Cardell M. Ervin
DREXEL - Cardell Moore Ervin, 88, of 307 Oakland Ave., died Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2001, at Autumn Care of Drexel, following an extended illness.
The family will be at the home of a niece, Henrietta E. Howell of 3088 N.C. 126.
Ebony Funeral Services of Morganton, is in charge of arrangements.
John R. Whitesides
MORGANTON - John Rhodes Whitesides, 76, of Hemlock Trail, died Thursday, Dec. 6, 2001, at the Hospice of Burke County, Shytle House in Valdese.
Born Nov. 2, 1925, in Gaston County, he was a son of the late Francis Alexander Whitesides, Sr. and Myrtle Rhodes Whitesides.
He attended the local schools in Gaston County, and the DeForrest School in Toccoa Falls, Ga.
He was a member of the First Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Gastonia, and volunteered for many years, as an assistant scoutmaster for Troop 4.
He worked at various industries in Gastonia, until he moved to Morganton, in 1977.
He worked at Whisnant's Service Station and Garage in Morganton, until his retirement in 1991.
After moving to Burke County, he joined Christ United Methodist Church in Drexel, and was a loyal member there until his death.
In July 2001, he became a resident at the Hospice of Burke County, Shytle House.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a sister, Rebecca Rhodes Whitesides Miller.
Surviving are brothers, Francis Alexander Whitesides, Jr. and Henry Monroe Whitesides, both of Gastonia; and a brother-in-law, Dr. Andrew Cleveland Miller, III of Gastonia.
The funeral will be held 10 a.m. Saturday at Christ United Methodist Church with the Revs. Doug Hochmuth and Clyde Penry officiating.
The family will receive friends in the church fellowship hall immediately following the service.
A short memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at the First Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Gastonia, following a private family graveside service.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Burke County, P.O. Box 1029, Valdese, N.C. 28690.
Sossoman Funeral Home is assisting the family with the services in Burke County, and McLean and Sons is assisting with the graveside service in Gastonia.
Cardell M. Ervin
DREXEL - Cardell Moore Ervin, 88, of Oakland Ave., died Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2001, at Autumn Care of Drexel, after an extended illness.
The funeral will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at Shiloh AME Church and the family will receive friends prior to the service at the church.
Local survivors include his sister, the Rev. Lillian Hunter.
Maynard M. Reece
VALDESE — Maynard Memory Reece, 73, of Lakeview Acres, died Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2001 at his residence.
Born Aug. 4, 1928, in Burke County, he was a son of the late Kelly McKinley Reece and Julia Ann Brendle Reece.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a son, Maynard Karl Reece.
He was a U.S. Air Force veteran and retired as a master sergeant after 20 years of military service.
He worked for and retired from the Burke County school system, where he was a maintenance supervisor.
Mr. Reece was a very active member of Morganton First Church of God, where he taught the senior adult Sunday school class.
He was a member of Gideons International, and an active member of AARP.
Mr. Reece also taught art classes for senior citizens at Western Piedmont Community College.
He is survived by: his wife, Ella Osborn Reece of the home; a son, Kelly Reece and his wife, Debbie, of Morganton; daughters, Kim Coffey of Morganton, and Karen Sasser and her husband, Ronnie, of Mamers; grandchildren: Jeramie Abernathy, Daphne Abernathy, Dustyn Reece, Jara Reece, Landon Reece, Logan Reece, Quinn Reece, Ronnie Allen Sasser, Ryan Sasser and Chelsea Sasser; a brother, Dairl Reece of Granite Falls; sisters, Mary Elva Bravard and Maxine Franklin, both of Rutherford College, Marilyn Waters of Drexel, Martha Ann Whetstine of Greer, S.C., and Mozelle Woods of Lenoir.
The funeral will be held at 2 p.m. today at Morganton First Church of God with Revs. Don Smith and Henry Bingham officiating.
Entombment will follow at Burke Memorial Park Mausoleum with military rites conducted by the Morganton Veterans Ceremonial Team.
The family received friends Saturday at Sossoman Funeral Home.
At other times, the family will be at the residence, 4689 Lakeview Acres, Valdese.
