DURHAM — Funeral services for Mrs. Rossa Hayes Avery, 63, of 1326 Timothy Ave., will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday at Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church, 2200 S. Alston Ave.
Survivors include a son, Stephen L. Avery; a daughter, Sabrina McClain-Poole (David); sisters, Valerie Hayes Nelson (Winslow), Beryl Hampton and Genevieve Leake (William); brother, Frederick Hayes.
Family at the Residence Inn, Hwy 55 & 54 in the Conference Room.
Fisher Funeral Parlor.
David Nelson Brown
DURHAM — Mr. David Nelson Brown, 49. Born March 23, 1960, died peacefully Friday, October 23, 2009 at home with his daughters by his side. David was preceded in death by his parents, William Edward Brown, Sr. and Betty McNeil Brown and also one brother, Patrick O’Neil Brown.
Mr. Brown was born in Laurinburg, N.C. He moved to Durham, N.C. at an early age. He was educated in the Durham Public School system.
Services will be held on Tuesday at 1 p.m. at Holloway Funeral Home Chapel. Visitation will take place from 12 until 1 p.m.
Elisabeth Miller ‘Dibby’ Henderson
DURHAM — Elisabeth Miller ‘Dibby’ Henderson, 87, died Friday morning at Carolina House of Durham, where she had resided for the past five years with cognitive difficulties. She was born on July 14, 1922, in Germantown, Pa., to the Rev. Earl D. Miller and Mary G. Miller. Dibby was raised primarily in Lakewood, OH, where her father served a United Presbyterian church. She graduated from Monmouth College in Illinois, where her uncle was President and where Dibby met Robert M. Henderson, whom she married in New York City on October 14, 1944. Robert died at Carolina House of Durham in January of 2008.
Robert and Elisabeth raised two children, Jim and Nancy Henderson. The family lived primarily in Ho-Ho-Kus, N.J., where Dibby was a homemaker active in school and church life. As her children grew older and left home, Dibby worked part-time at a YWCA in Ridgewood, N.J., and later at a senior center in Tulsa, Okla., and at a food bank in Houston, TX.
In 1983 Robert and Elisabeth moved in retirement to Chapel Hill. They became active members of Binkley Memorial Baptist Church and helped their grandsons grow up as part of the Carolina Friends School community. Dibby is survived by her son, James G. Henderson, his wife, Jan Tedder, and their sons, Jonathan Henderson and David Henderson; and by her daughter, Nancy E. Henderson, who lives with her partner, Kathryn Black, and their daughter, Skylar Black, in Oakland, Calif.
A family memorial service is being planned for later this year.
Mildred Davis Kasel
DURHAM — Our beloved Mildred Davis Kasel, 81, of Durham, went home to be with her Lord and Savior on Thursday, October 22, 2009.
Mrs. Kasel was born in Waterloo Iowa to the late Leon A. and Hazel Droese Davis. She retired from Central Carolina Bank as a teller. She was a member of Bible Baptist Church. Mrs. Kasel was preceded in death by her husband, Thomas J. Kasel; and a daughter, Diane Kasel.
She is survived by four sons, Tom Kasel (JoAnn) of Warner Robbins, Ga., Dan Kasel (Lisa), Matt Kasel (Julia) and Mike Kasel (Pam); three daughters, Sharon Daubenspeck, Judy Kasel of Granville Co. and Carol Leffers (Larry); 12 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and two sisters, Doris Pachter and Lorraine Myers.
Funeral services will be held on Monday at 11 a.m. at Hudson Funeral Chapel, officiated by the Rev. Greg Allison. Burial will be in Oak Grove Memorial Gardens.
The family will receive friends on Sunday from 7 to 9 p.m. at Hudson Funeral Home and other times at the home. Flowers are acceptable or memorials may be made to Bible Baptist Church for Missions Fund; 2047 Gate Number Two Road, Creedmoor, NC 27522. Arrangements are being handled by Hudson Funeral Home.
Edgar ‘Ted’ Lockwood
DURHAM — The Rev. Edgar “Ted” Lockwood died under hospice care on Saturday, October 10 in Durham. He and his wife, Claire Cohen, to whom he was married in May, 1990, had moved to Durham in June to be near family. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his sons, David Lockwood of Plymouth, New Hampshire, Robert Lockwood of Portland, Oregon; and eight grandchildren. His eldest son, Stephen, died in 2003 in Hillsborough.
