DURHAM — Mr. Earl Ross Francis, 75, passed away Tuesday morning at his home.
Mr. Francis was born in Durham, the son of the late Oma and Charlie Francis Sr. He was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force. Mr. Francis retired from the Durham Police Department and the Durham County Sheriff’s Department, and was a past commander of the American Legion Post 7. Earl was a member of Grace Baptist Church. He was preceded in death by brothers, Charles Francis Jr., Jim Francis and Linwood Francis; a son in law, Dicky Woodell; and a grandson, Tyler James Woodell.
Mr. Francis is survived by his wife, Betty Harper Francis; two daughters, Debra Woodell of Durham and Lisa Boothe and husband, Ronnie, of Hillsville, Va.; four grandchildren, Ashley Godwin and husband, Chris, of Newport, Buck Finley and Jennifer Finley, both of Hillsville, Va., and Victoria Faith Woodell of Durham; two great grandchildren, Chloe Paige Godwin and Christopher Tyler Godwin; brothers, Gene Francis and wife, Lynda, of Gibsonville, and Daniel Francis of Durham; and his Westie Terrier, Abbey.
A graveside service will be held Thursday at 11 a.m. at Woodlawn Memorial Park with the Rev. Marc Francis officiating. Casket bearers will be Tony Roop, CW Clayton, Tony Rigsbee, Buck Finley, Chris Godwin, Jimmy Lively, and Dan Gray. The family will receive friends at the home. Flowers are acceptable or donations may be made to Heartland Hospice Care, 3200 Atlantic Ave., Suite 100, Raleigh, NC 27604.
The family would like to thank Dr. S. David Stanley, Dr. Khwaja and Brandi Rowe, R.N. of Hospice for their dedicated and gentle care, which made his passing easier and peaceful.
Clements Funeral Service, Inc. is assisting the family in Durham.
Robert Lacy ‘Sonny’ Goodbar Jr.
DURHAM — Robert Lacy “Sonny” Goodbar Jr., 79, of Durham passed away on November 9, 2009 after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his loving family during his illness and death.
Robert was born in Lexington, Va. on January 8, 1930 to Robert Lacy Goodbar Sr. and Helen V. Farrow and grew up in Norlina, with his Aunt Gladys and Uncle Roger Norwood. Robert married Betty Lou Ellis on June 30, 1951 and served in the Coast Guard in Norfolk, Va. before moving to Durham. He worked for and retired from GTE (Verizon) in 1984 and then worked for and retired from Northern Telecom (Nortel) in 1992.
He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Betty Goodbar; his son, Steve Goodbar, and wife, Terri; his daughter, Sherri Adams, and husband, Forrest; and three grandchildren, J.R. Elliott, Lindsey Goodbar, and Jennifer Talley and husband, Patrick; and three great-grandchildren, Ashlyn, Morgan, and Cooper Talley.
Funeral service will take place on Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 11 a.m. at Watts Street Baptist Church in Durham. The family will receive friends and family immediately following the service.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Robert L. Goodbar Jr. to Watts Street Baptist Church, 800 Watts St., Durham, NC 27701 or to Duke Homecare and Hospice, 4321 Medical Park Dr., Suite 101, Durham, NC 27704.
Betty F. Goswick
DURHAM — Mrs. Betty F. Goswick, 77, of Durham, passed away early Sunday morning at Durham Regional Hospital while recovering from a recent stroke.
Mrs. Goswick was born in Durham, the daughter of the late Samuel Bennett Ferrell and the late Marjorie Gattis Ferrell. She was also preceded in death by a brother, Samuel Bennett Ferrell Jr.
She had worked as a stewardess, a data processing clerk for Hospital Savings Association and a bookkeeper for Glidden Paint Co. before retiring. She was also a long time member of Trinity Avenue Presbyterian Church and later on, after her return to Durham from Saint Louis, Missouri, she and Alex joined Bethany United Methodist Church.
Betty was a majorette for the Durham High School Marching Band where she graduated in 1951. She was on the DHS Class of ’51 Reunion Committee and organized many of their most recent reunions. She was also a member of the Durham Junior Woman’s club during the 1970s’ and a fan of the late Elvis Presley.
Mrs. Goswick is survived by her husband, Alex Goswick; a son, Bart Goswick; and a sister, Charlotte Dudley, all of Durham. Also surviving are her brother in law and sister in law, Claude and Louise Goswick from Bryan, Texas; and many nieces and nephews.
The funeral service will be held at Bethany United Methodist Church on Thursday at 2 p.m. followed by the burial at Maplewood Cemetery. The family will receive friends at Clements Funeral Home in Durham Wednesday evening from 6 to 8 p.m. Flowers are acceptable or the family would appreciate donations to Avila Retreat Center, 711 Mason Road, Durham, NC 27712 in Betty’s name.
Willie Mae Harrington
DURHAM — Ms. Willie Mae Harrington, daughter of the late Thomas and Nattie Harrington was born May 25, 1921 in Wake County. She departed this life Monday, November 9, 2009 at the Brian Center in Durham.
She leaves to cherish her memory a faithful and devoted niece, Betty Harrington Covington (Jesse); two grandsons, Gary Harrington (Renee) of Durham and Duncan Dudley of Fuquay-Varina.
