Person Page 843

OBITUARY

Alfred Lavender

Alfred H. "Pink" Lavender, 76, a retired public affairs officer for NASA, died Tuesday, April 25, 1995, at home in Melbourne, Florida. Mr. Lavender was born in New Florence, MO, a son of M.G. and Angie Davault Lavender. He came to Brevard County in 1954 from Hawaii.

He was a Navy pilot during World War II and the Korean War and was a former editor of the Montgomery County Leader, New Florence. Mr. Lavender sold the Montgomery County Leader to the Montgomery Standard in October 1951, because he was called back to active duty in the Navy. He was a member of the United Methodist Church of Satellite Beach, FL. He enjoyed fishing and playing golf, working in his yard and reading.

Survivors include his wife, Mary Lavender of Melbourne; a daughter, Ann Montgomery and her husband Brian; a sister-in-law, Nancy Mabrey of Melbourne, FL, and two grandchildren, Keith Montgomery and Sally Montgomery.

Graveside services will be held May 17, 1995, in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

Donations may be made to the Habitat for Humanity Fund, United Methodist Church of Satellite Beach, 450 Lee Ave., Satellite Beach, FL 32937.¹

Enlisted in U.S. Army, later a Lt. Commander, USN, served in WWII and Korea.

NEWSPAPER ARTICLE - Montgomery Standard, January 24, 1952

New Florence News

Lt. A. H. Lavender, of New Florence, who has been in the Air Intelligence School at Washington D.C., for some months, made one of the highest grades in the class. He now considered in April for the rank of Lt. Commander. He will be based on the West Coast and he and his wife and daughter, Ann, are leaving after spending a few days with his mother, Mrs. Angie Lavender, and his wife's father in Jefferson City. They are driving to the West Coast.

Obituary -- Santa Cruz Sentinel, Santa Cruz, California; Monday, May 1, 1967; Page 5 (Newspapers.com)

Harriet Dunham Died Yesterday

Harriet Dunham, 88, of 112 Mott St., died in a Santa Cruz hospital yesterday morning after suffering a heart attack at her home.

Mrs. Dunham was a native of Missouri. She moved to southern California and lived in Glendale for 22 years before coming to Santa Cruz 1n 1927. She operated the Postal Lunch on Water St. for many years. She attended Twin Lakes Baptist church.

Survivors include a son, Dr. Eugene Boring of Glendale; a stepson, Richard Dunham of Santa Cruz, seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Services will be conducted Wednesday at 2 p.m. at White's Chapel, 138 Walnut avenue with the Rev. Roy Kraft of Twin Lakes Baptist church officiating. Inurnment will follow in lOOF crematory.

; license issue reported in the 16 SEP 1924 edition of The Hanford Sentinel, page 5 (Newspapers.com).

WW II service, U.S. Navy, Lt. CMDR, Dentist, & Musician.

Draft registration 15 FEB 1942, Glendale.

Obituary -- Johnson City Press, Johnson City, Tennessee; Saturday, 5 jul 1980, p.2 (Newspapers.com):

CLYDE A. DeVAULT

Clyde A. DeVault, 79, Gray community, died at Colonial Hill Nursing Home Friday.

He was the son of the late James and Mary Cox DeVault.

Mr. DeVault was a member of Buffalo Ridge Baptist Church and a charter member of Gray Ruritan Club. He was a retired employee of Tennessee Eastman Corp.

Survivors include his wife, Mrs. Zella Isenberg DeVault; two daughters, Mrs. Kathleen Salts and Mrs. Sally Shew, both of Gray, one son, Clyde R. DeVault, Gray, one brother, Justin DeVault, Johnson City, eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Gray is in charge.

; Margaret remarried after her divorce from Justin DeVault as follows:

Dawson William Jackson - 2 NOV 1932, Washington County, AR, divorced 30 OCT 1935, Washington County, AR

Edward H. Kaufmann before April, 1940. They are listed in the 1940 census living at Rantoul, Champaign County, Illinois, where Edward was a carpenter.

Walter O. Cline 1 JUL 1945.