Edgar Lockwood, born in Greenwich, Connecticut in 1920, was the son of Edgar and Elizabeth Holmes Lockwood. Greenwich was the place he called home. He attended Hotchkiss School and Yale University. Upon graduation from Yale in 1942, he joined the U.S. Navy, serving in the Pacific first as a communications officer and later as lieutenant commander on board the destroyer, USS Cony.
Following World War II, Mr. Lockwood earned his law degree from the University of Virginia, and he practiced law in New York City and Stamford, Conn. A career change led him to Virginia Episcopal Seminary in 1957. After earning his divinity degree, he served as a curate at Trinity Church in Hartford, Conn. for two years, and then as rector of The Church of the Messiah in Woods Hole, Mass. from 1962 to 1967. He then moved to Washington, D.C. where he founded the Office on Economic Priorities, attended the Corcoran School of Art for two years, and headed the Washington Office On Africa. His marriage to Barbara McGiffert Lockwood ended in divorce in 1972.
During the years of apartheid, Mr. Lockwood was a representative of the American Friends Service Committee in Zimbabwe for three years. For the remainder of his life, he continued to be a standard bearer for civil rights, both in Africa and in the U.S.
Funeral service will be at 2 p.m. on November 1st at the Church of the Messiah in Woods Hole, Mass.
Memorial donations can be may made to the Church of the Messiah, 13 Church Street, Woods Hole, Mass. 02543.
Dollie Ree Huggins Lovely
DURHAM — Mrs. Dollie Ree Huggins Lovely, 88, of 2808 Beechwood Dr., died October 22, 2009 at her residence. Her funeral service will be conducted Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at 12 p.m. at Refiner’s Fire Community Church. Burial will be at Beechwood Cemetery. The family will receive friends Tuesday evening from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at Burthey Funeral Chapel.
Mrs. Lovely is survived by eight children, Willie Leroy Jones (Dr. Tessie), Dollie R. Lovely Moser (Henry), Ella M. Lovely Caldwell, Della M. Lovely Alston (Willie), Patricia Ann Lovely Dolby (Theodore), Janice F. Lovely Haskins (Aurthor), Mark W. Lovely (Darlene) and Marsha E. Lovely McLean (Michael); 25 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren. She is preceded in death by one son, Levi Lovely.
There will be a public viewing Tuesday from 1 to 6 p.m. at Burthey Funeral Chapel.
Arrangements by Burthey Funeral Service.
Vivien Packard Thompson
DURHAM — Vivien Packard Thompson died peacefully on October 21, 2009, at the home of her daughter and son-in-law with her family by her side.
Vivien was born in Albany, N.Y. to Vivien and George Packard and later lived in White Plains, N.Y. before attending Syracuse University where she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Public School Music.
Prior to her marriage, Vivien pursued a professional singing career in the Metropolitan N.Y. area and sang with the Bell Telephone Hour Chorus directed by Donald Voorhees. She and Herbert, whom she married in 1940, moved to Katonah, N.Y. after WWII. She was active in the Women’s Civic Club and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church where she played the organ and was a vocal soloist. She was a Girl Scout leader for many years and also sang solos at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Armonk, N.Y.
After retirement, she and Herbert made their home in Danby, Vt. where she was a communicant of Zion Episcopal Church in Manchester and served as a Eucharistic Minister and Lay Reader. She started the Rutland Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation and led an arthritis self-help course and was a volunteer at Rutland Hospital. Vivien was an avid golfer, and at home in Danby, she enjoyed her garden, her mountain views and her babbling brook.
Vivien moved permanently to Chapel Hill in 2004 where she attended St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church and took classes at the Duke Institute for Learning in Retirement for several years.
She will be remembered by family and friends for her warm and outgoing personality, her love of family, her interest in politics and current events, and for the beautiful crafts she handmade such as quilts and sweaters for all her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was also considered a first-class baker.
Vivien was predeceased by her husband, Herbert, in 1995. She is survived by her children, Gail Waters and husband, Bruce, Meredith Pixley and husband, George, and Beth Thompson. She leaves her sister, Patricia Williams; and grandchildren, Craig Waters and wife, Meledi, Michael Waters and wife, Angela, Erin Carlson and husband, Chris, Kelly Tabolt and husband, Glenn, and Claire and Jason Kaiser. She was blessed with nine great-grandchildren, Sara, Kate, Oleg, Madison and Lauren Waters, Ryan and Andrew Tabolt, and Benjamin And Elizabeth Carlson. Vivien also leaves her faithful rescued Golden Retriever, Amy, who was a faithful companion and constant joy in her life.
