis; and three brothers-in-law, Bill Idol of Deep Gap, William Stevens and wife, Geneva, of Zionville, and Cecil Stevens of Cary. He is also survived by a number of loving nieces and nephews.
In addition to his father, he was preceded in death by one sister, Ruby Idol.
Services were conducted Tuesday evening, August 28, 2007, at Hampton Funeral Home Chapel. Officiating was the Rev. Dwayne Dickson. Graveside services and burial were conducted Wednesday morning at Mount Lawn Memorial Park and Gardens.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Lung Association, 5315 Greenbrook Drive, Charlotte, N.C. 28205.
Hampton Funeral Service was in charge of the arrangements.

August 29, 2007

Ruth Abrams Dillard, M.D.
Ruth Abrams Dillard, M.D., 82, a resident of College Station, Texas and Boone, N.C., went to be with the Lord on August 10, 2007, in Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, N.C.
She was born July 19, 1925 in Camden, N.J., and was raised in Collingswood, N.J. She graduated summa cum laude from Mount Holyoke College in 1947, and from the University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine in 1951, where she was a member of the honorary scholastic society of medical schools, Alpha Omega Alpha. The day she graduated from medical school she married her classmate, Edgar Archer Dillard, Jr.
After completing her Pediatric training, Dr. Ruth Dillard practiced in Boynton Beach, Fla., as faculty at UNC-Chapel Hill, in Haiti, Viet Nam, Seattle, and finished her career as a professor and Director of Ambulatory Pediatrics in the Pediatric Department at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. After her retirement in 1991, she continued to practice medicine on short-term medical missions and at Hebron Colony, a free, 10 week residential Christian ministry for alcoholics and drug addicts near Boone, N.C., where she was a full-time volunteer six months of the year, doing the flower gardening, working in the office and treating minor ailments.
She was an active birder, a member of the National Audubon Society, the Sierra Club, the Nature Conservancy, the Brazos County Corral, and the Board of Directors of Hebron Colony Ministries, Inc. She was an active member of Westminster Presbyterian Church, PCA, in Bryan, Texas, where she sang in the choir.
She is survived by her loving family, daughters, Rebecca Spear and husband, Lewis, of Wake Forest, N.C., and Barbara McClurken and husband, Edwin, of Chetek, WI; her son, E. A. “Sandy” Dillard and wife, Cindie, of Bryan, TX; god-daughter Le Anh Dillard-Deason and husband, Jerry, of College Station, TX; her grandchildren, Aline Boully Wilson and husband, Thomas, Virginia Pedicord, Robert Gordon Martin, IV, Cailey McClurken, Sarah McClurken, Rosemarie McClurken, Jasmine Dillard, and Lisa Dillard; great-granddaughters, Katelyn Wilson and Kennedy Wilson; sister, Elizabeth Abrams Drennen; sister-in-law, Natalie Dillard; and a host of other relatives and friends.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 52 years, Dr. E. Archer Dillard, Jr.; her parents, Mr. Ernest Valentine Abrams and Helen Schwarz Abrams; and her sister, Helen Abrams Powers.
A memorial service was held on Saturday, August 25, 2007 at 3:00 p.m. in the Hebron Colony Chapel, 356 Old Turnpike Road, Boone, N.C.
Donations may be made in her memory to Hebron Colony Ministries, Inc., 356 Old Turnpike Road, Boone, N.C. 28607.
Arrangements are in the care of Forest Lawn West Funeral Home in Charlotte, N.C.

Lillian Church Ensley
Mrs. Lillian Church Ensley, 90, of Rocky Road, Banner Elk, the Foscoe community, died Saturday afternoon, August 25, 2007 at Cannon Memorial Hospital in Linville.
She was born August 28, 1916 in Watauga County, she was a daughter of Harrison and Ivy Yarbour Church.
Mrs. Ensley and her late husband, Dennie Virgil Ensley, owned and operated the Grandfather Mountain Apple Orchard in the Foscoe community.
She is survived by three daughters, Velva Bost and husband, Jonathan, of Banner Elk, Beverly Flynn and husband, Clyde Jerry, of Marion, and Barbara Jestes of Banner Elk; four grandchildren, Timpy Flynn of Marion, Holly Jestes, Dennie Flynn and Amber Ensley, all of Banner Elk; two great-grandsons, William Virgil Bennett and Bruce Wade Williams, both of Banner Elk; and one brother, Archie Church of Camp Verde, Ariz.
In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by one sister, Beatrice Church; three brothers, Ray, Perry and Shelby Church; and one great-grandson, Joseph Flynn Taylor.
Graveside services will be conducted Tuesday morning, August 28th at 11 o’clock at Mount Lawn Memorial Park & Gardens, officiated by the Rev. Larry Wayne Bost.
The family will receive friends Monday evening from 6 until 8 o’clock at the Austin & Barnes Funeral Home.
Austin & Barnes Funeral Home & Crematory is serving the Ensley family.

Margaret Miller Rayfield
Mrs. Margaret Miller Rayfield, 81, of 1530 Rainbow Trail, Boone, died Saturday morning, August 25, 2007, at Glenbridge Health Care.
She was born April 2, 1926, in Watauga County, a daughter of the late Leaman and Jenny Presnell Miller.
Mrs. Rayfield was a retired employee of Boone Drug Company and a member of First Presbyterian Church in Boone.
Survivors include one daughter, Judy Rayfield Gilreath of Wilkesboro; three granddaughters, Jennifer Hanford and husband, Kevin, of Dallas, Tex.; Tommie Hurt of Wilkesboro, and Charley Gilreath of Boone. She is also survived by five great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Don A. Rayfield; her father and mother, Leaman and Jenny Presnell Miller; and one brother, Joe Miller.
Services will be conducted Tuesday morning at 11 o’clock at Hampton Funeral Home Chapel. The body will lie in state from 10-11 a.m. Officiating will be Dr. Ronald L. Bowie. Burial will follow in Mount Lawn Memorial Park and Gardens.
The family will receive friends Tuesday morning from 10-11 a.m. at Hampton Funeral Service, prior to the service.
Flowers are appreciated, or memorial contributions may be made to First Presbyterian Church, 663 Howard Street, Boone, N.C. 28607; or to a charity of the donor’s choice.
Hampton Funeral Service is in charge of the arrangements.