Virginia, U.S., Marriage Records, 1936-2014
James Nester
BLAIRS, Va. - James Anderson Nester, 82, of 4968 Mount View Road, died Saturday, Aug. 11, 2001, at Riverside Health Care Center after three years of declining health and six weeks at Riverside HCC.
Born March 8, 1919, in Mount Airy, N.C., he was a son of the Rev. James M. Nester and Dora King Nester.
He was married
Dec. 13, 1939, to Clella Toler Nester, who survives. He was of the Baptist faith. He lived most of his life in Pittsylvania County. He retired due to disability from Durham Hoisery Mill, where he worked as a maintenance supervisor.
Survivors, in addition to his wife, include five sons, Owen F. Nester, Kenneth R. Nester and Earl A. Nester, all of Danville, and Donald W. Nester and Jerry D. Nester, both of Blairs; one daughter, Jean N. Carter of Blairs; one brother, Mack Nester of Nathalie; three sisters, Betty N. Moon and Annie N. Stevens, both of Roanoke and Virginia N. Lea of Alexandria; 12 grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.
He was predeceased, in addition to his parents, by five brothers, two sisters and one granddaughter.
The funeral will be held at 2 p.m. Monday at Wrenn-Yeatts North Main Chapel with the Rev. Jonathan Reed officiating. Interment
will follow at Highland Burial Park.
The family will receive friends from 7-8:30 p.m. Sunday at Wrenn-Yeatts North Main Chapel and other times at the residence.
The family suggests that memorials be made to the Blairs Volunteer Fire Department, Box 242, Blairs, Va. 24527 or to the Danville Life Saving Crew, 202 Christopher Lane, Danville, Va. 24541.
Wrenn-Yeatts Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Henry Prather
DANVILLE, Va. - Henry Jackson Prather, 83, of 124 Fagan St., died Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2001, at Danville Regional Medical Center.
Born Oct. 13, 1917, in Danville, he was the son of Alfred Thomas Prather and Louise Swift Prather.
He was married
Aug. 3, 1946, to Vergie Mae Gibson Prather, who predeceased him Oct. 22, 1992. He lived most of his life in the Danville area, where he was a screen printer. He served with the U. S. Army during World War II and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. He was a member of Highland Park Baptist Church.
Survivors include one sister, Bessie P. Freeman of Climax.
He was predeceased, in addition to his wife and parents, by one sister, Pearl Prather Dillard and four brothers, Fred Prather, John Prather, Ben Prather and Arran Prather.
The funeral will be held 11 a.m. Friday at Barker Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Fred Cox and the Rev. Dr. Charles B. Scearce officiating. Interment
will follow at Highland Burial Park.
The family will receive friends 7-8:30 p.m. Thursday at Barker Funeral Home.
Barker Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Gerda Radke
DRY FORK, Va. - Gerda Peter Radke, 88, of 421 Tobacco Road, died Saturday, Aug. 11, 2001, at the residence after two years of declining health.
Born Sept. 2, 1912, in Eltz, Poland, she was the daughter of Erwin Julius Peter and Else Auguste Keim Peter.
She was married
Aug. 2, 1946, to Alfred Hugo Radke, who survives. She was a member of Swansonville United Methodist Church. She was a former member of Main Street Methodist Church. She was a member of the L.P.N. Association where she served as Secretary. She had been a resident of Danville since 1955. She immigrated from Germany that same year. She was retired from Danville Regional Medical Center where she worked as a Licensed Practical Nurse.
Survivors, in addition to her husband of Blue Ridge Rehab Center Alzheimer’s Unit, Martinsville, include two daughters, Lillian R. Martin and husband Frank M. Martin of Dry Fork, and Ingrid R. Myers and husband Danny C. Myers of Bowling Green, Ohio; one sister, Lotte Haegelen of Worms, Germany; one granddaughter, Emily E. Martin of Dry Fork; and three grandsons, Kurt L. Martin of Dry Fork, Gregory D. Myers and Christopher A. Myers, both of Bowling Green, Ohio.
The graveside service will be held 11 a.m. Monday at Swanson United Methodist Church cemetery with the Rev. Randy Williams and the Rev. Linwood Daniel officiating.
The family will recieve friends at the residence of Lillian R. Martin, 437 Tobacco Road, Dry Fork.
Wrenn-Yeatts Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Earl Sigmon
MOORE HAVEN, Fla. - Earl Alexander Sigmon, 82, of Moore Haven, Fla., died Wednesday, July 18, 2001, after several years of declining health.
Born Feb. 7, 1919, in Danville, he was the son of A.A. and Thetty Lou Sigmon.
He was formerly married
to Ann Brewer of Roxboro, who predeceased him. He reached the rank of Army lieutenent during WWII. He flew the P-51 mustang fighter on 140 missions and was awarded the bronze medal of honor.
He is survived by his wife, Gertrude Sigmon of Moore Haven, Fla.; two daughters, Nancy Sigmon of Tarpon Springs, Fla. and Susan Zell of Ft. Myers, Fla.; two sisters, Jewel Scearce and Jerleen Yeatts; one brother, Calvin Sigmon of Danville; and five grandchildren.
