Shelia P. Blackwood, 38, 177 Ryan St., died Friday (Feb. 15, 2002) at Rowan Regional Medical Center.

Rowan Funeral Service is in charge.

Annie W. Fine

LEXINGTON — Annie Mae Warfford Fine, 85, Linwood Southmont Road, died Thursday (Feb. 14, 2002) at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem.

Services:3 p.m. Saturday, Stoner’s Grove Baptist Church. Burial, church cemetery.

Visitation: 7-9 tonight, Davidson Funeral Home. At other times the family will be at the home on Linwood Southmont Road.

Memorials: Stoner’s Grove Baptist Church, Youth Group, 10470 N.C. Hwy. 8, Lexington, NC 27292.

Edna I. Goodman

The funeral will be Saturday for Edna Isenhour Goodman, 83, Rockwell, formerly of Salisbury, who died Wednesday (Feb. 13, 2002) at Rowan Regional Medical Center, Salisbury.

Born Oct. 6, 1918, in Cabarrus County, Mrs. Goodman was a daughter of the late Jonas Peter and Cora Lula Barringer Isenhour. She was educated in the Cabarrus County schools and at Mount Pleasant High School.

A member of Immanuel Lutheran Church, she was a homemaker and a former employee of Cartex Mills and Cone Mills.

Her husband, James Roy Goodman, died Sept. 30, 1982.

Survivors include sons Bob Goodman, Clover, S.C., and Jay Goodman, Rockwell; daughters Marget Hall, Conyers, Ga., and Joan Crowell, Crossville, Tenn.; 12 grandchildren; and 21 great-grandchildren.

Services: 11 a.m.Saturday, Immanuel Lutheran Church, conducted by the Rev. Bruce Sheeks. Burial, church cemetery.

Visitation: 6-8 tonight,Powles Funeral Home, Rockwell.

Memorials: Immanuel Lutheran Church, Memorial Fund, 2070 Emmanuel Church Road, Rockwell,NC 28138.

John Henry Greene

KANNAPOLIS — The funeral will be Saturday for John Henry Greene, 76, 505 Murphy St., who died Thursday (Feb. 14, 2002) at Five Oaks Nursing Center, Concord.

Born July 3, 1925, in Rowan County, Mr. Greene, a son of the late Abijah and Mary Ethel Greene, retired from Kannapolis Transit Co. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

Survivors include daughter Ginger Greene Campbell, Kannapolis; son John W. Greene, Kannapolis; brothers Floyd “Bud” Greene and John Lindsey, both of Kannapolis; sisters Merle Overcash,Kannapolis, and Peg Ridenhour, Durham; a granddaughter; and a great-grandson.

Services: Memorial, 4 p.m. Saturday, Whitley’s Funeral Home chapel, conducted by the Rev. Marler Starnes. Burial,Carolina Memorial Park.

Visitation: 3-4 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home. At other times the family will be at the home of daughter Ginger Greene Campbell, 510 Murphy St.

Josephine H. Hobson

The funeral will be Sunday for Josephine Elaine Henderson Hobson, 74, 4760 Glendale St., Detroit, Mich., formerly of Salisbury, who died Tuesday (Feb. 12, 2002) at her home.

Born April 25, 1927, in Salisbury, Mrs. Hobson, a daughter of the late Clanton and Alice Ellis Henderson, was educated in the Rowan County schools.

She was a homemaker and a former member of First Calvary Baptist Church.

Her husband, James Dobson, preceded her in death.

Survivors include sister Grace Littlejohn, Washington, D.C.

Services: 2 p.m. Sunday, First Calvary Baptist Church, conducted by the Rev. Leamon E. Brown. Burial, Oakwood Cemetery.

Visitation: 1 p.m. Sunday at the church.

Mitchell & Fair Funeral Service, is in charge.

Condolences may be sent by e-mail to mitfair@bellsouth.net or www.mitfair.net.

Alvan ‘Sonny’ Holmes

LEXINGTON — Alvan “Sonny” Holmes, 86, 418 N. Pine St., died Friday (Feb. 15, 2002) at Lexington Memorial Hospital.

