Obituaries - 01/11/01

James Turpin

James "J.C." Turpin, 74, of Asbury Road, Asheville, died Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2001, in Memorial Mission Hospital.

Funeral services were Friday, Jan. 5, at 2 p.m. in the Morris Funeral Home Chapel. Dr. Earl Mosely officiated. Burial was in Ashlawn Gardens of Memory.

A native of Jackson County, he was the son of the late Troy C. and Clara Lou Oxner Turpin. He was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, attended Beaverdam Baptist Church, and was retired from Community Lumber Co.

Surviving are his wife, Evelyn Crawford Turpin.; two sons, Robert Turpin of Swannanoa and Bill Turpin of Fletcher; one sister, Lou Ellen Crawford of Fairview; and five grandchildren.

Condolences may be e-mailed to Morrisfh@aol.com.

William Hollis

William Ernest Hollis, 56, of Laurel Knob Road, Cashiers, died Sunday, Dec. 31, 2000, at his residence.

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 3, at Hamburg Baptist Church. The Revs. Everette Wilson, Lester Sutton and Johnny Norris officiated. Burial was in Norton Cemetery.

A native of Fulton County, Ga., he was a former resident of Port Orange, Fla. He was a member of Hamburg Baptist Church in Glenville and son of the late Sharron Ernest Hollis.

He battled Multiple Sclerosis for 30 years. Prior to his disability, he worked with General Electric in Atlanta, where he coached Little League.

Surviving are his wife, Judith Childers Hollis; his mother, Georgia Martin of Stone Mountain, Ga.; one brother, Dwayne Hollis of Atlanta; and three sisters, Beverly Melton of Morrow, Ga., Dolores Price of Dallas, Ga., and Brenda Johns of Douglasville, Ga.

Moody Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Memorials may be made to the Multiple Sclerosis National Society.

Hal Keener Jr.

Hal Reed Keener Jr., 61, of Shingletown, Calif., died Monday, Jan. 1, 2001, at his residence.

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 7, at Open Door Community Church in Shingletown. The Rev. Jerry Hambelton officiated.

A native of Jackson County, he moved to Davis, Calif., in 1996. He was a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier and a U.S. Navy veteran of Vietnam.

Surviving are his wife, Judy Keener; two sons, James Keener of Fresno, Calif., and David Keener of Brawley, Calif.; two daughters, Lisa Engles of Davis, Calif., and Kendra Beatty of Vacaville, Calif.; one brother, Ray Keener of Winnemucca, Nev.; one half-brother, Edward Welch of South Carolina; his father, Hal Keener Sr. of Oregon; his mother, Edith Welch of North Carolina; and 17 grandchildren.

Clarence Dillard

Clarence Harold Dillard, 71, of Jim Sellers Road, Sylva, died Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2001, in Harris Regional Hospital after an extended illness.

Funeral services were held at 11 a.m. Friday, Jan. 5, in the chapel at Melton-Riddle Funeral Home. The Rev. Tim Gibson officiated. Burial was in Fairview Memorial Gardens. Pallbearers were Paul McDonald, Glen Durham, Dale Mathis, Carol Hyatt, Bobby Pace and Mike Todd.

A native and lifelong resident of Jackson County, he was a U.S. Navy veteran. Formerly employed with Dayco, he was the last surviving child of the late John and Florence Rhinehart Dillard.

Surviving are his wife, Dorothy C. Dillard; one daughter, Jill Barnes of Charlotte; one son, Bruce Dillard of Canton; and one grandson.

Nita Reed

Nita Lillie Mae Reed, 61, of Cherokee, died Friday, Jan. 6, 2001, after a long illness at the Cherokee Indian Hospital.

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 7, at Big Cove Baptist Church. The Revs. Denny Crowe and James"Bo" Parris officiated. Burial was in Reed Family Cemetery on Wrights Creek Road, Cherokee.

She was preceded in death by her mother, Lucy Rattler, and her father, Red Cornwell.

Surviving are one sister, Jeanette Teesateskie of Robbinsville; three daughters, Carolyn R. Panther, Marcelina Long and Darlene Reed, all of Cherokee; two sons, Bubba Reed and Bubby Reed, both of Cherokee; 14 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.

Online memorial and guest book registrations are available at www.pemoody.com.

Nina Plemmons

Nina Elizabeth Parker Plemmons, 92, of 100 Silver Bluff Drive, Canton, died Sunday, Jan. 7, 2001, at Haywood Regional Medical Center.

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 10, in the Canton Chapel of Wells Funeral Home. The Revs. Virgil Holloway, Matthew Pruett and James Huey officiated. Burial was at Bon-A-Venture Cemetery on Old Clyde Road.

A native of Washington, she was a daughter of the late Lem and Celia Parker. She was the wife of Bannon Sygby"Bill" Plemmons, who died in 1985. She was a member of West Canton Baptist Church.

She was preceded in death by one daughter, Marilou Plemmons Mason, who died in 1996.

Surviving are one daughter, Sue Smathers of Waynesville; one sister, Alice Stanford of Sylva; two brothers, David T. Parker of Sylva and Harry Parker of Georgetown, S.C.; five grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to the Building Fund at West Canton Baptist Church, 75 Lowe Street Canton, N.C. 28716; or to Haywood Regional Medical Center Hospice, 560 Leroy George Drive, Clyde, N.C. 28721.

