Virginia, U.S., Marriage Records, 1936-2014
Johnny Alley Webb II
Johnny Alley Webb II, 64, of Rocky Gap, Va., died Saturday, April 26, 2003, in a Bluefield hospital, after a long battle with cancer.
Funeral services will be held Tuesday, April 29, at 11 a.m. at the Laurel Fork Baptist Church with the Rev. Alan Mahan officiating. Burial will follow in the Morning Star Cemetery in Bland, Va.
Born Nov. 17, 1938, in Bluefield, Va., he was a son of the late John Alley and Audrey Mae Maynard Webb. He worked in maintenance at Ponderosa for 20 years and he served on the deacons' board at Laurel Fork Baptist Church.
He is survived by three sisters and sons-in-law, Jo Ann and Charles R. Wirt of Bluefield, Va., Barbara Ann Webb and Donald Lee Spradlin of Princeton, W.Va., and Jesse Mae Neal of Bluefield, W.Va.; a half-brother, William "Bill" Boyd Maynard of Fruitland Park, Fla.; special friends, Kerry and Drema Gammon and Bobby and Mary Woody, all Rocky Gap, Va.; and several nieces and nephews.
The family will receive friends Monday, April 28, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Laurel Fork Baptist Church.
Mercer Funeral Home & Crematory in Bluefield, W.Va., is in charge of arrangements.
Janet Evans Harner
Janet Evans Harner, 66, of Bland, Va., died Thursday, Sept. 12, 2002, at Pulaski Community Hospital.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, Sept. 14, at 2 p.m. at the A. Vest & Sons Funeral Home in White Gate, Va., with the Rev. Carl Holland officiating. Burial will be in the Mechanicsburg Cemetery, Mechanicsburg, Va.
She was born April 10, 1936, at Princeton, W.Va. She was a member of the Bland Baptist Church.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Henry Clay and Gladys Williams Evans; one brother, Charles B. Evans; two sisters, Peggy E. Thomas and Betty E. Thornton.
Survivors include her husband, Harold "Hap" Harner; two sons and daughters-in-law, Thomas and Kathy Harner of Bland, Va., and Tim and Flora Harner of Rocky Gap, Va.; four grandchildren, Kari Beth Harner, Samantha Harner, Jessica Harner, and Evan Harner.
The family will receive friends Friday, Sept. 13, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the A. Vest & Sons Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Cancer Society.
A. Vest & Sons Funeral Home in White Gate, Va., is in charge of the arrangements.
Glen Richard Nelson
Glen Richard Nelson, 85, of Route 2, Narrows, Va., died Monday, Aug. 12, 2002, at Bluefield Regional Medical Center, Bluefield, W.Va., following a long illness.
Funeral services will be held Wednesday, Aug. 14, at 2 p.m. at the Highland Bland Funeral Chapel, Bland, Va., with the Rev. Roger Lafferty officiating. Interment will follow in the Dotson Clark Cemetery.
Born March 5, 1917, in the Round Bottom community of Bland County, Va., he lived in the Wolf Creek section of Rocky Gap, Va. He was a 34-year employee of the Celanese Corporation and was the oldest living member of the Round Bottom United Methodist Church.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Lola Frances Nelson on March 3, 2002; his parents, Ira and Lavinnie Nelson; one sister; and four brothers.
Survivors include one daughter, Shirley Mullins of the Wolf Creek section of Rocky Gap, Va., formerly of Bluefield, Va.; three sons and daughters-in-law, Junior and Pat Nelson, Gary and Dorothy Nelson, all of the Wolf Creek section of Rocky Gap, Va., and Michael and Terry Nelson of Bluefield, Va.; two brothers, Clayton Nelson of Bland, Va., and Bernard Nelson of Louisville, Ky.; six grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, two step-grandchildren, seven step-great-grandchildren; and a special friend, Tyler Wilbur.
Friends may call Tuesday, Aug. 13, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Highland Bland Funeral Chapel and Wednesday, Aug. 14, from 1 to 2 p.m. (service time) at the Highland Bland Funeral Chapel. The family may be reached at the Nelson home.
Highland Bland Funeral Chapel in Bland, Va., is in charge of the arrangements.