Service of Burial and the Holy Eucharist in Celebration of Vivien’s life will be held at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 82 Kimberly Drive, Durham, on Saturday, October 31, 2009 at 11 a.m. The Reverend Robert K. Kaynor will be the celebrant, assisted by The Reverend Dr. W. Derek Shows and The Reverend Louane V. Frey. Interment will be in Danby, Vt. in November.
The family wishes to express thanks to Vivien’s steadfast caregiver, Cristy Johnson, and to her Hospice team who cared so lovingly for her since March ‘ Diane Wingo, Roberta Wallace, LaVonda Creek, Chaplain Miriam Saxon and Wendy Pease.
In lieu of flowers, Vivien had requested that donations could be made in her memory to Duke HomeCare and Hospice, 4321 Medical Park Drive, Durham, NC 27704 or to Neuse River Golden Retriever Rescue, PO 37156, Raleigh, NC 27627.
Lawrence Archdale Tomlinson, Jr.
DURHAM — Lawrence Archdale Tomlinson, Jr., 90, died Saturday, October 24th after a long life, full of blessings. Born September, 24 1919 in Durham, NC., son of Lawrence Archdale Tomlinson and Jessie Carroll Tomlinson.
Larry, as his friends and family knew him, was a loyal friend, diehard Tarheel, a poet and performer, a Marine forever, state tennis champ, hole-in-one golfer, at one time the ‘Dragon of the 15th Floor’ (to employees), but the first to cry at sad movies and sentimental moments. If there’s one trait he’ll be remembered for it’s his indomitable determination. Despite 13 years of Parkinson’s Disease and numerable forms of cancer, he didn’t know how to stop enjoying life, and started each day with a list of projects to accomplish and of people to see.
After attending the public schools in Durham, NC and graduating in 1937, he entered UNC-Chapel Hill with the class of 1941. He earned his degree in business administration, was a member of SAE the fraternity and the varsity tennis team.
In June of 1941, one month after graduating from UNC, he entered the USMC where he served for 5 years, returning to inactive duty in 1945 as a Major in the Artillary Division. His Pacific service included American Somoa, Guadalcanal, Bouganville, Okinawa, and China.
In June of 1944 he married Sarah Sutton of Raleigh. He and his wife moved to Charlotte in January 1946 where he joined James J. Harris & Co., a local independent insurance agency. His business career included President of the Charlotte Association of Insurance Agents, President of NC Association of Insurance Agents, President of Assurex International, and Vice President of the National Association of Casualty Insurance Agents. In 1976 he was President Of James J. Harris & Co. when it merged with Marsh McLennan, and he served as managing director of Marsh McLennan for the state of NC. He was retired in 1986.
His civic involvement included President of United Community Services of Meck and Union Counties, chairman of the United Way Campaign, board member of the Auditorium, Coliseum and Civic Center Authority for 16 years, member of the Charlotte Board of NCNB, chairman of the Board of Visitors UNC Lineberger Cancer Center, and President of the Goodfellows Club. A long-time member of Christ Episcopal Church, he served several times as vestryman and twice as senior warden. He was a member of the diocesan council, president of the Summit Conference Center, and early member of Southminster Retirement Center Board of Directors.
He was a member of Charlotte Country Club, Quail Hollow Country Club, the Charlotte City Club, and president of Blowing Rock Country Club.
He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Sarah Sutton Tomlinson and their four children: Cantey Tomlinson Kelleher and husband John of Charlotte; Sally Tomlinson Earnhardt and husband Ray of Roaring Gap; Lawrence Archdale Tomlinson, III and wife Teresa of Canton, Ohio; and Jessie Tomlinson Jones and husband David of Charlotte; 9 grandchildren, 2 great grandchildren. He was predeceased by his 2 brothers, Louis A. Carr and Carroll Finley Tomlinson.
In lieu of flowers memorial gifts may be made to Southminster Foundation, 8919 Park Road, Charlotte 28210 and to UNC Lineberger Cancer Center, UNC-CH CB# 7295, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7295.