He was predeceased, in addition to his parents and former wife, by two brothers, Hurbert and Charlie Sigmon.
A memorial service took place Aug. 4 at St. Joseph Church in Moore Haven, Fla.
Mary Tanner
CHATHAM, Va. - Mary Fannie Tanner, 95, of Guildfield Heights, Apt. 1, died Thursday, Aug. 9, 2001, at the residence.
Born Feb. 10, 1906, in Pittsylvania County, she was a daughter of Henry and Mary Matthews.
She was married
to Raymond Tanner, who predeceased her. She was a member of Wilson Memorial Baptist Church, where she served as mother of the church, a member of the trustee and deaconess boards and president of the Senior Choir. She was a member of the Rebecca Mullins Foreign Mission Club, a charter member of the NAACP and a member of the Home Demonstration Club. She retired from Chatham Hall, where she worked for 56 years as a switchboard operator.
Survivors include one sister, Lettie Thomas of Chatham.
The funeral will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Wilson Memorial Baptist Church with the Rev. Nathaniel Jones officiating. Interment
will follow in Chatham cemetery.
The family will receive friends from 6-7 p.m. Monday at the Chapel of Howerton Funeral Home and at other times at the residence.
Howerton Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Viola Tate
DANVILLE, Va. - Viola Clark Tate, 82, of 504 Parker Road West, died Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2001, at Danville Regional Medical Center after three months of declining health and ten days in the hospital.
Born May 20, 1919, in Danville, she was the daughter of Herman Randolph Clark and Annie Lee Groom Clark.
She was married
Dec. 20, 1936, to Jack E. Tate, who predeceased her Oct. 29, 1988. She was of the Methodist faith and lived her entire life in Danville. She was retired as the owner and operator of Jack’s Grocery.
Survivors include two daughters, Sybil T. Clay of Stuart and Carmen T. DeHart of Danville; two sons, Allen C. Tate of the residence and Clark E. Tate of Danville; one brother, Herman L. Clark of Charleston, S.C.; five grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren.
The graveside service will be held 11 a.m. Friday at Danville Memorial Gardens with the Rev. Wayne Wallace officating.
The family will receive friends 7-8:30 p.m. Thursday at Wrenn-Yeatts North Main Chapel and other times at the residence.
The family suggests memorials may be made to the Mount Cross Volunteer Fire Department, 4812 Mount Cross Road, Danville, Va. 24540.
Wrenn-Yeatts Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
William Terry
DANVILLE, Va. - William Elreese Terry, 84, of 196 Powell Ave., died Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2001, at the residence after one year of declining health.
Born Dec. 20, 1916, in Ringgold, he was the son of William Aubrey Terry and Eva Dodson Terry.
He was married
March 9, 1944, to Ruth Oakes Terry, who predeceased him Feb. 25, 1990. He was a member of Moffett Memorial Baptist Church where he was an active member of the Chapel Bible Class. He was a member of the Roman Eagle Masonic Lodge No. 122 and was a past president of the International Garage Owners Association. He lived most of his life in Danville and retired as owner and operator of Terry’s Furniture Upholstery and co-owner of the Auto Trim Shop. He was a veteran, serving in the United States Army Air Corps in World War II.
Survivors include one son, William E. Terry Jr. of Ringgold; one daughter, Roslyne T. Slate of Danville; one sister, Nancy Terry of Danville; three brothers, Marvin Terry of Nags Head, N.C., Wallace Terry of Hampton and Lawrence Terry of Yorktown and one step grandson.
The funeral will be held 11 a.m. Friday at Moffett Memorial Baptist Church with the Rev. Steve Carlton officiating. Interment
will follow at Highland Burial Park with military honors performed by American Legion Post No. 325.
The family will receive friends 7-8 p.m. Thursday at Wrenn-Yeatts North Main Chapel and other times at the residence of Roslyne T. Slate, 3412 Lowery Court, Danville and the William Terry Jr. residence, 3396 Rocksprings Road, Ringgold.
The family suggests memorials may be made to Moffett Memorial Baptist Church, 1026 North Main St., Danville, Va. 24540 or Danville Life Saving Crew, 202 Christopher Lane, Danville, VA 24541.
Wrenn-Yeatts Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Clarence Turner
DANVILLE, Va. - Clarence “Pop” Turner, 77, of 1691 Buckhorn Drive, died Saturday, Aug. 11, 2001, at Danville Regional Medical Center after two years of declining health.
Born Dec. 25, 1923, in Pittsylvania County, he was a son of Napoleon Turner and Jennie Bell Wilson Turner.
He was formerly married
to Peggy Naomi Turner, who predeceased him. He spent most of his life in Danville, where he was a mechanic at Main and Holbrook Exxon and was of the Baptist faith.
Survivors include three sons, Clarence Turner Jr. and Dale Turner, both of Danville and Howard Turner of Ringgold; one daughter, Linda Strader of Danville; one sister, Mamie Hamlett of Providence, N.C.; five grandchildren; and one step grandchild.