Obituary -- Johnson City Press, Johnson City, Tennessee; June 1, 1983

JUSTIN E. DEVAULT

Justin E. Devault, 85, 1212 West Main St., Johnson City, died Tuesday morning in the Johnson City Medical Center Hospital after a lengthy illness.

He was the son of the late Jim and Mary Cox Devault and was preceded in death by one brother.

Mr. Devault was of the Methodist faith and a past president of the Johnson City React.

Survivors include his wife, Mrs. Mary Ruth Devault; one daughter, Mrs. Margaret Swaimes, Salem, Ark.; three sons, Justin Devault Jr., Greeneville, James Devault, Independence, Mo., and Billy Devault, Spring Lake, N.C.; 14 grandchildren; four step-grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-great-grandchild.

Gray is in charge.

NOTE: The "great-great-great-grandchild" appears to be one "great" too many.

FUNERAL NOTICE - Johnson City Press, Johnson City, Tennessee; June 1, 1983:

GRAY FUNERAL HOME

Justin E. Devault

Funeral services for Justin E. Devault, 85, 1212 W. Main St., who died Tuesday morning, will be conducted at 2 p.m. Friday at the Gray Funeral Home Chapel with the Revs. Dennis Dougherty and Lynn Knight, officiating. Burial will follow at the Mount Vista Burial Park, with friends of the family serving as pallbearers. The family will receive friends Thursday evening at the funeral home. Gray Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.

OBITUARY - Johnson City, Tennessee Press, November 9, 2000:

MRS. MAMIE L.C. RANKIN

Mrs. Mamie Lee Cox Rankin, 103, 421 Old Stage Coach Road, Jonesborough, died Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2000, at her residence following a lengthy illness.

Mrs. Rankin was a Mitchell County, N.C. native and a daughter of the late Titus and Melissa Simmons Cox.

She was a homemaker.

Mrs. Rankin was a member of Liberty Hill Baptist Church, North Carolina.

She was preceded in death by her husband, William L. Rankin, in 1979.

Survivors include two sons, Horace and Robert Rankin, both of Jonesborough; and three great-grandsons, John Robert Rankin, Nathaniel Tilman Rankin and Samuel Blake Rankin; and several nieces and nephews.

Dillow-Taylor, Jonesborough (753-0514)

Funeral Notice - Johnson City, Tennessee Press, November 9, 2000:

DILLOW-TAYLOR FUNERAL HOME

Jonesborough, TN

Mrs. Mamie Lee Cox Rankin

Graveside services for Mrs. Mamie Lee Cox Rankin, age 103, 421 Old Stagecoach Rd., Jonesborough, who died Wednesday, November 8, 2000, will be conducted Friday November 10, 2000 at 2:00 PM from Fairview Cemetery with Rev. Lee Carrico officiating. Active pallbearers who are requested to meet at the cemetery at 1:45 PM will be: Paige palmer, Ed DeVault, Farrell Sutphin, Brock Pugh, Jack West and Tim Harris. Honorary pallbearer will be John Robert Rankin. Dillow-Taylor Funeral Home, Jonesborough, TN is in charge of the arrangements.

BIOGRAPHY - North Carolina, Rebuilding An Ancient Commonwealth (New York: The American Historical Society, 1926), Vol. IV, pp. 566-567. (Reprinted in Toe Valley Heritage.)

An old and substantial family of Mitchell County, North Carolina, is worthily represented by Honorable Jeter C. Burleson, clerk of the Superior Court of Mitchell County, who enjoys the distinction of being the youngest man to hold this important office in the state of North Carolina. He comes of sturdy stock. The founder of the Burleson family in America came from England to New Jersey in Colonial days, but for generations the family home has been in North Carolina, and the name has been prominent both in state and national history.