The family will receive friends at Southminster’s Mint Room from 4 to 6 p.m. on Monday. Memorial services will be held at Christ Episcopal Church at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, October 27, with reception following in the Blue Room. Interment will be private.
TH Robertson Funeral Service Lic is serving the family.
ORANGE John Kenyon ‘Yonni’ Chapman
CHAPEL HILL — John Kenyon ‘Yonni’ Chapman, 62 years old, died Thursday at home in Chapel Hill after 29 years living with cancer. He was a father, friend, and tireless fighter for social justice and equality. Yonni grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and came south in 1969 to work as a labor and civil rights organizer. For ten years he worked as a lab technician at UNC Hospitals, organizing with workers for better wages and working conditions. Yonni is a survivor of the 1979 KKK and Nazi massacre in Greensboro, NC. In 1980 he was diagnosed with polycythemia vera, a rare blood cancer.
At UNC-CH, Yonni wrote his Masters thesis on the history of the civil rights movement in Chapel Hill and in 2006 completed his PhD on the black freedom struggle at the university. He was dedicated to truth telling and the need for the town and university to commemorate their full history — from the slaves who built the first buildings, to the women and students of color whose struggles democratized access to education, to the residents of Northside and Rogers Road who are today fighting for the survival of their neighborhoods and the soul of Chapel Hill.
Yonni had a deep and passionate creative side. He was a storyteller and a photographer. He did fine woodworking in the shop in his backyard with tools passed down to him from his father. An amateur geologist, Yonni hunted for gemstones in the mountains of N.C., searched for sharks’ teeth at Topsail beach, and always dreamed of finding “the big one” (a T-Rex tooth) out West.
Jean and Yonni Chapman raised two daughters, Joyce and Sandi, who both live in Durham, NC. He also leaves behind two stepdaughters, Naimah and Leticia. He was expecting his first grandchild in March. Yonni shone a bright light on the struggles of history and lived his life for the struggles that continue. May we all carry forward his legacy.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Freedom Legacy Project c/o Joyce Chapman, 1007 Camden Ave, Durham NC 27701. A celebration of Yonni’s life will be held Sunday November 8 at noon at Hargrave’s Center in Chapel Hill. All are welcome.
Evelyn Eugenia Presson Didow
CHAPEL HILL — Evelyn Eugenia Presson Didow of Chapel Hill passed away on Oct. 21, 2009, at Carolina Meadows. She was 89.
Affectionately known as ‘Mama Gee,’ she was the unconditionally loving matriarch of her family, a role model, a source of great strength and a true delight.
Gean was born in Weaverville, Feb. 8, 1920, to Evelyn Weaver and Eugene Robert Presson. With her parents and younger brother Bill, she moved to Monroe, as a seventh grader. She graduated from Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina (now UNC-Greensboro) and worked in the district office of the Monroe City Schools.
She was an active member of Central United Methodist Church in Monroe, where she sang in the choir. An excellent bridge player and loyal friend, she belonged to an eight-member women’s bridge club that began during World War II and continued for 50 years.
In 1992, she retired and moved to Carolina Meadows in Chapel Hill, where she delighted her six grandchildren with Parcheesi and double Solitaire games, Easter egg hunts on the lawn, swims in the pool, chocolate milk shakes at the Cafe and cheering on the Tar Heels. She became a member of University United Methodist Church in Chapel Hill.
She was married to Nicholas Michael Didow for 23 years until his death in 1969. Later in life, she was married to Tyndall Peacock Harris for five years until his death in 2001.
Gean is survived by her son, Nick and daughter-in-law, Sherry Didow of Chapel Hill; daughter, Linda and son-in-law, Don Baucom of Chapel Hill; grandchildren, Brian Baucom and wife, Katie, of Los Angeles, Calif., Katherine Didow of Cambridge, Mass., Jennifer Baucom of Charlotte, Sarah Didow of Charleston, S.C., Anna Baucom of Chapel Hill, and Michael Didow of Greenville.
She was cherished by all and lived a life of faith, courage and grace.
A celebration of Gean’s life will be held at University United Methodist Church in Chapel Hill, Friday, Oct. 30, at 2 p.m. Her ashes were interred in Monroe on Oct. 24.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Salvation Army, University United Methodist Church in Chapel Hill, Central United Methodist Church in Monroe or a charity of your choice.
