The funeral will be Thursday for Ralph Coe Beard Jr., 72, The Plaza, who died Monday (Jan. 17, 2000) at University Hospital, Charlotte.

BornApril 13, 1927, in Cumberland, Md., Mr. Beard was a son of the late Ralph Coe and Mabel Van Metre Beard. He was educated in the Cumberland, Md., schools, where he graduated from Fort Hill High School and lettered in football, basketball, baseball and track. A graduate of Virginia Tech, he lettered in football, baseball and basketball.

He won national acclaim as an athlete while at Virginia Tech. In football, he was a second team All-American. All-Conference, he played in Virginia Tech’s first post-season Bowl Game, the Sun Bowl in El Paso,Texas, against the University of Cincinnati. He was awarded the Most Valuable Player of the game.

In baseball, he was an All-Conference performer at first base, had a batting average of over 400 and was drafted to play professional baseball by the Boston Braves.

An industrial engineer, he had been employed with Reeves Brothers in New York City and Mooresville, where he was plant manager in Cornelius. He had also worked at Celanese Corporation, Greenville, S.C., and Dan River, Inc., at Wunda Weave Carpet Division, where he was a manufacturing representative until 1988. He later became a real estate broker for Caldwell Banker/ Crown Realty in Salisbury.

A veteran, he served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. He was a member of Thyatira Presbyterian Church.

His first wife, Marion Seay Beard, died June 25, 1975.

Survivors include wife Phoebe Anne Hall Beard, whom he married July 28, 1985; son John Robert Beard, Washington, D.C.; daughter Rebecca AnnBeard, Markham, Roanoke, Va.; brother Richard Van Metre Beard, Roanoke, Va.; and two grandchildren.

Services: 11 a.m. Thursday, Thyatira PresbyterianChurch, conducted by the Rev. Malcolm Bullock.

The body will be taken to Lomax Funeral Home, Buena Vista, Va., where visitation will be held from 11a.m.-noon Saturday followed by burial at 12:30 p.m. at Greenhill Cemetery, Buena Vista, Va. The Rev. Franklin Howell, pastor, St. John’s United Methodist Church, will officiate.

Visitation: 10-11 a.m. Thursday in the parlor of Thyatira Presbyterian Church.

Summersett Funeral Home is in charge of local arrangements.

Memorials: Thyatira Presbyterian Church, SarahHall Jordan Scholarship Fund, 220 White Road, Salisbury, N.C. 28147.

Watson Childers

MOUNT ULLA — Harold Watson Childers, 79, Highway 801, died Tuesday (Jan. 18, 2000) at Lake Norman Regional Medical Center, Mooresville.

Born Nov. 9, 1919, in Rowan County, he was a son of the late Mitchell Watson and Ollie Poston Childers. Mr. Childers was a retired farmer and a member of Triplett United Methodist Church, Mooresville.

Services: 3 p.m. Thursday, Cavin Funeral Home Chapel, Mooresville. Burial, Triplett United Methodist Church Cemetery.

Visitation: 2 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home.

Memorials: Triplett United Methodist Church, 838 Mazeppa Road, Mooresville, N.C. 28115.

Patricia Jackson Clark

Patricia Louise Jackson Clark, 42, Boundary Street, died Tuesday (Jan. 18, 2000) at Rowan Regional Medical Center after six months of serious illness.

Born Aug. 14, 1957, in Salisbury, Mrs. Clark was a daughter of the late Clarence and Jessie Mae Johnson Jackson. A graduate of Salisbury High School, she was last employed at Rowan Regional Medical Center. She was a member of Hall’s ChapelPrimitive Baptist Church and a veteran of the U.S. Army.

Survivors include husband Johnny D. Clark, Lexington; son Johnny Clark Jr., Lexington; daughters Kimberly Jackson, Salisbury, and Rashida Clark, Lexington; and brothers Andree, Richard and James Jackson, all of Salisbury.

Noble and Kelsey Funeral Home is in charge.

Henry A. Jones

LEXINGTON — Henry A. Jones, 79, a resident of 315 Moore Drive, died Monday (Jan. 17, 2000) at Lexington Memorial Hospital.