Jeter C. Burleson was born on the old family estate at Glen Ayre, Mitchell County, North Carolina, July 17, 1899, youngest son of Anderson and Hester (Ledford) Burleson, and grandson of Reuben Burleson, whose home during his entire life was at Glen Ayre, North Carolina. There he was born, reared and educated and succeeded to his father's slaves and large estates at one time being independent in fortune and prominent in public affairs in Mithcell County. He served as a soldier in the Confederate Army all though the war between the states, after the conflict returning to Glen Ayre, where he spent the rest of his life as a farmer. He married Miss Doris Blalock, who was born in 1837 and still survives, residing at Glen Ayre. She comes of a long-lived family, her brother, the late Capt. John C. Blalock, a Confederate veteran and also a minister of the Missionary Baptist Church, living to the unusual age of 101 years, his death taking place in 1926 at Ledger in Mitchell County. Both as a man of war and man of peace, he was distinguished.

Anderson Burleson, for many years prominent in the business and public affairs of Mitchell County, was born at Glen Ayre in 1861 and resided there all his life, his unnatural death occurring June 27, 1907. He operated several sawmills and was an extensive farmer. In political life he was a republican and for a number of years served with great efficiency and public spirit on the Board of County Commissioners of Mitchell County. In Masonry he was a member of Bakersville Lodge No. 357, A. F. and A. M., of which he was a past master, and he was also a past grand of Bakersville Lodge No. 158, I. O. O. F. He was himself a faithful member and reared his children in the faith of the Missionary Baptist Church. He married at Glen Ayre Miss Hester Ledford, who was born there in 1870 and still resides at Glen Ayre. Four sons and two daughters were born to them: Robert Chester, who is a commercial traveler, resides near Bakersville; Bertie, who is the wife of Stephen C. Miller, a farmer near Bakersville; Ed, wo was a veteran of the World War, died on the homefarm when but twenty-four years old, from illness contracted while in the service of his country; Aught, who is a farmer near Bakersville; Jeter C., who is the fifth of the family in order of birth; and Nora, who resides with her mother.

During early boyhood Jeter C. Burleson attended the public schools near his home and later completed his high school course at Bakersville, where he was graduated with the class of 1917, after which for two years he attended the Appalachian Training College at Boone, Watauga County, North Carolina, where the instruction was sound and practical. In 1919 he was elected principal of the high school at Glen Ayre, in which position he continued until he entered upon the duties of Superior Court clerk in December, 1922, to which important office he had been elected in the preceding November. In June of the present year he was again elected for a term of four years, having the largest majority of any man seeking public office in the county, carrying all but one township. He maintains his offices in the courthouse at Bakersville. Although unusually young to be entrusted with the responsibilities of such an office, he has proved thoroughly capable, mastering every detail and meeting every official problem with understanding and accuracy, and at the same time personally creating a most desirable atmosphere of official courtesy and accomodation.

Mr. Burleson devotes all his time to his official duties and seldom is absent from Bakersville, in which city he owns a comfortable and attractive residence situated on Main Street. He owns also a large and productive farm at Glen Ayre. In political life he is a republican. In Masonry he belongs to Bakersville Lodge No. 357, A. F. and A. M., in which he fills the office of junior warden, and is a member also of Bakersville Lodge No. 158, I. O. O. F., in which he is noble grand, and of Bakersville Council No. 354, Jr. O. U. A. M. Almost from boyhood he has been a member of the Missionary Baptist Church. Mr. Burleson is not married.

OBITUARY:

Dr.Philip D. Weems, 76, Veteran Physician, Dies

Dr.Philip D. Weems, 76,of 2127 25th St., died Thursday night at home after a long illness. A native of McMinnville,Tenn., he was a practicing general physician for 53 years. A former chief of staff at Mercy hospital, he was a member of the medical staffs of Mercy, Scioto Memorial and Souther Hills hospitals. He attended Tusculum College at Greeneville, Tenn.,for undergraduate study and was graduated from the University of Tennessee at Memphis. Dr.Weems served the federal government in public health care at Staten Island Hospital in New York, and Veterans Hospital at Chillicothe. He came to Portsmouth to practice medicine in 1937. Dr.weems served in the Navy Seabees in World War II, served in New Guinea as a lieutenant commander, and saw combat in the South Pacific. Also a medical examiner for the Naval Reserve, he was a member of the American Medical Association, Scioto County Medical Society and the American Academy of Family Practice. He is survived by his wife, Mrs.Nellie Distel Weems; two sons, James P. and Paul D., both of Portsmouth; two daughters, Penny Sue McCaffrey of Bridgewater, N.J., and Vickie M.Weems of Cincinnati; two brothers, Dr. J. J. Weems of Memphis, Tenn., and Robert M. Weems of Charlotte, N. C., and eight grand-children. Services are planned at 10 a.m. Monday at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, of which he was a member, with interment in Greenlawn Cemetery. Friends may call at Daehler Funeral Home from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday and from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday. Recitation of the rosary is planned at 8 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home. The family's favorite charity is the Mercy Hospital Foundation.

