Carl M. Douglas

ROCKY MOUNT n Carl Maurice Douglas, 42, died August 28, 2005 in Rocky Mount.

A funeral service was conducted on Wednesday at Ebenezer Baptist Church by the Rev. Thomas L. Walker. Interment was in Gardens of Gethsemane in Rocky Mount. H.D. Pope Funeral Home was in charge.

William L. Bowser

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. n William Lee Bowser, 52, a native of Woodland, died August 27, 2005.

A funeral will be conducted at 1 p.m. Saturday at Spiritual Aid Way of the Cross Church, 2400 Shell Rd., Hampton, by the Elder James Blunt. Burial will be in Memorial Garden Cemetery. O.H. Smith and Son Funeral Home is in charge. A visitation will be held from 1 to 8 p.m. on Friday.

Survivors include his mother, Retha Redden; his stepfather, Bishop Redden; five sisters, Barbara Eason of Rich Square, Mary Stanley of Garysburg, Rachel Nesmith of Woodland, Debbie Paxton of Humble, Texas and Katrina Whitaker of Newport News; three brothers, Osen Bowser of Roanoke Rapids, Ronald and Stacy Bower of Newport News; and his grandfather, Leander Jefferson of Guardian Care Nursing Home, Rich Square.

Willie Cross Jr.

AHOSKIE n Willie Cross Jr., 58, a native of Gates County, died August 22, 2005 at Roanoke-Chowan Hospital, Ahoskie.

A funeral was conducted Wednesday at the Cross family cemetery in Gates by the Rev. Linda Stevenson. Hunter's Funeral Home, Ahoskie, was in charge.

Cross was a retired bag printer for Smith Dudley and a member of Stoney Branch Baptist Church.

Survivors include his wife, Joyce R. Cross of Suffolk, Va.; a daughter, LaToya Cross of Woodbridge; one stepson, Wesley McCord of California; and one sister, Bernice Cross of Winton.

Dorothy Riddick

GATES – Dorothy L. Riddick, 83, of the 700 block of Willeyton Road, died Aug. 27, 2005, in Roanoke-Chowan Hospital, Ahoskie. A native of Gates, she was the daughter of the late William Lonnie and Maggie Lenora Rountree and the widow of Vernon Herbert Riddick.

She is survived by three daughters, Maggie L. Eure, Shirley R. Batchelor (Connie J.) and Dorothy R. Saunders (Anthony), all of Gates, N.C.; a son, Vernon R. Riddick and wife Virginia of Hampton; two sisters, Clarine Riddick of Portsmouth and Minnie Brown of Gates; 11 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; three sisters-in-law, five brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews, cousins and a host of friends. A funeral will be held at noon Thursday in the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, Whitemarsh Road, Suffolk, by Brother Solomon Darden. Interment will be in the Rountree Cemetery, Gates. The family received friends Wednesday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Crocker Funeral Home, Suffolk.

Sarah G. Fentress

VIRGINIA BEACH – Sarah Griffith Fentress, a native of Hertford County, died August 28, 2005, in a Virginia Beach hospital. She was the widow of J. Russell Fentress Jr.

Mrs. Fentress grew up in a small village in Mapleton. After high school and Chowan College in Murfreesboro, she attended Norfolk Business College in Norfolk. She was a member of St. Gregory's Catholic Church in Virginia Beach.

Survivors include her daughter, Nina F. Garris of Norfolk; her son, J. Russell Fentress III of Virginia Beach; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

A memorial service was conducted Wednesday in St. Gregory's Catholic Church by Fr. Mario Fulgenzi, OSB. H.D. Oliver Funeral Apts., Laskin Road, was in charge.

Larry W. Tyler

ROCKY MOUNT n Larry William Tyler, 46, died August 28, 2005 at Nash General Hospital, Rocky Mount.

A funeral will be conducted at 11 a.m. Thursday at H.D. Pope Funeral Home by Dr. John Browning. Interment will be in Pineview Cemetery.

Lizzie J. Parks

JACKSON n Lizzie Jones Parks, 83, died August 30, 2005 at Halifax Regional Medical Center, Roanoke Rapids. She was the widow of Sam Parks.

A graveside service will be conducted at 11 a.m. Friday at Jackson Cemetery by the Rev. Paul Lee and the Rev. Joe McLean. The family will receive friends at Massey Funeral Home, Jackson, from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Mrs. Parks was a member of Rehoboth United Methodist Church.

