Doris Raynor

COLERAIN – Doris Raynor, died July 3, 2004 at Roanoke-Chowan Hospital, Ahoskie.

A funeral will be conducted at 1 p.m. Friday at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, Harrellsville, by the Rev. Robert Lewis. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Reynolds Funeral Home, Inc., Ahoskie, is in charge.

Mrs. Raynor was a member and deaconess of Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church.

Survivors include two sons, Russell Raynor Jr. of Goldsboro and Ervin Raynor of Colerain; two daughters, Janice R. Sessoms of Colerain and Luverne Raynor of Durham; two brothers, Luther V. Mitchell of Ahoskie and Franklin R. Mitchell of Elizabeth, N.J.; two sisters, Annie L. Sharpe of Harrellsville and Fannie M. Powell of Elizabeth City; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Carolyn Goffigan

KELFORD – Carolyn V. Goffigan, 58, a native of Nansemond Co., Va., died July 4, 2004, at Louise Obici Hospital, Suffolk.

A funeral will be conducted at noon Friday at New Paul’s Temple Holiness Church by Pastor Ella Rodgers. Burial will be in the Cross family cemetery. Hunter’s Funeral Home, Inc., Ahoskie, is in charge.

She was employed wit Planter’s Peanut as a packer and a member of New Paul’s Temple Holiness Church, Suffolk.

Survivors include a son, Terrence Parker of Suffolk; two daughters, Treva Parker of Washington, D.C., and Tawiana Fleshman of Suffolk; two sisters, Vera M. Parker of Suffolk and Immogene Wheeler of Washington; and 13 grandchildren.

Vashti E. Melton

KELFORD – Vashti Everette Melton, 90, a native of Bertie County, died July 5, 2004, at Bertie Memorial Hospital, Windsor.

A funeral will be conducted at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Beautiful Zion Baptist Church by the Rev. Eugene Harris. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Hunter’s Funeral Home, Inc., Ahoskie, is in charge.

Mrs. Melton was a member of Beautiful Zion Baptist Church.

Survivors include three sons, Wiley A. Melton, Cleo Melton and Debernis Melton, all of Kelford; five daughters, Florine Walton of Kelford, Mary McKnight of Washington, D.C., Katie Byrd of Roanoke Rapids, Dorothy Carson of Philadelphia, Pa. and Bess Bazemore of Reseda, Calif.; a sister, Lula Hardy of Philadelphia; and a host of grandchildren; and great-grandchildren.

Lovie Cherry

WINDSOR – Lovie Virginia Barrow Cherry, a native of Windsor, died July 1, 2005, at Pitt Memorial Hospital, Greenville. She was the widow of James Austin Cherry.

A funeral was conducted Saturday at Cedar Landing Baptist Church by the Rev. Shelton Barnes. Burial was in Hillcrest Cemetery. Gilliam Funeral Home was in charge.

Mrs. Cherry was a member of Cedar Landing Baptist Church.

Survivors include seven children, Shirley of Philadelphia, Pa., James of Iraq, Wallace, Russell and Barbara, all of Windsor, Ervin and Janie, both of the home; one sister, Rachel; three brothers, Ernest ad Daniel, both of Philadelphia and Edward of Delaware; 16 grandchildren; and 16 great-grandchildren.

Rebecca M. Gillenwaters

PORTSMOUTH, Va. – Rebecca Lee Minton Gillenwaters, 84, a native of Ahoskie, died July 5, 2004. She was the widow of Maxwell Raleigh Gillenwaters.

A funeral will be conducted at 10 a.m. Thursday at

Sturtevant Funeral Home, Portsmouth Blvd. Chapel, by the Rev. Gene V. Primm. Burial will be at 1 p.m. in Gatesville Cemetery, Gatesville.

Mrs. Gillenwaters retired from Rose’s Department store as a sales clerk after 25 years of service. She was Baptist by faith.

Survivors include two daughters, Ann Moore of Portsmouth and Phyllis Emory of Chesapeake; a son, William E. Gillenwaters of Suffolk; four grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Randel Carpenter

HOBBSVILLE – Randel Carpenter, 57, a native of Mooresburg, Tenn., died July 4, 2004, in Chowan Hospital, Edenton.

Carpenter was a retired chief warrant officer 2 from the U.S. Army after 22 years of service, he had served two tours of duty in Vietnam and following his retirement was employed with The Virginian-Pilot as a carrier.

Survivors include his wife, Mary Glover Carpenter; two daughters, Randi Kaye Marx of Chesapeake, Va., and Michelle Hall of Hertford; two sons, Bryan Carpenter of Hobbsville and Robert Carpenter and Fort Drum, N.Y.; and eight grandchildren.

Friends joined the family Wednesday in Miller Funeral Home, Gatesville. Full military rites with an inurnment to follow in a National Cemetery will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggest contributions be made to the Edenton-Chowan Rescue Squad, Cross Roads Dept., or to Albemarle Hospice.

Joseph E. Ferguson

RALEIGH – Joseph Earl Ferguson, 82, a native of Murfreesboro, died July 5, 2004, at Rex Hospital in Raleigh.

Ferguson attended Murfreesboro public schools, Bernard School for Boys in New York, and was a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He retired after 22 years in the Naval Air Corps and the Naval Air Corps Reserves. He was a bomber pilot in World War II, serving in the Southwest Pacific and North Africa. He participated in the Berlin Airlift in 1948. He was also in the Korean War. Upon graduation from UNC, he was involved in various business enterprises in and around Raleigh, where he made his home.

Survivors include a sister, Linda Ferguson McLam of Whiteville; and a brother, Fenton Blount Ferguson of Murfreesboro.

A funeral will be conducted at 2 p.m. Saturday at Murfreesboro Methodist Church, Murfreesboro. Burial will be in Riverside Cemetery. The family will receive friends at the church one hour prior to the service. Arrangements by Garrett Funeral Home.

Sylvia H. Fentress

NORFOLK, Va. – Evangelist Sylvia Harris Fentress, a native of Rich Square, died July 4, 2004, at her sister’s residence

A funeral was conducted Wednesday at End Time Apostolic. Burial was in Rosewood Memorial Gardens. Carlos A. Howard Funeral Home, Norfolk chapel, was in charge.

Survivors include her husband, Willie Fentress; sisters, brothers, and stepchildren.

Leonard Brown

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Percy Leonard Brown, 79, a native of Gates County, died July 31, 2004.

A funeral was conducted Wednesday at First Baptist Church, Newport News. Interment was private at Peninsula Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to First Baptist Church for the John Leland Center for Theological Studies. Arrangements by Weymouth Funeral Home Inc.

Brown was a veteran of World War II and owner of Fidelity Insurance Corporation where he retired in 1989 after 37 years in the property and casualty insurance business. He was a member of First Baptist Church of Newport News for 69 years.

Survivors include his wife, Helen Spivey Brown; sons, Kenneth Leonard Brown of Richmond and Michael Cary Brown of Williamsburg; a brother, and sister; and two grandchildren.

Hattie M. Vaughan

KINSTON – Hattie Maude Vaughan, died July 6, 2004, at Caswell Center, Kinston.

A funeral will be conducted at 1 p.m. Saturday at Second Baptist Church Creeksville, Murfreesboro, by Evangelist Ruby Ragin and the Rev. Elijah Bond. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Reynolds Funeral Home, Inc., Ahoskie, is in charge.

Survivors include one brother, Jackie J. Vaughan of Murfreesboro; and four daughters, Blondell Davis of Philadelphia, Pa., Ruby Ragin of New York, N.Y., Francis Stevens of New Jersey and Alberta Majette of Rich Square.