Virginia Alene Gusler
Virginia Alene Gusler, 75, of White Gate, Va., died Friday, Jan. 10, 2003, at Highland Ridge Rehab Center, Dublin, Va.
Funeral services will be held Sunday, Jan. 12, at 2 p.m. at the A. Vest & Sons Funeral Home, White Gate, Va., with the Rev. Brad Lewis officiating. Burial will be in the Walkers Creek Cemetery, White Gate, Va.
She was born Aug. 6, 1927, at Mechanicsburg, Va.
She was preceded in death by her parents, John Andrew and Gladys Hoilman Gusler; and a brother, John Derle Gusler.
Survivors include a sister and brother-in-law, Evelyn and John Dorsa of White Gate, Va.; a sister-in-law, Shelbie W. Gusler of White Gate, Va.; two nephews, Mark Gusler and Robert Wiley; and several cousins.
The family will receive friends Saturday, Jan. 11, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the A. Vest & Sons Funeral Home.
A. Vest & Sons Funeral Home in White Gate, Va., is in charge of the arrangements.
Ronald H. Kitts
Ronald H. Kitts, 65, of Spotsylvania, Va., died Thursday, Jan. 9, 2003, at Bowling Green Health Care Center.
A graveside service will be held Sunday, Jan. 12, at 2 p.m. at Kenner Kitts Cemetery, Bastian, Va., with the Rev. Robert Billingsley officiating.
He retired from nursing after 35 years. He was honored by different organizations for his writing of poems and stories, which he had various ones published and he was a regular contributor to The Free Lance Star opinion page.
He is survived by two sisters, Vickie K. Rouse of Spotsylvania, Va., and Shirley K. Edwards of Bowling Green, Va.; a brother, Jerry W. Kitts of Dalton, Ga.; and numerous nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorial donations be made to Hospice Support Care, 2219 Lafayette Blvd., Fredericksburg, VA 22401.
Online condolences may be sent to foundandsons.com.
Highland Funeral Service Bland Chapel in Bland, Va., is in charge of the arrangements.
Beulah Caldwell Morehead
Beulah Caldwell Morehead, 82, of Bastian, Va., died Saturday, Aug. 16, 2003, at Roanoke Memorial Hospital, Roanoke, Va.
Funeral services will be held Tuesday, Aug. 19, at 2 p.m. at the Rocky Gap United Methodist Church with the Rev. J.D. Clark and the Rev. Henry Allen Conley officiating. Military graveside rites will be conducted by the V.F.W. at the Bishop's Chapel Cemetery, Clear Fork section near Rocky Gap, Va.
She was born July 19, 1921, at Rocky Gap, Va. She was a veteran of World War II serving in the WAAC Corps, and was a charter member of the Bland County Memorial V.F.W. Post No. 7969 serving as their quartermaster. She also belonged to the Ladies Auxiliary and was a Honorary 4-H All-Star.
She was preceded in death by her husband, William C. Morehead Jr.; parents, Oscar Wiley and Sallie Bird Caldwell; two brothers, Archie Bird and Oscar Caldwell; and three sisters, Mary Jane Caldwell, Edith Turnblin and Sarah "Nancy" Taylor.
Survivors include three daughters and sons-in-law, Joyce Marie Hayes and Eugene Gibson of Clinton, S.C., Flora and Tim Harner of Rocky Gap, Va., and Carla and Victor Groseclose of Ceres, Va.; one son and daughter-in-law, David and Betty Morehead of Rocky Gap, Va.; seven grandchildren, Melanie Rocque, Michael Morehead, Angel Stowers, Jessica Harner, Amber Groseclose, Kelsey Groseclose and Evan Harner; and two great-grandchildren, Kristen Rocque and Sydnie Stowers.
The family will receive friends Monday, Aug. 18, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Rocky Gap United Methodist Church.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Bland County Memorial V.F.W. Post No. 7969, Route 1, Box 1440, Bastian, VA 24314.
A. Vest & Sons Funeral Home in White Gate, Va., is in charge of the arrangements.
Donald Marvin Clark
Donald Marvin Clark, 68, of Silver Spring, Md., formerly of Bland, Va., died Thursday, May 8, 2003.