Survivors include her children, Alice P. Edmonds, Mary E. Parks, Shirley A. Parks, William "Pete" Parks, all of Jackson; nine grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren.

Cynthia W. Powell

AHOSKIE n Cynthia White Powell, 48, a native of Bertie County, died August 29, 2005.

A funeral will be conducted at 12 noon at First Baptist Missionary Church, Powellsville, by the Rev. John White. Burial will be in the Liverman family Cemetery, Powellsville. Wilder's Funeral Home, Inc., Aulander, is in charge.

Survivors include a son, Da'Quon D. Powel and Darrian D. Powell, both of Powellsville; brothers, Carlton D. White and Gregory T. White, both of Powellsville and David E. White of Boston, Mass.; and sisters, Mildred Jackson of Liberty, NY, Joyce W. Moore of Powellsville and Juddie W. Moore of Ahoskie.

Ora Norwood

ROCKY MOUNT n Ora Norwood, 79, died August 31, 2005 at Life Care Hospital in Rocky Mount.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete. H.D. Pope Funeral Home is in charge.

Lula Rose

MILWAUKEE n Mrs. Lula Mae Askew Rose, age 79, of Milwaukee, NC, died Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2005 at Hampton Woods Nursing Home in Jackson, NC.

Mrs. Rose was born July 1, 1926, the daughter of the late Cecil Askew and Annie Bryant Askew. She was also predeceased by her husband, James Elmo Rose and her brothers and sisters, Atlas "Doc" Askew, Grady Lee Askew, Gilbert Askew, Waverly Askew, Annie Reese Baugham, and Ruby Baker. She was a member of Bethaney United Methodist Church.

Survivors include her son, Larry Rose of Milwaukee; her niece, Marion Gay Thompson of Roanoke Rapids, NC; also a special friend Blonnie Johnson of Milwaukee.

Funeral services will be held, Friday, Sept. 2, 2005 at 2 p.m. at Bethaney United Methodist Church with the Rev. Sidney Collins and the Rev. Billy Baugham officiating. Burial will follow at Milwaukee Cemetery.

The family will receive friends at Massey Funeral Home in Jackson, NC, Thursday from 7 until 8:30 p.m.

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Association or to Bethaney United Methodist Church.

Braxton C. Ricks

CONWAY n Braxton Craig Ricks, 81, died Tuesday, August 30 at Halifax Regional Hospital in Roanoke Rapids. He had been preceded in death by his father, Lloyd Riddick Ricks and a brother, Lawrence "Red" Woodard Ricks.

A native of Northampton County, he was a lifelong farmer, an accomplished carpenter who enjoyed sharing his skills with family and neighboring friends, and was a dedicated member of Galatia Baptist Church, participating in many areas of church service including Trustee, Deacon, Sunday School Director and Sunday School Teacher. Also, he was Past President of the Faison's Old Tavern Rook Club, had been a member of the Rod Benders Bass Club, and was a former Board Member of the Rural Electric Association.

Survivors include his wife of 57 years, Marjorie Braswell Ricks of their home; two daughters, Diane Ricks Hasty and husband, David, of Conway and Sherry Ricks Hilliard and husband, Don, of Seaboard; one son, Lemuel Craig Ricks and wife, Shelby, of Conway; five grandchildren, David C. Hasty, Jr. and wife, Marie of Milwaukee, Richard Hasty of Conway, Marlo Ricks of Chapel Hill, Lacey Hilliard and Carson Hilliard of Seaboard; three great-grandchildren, Jenna, Alex and Hannah Hasty of Milwaukee; his mother, Nina Mae Woodard Ricks of Jackson; one brother, Elliott Lee Ricks of Conway; a special brother, Edwin Barnes of Raleigh; one sister, Foy Marie Ricks Taylor of Jackson.

Funeral services will be conducted Thursday, 11 a.m. in Galatia Baptist Church by the Rev. David Foster. Burial will follow in the Town of Conway Cemetery.

The family received friends at Bridgers Funeral Home, Inc. in Conway, Wednesday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. They have requested that anyone wishing to share a memorial gift, please, do so to the Senior Citizens Fund at Galatia Baptist Church.