Morrison-Studevent Funeral Home is in charge.

Margaret R. Ingram

Margaret Rouzer Ingram, 87, Glenaire Retirement Community, Cary, formerly of Sanford, died Wednesday (Feb. 13, 2002).

Born Dec. 28, 1914, in Salisbury, Mrs. Ingram, a daughter of the late Harold Allan and Edna McCubbins Rouzer, was educated in the Rowan County schools. She was a 1935 graduate of Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina. In 1937, she received a master’s in religious education from the Presbyterian School of Christian Education, Richmond, Va.

The first director of Christian education at First Presbyterian Church, Sanford, she received the Presbyterian Women Life Membership Award. After her retirement in 1991, she attended Kirk of Kildaire Presbyterian Church, Cary.

She was a volunteer with Hospice and other organizations and was a member of The Daughters of the American Revolution and Otherwise Book Club.

She was preceded in death by her husband, John Robert Ingram Jr., and a son, John Robert Ingram III.

Survivors include daughter Mary Wain Ellison, Macon,Ga.; sons Charles Allan and Richard Clay Ingram, both of Sanford; brother Charles Rouzer, Salisbury; two grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter.

Services: Memorial, 1 today, First Presbyterian Church,Sanford.

Visitation: In the church fellowship hall after the service.

Miller Boles Funeral Home, Sanford, is in charge.

Memorials: First Presbyterian Church, Building Fund, 203 Hawkins Ave., Sanford, NC 27330; or donor’s choice.

Kenneth S. Ireland

ADVANCE — The funeral will be Saturday for Kenneth Samuel Ireland, 49, Armsworthy Road, who died Wednesday (Feb. 13, 2002) at Forsyth Medical Center, Winston-Salem.

Born Jan. 22, 1953, in Rowan County, Mr. Ireland was a son of Clyde and Mary Potts Ireland, Mocksville. He was a 1971 graduate of Davie County High School.

A specialist machinist with R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.,Winston-Salem, he was a member of Green Meadows Baptist Church.

Survivors include wife Toni Spillman Ireland; daughters Bobbie E. Spaugh and Lea Kendra Ireland, both of Advance; brothers Wayne and Dale Ireland, both of Mocksville, Roger Ireland, Cleveland, and Bobby Ireland, Hamptonville; and one granddaughter.

Services: 2 p.m. Saturday, Bethlehem United Methodist Church, conducted by the Rev. Grady Tutterow and the Rev. Cecil Wetherholt. The body will be placed in the church at 1:30. Burial, church cemetery.

Visitation: 6-9 tonight, Eaton Funeral Home, Mocksville.

Memorials: Lupus Foundation of America, 2841 Foxwood Lane, Winston-Salem, NC 27103.

Edna Erwin Miller

SPENCER — The funeral will be Saturday for Edna Erwin Miller, 94, formerly of 613 Fourth St., who died Wednesday (Feb. 13, 2002) at The Laurels after three weeks of serious illness.

Born Nov. 29, 1907, in the Millbridge community in Rowan County, Mrs. Miller was a daughter of the late Walter Allen and Ella Pharr Harrison Erwin. She was educated in the Rowan County schools and earned a teaching certificate from Lenoir-Rhyne College.

A member of Spencer Presbyterian Church, she retired as a buyer in 1985 after 26 years with Belk Harry in Salisbury.

Her husband, Samuel Casey Miller, died in 1986.

Survivors include son Sammy Erwin Miller, Salisbury; two grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Services: Graveside, 11 a.m. Saturday, Thyatira Presbyterian Church, conducted by the Rev. Ruth Lenger, pastor, Spencer Presbyterian Church.

Visitation: 7-8:30 tonight, Linn-Honeycutt Funeral Home, China Grove.

Memorials: Spencer Presbyterian Church, 113 First St., Spencer, NC 28159; or Thyatira Presbyterian Church, 220 White Road, Salisbury, NC 28147.