Mr. Jones was born July 17, 1920, in Ashe County, the son of John Arthur and Sarah Ann Curd Jones. A veteran of World War II, he served in the U.S. Army and Air Force and retired from the Air Force in 1961. He was later employed by the VA Medical Center in Salisbury, retiring in 1981. He was a self-employed tool sharpener as long as his health permitted. He was a member of First Pentecostal Holiness Church, where he was a member of the Senior Adult Sunday School Class.

Survivors include wife Nettie Lee Craven Jones, whom he married Sept. 12, 1949; daughters Olivia A. King, Lexington, and Susan Jones Ruff, Columbia, S.C.; sisters Ruth Dickerson, Darlington, Md., and Nellie Wyatt, Lexington; brothers Emmett F. Jones, Tuscon, Ariz., and Charlie W. Jones of Mountain City, Tenn.; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Services: 2 p.m. Thursday, Timberlake Chapel, Piedmont Funeral Home, conducted by the Rev. Wayne Knight and the Rev. Henry Reese. Burial, Forest Hill memorial park.

Visitation: 7-8:30 p.m. tonight at the funeral home and other times at the home.

Memorials: Youth Church of the First Pentecostal Holiness Church, 1448 E. U.S. Hwy. 64, Lexington, N.C. 27292.

Camilla Byrd Long

ALBEMARLE — Camilla Irene Byrd Long, 90, 441 Montgomery Ave., died Tuesday (Jan. 18, 2000) at Stanly Memorial Hospital.

Born Sept. 17, 1909, in Biloxi, Miss., Mrs. Long was a daughter of the late Lucy Irene Jones and Charles Hampton Byrd.

A member of Westminster Presbyterian Church, she was employed by Stanly Memorial Hospital in the admitting department.

Her husband, Melvern James Long, and two daughters, Beverly and Linda Long, preceded her in death.

Survivors include daughters Sue Long Black, Fayetteville, and Anita Long Gower, Albemarle; sister Vivian Byrd Sells, Albemarle; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Services: 11 a.m. Thursday, Hartsell Funeral Home’s Lefler Memorial Chapel, conducted by the Rev. Lee Shelnutt. Burial, Fairview Memorial Park.

Visitation: 7-8:30 p.m. tonight at the funeral home and at other times at the home of daughter Anita Gower, 530 Avondale Ave.

The funeral will be Thursday for Ellen Moore Messick, 82, Salisbury, who died Monday (Jan. 17, 2000) at Autumn Care of Salisbury after a period of declining health.

Born May 11, 1917, in Rowan County, Mrs. Messick was a daughter of the late David and Virgie Mae Byerly Moore. She was educated in the Rowan County schools. She had worked at North Carolina Finishing Co., later retiring from Salisbury VAMedical Center. A member of Smith Grove Baptist Church, Linwood, she was a member of the Baptist Women and the Ladies Sunday School Class.

Her husband, Ralph Messick, preceded her in death.

Survivors include daughter Mrs. Bobby (Marlene)Kepley, Salisbury; brother David Moore, Salisbury; sisters Hazel Grubb, Rockwell, and Viola Simerson, Salisbury; three granddaughters; four step-grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and five step-great-grandchildren.

Services: 2 p.m.Thursday, Smith Grove Baptist Church, Linwood, conducted by the Rev. Greg Barefoot. The body will be placed in the church at 1:30. Burial, family plot in church cemetery.

Visitation: 7-8:30 tonight, Lyerly Funeral Home.

Memorials: Smith Grove Baptist Church, 3462 Sowers Road, Linwood,N.C. 27299.

Linda L. Pindell

WOODLEAF — Linda L. Pindell, 50, 3875 Needmore Road, died Wednesday (Jan. 18, 2000) at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem.

Whitley’s Funeral Home, Kannapolis, is in charge.

Barbara S. Anderson

MOCKSVILLE — Barbara Seamon Anderson, 64, Richie Road, died Monday (Jan. 17, 2000) at the Kate B. Reynolds Hospice Home.