Funeral services will be held on Friday, November 13, 2009 at 1 p.m. The wake will be held one hour prior from 12 to 1 p.m.
The family will be at the home of Betty Covington, 1521 Lantern Place, Durham.
Arrangements are being handled by Holloway Memorial Funeral Home.
Teresa ‘Tee’ Alfreda Jordan Thornton
DURHAM — Teresa “Tee” Alfreda Jordan Thornton departed this life on Monday, November 9, 2009 after a brief illness.
Homegoing services will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, November 13, 2009 at Greater St. Paul Baptist Church. Visitation will be prior to the services from 12 to 1 p.m. at the church.
Arrangements are by Holloway Memorial Funeral Home.
Alamance Milton J. Davis
MEBANE — Milton J. Davis, 47, beloved husband, father, son and brother, passed away peacefully on Monday, November 9, 2009 after a courageous battle with cancer.
He was born in Wake County on February 14, 1962 and attended Wake County Schools. His love for learning started at a young age and continued throughout his life. He was a master with electric motors starting his profession at Electric Motor Shop in Wake Forest where he worked for 13 years and later at Triangle Electric in Durham where he worked for 10 years.
Milton will be remembered most for his immense love for his family and his kind and gentle spirit.
Graveside funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday afternoon November 12, 2009 at the Sykes Family Cemetery on New Light Road in Wake Forest.
Those left to cherish his memory include his wife, CarolAnn Edwards Davis; sons, Mason J. Davis and Joey Pope; parents, Judy and Claude ‘Shank’ Davis; grandmother, Cozie Sherron; brothers, Mike Davis and wife, Amy, and their children, Zoe and Trey and Tony Newcomb and his children, Chris, Billy and Tonya.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Mason Davis Education Fund at any State Employees Credit Union.
Friends may visit with the family at the home of his parents, Judy and Shank Davis, 14920 New Light Road, Wake Forest.
A service of Bright Funeral Home & Cremation Center. www.brightfunerals.com.
Orange Jaffey ‘Jake’ L. Barnes
CHAPEL HILL — Jaffey “Jake” L. Barnes, 64, of Chapel Hill, died Saturday, November 7, 2009 at UNC Memorial Hospital.
He was a native of Chatham County and was self employed in the construction business.
He is survived by his son, Jaffey Barnes II of Chapel Hill; his mother, Margie Riggsbee Barnes of Chapel Hill; two sisters, Frances B. Jordan of Chapel Hill and Diane B. Eubanks of Durham; three brothers, Henry Barnes, Larry Barnes and Troy Barnes, all of Chapel Hill; and two grandchildren.
Funeral services were held at noon on Tuesday, November 10th at Lystra Baptist Church by the Rev. Virginia Taylor. The interment followed in the church cemetery. The visitation was held on Monday evening at Lystra Baptist Church.
Online condolences may be sent to www.walkersfuneralservice.com
Walker’s Funeral Home of Chapel Hill, 120 W. Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, assisted the Barnes family.
Wake Edison Lancelot Forsyth
RALEIGH — Edison Lancelot Forsyth, 82, passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in Raleigh, on Tuesday, November 10, 2009.
A memorial service will be held Friday, November 13, 2009 at 11 a.m. at Hayes Barton United Methodist Church, 2209 Fairview Road, with the Rev. Rick Clayton officiating. The family will receive friends following the service.
Born in Henderson on June 8, 1927, he was the son of the late Ira Clyde and Myrtle Whitby Forsyth.
Thank you God for letting him be our daddy and granddaddy.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to: The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation, 1332 North Halstead Street, Suite 201, Chicago, Ill 60642 or to Hayes Barton United Methodist Church, 2209 Fairview Road, Raleigh, NC 27608.
Online condolences to www.mitchellraleighmemorial.com.
David Carroll Summerlin Jr.
RALEIGH — David Carroll Summerlin Jr., 56, 1340 Baez St., died at Rex Hospital, Monday evening surrounded by his family.
Graveside services will be held on Thursday at 2 p.m. at Princeton Cemetery, 210 East Dr. Donnie H. Jones Jr. Road with the Rev. David J. Goehring (Highland United Methodist) officiating. A visitation will be held on Wednesday evening at the residence of David and Elecia Butts from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at 3614 Swann Drive, Raleigh.
He is survived by his wife of 29 years, Anne Lloyd Hutchinson Summerlin; and his two sons, David Carroll Summerlin III and Lloyd Alexander Summerlin, both of Raleigh; his parents, Mary Culberth Summerlin and David C. Summerlin Sr. of Durham; three brothers; Gene Neal Summerlin, William Robert Summerlin (Lynda), both of Durham, and Thomas Ray Summerlin (Lisa) of Oxford. In addition, he had one niece and several nephews; as well as a large extended family.
Flowers will be accepted however; memorials can be made to one of the following: Ducks Unlimited in care of RJ Blondeau, 914 Lake Boone Trail Raleigh, NC 27607, Highland United Methodist Church, 1901 Ridge Road Raleigh, NC 27607 or the American Kidney Fund, 6200 Ross Dale Road Doraville, GA 30340.
Arrangements by Evergreen Memorial Service, Goldsboro, and condolences may be made through www.evergreenmemorialservice.com.
