The funeral will be Thursday for Reep Sasser Beck, 91, The Meadows of Rockwell, formerly of 4970 S. Main St., Salisbury, who died Monday (Feb. 28, 2000) at The Laurels of Salisbury.

Born Oct. 28, 1908, in Montgomery County, Mrs. Beck was a daughter of the late Javus Durant and Tero Haithcock Sasser. Educated in the Montgomery County schools, she had formerly been employed by Cone Mill and Robert Allen Manufacturing. She was a member of Grace Lutheran Church.

Her husband, Guilford Odell Beck, died Sept. 22, 1998, and a daughter, Carolyn B. Miller, died Sept. 3, 1965.

Survivors include daughter Sally B. Corriher, China Grove; brother Jack Sasser, Salisbury; three grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Services: 2 p.m. Thursday, Grace Lutheran Church, conducted by the Rev. David Nelson, interim pastor. Burial, Rowan MemorialPark.

Visitation: 7-8:30 tonight, Linn-Honeycutt Funeral Home,China Grove. At other times the family will be at the home of Sally B. Corriher, 445 Corriher Gravel Road, China Grove.

Memorials: Grace Lutheran Church, 3020 Grace Church Road,Salisbury, N.C. 28147.

Mary W. Brawley

MOORESVILLE — Mary Elizabeth Westmoreland Brawley, 74, 705 W. Park Ave., died Tuesday (Feb. 29, 2000) at her home.

Born Jan. 4, 1926, in IredellCounty, Mrs. Brawley was a daughter of Mary Ethel Overcash Westmoreland, Troutman, and the late Jason H. Westmoreland. She was a homemaker.

Survivors include husband Mitchell S. Brawley; son Cam Brawley, Mooresville; daughter Mrs. Buddy (Brenda)Sigmon, Mooresville; brothers Jason H. Westmoreland Jr., Troutman, and Grover W. Westmoreland, Hendersonville; sisters Phyllis Witherspoon, Mooresville, and Winona Sherrill, Albemarle; and two grandsons.

Services: 7 p.m. Thursday, Neill Funeral Home Chapel, conducted by the Rev. David Christy, the Rev. Donna Smith and the Rev. Susan Hardway. Burial, St. James Episcopal Church.

Visitation: At the funeral home after the service.

Memorials: Hospice of Iredell County, Inc., P.O. Box 822, Statesville, N.C. 28687.

Gail Beck Carriker

Gail Beck Carriker, 61, Salisbury, died Wednesday (March 1, 2000) at Rowan Regional Medical Center.

Lyerly Funeral Home is in charge.

Eleanor Barker Hardin

GAITHERSBURG, Md. — Eleanor Barker Hardin, Gaithersburg, a former Salisbury, N.C. resident, died Saturday (Feb. 12, 2000).

Born April 30, 1925, in Ann Arbor, Mich., Mrs. Hardin was the daughter of the late Dr. and Mrs. Paul Barker. On July 16, 1946, she married Ernest L. Hardin Jr. of the U.S. Army Engineers Corps.

They were stationed at numerous Army posts in the United States and abroad and had resided in Salisbury , N.C., for several years at one point. After her husband retired from the armed forces, they settled in Odessa, Del.

Her husband died Oct. 29, 1990.

Survivors include daughters Paula H. Wix, Chicago, Susan H. Marshall, Fairfax, Va., and Amy Hardin Sturrock, Gaithersburg; son Ernest L. Hardin III, Las Vegas, Nev.; brother John Barker, St. Louis, Mo.; sister Elizabeth H. Taylor, Salisbury, N.C.; and six grandchildren.

A memorial service was held Feb. 19 at the Episcopal Church of the Ascension, Gaithersburg. Burial will be at West Point, N.Y.

Vann L. Helms

KILL DEVIL HILL — Vann L. Helms, 65, Kill Devil Hill, died Monday (Feb. 28, 2000) at Sentara Hospital, Norfolk, Va.

Born Sept. 16, 1934, in Stanly County, Mr. Helms was a son of the late Lloyd and Sophia Helms. He was educated in the Mooresville City schools. He served three years in the U.S. Navy, and later enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, retiring after 20 years at the rank of Master Sgt.