OBITUARY #2:

He Never Forgot

Death has taken from the community a man who devoted more than a half-century to the practice of

healing and comforting. A few years ago he announced plans for retirement but dedication to his profession and deep personal concern for the individuals and families who loved and trusted him, and had come to depend on his care and counsel, brought him back to his office until his final illness. Dr. Philip D.Weems, dead at 76, touched countless lives since he came to Portsmouth in 1937 to begin the general practice of medicine, and all who knew him are the richer for the experience. His distinguished career included government service in public health care at Staten Island Hospital in new York and the Veterans Administration Hospital at Chillicothe. World War II took him to New Guinea with the Navy's Construction Battalion (Seabees) and combat in the bloody campaign to regain control of the South Pacific. Caring for his patients at Mercy, Scioto Memorial and Southern Hills hospitals, the years took their toll but the oath he swore upon graduation from the University of Tennessee at Memphis so many decades ago still inspired him. "You do solemnly swear, each man by whatever he holds most sacred, that you will be loyal to the profession of medicine...that you will lead your lives and practice your art in uprightness and honor; that into whatsoever house you shall enter, it shall be for the good of the sick to the utmost of your power...that whatsoever you shall see or hear of the lives of men which is not fitting to be spoken, you will keep inviolably secret." He never forgot and his family, his patients, his friends and his colleagues always will remember him.

OBITUARY:

Nellie Weems, 80, volunteer

Nellie D. Weems, 80, of Portsmouth, died Monday morning, Dec. 26, 1994, at home after a long

illness. She was with her family. Born Feb. 3, 1914, in Portsmouth, she was the daughter of James R.and Nellie Questel Distel. She has been actively involved as a volunteer at Notre Dame High School for 26 years. She assisted her sister, Ruth Kelso in establishing and coaching the Notre Dame girls track team. Together they coached the team to an SOC championship in their first year and won four other SOC championships in their 11-year coaching careers. She has served as a volunteer in the school cafeteria. She has been a volunteer and member of the Mercy Hospital Guild serving as past president of that organization. Nellie has been involved in the local tennis scene beginning when she was 9 years old and playing on the clay courts at the reservoir and Mound Park. She was one of the area's leading players in her prime and won several area and local championships. She continued playing tennis regularly until her illness prevented it. With her partner, Julie Peebles, she won several USTA women's 75 doubles championships and they were ranked fourth nationally. Nellie was a volunteer reader for the local Radio Reading Service. She was a member of the Manila Rebekah Lodge of the I.O.O.F. and the Ladies Auxiliary of the V.F.W. She was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. P. D. Weems, March 15, 1984; two sisters, Mary Eliabeth McNamara and Georgeann Distel; and two brothers, Roger and James Distel. She is survived by two sons, Jim Weems of Lexington, Ky., and Danny Weems of Portsmouth; two daughters, Penny McCaffrey of Warsaw, Ind., and Vicki Weems of Cincinnati; a sister, Ruth Kelso of Portsmouth; 11 grandchildren; several nieces, nephews and cousins. She was a graduate of the former Holy Redeemer High School and attended Ohio State University. She was a member of Holy Redeemer Catholic Church her entire life. Services will be held at 10 a.m.Thursday at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Portsmouth, with the Rev. David Funk officiating, and interment in Greenlawn Cemetery. Friends may call from 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 p.m.Wednesday at Melcher Funeral Home in Portsmouth, where recitation of rosary will be held at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. The family suggests contributions be made to the Notre Dame Developement Fund, the Notre Dame Athletic Association for the girls track team and Hospice of Southern Ohio.