Evelyn Ballard

CHESAPEAKE, Va. – Bishop Evelyn Ballard, 58, a native of Pendleton, died January 9, 2004.

A funeral will be conducted at 11 a.m. Thursday in Third Baptist Church, 461 Godwin St., Portsmouth. Interment will be at Greenlawn Memorial Gardens, Chesapeake. The body will be in church one hour prior to the service. Fisher Funeral Home is in charge.

Mrs. Ballard established the Looking to Jesus Ministry which was broadcast on radio and television (WJCB). She was a graduate of Charles Harrison Mason Bible College.

Survivors include her husband, Walter Ballard Jr.; two sons, Reginald Ballard of Buffalo, N.Y. and Kevin Ballard of Hampton; a stepson, Walter Griffin Sr. of Garland, Texas; six sisters, Madeline McCleese of Marlton, N.J., Shirlene Joyner, Patricia Joyner, Julia Allmond and Brenda Amos, all of Chesapeake and Carolyn Council of Portsmouth; and seven grandchildren.

Willie Lang

CHESAPEAKE, Va. – Willie Mae Artis Lang, a native of Ahoskie, died January 10, 2004. She was the widow of Charles Robert Lang Jr.

A funeral will be conducted at 11 a.m. Thursday at Mount Olive Baptist Church, 662 Fernwood Farms Road, Chesapeake, VA 23320. P.G. Thomasson Funeral Services, 1080 George Washington Hwy. North, Chesapeake, is in charge.

Mrs. Lang retired after 14 years of service with Chesapeake school system.

Survivors include two sons, Robert Lang of Norfolk and William Lang of Lorton; three daughters, Barbara Lang Harris and Janice Lang Burnham; her stepdaughter, Betty Jean Sinclair, all of Chesapeake; two sisters, Julia Lovelace of Newport News and Betty Jean Hall of Ahoskie; 13 grandchildren; four brothers, James Artis, Lee Stanley Artis and Robert Artis, all of Newport News and Eddie Clarence Artis of Pennsylvania; 13 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Ruth S. Russell

NORFOLK, Va. – Ruth S. Russell, 90, a native of Windsor, died January 9, 2004, in her residence. She was the widow of Sylvester Russell.

She was a retired tailor/seamstress for Norfolk Naval Exchange. She was a member of New Calvary Baptist Church and at an early age joined Hillside Baptist Church in Bertie County.

Survivors include a daughter, Sarah M. Bond of Windsor; a sister, Mary J. Smallwood of Lanham, Md.; one grandchild; and four great-grandchildren.

A funeral will be conducted at noon Thursday at New Calvary Baptist Church by the Rev. G.G. Campbell. Burial will be in Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery. Graves Funeral Home is in charge.

Jessie B. Cobb

WINDSOR – Jessie Byrum Cobb, 85, a native of Bertie County, died January 11, 2004. She was the widow of Stanley Cobb.

A funeral service was conducted Wednesday at Walker Funeral Home Chapel by the Rev. Kevin Copeland. Burial was in the family cemetery. Memorial gifts may be given to the Bertie County Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 74, Windsor, NC 27983.

Mrs. Cobb was a homemaker and a member of Greens Cross Baptist Church.

Survivors include two daughters, Betty Smithwick and Amy Bartley; a son, Michael Cobb, all of Windsor; a brother, George Byrum of Murfreesboro; three grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Oscar W. Lassiter

WASHINGTON – Oscar W. &uot;Poppa Buck&uot; Lassiter, 61, a native of Hertford County, died January 11, 2004, at Pitt County Memorial Hospital, Greenville.

A funeral was conducted Wednesday at Paul Funeral Home Chapel by the Rev. Sally Plowman and the Rev. David Harrington. Burial will be in Pamlico Memorial Gardens. Paul Funeral Home, Washington, was in charge. Those wishing to send memorials, please consider the Wharton Trinity United Methodist Church, c/o Bonnie Cratch, 1000 Leggett Road, Washington, NC 27889.

Lassiter was employed with Estes Truck Lines for over 31 years as a department manager and after his retirement he was employed part-time at Lowe’s of Washington for the past two years. He was a member of Wharton Trinity United Methodist Church.

Survivors include his wife, Brenda Eure Lassiter; two sons, Kevin Scott Lassiter Sr. and Michael Todd Lassiter, both of Washington; four brothers, Paul Linwood Lassiter of Ahoskie, Joseph Alton Lassiter of Lucama, Shelton Ray Lassiter of Gatesville and Eldridge Goodwin of Vanceboro; a sister, Carolyn L. Burgess of Courtland, Va.; and five grandchildren.

Helen A. Askew

PORTSMOUTH, Va. – Helen Artis Askew, 53, a native of Ahoskie, died January 8, 2004, in her home. She was the widow of Thomas Earl Askew.

A funeral will be conducted at 2:30 p.m. Thursday in Corprew Funeral Home, Portsmouth, by the Rev. F.R. Williams. Burial will be in Lincoln Memorial Cemetery. Family and friends will assemble at the funeral home at 2:15 p.m. Thursday for the service.

Survivors include three sisters, Ernestine Murphy of Boston, Mass., Stella Louise Hawkins and Hazel Lewter, both of Portsmouth; and four brothers, Eugene Artis Jr. and Vernon Lee Artis, both of Portsmouth, Melvin Artis and Roosevelt Artis, both of Ahoskie.

Laura S. Simpson

ROXOBEL – Laura Spruill Simpson, 85, died January 9, 2004.

A funeral will be conducted at 1 p.m. Saturday at Sandy Branch Baptist Church by the Rev. Lycurgus Harrell. Burial will be in the church cemetery. A visitation will be conducted from 1 to 8 p.m. Friday at Smith-Whidbee Funeral Home, Rich Square.