Survivors include sons Vann Helms Jr. and Joe Helms, both of Myrtle Beach, S.C.; daughters Rebecca Helms, Puerto Rico, and Lisa Helms and Dana Clark, both of Kill Devil Hill; brother Leonard Helms, Salisbury; sister Mrs. Steve (Noreen) McNeely, Mount Ulla; and four grandchildren.

The body will be cremated and a memorial service held at a later date.

James “Coffee” Johnson

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — James “Coffee” Johnson, 79, , a native of Rowan County, died Sunday (Feb. 27, 2000) at his home.

Born Sept. 6, 1920, he was a son of the late Frank and Esther Bernhardt Johnson. Educated in the Rowan County schools, he was formerly employed by Savin Funeral Home in Philadelphia, Pa. and had also been employed by Noble & Kelsey Funeral Home, Salisbury. He was of the Methodist faith.

He is survived by a sister, Mildred Johnson of Salisbury.

Burial was on Monday with services at Savin Funeral Home, Philadelphia.

Rowan Funeral Service was in charge of the local announcement.

Perlie Laslow

Perlie Laslow, 62, Salisbury, died Wednesday (March 1, 2000) at Genesis ElderCare of Salisbury.

Lyerly Funeral Home is in charge.

Doc Rickerson

CONCORD — Doc Henry Rickerson, 89, of 3214 Trinity Church Drive, died Monday (Feb. 28, 2000) at his home.

Born June 14, 1910, in Macon, Ga., he was a son of the late Henry Eugene and Christine Alice Yancey Rickerson. He was the retired owner of Casa Loma Restaurant and Parkwood Garage. A member of Trinity Lutheran Church, he was a U.S. Army veteran of World War ll.

Survivors include wife Mildred Wentz Rickerson; son Thad Henry Rickerson, Neptune Beach, Fla.; daughter Linda R. Clonts, Rome, Ga.; sisters Margaret R. Lee, DeLand,Fla. and Novella R. McClellan, Vidalia, Ga.; three grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

Services: 5 p.m. today, Lady’s Funeral Home Chapel, conducted by the Rev. Lisa Anderson; graveside service 2:30 p.m. Friday, DeLand Memorial Gardens, DeLand, Fla., conducted by the Rev. Earl McClellan.

Visitation: 3:30-5 p.m. today, Lady’s Funeral Home; 1-2 p.m. Friday, Carpenter-Curry Funeral Home, DeLand, Fla. At other times the family will be at the home on Trinity Church Drive, Concord.

Memorials: Trinity Lutheran Church Sanctuary Renovation Fund, 3747 Trinity Church Road, Concord, N.C. 28027.

Vernon ‘Dink’ Saunders

MOORESVILLE —Vernon “Dink” Lee Sanders, 69, 257 Shinnville Road, died Monday (Feb. 28, 2000) at Lake Norman Regional Medical Center.

Born July 1, 1930, in Catawba County, Mr. Saunders was a son of the late Neal and Cora Josey Saunders.

He retired with honors in 1979 from the U.S. Army after 26 years.

His first wife, Betty Jean Hale Saunders, died in 1994.

Survivors include wife Betty Christie Saunders, whom he married in 1998; son Vernon “Butch” Lee Saunders Jr., Huntersville; daughters Susie Howard, Statesville, and Jennifer Bostian, Mooresville; brother Jerry Saunders, Fayetteville; sister Margaret S. Smith, Mooresville; and six grandchildren.

Services: 11 a.m. Thursday, Neill Funeral Home Chapel, conducted by the Rev. Cecil Donahue. Burial, Rocky Mount United Methodist Church cemetery.

Visitation: 6:30-8 tonight at the funeral home.

Memorials: Rocky Mount United Methodist Church, Cemetery Fund, 1739 Perth Church Road, Mooresville, N.C. 28117.

Richard Latham Sink

MOCKSVILLE — Richard Latham Sink, 53, of Shadybrook Road, died Monday (Feb. 28, 2000) from injuries sustained in an automobile accident.

Born Dec. 10, 1946, in Davidson County, he was a son of the late E. Paul and Louise Justice Sink. He served as chief of police for the City of Mocksville. He was a member of Masonic Lodge 134 AF and AM and the Winston-Salem Scottish Rite Bodies.