William ‘Bill’ Parham

William Sam “Bill” Parham, 74, Salisbury, died Friday (Feb. 15, 2002) at The Laurels of Salisbury.

Summersett Funeral Home is in charge.

Nathaniel G. Person

MIDLAND — Nathaniel Gaston Person, 72, 10950 Graybark Road, mother of Cecil McAuley, East Spencer, died Thursday (Feb. 14, 2002) at Avante of Concord Nursing Center.

Services: 2 p.m. Saturday, Brown Hill AME Zion Church, Locust. Burial, church cemetery.

Visitation: 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the church.

Kelsey Funeral Home, Albemarle, is in charge.

George E. Purcell

The funeral will be Saturday for George Ernest Purcell, 54, 311 Lantz Ave., who died Wednesday (Feb. 13, 2002) at Rowan Regional Medical Center.

Born Jan. 4, 1948, in Salisbury, Mr. Purcell was a son of Irene ZumBrunnen Purcell and the late Samuel M. Purcell Jr. He graduated from Boyden High School in 1968.

He studied computer science and human relations and auto mechanics at Catawba College and Rowan-Cabarrus Community College. He received a certificate in radio and television broadcasting from Carolina School of Broadcasting, Charlotte.

He was employed by Cannon Mills’ in the dye tech department, then as a shipping department clerk at Linn-Corriher Mills, Landis.

He was also employed by Chapman Contracting Service, Charlotte, and was a radio announcer for WABZ in Albemarle.

He was a frequent donor to the American Red Cross pheresis and whole blood donor program, for which he received numerous certificates of appreciation. He was a lifelong member of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church.

Survivors, in addition to his mother, include brother Samuel M. Purcell III, Washington, D.C.; and sisters Irene Purcell, Houston, Texas, and Marion P. Whatley, Brevard.

Services: 2 p.m. Saturday, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, conducted by the Rev. Stephen Morris, pastor. The body will be cremated.

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

Memorials: Veda Mae Beaver Memorial Scholarship Fund, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 131 W. Council St., Salisbury NC 28144.

Florence B. Safley

Florence Bringle Safley, 93, Deal Care Inn, Mooresville, formerly of Woodleaf Road, died Thursday (Feb. 14, 2002) at Rowan Regional Medical Center, Salisbury, after a brief illness.

Born Feb. 15, 1908, in Rowan County, Mrs. Safley, a daughter of the late John Michael and Julia Cauble Bringle, was educated in the Rowan County schools. She was a homemaker.

A lifelong member of Gay’s Chapel United Methodist Church, she was the oldest member. She was a member of Suzannah Wesley Sunday school class and United Methodist Women, which awarded her a lifetime pin.

Her husband, Robert McKinley Safley, died Feb. 6, 1981.

Survivors include sons John Thomas and Bobby Peeler Safley, both of Salisbury; daughters Julia Safley Lipe, China Grove, and Brenda Safley Click, Charlotte; seven grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

Services: 2 p.m. Saturday, Gay’s Chapel United Methodist Church, conducted by the Rev. Tony Jordan, pastor, and the Rev. Marion Fulk, former pastor. The body will be placed in the church at 1:30. Burial, church cemetery.

Visitation: 7-8:30 tonight, Lyerly Funeral Home. At other times the family will be at the home of son John Thomas Safley.

Memorials: Gay’s Chapel United Methodist Church, 5545 Woodleaf Road, Salisbury, NC 28147.

Bessie A. Sechrest

MOCKSVILLE — Bessie Angell Sechrest, 68, Deadmon Road, died Wednesday (Feb. 13, 2002) at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem.

Born Aug. 23, 1933, in Davie County, Mrs. Sechrest, a daughter of the late Dewey Nichols and Hiawatha Angell, was a member of Freedom Baptist Church.

She retired from Davie County Hospital, where she was an operating room nurse for 32 years.

Her husband, Junior T. Sechrest, died in 1999.