Mary-Elizabeth Nist Ford
CHAPEL HILL — Mary-Elizabeth Nist Ford, 98, of Chapel Hill, passed away on October 19, 2009.
Born and raised in Canton, Ohio, daughter of Robert C. and Gertrude T. Nist, sister of Richard T. Nist (Marcine), all deceased, she attended Canton McKinley High School and then graduated with an A.B. degree in Mathematics and Science from Denison University where she also met her husband of 64 years, Lyman S. Ford (deceased).
Mrs. Ford was an 80 year member of Kappa Kappa Gamma, initiated Gamma Omega at Denison University and an active alumnus in Westchester County, N.Y. as President, Treasurer and Registrar and with the UNC chapter in Chapel Hill as Financial Advisor. She formerly resided in Kansas City, Kan. and Scarsdale, N.Y. where she held a variety of volunteer positions. Her hobbies and interests included bridge, needlework, gardening, bowling and travel.
Mrs. Ford was also preceded in death by a son, James L. Ford. Surviving are a daughter, Barbara E. Thelen; daughter-in-law, Jane Neff Ford; granddaughters, Deborah Thelen Wirebaugh (David), Patricia Thelen Doherty (John), Elizabeth Ford Weese (Kirk), Mary Elizabeth Ford, Jennifer Neff, Laurel True; grandsons, Daniel J. Thelen (Sherri), Douglas L. Ford, Robert G. Ford (Maria), John Neff; 12 great grandchildren, Spencer Ford, Sofia and Alexander Ford, Lily Anderson, Matthew Weese, Margaret, Elizabeth, Jillian and Erin Wirebaugh, Jeremy Thelen, Megan and Katherine Doherty; nephews Richard T. Ford (Nancy), Richard T. Nist (Ming), Robert S. Nist and John A. Nist.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the United Way of the Greater Triangle, PO Box 110387, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 or UNC Hospice, PO Box 1077, Pittsboro, NC 27312.
Family and friends are invited to attend a memorial service to celebrate her life on Saturday, November 21, 2009, 1 p.m., in the Clubhouse at The Cedars of Chapel Hill in Meadowmont.
Online condolences may be sent to www.walkersfuneralservice.com
Walker’s Funeral Home of Chapel Hill, 120 W. Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, is assisting the Ford family.
Edward ‘BoBo’ Hicks, Jr.
HILLSBOROUGH — Funeral services for Edward ‘BoBo’ Hicks, Jr., 59, of 519 Lipscomb Grove Church Road, will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Mount Calvary Baptist Church, 8021 Stagville Road, Bahama. Family visitation, one hour prior to service. Burial, church cemetery.
He was a welder and a member of Mount Calvary Baptist Church.
Survivors include his devoted wife, Carolyn Cates Hicks of the home; son, Kevin Hicks of Durham; grandchildren, Zana, Gabriel, Lorraine and Jordan; parents, Edward and Earnestine Hicks of Rougemont; brother, Glenn Hicks of Rougemont; sister, Edarion Penny of Rougemont; mother-in-law, Helen J. Cates of Hillsborough;
Viewing, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday and Monday at Fisher Funeral Parlor.
Henry Virgil Ingold
CHAPEL HILL — Henry Virgil Ingold died on October 23, 2009 after several years of declining health. He was born in Alamance County on December 5, 1922.
He was a member of Antioch Baptist Church and a veteran of World War II.
He is survived by a son, Sam Ingold of Chapel Hill; a daughter, Susan Tripp (Byron) of Chapel Hill; grandchildren, Melanie Ingold of Chapel Hill; Jason Tripp (Mandy) of Snow Camp; Daniel Tripp currently serving in Iraq and great-grandchildren, River Ingold-Miller and Jackson Tripp. He is also survived by a sister, Mattie Greeson of Burlington; a brother, Clyde Ingold of Burlington and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 57 years, Jane Whitfield Ingold; his parents Clarence and Lillie Ingold; sisters, Dorothy Isley, Edna Bouldin, and Annie Ingold and a brother, Edro Ingold.
Services will be held at Antioch Baptist Church on Monday, October 26, at 2 p.m. Reverend David Atwater will officiate.
Following the service, the family will gather in the church fellowship hall.
Flowers are acceptable, or donations may be made to the Antioch Baptist Church Cemetery Fund.
Arrangements are being handled by Walker’s Funeral Home of Chapel Hill.
