New River Obituaries Published on Wednesday, December 27, 2000 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- BLEVINS, Mamie Lea Wyatt, 69, of Pulaski, departed this life early Saturday morning, December 23, 2000, at Pulaski Community Hospital after a long illness. She was born March 11, 1931 in Sullivan County, Tennessee, the daughter of the late Franklin Wyatt and Virginia Lou Phillips Wyatt. She was a devoted mother and beloved grandmother and great-grandmother of a very large family residing around the Pulaski community. She was preceded in death by her husband, Jacob Avery Blevins; one grandson, Lee Blevins; four brothers, Clay Wyatt and Ray Wyatt, both of Ohio, Glenn Wyatt and Harold "Doc" Wyatt, both of Bristol, Tenn.; and one sister, Margaret Gentry of Cookeville, Tenn. She attended the Peak Creek Mission of Prayer. Surviving are one daughter, Mrs. Frank (Dianne) Thompson; five sons, James Franklin Blevins, Freddie Wayne Blevins, Larry Junior Blevins, and Ronald Gene Blevins, all of Pulaski, and Roy Lee Blevins of Grahams Forge; four sisters, Bill Johnson, Sheryl Trivett, and Hattie Mae Rush, all of Bristol, Tenn., and Marie Moore of Stone Mountain, Ga.; one brother, Claude Wyatt of Bristol, Tenn.; 17 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be Thursday at 2 p.m. at the Greenwood Baptist Church, Denton's Valley (Washington County), with the Rev. Dale Akers, the Rev. Floyd Nelson, and Evangelist Danny McGlothlin officiating. Interment will follow in the church cemetery. The family will receive friends Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Greenwood Baptist Church, Denton's Valley. The family will be meeting at the home of Lewis and Jewell Montgomery, Denton's Valley Road, Wednesday and Thursday. Stevens Funeral Home, Pulaski, is in charge of arrangements. - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- CONNER, Johnny Sheffey, 46, formerly of Pulaski, Va., departed this life on December 22, 2000 in Columbus, Ohio. Funeral services will be Wednesday, December 27, 2000 at 1 p.m. at Penn's Funeral Home. - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- CUMBEE, Margaret Scott, 84, of Blacksburg, passed from this life to her heavenly home on December 24, 2000 at Heritage Hall Health Care Center. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, December 27, 2000 at 11 a.m. in the North Fork Baptist Church in Ellett with Rev. Fred Brugger officiating. Interment will follow in the North Fork Baptist Church Cemetery. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to the Blacksburg Rescue Squad, 200 Progress St., NE, Blacksburg, Va. 24060, or to a charity of your choosing. Arrangements by McCoy Funeral Home, Blacksburg. - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- GORDONWOOD, John Harry, 82, of Shawsville, passed away Monday, December 25, 2000. Arrangements by John M. Oakey & Son Salem Funeral Home. - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- HOSTETTER, Graham Lee, 89, of Dublin, formerly of Rockbridge County and Chesterfield County, widower of Lenna Jennings Hostetter, passed away Sunday, December 24, 2000. He is survived by a daughter and her spouse, Jeanne R. and Jerry Woo of Richmond; two sons, William P. "Pete" Hostetter and his wife, Karen and Jerry L. Hostetter; four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Mr. Hostetter was retired from Reynolds Metal Company after 27 years and was a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church. Remains rest at the Central Chapel of Bennett Funeral Home, 3215 Cutshaw Ave., where the family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday. A service will be held 1 p.m. Friday at Westminster Presbyterian Church, with interment to follow in Forest Lawn Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made, in lieu of flowers, to Westminster Presbyterian Church, 4103 Monument Ave., Richmond, Va. 23230. - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- HUNGATE, Nelson David, 57, of Shawsville, went home for Christmas, Sunday, December 24, 2000 after a brief, but courageous battle with cancer. He was preceded in death by his mother, Verna Mae Hungate. He is survived by his wife, Peggy Hungate; daughter, Jamie Rose Hungate, of the home; daughter and son-in-law, Velena and R. A. O'dell of Dublin; one son, Nelson David Hungate, Jr. of Salem; father and stepmother, David and Elizabeth Hungate of McCoy; sister and brother-in-law, Phyllis and Duane Elliott of Prices Fork; brother and sister-in-law, Samuel and Betty Ann Hungate of McCoy. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Landon O'dell and Afton O'dell, both of Dublin; two very special friends, Frank Harvey and Dick Raines of Ironto. Friends may call anytime after 10 a.. Wednesday, December 27, 2000 at the Horne Funeral Home, where the family will receive friends from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday evening. The funeral service will be held 11 a.m. Thursday, December 28, 2000 in the Horne Funeral Chapel, with the Rev. Ronald King and the Rev. Phillip Martin officiating. The family request in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made to the Elliston Church of God or Shawsville Volunteer Rescue Squad, Box 14, Shawsville, Va. 24162. Arrangements by Horne Funeral Service in Christiansburg. - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- QUESENBERRY, Madge B. Williams, 88, of Blacksburg, died Sunday, December 