Memorial contributions may be made to Morganton First Church of God Elevator Fund, P.O. Box 1404, Morganton, N.C. 28680-1404, or to the Lewis Rathbun Center, 121 Sherwood Road, Asheville, N.C. 28803.
James O'Neal
DELANO, Calif. — James Burnswell O'Neal, 67, of Delano, Calif., lost his fight with cancer Dec. 3, 2001.
Born Jan. 16,1934, in Waycross, Ga., he was the son of the late James Jackson and Ellen Toole O'Neal.
Mr. O'Neal spent his youth in Jacksonville, Fla.
He is survived by: his wife of 36 years, Nancy Mull O'Neal, the daughter of Harold J. Mull of Morganton; daughters, Linda Go of Quincy Ill., Helen Roberson of Heber Springs, Ark.; six grandchildren; one great-grandchild; a sister and a brother.
A private memorial service will be held at Forest Hill Cemetery in Morganton at a later time.
Memorials in Mr. O'Neal's memory may be made to the Arthritis Adaptive Aquatic Center, 1800 Westwind Drive Building 500, Bakersfield Calif. 93301, or to a charity of one's choice.
Kirksey Funeral Home of Morganton is assisting the O'Neal family with local arrangements.
Vissie Pearson
MORGANTON — Vissie Lee Whisenant Pearson, 83, of U.S. 70 West died Thursday, Dec. 6, 2001, at Grace Hospital.
Born Feb. 16, 1918, in Burke County, she was the daughter of the late Fred and Velsie Whisenant.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by: her husband, Earnest Tate Pearson; a son, Glenn Ray Pearson; sisters Mandy Whisenant, Nellie Whisenant and Sadie Whisenant; brothers Ralph Whisenant, James Whisenant, Paul Whisenant, Leroy Whisenant and Lester Whisenant.
Mrs. Pearson was a homemaker and had attended High Peak Baptist Church.
She is survived by: sons Carl Pearson, Otis Pearson and wife, Jean, all of Morganton, Ernest Pearson and wife, Doris, of Valdese, and Grover Pearson and wife, Sandra, of Marion; daughters, Brenda Pearson and Doris Farnham, both of Morganton; brothers, Bobby Whisenant and wife, Rebca, of Lenoir, Arthur Whisenant and wife, Gay, of Georgia; 10 grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.
The funeral was held Saturday at Kirksey Memorial Chapel with the Rev. Rocky Reese officiating.
Burial will follow at the Salem United Methodist Church cemetery.
The family received friends Friday at Kirksey Funeral Home in Morganton.
Kirksey Funeral Home of Morganton, is assisting the Pearsons with arrangements.
Fred E. Farmer
MORGANTON — Fred Eugene Farmer Jr., 55, of N.C. 126, died Thursday, Dec. 6, 2001, at his residence after a period of declining health.
Mr. Farmer was born June 9, 1946, in Lincoln County, to the late Fred Eugene Farmer Sr. and Selma Daphine Carpenter Farmer.
He was an Army veteran of the Vietnam War and was a retired dispatcher for the trucking industry.
Survivors are: his wife, Mary Steward Farmer of the home; sons, Fred Eugene Farmer, III of Shelby and Kevin Carroll Farmer of Cherryville; stepsons, Charles Styles, Jr. of Morganton, Kenny Styles of Lenoir, Dale Styles of Drexel and Wade Styles of Nebo; a stepdaughter, Angela Styles Cates of Morganton; brothers, Donald Farmer and Eddie Farmer, both of Cherryville, and Sam Farmer of Lincolnton; sisters, Carolyn Hallman of Crouse, and Beckey Crumpler of Bandys; grandchildren, Fred Eugene "4/4" Farmer, IV, Kevin Carroll "Buba" Farmer, Jr., Harley Mikayle Farmer and Joshua Lane Allen Farmer; step-grandchildren Haleigh Helms, Lynzie Helms, Amy Styles, Nicole "CoCo" Styles, Johnathon Styles, Jessica Jones, Christopher Styles, Roseanna Hughes, Cody Cates and Jeffery Styles.