Born Aug. 23, 1935, in Davie County, Mrs. Anderson was a daughter of the late Mary Jane Hendricks and Clyde Seamon.

She worked 12 years with the Davie County Enterprise and was a nursing assistant for CAP. Mrs. Anderson was a member of North Main Street Church of Christ.

Survivors include her husband, Hayden W. Anderson; three sons, Patrick Austin and Alan Anderson, both of Mocksville, and Randy Anderson, Winston-Salem; two stepsons, Arnold Anderson, Mocksville, and Doug Anderson, Kernersville; a daughter, Renee Pots, Mocksville; a stepdaughter, Judy Brinkley, Welcome; three brothers, Millard Seamon, Granite Quarry, and Cecil and Wayne Seamon, both of Mocksville; a sister, Maroline Benson, China Grove; 16 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.

Services: 2 p.m. Friday, North Main Street Church of Christ, conducted by David Powell and Robert Darnell. Burial, Jericho Church of Christ cemetery.

Visitation: 1-2 p.m. Friday at the church. Davie Funeral Service is in charge.

Memorials: Kate B. Reynolds Hospice Home, 101 Hospice Lane, Winston-Salem, N.C. 27103.

Robert ‘Bob’ Harold Ashby

KANNAPOLIS — Robert “Bob” Harold Ashby, 74, 3282 Woodchuck Drive, died Tuesday (Jan. 18, 2000) at his home.

Born Jan. 11, 1926, in Cabarrus County, Mr. Ashby was the son of the late Allen Long and Miney Stewart Ashby.

He was the former owner of several restaurants in the area, including Bob’s Drive-in, Locust, Ashby’s Seafood and Steaks and Bob’s Lunches, both in Concord.

Mr. Ashby was a member of North Kannapolis Wesleyan Church, a veteran of the U.S. Army during World War II and a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Survivors include his wife, Frances McGuire Ashby; five stepchildren, Lana T. Drake and Patricia T. Page, both of Locust, Ricky A. Donaldson, China Grove, Charlotte D. Baker, Norway, Rocky L. Donaldson, Kannapolis; a sister, Blanche Ashby Moose, Concord; and 20 step-grandchildren and step-great-grandchildren.

Services: 11 a.m. Thursday, Whitley’s Funeral Home, conducted by the Rev. Edwin Luther. Burial, West Lawn Memorial Park, China Grove.

Visitation: 6-8 tonight, Whitley’s Funeral Home.

Memorials: North Kannapolis Wesleyan Church, 314 W. 12th St., Kannapolis, N.C. 28081.

Helen Cassidy Atterbury

The funeral mass will be Friday for Helen Cassidy Atterbury, 85, who died Saturday (Jan. 15, 2000) in Plano, Texas.

Born Aug. 19, 1914, in Columbia, Mo., Mrs. Atterbury was a daughter of the late Richard and Mary Cassidy. She had lived in Alexandria, Va., Charlotte and most recently in Fredericksburg, Va., where she was a member of St. Matthew’s Catholic Church.

She was preceded in death by her husband, William E. Atterbury.

Survivors include daughters Ann A. Richard, Fredericksburg, Va., and Mary A. “Betsy” Kieffer, Plano, Texas, and formerly of Salisbury; a brother John G. Cassidy, Columbia, Mo.; and four grandchildren.

Services: 9 a.m. Friday funeral mass, Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Burial, Salisbury National Cemetery.

Visitation: None.

Theolar ‘Caldonia’ Cousar

Theolar “Caldonia” Cousar, 92, 722-A W. Kerr St., died Tuesday (Jan. 18, 2000) at Rowan Regional Medical Center, after a serious illness of a year.

Born Sept. 8, 1907, in McColl, S.C., she was the daughter of the late Alex and Minnie Riggins Cousar. Educated in the McColl, S.C., public schools, she was a domestic worker and a member of Mt. Zion Baptist Church.

The family will meet at the home on West Kerr Street. Mitchell & Fair Funeral Service is in charge.

Aubrey Litaker

CONCORD — Aubrey Litaker, 79, 4424 U.S. 601S, died Tuesday (Jan. 18, 2000) at NorthEast Medical Center.

