Nellie H. Byrd

MURFREESBORO – Nellie Harrell Byrd, 83, a native of Cool Springs, Texas, died March 4, 2005, at Guardian Care of Ahoskie. She was the widow of Tommie E. Byrd.

Mrs. Byrd was a retired Deputy Clerk of Hertford County Superior Court, and a member of Murfreesboro Baptist Church.

Survivors include three sons, Gene Byrd and Joe Byrd, both of Murfreesboro, and Charles Byrd of Conway; 5 grandchildren, and 7 great grandchildren.

A graveside service was conducted Monday at Riverside Cemetery Murfreesboro by the Rev. Thomas Caulkins and Rev. Dr. Christopher L. Canipe. Garrett Funeral Home was in charge.

Shirley B. Drawdy

EDENTON – Shirley Brown Drawdy, 69, a native of Johnston County, died March 5, 2005, in Albemarle Hospital, Elizabeth City. Mrs. Drawdy was a homemaker, she was the former co-owner of Rocky Hock Grocery and was a member of Bethel Baptist Church.

Survivors include her husband, George E. Drawdy; two daughters, Vivian D. Sutton and Howard of Hertford and Karen D. Ambrose of Merry Hill; one son, Neil E. Drawdy of Smithfield; four sisters, Marguerite Rigdon and Dorothy Barnes, both of Princeton, Rita Norris of Smithfield and Alice Benson of Gainesville, Fla.; four brothers, Leroy Brown of Princeton, Buster Brown of Pikeville, Russell Brown of Smithfield and Tommy Brown of Virginia Beach; and five grandchildren.

A funeral will be conducted at 2 p.m. Wednesday in the chapel of Miller Funeral Home by the Rev. Michael Bryant and the Rev. Stanley Nixon. Burial will be in Beaver Hill Cemetery. Friends may join the family at the funeral home Tuesday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. and all other times at the residence. Memorial contributions may be made to Albemarle Hospice, P.O. Box 189, Elizabeth City, NC 27907-0189.

Ruth L. Whitehead

WINDSOR – Ruth L. Whitehead, 91, died March 4, 2005, at Bertie Memorial Hospital. She was the widow of Burgess U. Whitehead.

Survivors include a son, Charles L. Whitehead; a daughter, Susan W. Harrell; and four grandchildren.

A graveside service was conducted Monday in St. Thomas Episcopal Church cemetery. Walker Funeral Home was in charge. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Thomas Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 400, Windsor, NC 27983 or Bertie County Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 74, Windsor, NC 27983.

Linwood Gatling

AHOSKIE n Linwood Gatling, 72, a native of Hertford County, died March 3, 2005 at Wactor Apartments.

Gatling was retired from Georgia-Pacific and a member of St. John Second Baptist Church.

Survivors include two sisters, Frances Mitchell of Newark, N.J., and Lorraine Gatling of Philadelphia, Pa.

A funeral will be conducted at 1 p.m. Tuesday at St. John Second Baptist Church by the Rev. Johnnie Jones Jr. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Hunter's Funeral Home, Ahoskie is in charge.

Selery Alston

RED OAK n Selery Alston, 77, died March 4, 2005 at Nash General Hospital, Rocky Mount.

A visitation will be conducted from 4 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday with the family receiving friends from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Chapel of H.D. Pope Funeral Home. Funeral services will be conducted at 2 p.m. at White Oak Baptist Church in Enfield by the Rev. E. Ray Bynum. Interment will be in the church cemetery.

Henry Newton

ROCKY MOUNT n Henry Newton, 85, died March 4, 2005 at Nash General Hospital, Rocky Mount.

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

Ruth V. Joyner

AULANDER n Ruth Vann Joyner, 89, a native of Hertford County, died March 4, 2005 at Roanoke-Chowan Hospital, Ahoskie.

