Obituaries

May 28, 2007

John E. Hoppes, Sr, age 67, of Ellenboro, passed away Monday, May 28, 2007 at the Rutherford Hospital following a brief illness. Mr. Hoppes was born February 14, 1940 in Rutherford County to the late Graham Vance Hoppes and Ella Mae Jones Hoppes. He had served in the North Carolina Army National Guard. He had been a life-long resident...

May 22, 2007

Frances Miller Gillespie, age 83, of Rutherfordton passed away Tuesday, May 22, 2007 at her daughter's residence following a brief illness. She was born in Henrietta, NC on October 1, 1923 to the late Henry Gillespie and Eula Jenkins Gillespie. She was the youngest of 12 children. She was a licensed Dietician working for the Henderson County Schools for...

May 8, 2007

Lorene Burgess Greene, age 83, of Forest City passed away Tuesday, May 08, 2007 at Autumn Care of Forest City following an extended illness. She was born June 23, 1923 in Caroleen, NC to the Roscoe Burgess and Laura Radford Burgess. She was a lifelong resident of Rutherford County. She worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant most of her...

May 6, 2007

Rebecca Davis Smith, age 95, Forest City, passed away Sunday, May 6, 2007 at her home. She was born February 26, 1912 in McDowell County to the late John Henry Davis and Arrah Elizabeth Rumfelt Davis. She grew up in McDowell County, eventually moving to Rutherford County as a young lady. She was a member of Mt. Pleasant Baptist...

May 4, 2007

Jimmy Marshall Nichols, age 60, of Henrietta, NC, passed away Friday, May 4, 2007 at Cleveland Regional Medical Center following an extended illness. He was born December 19, 1946 in Mayo, South Carolina to Woodrow Nichols and Nan Thrift Nichols. He grew up in Mayo, SC. He married Betty Frazier on April 20, 1966 in Spartanburg, SC they moved...

May 3, 2007

Horace W. "Bear" Shires, age 78, passed away Thursday, May 3, 2007 at Willow Ridge Nursing Home after a brief illness. Mr. Shires was born on October 16, 1928 to the late John Hoke Shires and Ida Mae Hughes Shires. He grew up in the Ellenboro area. He was a veteran serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean...

Apr 24, 2007

Mr. Victor Marcell Black, age 66, of 225 Andy Drive, Forest City, passed away Tuesday, April 24, 2007 at the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC. Mr. Black was born October 23, 1940 to the late Ben Black and Ruthie Moore Black in Cherokee County, SC. He grew up in Shelby and lived in Rutherford County for the past...

Apr 24, 2007

Mrs. Evelyn Frick Hawkins, age 90, of Charleston, SC formerly of Forest City, passed away Tuesday, April 24, 2007 at the Trident Medical Center in Charleston. She was born September 30, 1916 in Newberry County. SC to the late Horace Dale Frick and Bessie Beatrice Connelley Frick. She retired from Harris-Teeter Grocery Store where she worked in the meat...

Apr 23, 2007

Mildred Honeycutt Scruggs, age 88, passed away Monday, April 23, 2007 at White Oak Manor following an extended illness. Mildred was born April 20, 1919 in Rutherford County to the late Robert England Honeycutt and Maggie Kimbrell Honeycutt. She lived most of her life in Rutherford County. She was a homemaker. She was also a long-time member of Florence...

Apr 22, 2007

Nellie Crowe Burgess, 87, passed away Sunday, April 22, 2007 at Crawley Memorial Hospital following an extended illness. Nellie was born December 17, 1919 in Rutherford County to the late Lowe Emory Crowe and Ruth Mashburn Crowe. She grew up in Rutherford County moving to Virginia in 1959 and returning to Shelby in 1976. She had worked as a...

Apr 13, 2007

William "Donald" Bowen, age 79, of Ellenboro passed away Friday, April 13, 2007 at the Hospice House following an extended illness. Mr. Bowen was born February 2, 1928 in Rutherford County to the late James William Bowen and Mary Roper Bowen. Mr. Bowen grew up in Rutherford and Cleveland counties. He was a rug manufacturer working at his own...

Apr 13, 2007

Alice Lee Ruppe Hines, age 90, of Ellenboro passed away Friday, April 13, 2007 at the Hospice residence in Forest City, NC. Mrs. Hines was born on July 23, 1916 in Rutherford County, NC to the late Volney Andrew Ruppe and Docia Delilah McBrayer Ruppe. She was a homemaker. She was a member of the Kistler's Chapel United Methodist...

Apr 11, 2007

Margaret Estelle Green Reynolds, age 82, passed away Wednesday, April 11, 2007 at Rutherford Hospital following an extended illness. Margaret was born April 17, 1924 in Shelby, NC to the late Bunyan B. Green and Jimmy George Anna Black. She moved to Rutherford County as a young girl where she has lived since. She attended Caroleen Missionary Methodist Church...

Apr 3, 2007

Mrs. Nita Raye Calhoun Keeter, age 51, of 537 Pine Street Extension, Forest City, NC passed away Tuesday, April 3, 2007. Nita was born March 17, 1956 in Cleveland County to George Lee Calhoun and Doris Joan Allred Calhoun. She was member of Green Hill Baptist Church.

She is survived by her husband Michael Keeter of the...

Apr 2, 2007

William H. "Bill" Lowe, Sr., 87, of Hogan Road, Harris, passed away Monday morning at Hospice House in Forest City with family at his side.He was born March 13, 1920 in Great Falls, SC to the late Biron Henry and Othella Ruff Lowe. Mr. Lowe was a 1941 graduate of Clemson University and a WWII veteran having proudly served...

Mar 31, 2007

Shirley Kimbrell Scruggs, 91, formerly of the Goodes Creek Community in Mooresboro, NC passed away Saturday, March 31, 2007 in Smithfield, VA. She was born on August 17, 195 in Cherokee County, SC to the late James Samuel Gettys Kimbrell and Lilly Gilbert Kimbrell. She had moved to Smithfield, VA to be near her son approx five years ago....

Mar 28, 2007

William "Bill" Bennick, 77, of Mooresboro, passed away on Monday, March 26, 2007 at the VA Medical Center in Asheville. Mr. Bennick was born on October 21, 1929 in Rutherford County to the late Newell Bennick and Carrie Rhodes Bennick. Mr. Bennick grew up in the Cliffside area attending Tri-High School. He was a veteran of World War II...

Mar 22, 2007

Betty Sue Whisnant, 65, of Crawley Road, passed away Thursday, March 22, 2007 at Rutherford Hospital following an extended illness. Mrs. Whisnant was born February 16, 1942 in Rutherford County to the late Samuel McIntyre and Geneva Adair McIntyre. She was a lifelong resident of Rutherford County she and Bobby Whisnant were married in 1959. She was long-time member...

Mar 16, 2007

Geraldine "Jerri" Kurtz, age 72, of Bostic passed away Friday, March 16, 2007 at the Hospice Residence of Rutherford County following an extended illness. Mrs. Kurtz was born May 25, 1934 in Rutherford County to the late John C. Harris and Viola D. Enloe Harris. She grew up and spent most of her life in Rutherford County. She was...

Mar 16, 2007

Howard "Charlie" Nathaniel Brown, age 65, of Summerville, SC, husband of Ruth Elizabeth Brown, died Friday, March 16, 2007 at Hospice Center of Charleston.

Mr. Brown was born January 6, 1942, in Ft. Mill, SC son of the late Rev. Waymon Ray Brown and Mary Louise Francis Brown. Mr. Brown grew up in Rutherford County, graduating from...