Clayton Hooper

Clayton Hooper, 91, of Cullowhee's Tilley Creek community, died Sunday, Jan. 7, 2001, at his residence.

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 10, in the chapel of Moody Funeral Home. The Rev. Verlon Bryson officiated. Burial was in Hooper Cemetery. Pallbearers were David Sturgill, Andy Hooper, Wayne Hooper, Ralph Hooper, Lee Wall and Charles Stallings.

A native and lifelong resident of Jackson County, he was a retired farmer. He was a disabled veteran of World War II and son of the late William A. and Rosetta Pressley Hooper.

He was preceded in death by one brother, William Clayton Hooper; and one sister, Mae Norton.

Surviving are his wife, June Hooper; one son, Randall Hooper of Cullowhee; one daughter, Judy Ann Hooper Powell of Waynesville; two grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

James Buchanan

James Curtis "Jake" Buchanan, 75, of Wildwood, Fla., died Thursday, Jan. 4, 2001, after an extended illness.

Funeral services were held at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 9, in the chapel of Banks-Page-Theus Funeral Home of Wildwood. Burial was held in the National Veterans Cemetery in Bushnell, Fla.

A native of Jackson County, he was a veteran of World War II. He was retired from Lee-Con Construction Co. in Leesburg, Fla.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Tom Lawson Buchanan and Bessie McMahan Buchanan.

Surviving are two daughters, Linda Sue Alpine of Waynesville and Joyce Ann Green of Sylva; two sons, James Buchanan Jr. of Clyde and Richard Scott Buchanan of Sylva; one brother, Adam Lawrence Buchanan of Sylva; six sisters, Emma Lee McMahan, Zilla McMahan, Marie Jones and Jessie Hall, all of Sylva, Hazel Jones of Franklin and Ruby Green of Port Charlotte, Fla.; seven

Julia Moore

Julia Baye Bumgarner Moore, 91, of Sylva, died Saturday, Dec. 30, 2000, while a resident of Skyland Care Center.

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 5, in the chapel of Moody Funeral Home. The Rev. Loy Kennedy officiated. Burial was at Fairview Memorial Gardens.

A lifelong resident of Jackson County, she was a daughter of Thaddeus Bowman and Laura Stewart Bumgarner. She attended school in Jackson County and was a lifelong member of Speedwell United Methodist Church.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 60 years, James Edgar Moore; four sisters, Ethel Bumgarner, Lucy Bumgarner Holden, Mae Bumgarner Pressley and Maude Bumgarner Hooper; three brothers, Edgar Bumgarner, Alvin Bumgarner and James Olin Bumgarner; and two children, Betty Jo Ward and Lane H. Moore.

Surviving are one brother, Fred Bumgarner; four sons, James R. Moore of Las Vegas, Nev., Russell Moore of Cornelius, Stephen Moore of Charlotte and Douglas Moore of Franklin; two daughters, Jean Dinsmore of Las Vegas and Elizabeth Ann Amster of Gaffney, S.C.; 20 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; and five great-great-grandchildren.

Memorials may be sent to Speedwell United Methodist Church, Cullowhee, N.C. 28723.

Roxanne Lambert

Roxanne Swayney Lambert, 79, of Hydes, Md., and Cherokee, died Monday, Jan. 8, 2001.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. today (Thursday) at Straight Fork Baptist Church. Burial will be in Swayney Family Cemetery.

The family was to have received friends from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 10, at Bill Moody Funeral Home, Bryson City.

Doyle Maxwell

Doyle Maxwell, 70, of Pewter Lane, Sylva, died Sunday, Jan. 7, 2001, at his residence after a period of declining health.

Funeral services will be held at 9 p.m. tonight (Thursday) in the chapel of Melton-Riddle Funeral Home. The Rev. Mike Dillinger will officiate. Burial will be at 11 a.m. Friday, Jan. 12, at Woodlawn Memorial Park in Greenville, S.C.

Pallbearers will be M.C. Griffiths, Dwight Smith, Perry Belcher, Cody Lunsford, Howard Reagen and Paul McKeranhan.

A native of Avilla, Mo., he had lived in Jackson County since 1978. He retired from the Bureau of Indian Affairs as a civil engineer. He was a son of the late James Benjamin and Geldia Kollenburn Maxwell.

He was preceded in death by one daughter, Cynthia Lynn Maxwell.

Surviving are his wife, Lorena S. Maxwell; one daughter, Melissa Miller of Denver, Colo.; one brother, John K. Maxwell of Carthage, Miss.; and two grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to Hospice, 68 Hospital Road, Sylva, N.C. 28779.

Vera Rigali

Vera Rumolo Rigali, 84, of North Main Street, Canton, formerly of Sylva, died Sunday, Jan. 7, 2001, at Canton Health Care Center.

Funeral services were held at Saint Joseph's Roman Catholic Church in Staten Island, N.Y.

A native of Staten Inland, she was a daughter of the late Nicholas and Theresa Masterberti Rumolo. She was a homemaker, a ceramic instructor and a member of Saint Joseph's Roman Catholic Church in Staten Island. She moved to Sylva in 1986 where she attended Saint Mary's Catholic Church.

Surviving are two daughters, Barbara Jaynes of Sylva and Virginia Worley of Canton; one sister, Mary Ferrari of Staten Island; two brothers, Buddy Rumolo of Rumson, N.J., and Nicky Rumolo of Florida; and two grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, 3 Louisiana Ave., Asheville, N.C. 28806.