Funeral services will be held Sunday, May 11, at 2 p.m. at the Zion Lutheran Church in Crockett, Va., with Pastor Murray Ziegenfuss officiating. Interment will be in the church cemetery.
He was born March 16, 1935, in Bland County, Va., a son of the late Charles Marvin and Bonnie Phillippi Clark. He was a self-employed electrician, a member of St. Matthews Lutheran Church and a U.S. Army veteran of the Korean Conflict.
He is survived by three sons and two daughters-in-law, Dale and Debbie Clark of Wytheville, Va., Tom and Tina Clark of Bland, Va., and Curtis Clark of Maryland; two daughters and one son-in-law, Geneva and Henry Briggs of Richmond, Va., and Kim Clark of Maryland; a special friend, Julia Hays of Chatham Hill, Va.; one brother and sister-in-law, Gerald and Carol Clark of Pulaski, Va.; one sister, Doris Hill of Silver Spring, Md.; nine grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.
The family will receive friends Saturday, May 10, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Highland Funeral Service Bland Chapel, Bland, Va.
The family suggests that those who prefer may make memorial donations to the Bland County Rescue Squad, Bland, VA 24315.
Highland Funeral Service Bland Chapel in Bland, Va., is in charge of the arrangements.
Esther Fletcher Prescott
Esther Fletcher Prescott, 85, of Bastian, Va., died Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2003, at Bluefield Regional Medical Center, Bluefield, W.Va.
Funeral services will be held Friday, Jan. 24, at 7 p.m. at the A. Vest & Sons Funeral Home, White Gate, Va., with the Rev. J.D. Clark officiating. Burial will be Saturday, Jan. 25, at the Shiloh Cemetery, Hollybrook, Va.
She was born Jan. 19, 1918, in Buchannon County, Va. She was a member of the First Pentecostal Holiness Church, 2nd Street, Radford, Va.
She was preceded in death by her parents, William Patton and Ethel Bailey Fletcher; her husband, Edward Prescott; a sister, Elizabeth Richardson; four brothers, Oakey Fletcher, Marvin Fletcher, Raymond Fletcher and Shannon Fletcher.
Survivors include one daughter and son-in-law, Josie and Larry Havens of Bland, Va.; four sisters, Mazie Akers of Radford, Va., Rachel Brewster of Bastian, Va., Ruth Burton, and Bessie Wells of Rocky Gap, Va.; two grandchildren, Karen Havens of Bland, Va., and Russell Havens of Christiansburg, Va.; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Sherwood and Lois Prescott of Radford, Va., James "Lukey" and Lois Prescott of Dublin, Va., and George Prescott of Christiansburg, Va.; and several nieces and nephews.
The family will receive friends Friday, Jan. 24, from 5 to 7 p.m. (service time) at the A. Vest & Sons Funeral Home.
A. Vest & Sons Funeral Home in White Gate, Va., is in charge of the arrangements.
Willie Elizabeth "Billie" Wymer Blankenship
Willie Elizabeth "Billie" Wymer Blankenship, 82, of the Crandon community in Bland County, Va., died Tuesday, March 25, 2003, at Wheatland Hills Retirement Center, Radford, Va.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, March 29, at A. Vest & Sons Funeral Home in White Gate, Va., with the Rev. Henry Allen Conley and the Rev. Joe M. Taylor officiating. Burial will be in the Mechanicsburg Cemetery, Mechanicsburg, Va.
She was born Oct. 9, 1920, in Marion, Va.
She was preceded in death in 1985 by her husband, Harold Thomas "Bill" Blankenship Sr.; her parents, James Rhudy Wymer and Bessie Mae Carrico; a sister, Mary Wymer Dixon; and brother, Sydney Wymer.