The funeral will be held at 3:30 p.m. today in the chapel of Heritage Funeral Service, Valdese, with the Rev. Gary Garner officiating.
Interment will be at noon Monday at the N.C. State Veterans Cemetery in Black Mountain.
The Farmer family will receive friends from 2 to 3 p.m. today at Heritage Funeral Service, Valdese.
Memorials may be made to Enon Baptist Church at 2059 Enon Road, Morganton, N.C. 28655.
"Buddy" Meyer
MORGANTON — Kenneth "Buddy" Meyer, 82, of 219 Evans St., died Friday, Dec. 7, 2001, following a lengthy illness.
He was born Dec. 25, 1918, in Leavenworth, Kan., to Albert Meyer and Mae Johnson Meyer.
His early years marked the beginning of what would become a lifelong love for baseball.
At age 11, in Boulder, Colo., he was the mascot and bat boy for the University of Colorado.
At 13, he joined an American Legion team, and at 16, he played in the St. Louis Cardinals' Arkansas/Missouri League, on the Fayetteville Angels.
During this time, Spalding signed him to a contract and pronounced him to be the "Most Promising Player."
In 1941, as his career in the major leagues was about to take off, he was drafted into the Army, where he served as an athletic director in the Special Services.
A service-related injury put an end to his big-league career plans, but he continued to enjoy baseball and other sports for the remainder of his years, especially as a spectator at his grandchildren's games.
In 1955, he married Elizabeth Kreiser in West Palm Beach, Fla., and went on to become the loving and devoted father of three daughters.
By trade, he was a glazier, carpenter and locksmith and was employed by the Palm Beach County School System.
In 1972, he moved his family to Franklin, where he worked as a subcontractor before retiring early because of a disability.
During his years in Franklin, he was an active member of First United Methodist Church.
As an adult, his Christian faith played a major role in his life, and over the years, he served various churches as a deacon, Sunday school teacher, president of United Methodist Men, and participant in prison ministry.
In 1998, he moved to Morganton and made his home with his daughter and son-in-law, Karla and Carl Lanier.
Most recently, he was a member of North Morganton United Methodist Church.
pSurvivors include: three daughters, Karen Meyer Eckert of Raleigh, Kathy Meyer Bryson of Franklin and Karla Meyer Lanier of Morganton; a sister, Dorothy Grant of Highland Falls, N.Y.; and seven grandchildren, Daniel Bryson, David Bryson, Kristen Bryson and Taylor Bryson of Franklin, and Luke Lanier, Bethany Lanier and Hannah Lanier of Morganton.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by two sisters, Mildred "Midge" Postovit and Virginia "Gin" Hager.
A memorial service celebrating his life will be held at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, at North Morganton United Methodist Church with the Rev. John Woods officiating.
Memorials may be made to North Morganton United Methodist Church, 990 Sanford Drive, Morganton, N.C. 28655, or Hospice of Burke County, P.0. Box 1029, Valdese N.C. 28690.
Ebony Funeral Services is assisting the Meyer family.
Carl Stoots
LENOIR — Carl Stoots, 55, of Morganton Highway, died Saturday, Dec. 8, 2001, at the residence.
He was born Oct. 10, 1946, in Raleigh County, W.Va., to the late Grady and Mae Keith Stoots.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by two brothers, Richard and Harold Stools; and two sisters; Mrs. Jo Ann Jennings and Janice Stoots.
Mr. Stoots was a machine operator and of the Baptist faith.
Survivors include: his wife, Ima Jean Grandfield Stoots of the home, a daughter, Mrs. Brian (Carla) Stewart of Morganton; four brothers, James Stoots, Phillip "David" Stoots, Donald Stoots and Ronnie Stoots, all of Eccles, W.Va.; two sisters, Mrs. Kenneth (Connie) Mann of Lenoir, Mrs. David (Patricia) Coleman of Beckley, W.Va., and two grandchildren.
Memorial services will be held Monday at 2 p.m. at Greer-McElveen Funeral Home chapel conducted by the Rev. Henry Bingham.
Memorial contributions may be made to Burke County Hospice at P.O. Box 1029, Valdese, N.C. 28690.
Ruth Prewitt