Survivors include sons Barry Sechrest, Mocksville, and James Sechrest, Fleetwood; daughter Sharon Boger and Paula Holleman, Mocksville, and Dena Kohlbecker, Brandon, Fla.; 11 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

Services: 11 a.m. Saturday, Eaton Funeral Home chapel, conducted by the Rev. James Sechrest, the Rev. William Pryor and the Rev. Dennis Presnell. Burial, Dutchman Creek Baptist Church.

Visitation: 7-9 tonight at the funeral home.

Memorials: Dutchman Creek Baptist Church, Building Fund, 388 Fork-Bixby Road, Advance, NC 27006.

Daisy Hobson Smith

HICKORY — Daisy Hobson Smith, Brian Center East, formerly of Salisbury, died Monday (Feb. 11, 2002) at the nursing center after a lengthy illness.

Born Aug. 29, 1924, in Rowan County, Mrs. Smith was a daughter of the late Walter Connor and Annie Mae Woods. She retired from JoLene Nursing Home, Salisbury, and a member of Steel Creek AME Zion Church, Salisbury.

She was preceded in death by her husband, John Frank Smith Jr., and a daughter, Donna Marie Smith.

Survivors include daughters Mary Sifford and Beatrice Elaine Smith Faulk, and Lurlie Smith Sifford, all of Newton, Martha Ann Withers, and Nancy Smith Collins, both of Hickory, and Wilma Jean Hobson, Washington, D.C.; sons Robert Torrence, Newton, Gerald Wayne Smith, Saudi Arabia, Gregory Conrad Smith, Lancaster, S.C., and John Anthony Smith, Taylorsville; sister Johnnie Mae Sloan, Kannapolis; stepdaughter Juanita Brown, Salisbury; stepsons Clarence and Gary Brown, both of Salisbury, and Michael Brown, New York; 76 grandchildren; 46 great-grandchildren; 17 great-great-grandchildren; two great-great-great- grandchildren.

Services: 3 p.m. Sunday, Allen Mitchell Funeral Home chapel, conducted by the Rev.Larry Roseboro. Burial, National Cemetery, Salisbury.

Visitation: 7-8 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home. At other times the family will be at the home of daughter Martha Withers, 439 Second Ave. SE, Apt. A.

Harry Edward Starnes

CHINA GROVE — The funeral will be Saturday for Harry Edward Starnes, 77, 5645 W. N.C. 152 Hwy., who died Thursday (Feb. 14, 2002) at Rowan Regional Medical Center, Salisbury, after a period of declining health.

Born Oct. 28, 1924, in Rowan County, Mr. Starnes, a son of the late Henry Lee and Ardella Overcash Starnes, was educated in the Rowan County schools. He was a member of Concordia Lutheran Church.

An automobile mechanic for most of his life, he retired from Celanese (KoSa).

Survivors include wife Malvenia Foutz Starnes; daughter Regina Starnes Noonkester, Reidsville; brother Henry William Starnes, Mooresville; and sisters Darthy Murph, Mooresville, and Faye Southard, Charlotte.

Services: 4 p.m. Saturday, Concordia Lutheran Church, conducted by the Rev. Wayne Sipe. Burial, church cemetery.

Visitation: 7-9 tonight, Linn-Honeycutt Funeral Home, China Grove.

Memorials: Concordia Lutheran Church, 185 Concordia Church Road, China Grove, NC 28023.

John Wesley Ward

John Wesley Ward, 65, Salisbury, died Friday (Feb. 15, 2002) at Rowan Regional Medical Center.

Summersett Funeral Home is in charge.

Viola O. Witherspoon

DAVIDSON — Viola Osborne Witherspoon, 87, formerly of 11055 Earnhardt Lake Road, died Thursday (Feb. 14, 2002) at Lake Norman Regional Medical Center, Mooresville.

She retired after 46 years from Cannon Mills Co. plant 1, Kannapolis, where she worked in the No. 4 spinning room .

Services: 2 p.m. Sunday, Whitley’s Funeral Home chapel, Kannapolis. Burial,Carolina Memorial Park, Kannapolis.

Visitation: 1-2 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home. At other times the family will be at the home of sister-in-law Annie Belle Osborne, 10163 Earnhardt Lake Road, Davidson.