24, 2000 at R. J. Reynolds Hospital, Stuart, Va. She was born in Patrick County, Va. on October 5, 1912. She was preceded in death by her first husband, Carlyle Williams; a son, Ronald Williams; her parents and all six brothers and sisters; and her second husband, Cullen Miles Quesenberry. She is survived by her daughters, Mrs. Herbert (Patsy) Rorrer of Stuart, Mrs. Robert (Joan) Martin of Sandy Ridge, N. C., Betty J. Williams of Martinsville, Mrs. Arlen (Doris) Smith of Auburn, Ala., and Mrs. William (Brenda) Weaver of Oakland, Calif; grandchildren, Kaye Handy, Terry, Kenneth and Steve Rorrer; great-grandchildren, Jamie Handy, Shawn, Amber, and Tiffany Rorrer; stepchildren, Gaye and Johnny Owings of Highland, Md., Faye and Chet Dreyer of Blacksburg, Miles and Louise Quesenberry of Salem, Murrell and Linda Quesenberry, Dolly Quesenberry, Alma Quesenberry, all of Blacksburg; 29 stepgrandchildren; 16 stepgreat-grandchildren; many nephews and nieces; her Quesenberry family; her Blacksburg "church family"; and special friends including those at Blue Ridge Nursing Home. Funeral services will be conducted Thursday, December 28, 2000 at 1 p.m. in the McCoy Funeral Home Chapel, with Mr. Lowell Altizer and Mr. Loy Burch officiating. Interment will follow in the Roselawn Memorial Gardens, Christiansburg. The family will receive friends from 11 a.m. Thursday morning until service time at the McCoy Funeral Home, Blacksburg. - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- ROOP, Linzie Carl, 66, of Pulaski, Va., passed away Monday, December 25, 2000. Funeral 10 a.m. Thursday from the Highland Memory Gardens Mausoleum Chapel, Dublin, Va. Arrangements by Stevens Funeral Home, Inc. - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- SPEIDEL, Edna Warweg, 92, of Radford, formerly of Washington, D.C., and Minneapolis, Minnesota, died Sunday, December 24, 2000 at the New River Valley Medical Center. Dr. Speidel was born June 14, 1908, in Indianapolis, Indiana. She was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Thomas D. Speidel, her brother, Elmer Warweg, and her sister, Amelia Warweg. She is survived by her two sons, Dr. Thomas M. Speidel of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Dr. John Joseph Speidel of Menlo Park, California; her daughter, Dr. Ann Speidel Ferren and her son-in-law Dr. Jonathan D. Fife of Radford; five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. She earned a bachelors degree in chemistry from Butler University, a masters degree in biochemistry from University of Michigan, and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from University of Iowa. She held research positions at University of Iowa, University of Tennessee, and University of Minnesota, from which she retired in 1975. The memorial service and burial will be private in Minnesota. Arrangements by Mullins Funeral Home & Crematory of Radford, Va. - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- LEWIS, Sarah Smyth Johnson, 94, of Camden, Maine, formerly of Damariscotta and East Hampton, New York, died Tuesday, December 19, 2001 at Windward Gardens, where she has been a resident since 1997. Born in Blacksburg, Virginia, October 10, 1906, she was the daughter of John Samuel Adolphus and Margaret Milligan Adger Smyth Johnson. She was educated in Blacksburg schools and later earned a BA in Sociology from Hollins College, Roanoke, Virginia. Following her marriage to William Bennett Lewis in 1934, the couple resided primarily in Riverdale and East Hampton, New York. She moved to Schooner Cove, Damariscotta in 1994, living there until moving here in 1997. Pre-deceased by her husband and a brother, Adger S. Johnson, Mrs. Lewis is survived by one son, Lawrence J. Lewis and his wife, Lauren of Grass Valley, California; two daughters, Sarah Ragan Lewis Cary and her husband, John of Rockland, Maine, Lucille Grigware Lewis Johnson and her husband, Tracy of LaGrangeville, New York; two sisters, Margaret Johnson Candler of Virginia Beach, Virginia, Anne Johnson Edmunds of Richmond, Virginia; eight grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; several nieces and nephews. A memorial service to be held in LaGrangeville, New York, will be announced at a later date. Memorial donations may be made to Nature Conservancy, South Fork-Shelter Island Chapter, P.O. Box 5125, East Hampton, New York 11937. Arrangements are with Burpee-Strong Funeral Home, 110 Limerock Street, Rockland. - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- Tami P. Ramsey [email protected] President, Pulaski County Genealogy Club Pulaski County VA GenWeb Coordinator & Listowner http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapulask/ Montgomery County VA GenWeb Coordinator & Listowner http://www.rootsweb.com/~vamontgo/montgomy.htm Washington County VA GenWeb Coordinator http://www.rootsweb.com/~vawashin/ Overton Co. TN GenWeb Coordinator & Listowner http://www.rootsweb.com/~tnoverto/overton.htm Fentress & Pickett Co. TN GenWeb Coordinator http://www.rootsweb.com/~tnfentre/fent.htm http://www.rootsweb.com/~tnpicket/pick.htm Webmaster Wilderness Road Regional Museum http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapulask/wrrm/index.htm Webmaster for New River Historical Society Homepage http://www.rootsweb.com/~vanrhs/ RAMSEY Family Webpage http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~ramsey/ SULSER Family Webpage & Listowner http://sulser.rootsweb.com/