Claudine P. Perry

WOODLAND n Claudine P. Perry, 81, a native of Bertie County, died August 28, 2005 at Roanoke-Chowan Hospital, Ahoskie.

A funeral will be conducted at 1 p.m. Saturday at Zion Grove Church by the Rev. James Mercer. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Hertford County Undertakers, Winton, is in charge.

Survivors include her son, Archie Perry Jr. of Baltimore, Md.; two daughters, Claudia P. Sconion of Joppa and Rosa Perry of Silver Springs; six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Fannie Mae Brown

NORFOLK, Va. – Fannie Mae Brown, 64, a native of Colerain, died August 27, 2005.

Survivors include her husband, Roland Brown Sr.; five children, Linda Freeman, Deloris Edwards, Roland "Ro Ro" Brown Jr., Gail Edwards and Victor Howard; two brothers, Joseph and Norman Lee Cherry; three sisters, Daisy Cherry, Peggy Howard and Annie Peoples; six grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

A funeral will be conducted at noon Friday in Olive Grove Baptist Church, Norfolk. A viewing will be held Thursday from 2 to 8 p.m. at Riddick Funeral Service with a wake from 6 to 7 p.m. Burial will be in the Albert G. Horton Jr. Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Suffolk.

John Dixon Davis II

John Dixon Davis II (John or J.D. Davis) age 82, died on August 29, 2005, finding Peace after a long struggle with cancer.

Services will be held at the Chapel of the Western Carolina State Veterans Memorial Cemetery at 2:00 P.M. on Friday, September 2, 2005.

Rev. Edgar Ferrell and Dr. Edwin G. Wilson will officiate.

Burial will follow.

Mr. Davis was born on April 29, 1923, in Beaufort, N.C., the son of Marion Leslie Davis, Sr. and Ruth Claire Ivey Davis. He graduated from Beaufort High School in 1940, and also from Wake Forest College in 1947.

His college education was interrupted for several years while he served in the U.S. Navy, in the Pacific Theater, as an Officer on the minesweeper YMS 183. He returned to Wake Forest in 1946 to complete his B.A. degree in English.

While at Wake Forest he was involved in the college newspaper, in drama productions, in debate as an orator, and in the choir.

In the fall of 1947 he entered Duke Divinity School and graduated in three years with a B.D. degree.

He later attended Appalachian State, receiving an M.A. in Psychology and did post graduate work in Sociology.

He served as a pastor of churches in Fountain, N.C., Crisp, N.C., Murfreesboro, N.C., and as a Baptist Student Chaplain at Appalachian. He retired from Montreat College in 1987, where he taught psychology and sociology for 17 years.

He was a man of many talents, many of which only his family and closest friends knew about: artist, author, composer, editor, historian, poet, musician, college student chaplain, college professor, woodworker and builder.

He edited and published an original Civil War diary, and wrote and published the history of the ship, YMS 183, on which he served during World War II.

He was a member of the First Baptist Church in Black Mountain, N. C., where he taught the men's Sunday school class for many years.

He was a member of the Black Mountain- Swannanoa Rotary Club, and served a term as its President.

In August 2005, the Rotary Club honored John with the Paul Harris Fellow.

For several years he was active in the Owen High School "Student of the Month" program and Chairman of the "Service Above Self" awards, honoring people from the Swannanoa Valley who have and still do serve as volunteers in helping others.

He was preceded in death by two brothers, Marion Leslie Davis, Jr. of Maine and Tom I. Davis of Selma, N.C.

He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Bettye Louise Crouch Davis, their four children, John D. Davis III of Banner Elk, N.C., Marian Louise Davis Larrea of Cary, N.C., Laura Anne Davis of Black Mountain, N.C., and Leslie Claire Davis-Hollander of Durham, N.C., four grandchildren, Ian Mikel Larrea, Adrian Nicolas Larrea, Shannon Elena Hollander, Leana Ivey Hollander, one great grandson, Mikel Harrison Larrea, and one brother, Rev. Robert Dowd Davis of Chapel Hill, N.C.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the John K. Abernethy Memorial Awards Committee for Distinguished "Service Above Self" of the Black Mountain Rotary Club and/or the Mountain Area Hospice in Asheville, N.C.

For those who wish, words of comfort may be left for the family online at www.brigmans.com under "Obituaries."