A funeral will be conducted at 1 p.m. Wednesday at St. John Second Baptist Church by the Rev. Roy Sharpe. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Hunter's Funeral Home, Inc., Ahoskie, is in charge.

Mrs. Joyner was a member of St. John Second Baptist Church.

Survivors include three sons, Terry Joyner and Wiley Joyner Jr., both of Ahoskie and Leroy Joyner of Aulander; 10 daughters, Mary Sharpe, Eunice Britt, Lillie Fennell and Shirley Fennell, all of Aulander, Ruby Burden, Gloria Fennell, Patricia Deans and Evelyn Manning, all of Ahoskie, Sallie Joyner of Rich Square and Estella Washington of Hampton, Va.; 45 grandchildren, 69 great-grandchildren; and seven great-great-grandchildren.

Mary C. Cofield

MERRY HILL n Mary C. Cofield, 88, a native of Pitt County, died March 5, 2005 at Bertie Memorial Hospital.

A funeral will be conducted at 11 a.m. Thursday at St. John Second Baptist Church by the Rev. Willie Best. Burial will be in Ashland Baptist Church Cemetery. Hunter's Funeral Home, Inc., Ahoskie, is in charge.

Mrs. Cofield was an assistant nurse for Bertie Winston Park Rest Home. She was a member of Ashland Baptist Church.

Survivors include her husband, Lenard J. Cofield of Merry Hill; two sons, Earnhart L. Winborne and Athaniel Winborne, both of Windsor; two daughters, Verlie Lanier of Williamston and Andrea Tomlin of Philadelphia, Pa.; one brother, Willie C. Downey of Portsmouth, Va.; 26 grandchildren; 39 great-grandchildren; and 16 great-great-grandchildren.

Glenn M. Jackson

AULANDER n Glenn Mayo Jackson, 65, died Saturday, March 5, 2005, at his home.

Mr. Jackson was born in Bertie County on January 5, 1940, the son of the late Dan and Katie Wilkins Jackson. He was a member of Aulander United Methodist Church, a graduate of Aulander High School, and served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam Conflict. He loved trading horses, mules, and the stock market. Glenn had worked for Blue Bell Pajama Factory, Brown Oil Company, Freeman Metal Products, Parker Monument Company, and Branch Funeral Home. He loved to work and faithfully visited his aunts and cousins as long as he was able.

Mr. Jackson is survived by many cousins, Marilyn H. Dixon, David C. Hardee, Raleigh Joyner Jr., Faye H. Swanson, Thomas W. "Tommy" Joyner; their children and grandchildren; and his faithful friend, Wilson Mitchell. Besides his parents and grandparents, he was predeceased by his beloved aunts, Cozette Jackson, Sarah W. Hopkins, Helen W. Joyner, and Lyndall Hardee; and uncles, Graden Jackson and Robert "Bob"Wilkins.

A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m., Wednesday, March 9, 2005 at Garrett Funeral Home, Ahoskie, with the Rev. Robert May officiating. Burial will be in Aulander Cemetery.

Garrett Funeral Home, Ahoskie, is serving the Jackson family.

Steven S. Toler

FRANKLIN, Va. n Steven Scott "Steve" Toler, 48, of the 24000 block of Delaware Road, passed away quietly Saturday, March 5, 2005, surrounded by ones who loved him. Born in Ahoskie, North Carolina, he was a son of Hannah Earley Toler and the late Staff Sergeant Calvin Henry Toler. Being the son of a military father, the family lived in Munich, Germany and Arlington, Virginia, and after his father's death, the family moved to Franklin. He was a small engine technician and, until his disability retirement, was employed by Dail's Home Center. His favorite pastime was fishing with friends and enjoying the companionship of special family members.