Survivors include two sons and daughters-in-law, James W. and Barbara Blankenship of Pulaski, Va., and Harold T. Jr. and Ella Jean Blankenship of Woodstock, Ga.; two daughters and son-in-law, Rebecca B. and Kenneth Brim of Christiansburg, Va., and Michelle Blankenship-Taylor of Roanoke, Va.; grandchildren and their spouses, Jennifer B. and Jeff Repass, Jeannette B. and Jeff Jones, all of Pulaski, Va., Kristol B. and Mark Dudley of Roanoke, Va., and Harold T. Blankenship III of Alexandria, Va.; two great-grandchildren, Kenley Elizabeth Jones and Audrey Rebecca Jones; a sister, Josephine W. Davidson of Marion, Va.; a brother, Walter W. "Doc" Wymer of Pearisburg, Va.; two sisters-in-law, Isabelle G. Blankenship of Roanoke, Va., and Lola C. Wymer of Wytheville, Va.; 19 nieces and nephews; many cousins; special friends, the family of Elmer and Lenora Chewning, and Joanne M. Bingham of Radford, Va.; and many special neighbors and former co-workers.
The family will receive friends Friday, March 28, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the A. Vest & Sons Funeral Home, White Gate, Va.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made to the Mechanicsburg Cemetery Fund, c/o Lenora Chewning, Route 2 Box 86, Bland VA 24315; the Bland County Volunteer Fire Department; or the Bland County Volunteer Rescue Squad.
A. Vest & Sons Funeral Home in White Gate, Va., is in charge of the arrangements.
James Conley Brooks
James Conley Brooks, 84, of Roanoke, Va., died Saturday, Aug. 3, 2002, at his residence.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, Aug. 10, at 11 a.m. at the Barnett Funeral Home Chapel, Wytheville, Va., with the Rev. Leland Smith officiating.
He was a retired engineer with the Norfolk & Western Railroad and was a U.S. Army veteran. He was a member of the American Legion Post No. 3.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Robert N. and Lula Virginia Henneger Brooks; and a son, Ralph Alvin Brooks.
Survivors include a daughter and son-in-law, Pam and Albert Newberry of Wytheville, Va.; a son and daughter-in-law, Archie Milton and Jean Ambler Brooks of Goodview, Va.; a brother, Marvin Brooks of Bland, Va.; an aunt, Ida Mae Foglesong of Wytheville, Va.; five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
The family suggests that those who prefer may make memorials to the Gentle Shepherd Hospice of Roanoke, 4005 Electric Road, Suite 202, Roanoke, VA 24018.
Barnett Funeral Home in Wytheville, Va., is in charge of the arrangements.
Cora Lou Roberts Stoots
Cora Lou Roberts Stoots, 75, of Wytheville, Va., died Monday, Aug. 5, 2002, in the Wythe County Community Hospital, Wytheville, Va.
Funeral services will be held Thursday, Aug. 8, at 2 p.m. at the Reese Funeral Home Chapel, Austinville, Va. Interment will follow in the Bethany Cemetery.
She was born in Carroll County, Va., a daughter of the late Joseph Theodore Sr. and Flossie Lineberry Roberts. She attended the Max Meadows Pentecostal Holiness Church.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Buford Lee Stoots; a daughter, Audrey Stoots Dunford; and three brothers, Carl Roberts, Eugene Roberts and Lonnie Roberts.
Survivors include seven sons and daughters-in-law, Buford Lee Stoots Jr. of Max Meadows, Va., Bernard Wayne Stoots of Barren Springs, Va., Carlton Theodore Stoots, Thomas Eugene and Norma Stoots, Larry Delbert and Rebecca Stoots, all of Wytheville, Va., James Darnell and Constance Stoots of Max Meadows, Va., and Christopher Michael Stoots of Wytheville, Va.; two daughters and sons-in-law, Betty Lou and Robert Doss of Christiansburg, Va., and Deborah and Philip Wilson of Wytheville, Va.; two sisters, Elsie Gravley of Roanoke, Va., and Beulah Mae Swacker of Lynchburg, Va.; three brothers and sisters-in-law, James and Jenny Roberts of Radford, Va., Joe and Myrna Roberts of Richmond, Va., and Arthur and Jean Roberts of Pulaski, Va.; 14 grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.
The family will receive friends Wednesday, Aug. 7, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Reese Funeral Home or at the residence of her son, Tommy Stoots, at any time.
Reese Funeral Home in Austinville, Va., is in charge of the arrangements.
Herman Albert Suthers Sr.
Herman Albert Suthers Sr., 78, of Wytheville, Va., died Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2002, in the Roanoke Memorial Hospital, Roanoke, Va., from injuries he sustained in a farming accident.