Survivors include wife Paula Craver Sink; and daughter Amy Elizabeth Sink of the home.

Services: 3:30 p.m. Thursday, First United Methodist Church, Mocksville, conducted by the Rev. Charles Turner. Burial, Forest Hill Memorial Park, Lexington, with Masonic graveside rites by Masonic Lodge 134.

Visitation: 7-9 p.m. tonight, Eaton Funeral Home.

Memorials: First United Methodist Church, Building Fund, 305 N. Main St, Mocksville, N.C., 27028; or Shriners Hospital, Oasis Shrine, P. O. Box 56066, Charlotte, N.C. 28256-0666.

Eula Thompson Smith

EAST BEND — Eula Roberts Thompson Smith, 81, East Bend, mother of the Rev. Bobby L. Smith, the pastor of Sandy Ridge AMEZion Church, Landis, died Monday (Feb. 28, 2000) at Forsyth Medical Center, Winston-Salem.

Services: 3 p.m. Thursday, Benbow Chapel AMEZion Church. Burial, church cemetery.

Visitation: 1-3 p.m. Thursday at the church.

Huff Funeral Home is in charge.

Dr. Thomas G. Thurston II

GREENSBORO — Dr. Thomas Gardiner Thurston II, 82, Wells Spring Drive, formerly of 120 Confederate Ave., Salisbury, died Monday (Feb. 28, 2000) at Moses Cone Memorial Hospital.

Born May 16, 1917, in Taylorsville, Dr. Thurston was the son of Dr. Asa Thurston and Jenna Eckerd Thurston. He graduated from Davidson in 1937 summa cum laude, was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and graduated from the University of North Carolina Medical School in 1939 and Harvard Medical School in 1941.

A veteran of World War II, he was batallion surgeon for the U.S. Army and served during the Battle of the Bulge.

A founding member of Piedmont Radiological Associates, he was a staff radiologist at Rowan Memorial Hospital from 1946-1988 and at the Salisbury VAMedical Center from 1953-1994. He was an associate in radiology at Duke University from 1946-1972 and a part-time clinical instructor in radiology and nuclear medicine at Bowman Gray School of Medicine from 1975-1994.

He was on the North Carolina Board of Medical Examiner from 1957-1963 and president of the board from 1962-1963. He was on the North Carolina Board of Mental Health from 1965-1967 and a member of the American Board of Radiology and American Board of Nuclear Medicine.

A member of First Presbyterian Church of Salisbury, he was an elder from 1959-1965 and Maxwell Chambers Trust.

He was a trustee of Rowan Public Library, a trustee of Davidson College from 1961-1972, and a trustee of Peace College from 1972-1978.

He was president of the Salisbury Chamber of Commerce, receiving the Year of the All American City award in 1961. He lead a successful drive for the Catawba College Community Center, Keppel Auditorium and Hedrick Little Theater.

Salisbury Man of the Year in 1962, Dr. Thurston was director of First Union Bank from 1961-1963. He was president of the Rotary Club, Rowan-Davie Medical Society and the University of North Carolina Medical Alumni.

In the 70s, Dr. Thurston and his wife, Susan Fountain Thurston of Rocky Mount, whom he married June 10, 1941, donated 30 acres adjacent to Knox Middle School and Overton Elementary School to be used by the citizens of Salisbury. They later donated funds for a soccer practice field to be placed on the site.

Survivors, in addition to his wife, include sons Dr. Thomas Gardiner Thurston III, Salisbury, and Richard Fountain Thurston, Denver, Colo.; daughter Susan Thurston Sember, Salisbury; brothers Dr. M. Stevenson Thurston, Salisbury, and Robert Thurston, Greensboro; sisters Mrs. James L. Lowe, Greensboro, and Mrs. James V. Johnson, Statesville; and three grandchildren.

Services:Memorial, 11 a.m. Saturday, First Presbyterian Church, conducted by the Rev. Dr. Robert M. Lewis, pastor, and the Rev. James H. Foil, associate pastor.

Visitation: After 5 p.m. on Friday at his former home, 120 Confederate Ave., now the residence of Susan Thurston Sember.