Left to cherish his many happy memories are his loving mother, Hannah Toler Lupton and stepfather, George B. Lupton of Franklin; a sister, Jewel T. Johnson, and husband, Mickey, of Franklin; a brother, Calvin Kent Toler; and wife, Paula, of Clermont, Florida; his long time companion, Nina B. Drewery of Franklin; a nephew, Calvin Toler II and wife, Allison of Stuart, FL; two nieces, Amy Johnson of Richmond and Katie Johnson of Franklin; a stepbrother, Roy Lupton and wife, Sherrie of Courtland; two stepsisters, Lorie Lambdin of Sebrell and Rachel Lupton of Bluefield, WVa.; three step-nephews, Daniel Lupton and wife, Kelly of Chapel Hill, NC, Ryan Lupton of Richmond, and Will Lambdin; a step-niece, Rebecca Lupton; several aunts, uncles, cousins and the many friends who will miss him dearly and mourn his passing. In addition to his father, a veteran of the Korean and Viet Nam Wars, Steve was predeceased by his maternal grandparents, Merton and Isolind Earley of Ahoskie, NC; and paternal grandparents, Henry and Edna Toler of Kitty Hawk, NC.

After living his entire life enduring the problems of a defective heart from birth, he is finally at rest in the loving care of his creator. He will be remembered always in the hearts of those to whom he was held so special.

Friends are invited to join the family in a celebration of Steve's life at 7 p.m. Monday, March, 14, 2005 at Fred's Restaurant in Franklin. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the American Heart Association, c/o Mrs. June Duck, 27351 Delaware Road, Franklin, Va. 23851. Wright Funeral Home has charge of arrangements.

Joseph Battle

ROCKY MOUNT n Joseph Battle, 42, died March 6, 2005 at Guardian Care in Rocky Mount.

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

Clatie Archer

Mrs. Clatie Simons Archer, a native of Cofield, North Carolina, died March 4, 2005 in King James Care Center, Chatham, New Jersey.

Mrs. Archers' devotion to nursing spanned over 35 years, beginning at Maryview Hospital, Portsmouth, Virginia and culminated in her retirement from St. Joseph's Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1982.

Upon her retirement, she returned to live in Portsmouth for 15 years, before moving to New Jersey.

Surviving are her daughter, Phyllis Archer Crump, son-in-law, Wilbert Crump, grand daughter, Deborah; grandson, David and great-grandson, Kaleb.

Arrangements are by Corprew Funeral Home, Portsmouth, Virginia. A viewing will be held at the funeral home from 7-8 p.m. on Friday, March 11. Services will be held 2:30 p.m. Saturday, March 13 at Pleasant Plains Baptist Church, Ahoskie, North Carolina.

Rosa Winston Bond

NEW YORK, NY – Rosa Winston Bond, 102, died March 4, 2005.

A native of Bertie County, Bond was born to Henry and Cora Spruill Bond of Windsor on November 12, 1902.

She was the seventh of 11 children. As a child, she always had an interest in church and family activities.

After completing her education in Bertie County, she moved to Norfolk, Va. for two years. She returned to Windsor to be with her family. In 1935, she went to New York City.

She received Christ at an early age at the Cedar Landing Baptist Church in Windsor. Once in New York City, she was married to David Mantley and continued to be very active in the church. Over the years, she attended The Friendship Baptist Church and The Little Missionary Baptist Church.

In 1970, she joined the The Downtown Baptist Church in Harlem, New York and served as President of the Praying Band, Gospel Chorus and Usher Board. She was the Treasurer of the Sunday school and Trustee of the Church and a Missionary. She was also the ‘Mother’ of the church. She also was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star and participated in civic and political organizations in the New York City area.

Survivors include a daughter, Mrs. Pearl J. Allen of the Bronx, one granddaughter, two great-grandchildren, three great great granddaughters, a host of nieces and nephews; and one adopted daughter.

Funeral services will be held at St. John Pentecostal Church in New York City on Friday, March 11 at 10 a.m.

Repose will be at Florence E Browne Funeral Home located at 436 Lenox Avenue in New York City on Thursday, March 10 from 3-8 p.m.