Arrangements are pending.
Grubb Funeral Home in Wytheville, Va., is in charge of the arrangements.
Sidney Ray Mitchell
Sidney Ray Mitchell, 72, of Roanoke, Va., formerly of Wytheville, Va., died Monday, Oct. 21, 2002, at his residence.
Graveside memorial services will be held Sunday, Oct. 27, at 2 p.m. in the Mechanicsburg Cemetery, Bland County, Va.
He was a member (retired) IBEW for 45 years and was corporal in the U.S. Army Air Corps 1947-1949 where he was an aircraft electrician.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Jessie Mae Williams Mitchell; his parents, Walter Homer and Bessie Lindamood Mitchell; and two brothers, Charles Thomas Mitchell and Walter Homer Mitchell II.
Survivors include daughters and sons-in-law, Connie Sue and Wayne Hurley of Vinton, Va., and Mary Annetta and Jeff Ferguson of Roanoke, Va.; sons and daughters-in-law, Ray Anthony and Kathy Mitchell of Bland, Va., and Sidney Todd and Elizabeth Mitchell of Galax, Va.; grandchildren, Jeffery Allen Barbour, Charles Michael Nakhle, Christopher Ryan Ferguson, Jessica Kathleen Mitchell, Tanner Stuller, and Joshua Stuller; and great-grandchildren, Dylan Michael Nakhle and Jakob Spencer Nakhle.
The Grubb Funeral Home in Wytheville, Va., is in charge of the arrangements.
Mark Bower
Mark Bower, 85, of Pulaski, Va., died Sunday, June 29, 2003, in a multi-vehicle accident near Louisville, Ky.
Funeral services will be held Thursday, July 3, at the First Church of the Brethren in Pulaski, Va., with the Rev. John Collins and the Rev. David Hoover officiating. Interment will be in Evergreen Burial Park, Roanoke, Va., with Dr. David Hoagland officiating.
Born Aug. 24, 1917, in Noble County, Ind., he was a son of the late Elder Clarence Elsworth and Iva Elizabeth Brown Bower. He was a 1936 graduate of Winter Park High School, Winter Park, Fla. He attended Bridgewater College where he met his first wife, Helen. He served on the Board of Trustees of Bridgewater College for 20 years. He also was a 1938 graduate of Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science, Cincinnati, Ohio, where he obtained his degree in funeral service. In 1970, he and his first wife, Helen Via Bower, purchased Strickler's Funeral Homes Inc. from Stanley and Bessie Strickler which is now trading as Bower Funeral Chapels in Pulaski, Va., and Dublin, Va., where his family owns and operates the family business. He was honored in 1994 at the Virginia Funeral Directors Association Annual Convention as a "Golden Licensee" for those active in funeral service for 50 years, and had been a licensed funeral director for over 60 years. He was a life member of the Church of the Brethren in Florida and Virginia where he had served as a deacon. He was a longtime member of the Dublin Lions Club.
He was preceded in death by his first wife in 1975, Helen Frances Via Bower; one brother, Dallas Kay Bower; one sister, Ruby Bower Brallier; a mother-in-law and father-in-law, Jerry N. Via and Lala Flora Via; a brother-in-law, Richard Paul Via; and a sister-in-law, Virginia Via Koogler.
Survivors include his wife, Alberta Thompson Bower and her family of Pulaski, Va.; a daughter and son-in-law, Dana Bower and Alex Rygas of Pulaski, Va.; one son and daughter-in-law, Dallas Paul and Betty Bower of Front Royal, Va.; four grandsons, Spencer Alexandre Rygas, Aaron Christopher Rygas and Adrian Mark Rygas, all of Pulaski, Va., and David P. Bower of Roanoke, Va.; a great-granddaughter, Anna Lauren Rygas of Pulaski, Va.; a sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Christine and George Merriman of Fieldale, Va.; and a sister-in-law, Frances K. Via of Daleville, Va.
The family will receive friends Wednesday, July 2, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Bower Funeral Chapel, Pulaski, Va.
Bower Funeral Chapel in Pulaski, Va., is in charge of the arrangements.