Memorials: Rowan Public Library Foundation, P.O. Box 4039, Salisbury, N.C. 28145-4039; Rowan Regional Medical Center Foundation, 118 E. CouncilSt., Salisbury, N.C. 28144; or donor’s choice.

Mabel Tyson Waldrop

ALBEMARLE — Mabel Tyson Waldrop, 89, 751 S. Fifth St., died Friday (Feb. 25, 2000) at Forrest Oaks Healthcare Center.

Born Oct. 25, 1910, in Anson County, Mrs. Waldrop was a daughter of the late Frank and Mary Mills Tyson. She had retired from E.J. Snyder Co. and was a member of First Street United Methodist Church.

Survivors include son John Waldrop, Albemarle; one granddaughter; and one great-granddaughter.

Services: Graveside, 2 p.m. Thursday, Stanly Gardens of Memory, conducted by the Rev. J. David Colson.

Visitation: 6-8 tonight, Stanly FuneralHome.

Helen Leazer Wood

The funeral will be Thursday for Helen Leazer Wood, 81, 1023 Old Plank Road, who died Monday (Feb. 28, 2000) at Rowan Regional Medical Center after a period of declining health.

Services: 1 p.m. Thursday, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, conducted by the Rev. John Southern. Burial, National Cemetery.

Visitation: 12:30 p.m. Thursday at the church. The body may be viewed at Noble and Kelsey Funeral Home from noon until 8 today and on Thursday from 8-10:30 a.m. There will be no viewing at the church.

Memorials: American Cancer Society, 500 E. Morehead St., Charlotte, N.C. 28202.

Mable Vernelle Wright

Mable Vernelle White Wright, 70, of 45292 Wildwood Road, Richfield, died Tuesday (Feb. 29, 2000) at Brian Center Health and Rehabilitation of Salisbury.

Born June 28, 1929, in Bertie County, she was a daughter of the late Frank and Ella Byrd White. Educated in the Bertie County schools, she was a homemaker and a member of Hill Street Church of God in Albemarle.

A son, Charles W. Wright Jr., died on May 8, 1970.

Survivors include husband Charles W. Wright, whom she married on Feb. 14, 1948; sons Linwood Earl Wright and Robert Wayne Wright, both of Richmond, Va.; daughters Patricia Ann Bonds, Richfield, and Vernelle Belew, Ashland, Va.; brothers Syndney Cooper, Norfolk, Va. and Jack White, Richmond, Va.; sisters Clara Arnzen and Mary Kemp, both of Richmond, Va.; 13 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

Services: 4 p.m. Thursday, Hill Street Church of God, conducted by the Rev. Robert Hart, pastor. Burial service 2 p.m. Saturday at J. T. Morris, Chesterfield Chapel, Chester, Va. with burial in Sunset Memorial Park, Chester, Va.

Visitation: J. T. Morris, Chesterfield Chapel one hour prior to service.

Summersett Funeral Home is in charge of local services.

Henry R.C. Wilkerson

KANNAPOLIS —The funeral is tonight for Henry R. C. Wilkerson, 78, 502 East 10th St., who died Tuesday (Feb. 29, 2000) at NorthEast Medical Center, Concord, after a brief illness.

Born Nov. 27, 1921, in Rowan County, Mr. Wilkerson was a son of the late Gilbert David and Kathleen Verble Wilkerson. He retired in 1985 after many years from CannonMills Co. Plant 1 printing department. A member of Central Baptist Church, he was night manager of Jackson Lanes in his earlier years.

A veteran, he served in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II, serving in the military police. He was a life member of Poston-Perkins VFWPost 8989.

A daughter, Bobbie Ann Wilkerson, preceded him in death.

Survivors include wife Gertie Carter Wilkerson; daughter Julia Wilkerson Hicks, Concord; son James D. Wilkerson, Salisbury; brothers Bobby Wilkerson, Kannapolis, and Carl Wilkerson, Concord; five grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

Services: 8:30 tonight, Whitley’s Funeral Home Chapel, conducted by the Rev. Curtis Parker. Burial, 11 a.m. Thursday, Carolina Memorial Park.

Visitation: 6:30-8:30 tonight at the funeral home.