The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at Swicegood Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Robert J. Barber Jr. officiating. Interment
will follow at Schoolfield cemetery.
The family will receive friends from 7-8:30 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home and other times at the residence of Clarence Turner Jr., 1691 Buckhorn Drive.
Swicegood Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Tossie Tyree
CHICAGO - Tossie Bell Tyree, 91, formerly of Roanoke, Va., died Thursday, Aug. 9, 2001, at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge.
Born Oct. 6, 1909, in the Brights community of Pittsylvania County, Va., she was the daughter of Luther Fredrick Myers and Fannie B. Stone Myers.
She was married
to the Rev. James W. Tyree. She was a homemaker and member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Roanoke, Va., where she had served as a deaconess.
Survivors include one daughter, Fannie Tyree of Chicago; one sister, Sallie Hicks of Lynchburg; two brothers, Henry Myers and Clyde Myers of Gretna, Va.; two grandsons; one great-grandson and two great-great-grandsons.
She was predeceased, in addition to her parents, by two sons, James and John Tyree; three sisters, Louise Berger, Judy Howard and Effie Ford and four brothers, Joel Myers, Neuton Myers, Frances Myers and Christopher Myers.
The funeral will be held 1 p.m. Friday at Melrose Seventh Day Adventist Church in Roanoke, Va. with Pastor Seymour Coles officiating. Interment
will follow at Williams Memorial Park in Roanoke.
The family will receive friends from 7-8 p.m. Thursday at Miller Funeral Home.
The cortege will assemble 12 noon at the residence of Clarence Myers, 502 McDowell Ave., Roanoke, Va.
Miller Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Robert Whipple
CONCORD, Calif. - Robert J. (Bob) Whipple, M.D., of Lafayette, California died August 12, 2001 at Mt. Diablo Hospital, Concord, California. Born in Annsville, New York May 15, 1914, he was a 1939 graduate of Cornell University Medical College. He completed his rotating internship at the Jersey City Medical College in June 1941. In August of that year he joined the U.S. Navy Medical Corps, serving on continuous active duty until his retirement on October 1, 1966.
He spent twenty-five years as a Navy doctor; shipboard during World War II on a destroyer the U.S.S. Mayo and the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Shangri-La. While on the Shangri-La in the Pacific theatre, a Kamikaze plane crashed through the flight deck and into the officer’s mess while he was having coffee between rounds as one of the ship’s doctors. It was during the war that he met his wife, Gwendolyn Hunt of Semora, North Carolina - a Navy nurse at the Navy Hospital in Portsmouth, Virginia. He was attached to the 3rd Fleet Marine Landing Force during the surrender of Japan in 1945. His assignments after the war until 1960 involved clinical experience in hospitals.
In 1947 Dr. Whipple completed a six-month postgraduate course in internal medicine at Bellevue Hospital in New York under Dr. John E. Deitrick, and in 1948 a one-year fellowship in cardiology under Dr. Paul D. White at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
In addition to several tours as ward physician, he served as Chief of the Medical Service at four Naval Hospitals - Norfolk, Va., Mare Island, Calif., Yokosuka, Japan, and Portsmouth, Va. He was also Internist and Chief of Cardiology at the Naval Hospital at Bethesda, Md.
From 1960 to 1973 he was Force Medical Officer, Service Force, Atlantic Fleet, and from February 1964 until his retirement, was Commanding Officer of the Naval Dispensary in San Francisco.
Dr. Whipple’s blue eyes would sparkle when he talked about his favorite hobby - flying. ”I’ll never forget the thrill I experienced when I first soloed. My instructor who had been flying with me asked me to land. When I did, he hopped out and waved me off with ’You’re on your own!’ Believe me, it’s an entirely different feeling when you’re alone up there, but it’s a wonderful one. You get a new perspective on things as you soar through the blue as free as a bird!”
In addition to flying, Dr. Whipple enjoyed photography, landscaping, and square dancing for many years. He has made his home with his wife of fifty-seven years in Lafayette, California for the last thirty-seven years.
Following his Navy retirement he became the West Coast Medical Director for Metropolitan Life Insurance in San Francisco, California, retiring again after a twelve-year career. His twenty-three retirement years were enjoyed to the fullest, including annual six-week vacations with close friends spent in Cancun the last twenty-one years. He is survived by his wife of fifty-seven years, Gwendolyn Hunt Whipple, his daughter Barbara Whipple of Houston, Texas, his son Ron Whipple of Dallas, Texas, his granddaughters Kelly Morrison of Denver, Colorado and Tres Hinds of Houston, Texas, his grandsons Eric and Glenn Whipple of Dallas, Texas, and his great granddaughter Mikayla Morrison of Denver, Colorado.
Funeral services will be conducted Thursday at 10 A.M. from The Red House Presbyterian Church in Semora, N.C. by the Rev. Robert M. Howard.
Interment will follow in the church cemetery.
Townes Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