A daughter, Mrs. Jimmy (Tonda) Kepley, lives in Salisbury.

Services: 11 a.m. Thursday, Center United Methodist Church, conducted by the Rev. Barry Queen. Burial, church cemetery.

Visitation: 7-8:30 tonight, Hartsell Funeral Home of Concord.

Memorials: Aubrey Litaker Memorial Fund, Piedmont Residential Development Center, Christy Woods Home, P.O. Box 909, Concord, N.C. 28026-0909.

Abraham Thomas

The funeral will be Friday for Abraham Thomas, 78, 2205 Woodleaf Road, who died Sunday (Jan. 16, 2000) at Longview Assisted Living in Morganton. He had been in declining health for several years.

Born June 22, 1921, in Kingstree, S.C., Mr. Thomas was a son of the late George Melvin and Hanna Cooper Thomas. Educated in the Kingstree, S.C., public schools, he was a retired custodian and served in the U.S. Army during World War II.

Survivors include three daughters, Delores Owens, Irvington, N.J., Minnie Thomas, Salisbury, and Sandra Drayton, Newark, N.J.; a brother, Tom Thomas, Columbia, S.C.; nine grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

Services: 12:30 p.m. Friday, A.R. Kelsey Memorial Chapel of Noble & Kelsey Funeral Home, conducted by the Rev. James L. Stowe. Burial, U.S. National Cemetery, with military rites by the Rowan County Veterans Council.

Visitation: Noon Friday at the funeral home.

Margaret Underwood

EAST SPENCER — The funeral will be Thursday for Margaret Kelly Underwood, 71, 315 Correll St., who died Friday (Jan. 14, 2000) at Rowan Regional Medical Center. She had been in declining health five years.

Born Dec. 10, 1927, in Rowan County, Mrs. Underwood was a daughter of the late Irene Threadgill and Louis Walter Kelly. She graduated from Dunbar High School in 1947 and attended nursing school at Shaw University.

She had been a nurse’s assistant at Rowan Regional Medical Center and for Dr. Winsel O. Black.

She was a member of Shady Grove Baptist Church and its Senior Choir. She was a former member of the Pearl Chapter of the Order of Eastern Star and a member of the Mud Turtle Club.

Survivors include sons Charles T. Underwood, East Spencer, and Michael K. Underwood, High Point; daughter Cheryl Hunter, East Spencer; brothers John Kelly, Washington, D.C., and Amos Kelly, Columbus, Ga.; sisters Pauline Flood, Detroit, Mich., and Willette Kelly Hollar, East Spencer; eight grandchildren; and a companion, Walter Howell of Salisbury.

Services: Noon Thursday, Shady Grove Baptist Church, conducted by John Gaston, pastor. Burial, church cemetery.

Visitation: 11 a.m.-noon Thursday at the church. Rowan Funeral Service is in charge.

Charlie ‘Buzz’ Williams

MOCKSVILLE — Charlie Harrison “Buzz” Williams, 84, U.S. 158 East, died Monday (Jan. 17, 2000) at Autumn Care of Mocksville.

Born Aug. 27, 1915, in Davie County, Mr. Williams was a son of the late Beulah Jane Hanes and Charlie Franklin Williams.

He graduated from Smith Grove High School in 1933 and Piedmont Bible Institute in 1952. He had retired after working for Western Electric/AT&T for more than 26 years.

Mr. Williams was a member of Cornatzer Baptist Church, where he taught the Adult Bible Class for more than 40 years. He was a member of Telephone Pioneers of America and a veteran of the U.S. Navy during World War II.

His wife, Helen McCulloh Williams, died in 1997.

Survivors include a son, Charlie Wayne Williams, Mocksville; a daughter, Joyce W. Charles, Mocksville; three grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

Services: 2 p.m. Thursday, Eaton Funeral Chapel, conducted by the Rev. Richard Whitehart, the Rev. Elmer Day and the Rev. B.A. Carroll. Burial, Cornatzer Baptist Church cemetery.

Visitation: 7-8:30 tonight, Eaton Funeral Service.