The R-C News-Herald

April 22, 2003

Lila V. Branch
ROMULUS, MI - Lila Louise Vinson Branch, 83, a native of Northampton County, died April 6, 2003 in Romulus.

A funeral was conducted Saturday at First Baptist Severn by the Rev. Luther J. Morris. Burial was in the family cemetery, Pendleton. Hertford County Undertakers, Winton, was in charge.

Survivors include a daughter, Eldyn Cleo Branch of Kirby, Texas; two sisters, Lillian Rogers of Upper Marlboro, Md., and Mary E. Anderson of Washington, D.C.; seven grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and eight great-great-grandchildren.

Georgia G. Hall
MERRY HILL - Georgia Gilliam Hall, 77, died April 18, 2003, at Chowan Skilled Nursing Facility, Edenton.

A funeral was conducted Monday at Oxley Hill Missionary Baptist Church by Pastor Vonner Horton. Committal services followed at the Hall family cemetery, Merry Hill. Puckett-Purkett Memorial Chapel, Roper, is in charge.

Helen L. Warren
SUFFOLK, Va. - Helen Iris Lowe Warren, 78, a native of Ivor, died April 17, 2003. She was the widow of Thomas J. Warren.

A funeral was conducted Saturday at Parr Funeral Home by the Rev. Michael Laine. Interment was in Ivor Cemetery. Contributions may be made to the Nansemond Suffolk Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 1515, Suffolk, VA 23439.

Mrs. Warren was a member of Ivor Baptist Church and a former clerk for Goodwill in Suffolk.

Survivors include a daughter, Judy C. York of Charlotte; sons, Terry L. Warren of Suffolk, Glenn T. Warren of Gates and Jerry L. Warren of Suffolk; sisters, Inez Holt, Elise Asbell and Juanita Rousee; a brother, Haywood Lowe; seven grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; sisters, Inez Holt, Elise Asbell, Louise Holt and Juanita Rousse; and a brother, Haywood Lowe.

James B. Graham
NORFOLK -- James Burnside Graham, a native of Mississippi, former Metropolitan editor of the Norfolk Ledger-Star, died April 18, 2003 at his home.

He retired in 1977, ending a newspaper career of more than 40 years. He began as a sports writer for the Diamondback, the student newspaper at the University of Maryland, from which he graduated in 1935. He worked for the Washington Daily News, Prince George (Maryland) Post, Washington Post, Washington Times Herald and Annapolis Maryland Evening Capital before joining the Ledger-Star in 1956.

His tenure at the Washington Post was interrupted by five years of service in the U.S. Army during World War II. Drafted, he served 1 1/2 years in the Armored Field Artillery, rising to technical sergeant before going to Officer Candidate School, where he was commissioned a second lieutenant and assigned to the Office of the Chief of Staff of the Army in the Pentagon. He subsequently transferred to the Office of Strategic Services and saw duty in Washington, England, France, Luxembourg and Germany. He was separated from the Army in the grade of captain in May 1946 and returned to the Post.

He was vice president of the Washington Local of the American Newspaper Guild, president of its Times Herald unit, and president of the Tidewater Virginia Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists/Sigma Delta Chi. He was a member of the Men's Advisory Board of the Florence Crittendon Home in Norfolk.

Following his retirement from the Ledger-Star he assisted in developing a course in Newswriting in the Graphic Arts Department of Chowan College in Murfreesboro, N.C. and taught that class and one of English for Newswriter's for five years. While there he joined two organizations of Journalism professors on college and junior college levels.

He was a member of the Episcopal Church of the Ascension where he served as Sunday School teacher, adult class leader, vestryman, senior warden and delegate to several Diocesan Councils.

Survivors include his wife, Elsie Payne Graham; three sons, James B. Graham Jr. of Cullman, Ala., Warren D. Collins Jr. of Norfolk and Robert N. Collins of Virginia Beach; four grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be conducted at 3 p.m. Tuesday at the Church of the Ascension, Talbot Hall Road & Newport Ave., Norfolk. A reception will follow the service in Rose Hall at the church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Church of the Ascension Memorial Fund, Norfolk or to the Bon Secours Hospice, Portsmouth. Smith and Williams Funeral Home, Norview Chapel, is in charge.

Randolph Mullen Jr.
EURE -- Thurman Randolph ``Randy'' Mullen Jr., 52, a native of Gates County, died April 19, 2003, in Roanoke-Chowan Hospital, Ahoskie.

A memorial service will be conducted at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the chapel of Miller Funeral Home by the Rev. Wallace Phillips. Friends may join the family in the lobby of the funeral home following the services. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Gates County Rescue Squad.

Mullen was an Army veteran and he was a member of the White Oak Hunt Club.

Survivors include a brother, Dennis Lee Mullen of Eure; and his stepfather, Manuel Vergakis of Chesapeake.

Ida Mae West
PORTSMOUTH, Va. - Ida Mae West, 83, died April 20, 2003.

Survivors include her husband, John L. West; three daughters, Judith Mustard of Suffolk, Sandra Bunch of Sedley and Brenda Ponton of Virginia Beach; three grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; two sisters, Barbara Corvello of Portsmouth and Marian Winslow of Corapeake; and stepsister, Francis Garris of Norfolk.

Mrs. West was a member of St. Andrews United Methodist Church.

A funeral will be conducted at 3 p.m. Tuesday in the Sturtevant Funeral Home, Portsmouth Blvd. Chapel, by the Rev. Penny Pugh. Burial will be in Olive Branch Cemetery.

John S. Davidson
FRANKLIN, Va. - John Stanley Davidson, 68, a native of Bertie County, April 20, 2003, at Southampton Memorial Hospital.

A funeral will be conducted at 2 p.m. Wednesday in Wright Funeral Home, Franklin, by the Rev. Dr. Richard Peerey. Burial will be in Beaver Dam Baptist Church Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home and requests memorials be made to The American Cancer Society, c/o Mrs. Ruth Petty, 116 Southampton Road, Franklin, VA 23851.

Davidson served three years in the U.S. Army and retired from International Paper after 43 years of dedicated service.

Survivors include his wife, Mary Hughes Davidson; two daughters, Gwen D. Sawyer of Franklin and Pamela D. Haydu of Boykins; a son, Gregory Madison Davidson of Franklin; two grandchildren; four sisters, June D. Futrell of Carrsville, Nancy D. Manning of Tarboro, Betty D. Bellflower of Franklin and Mary D. Whitehead of Hayes; a brother, William E. Davidson of Greenville, Tenn.

Alma B. Wiggins
NEW YORK, N.Y. - Alma Blount Wiggins, formerly of Ahoskie, died April 17, 2003, in Calvary Hospital, Bronx.

A funeral will be conducted at 2 p.m. Thursday at Soul Saving Station Evangelistic Center. Burial will be in Hillcrest Cemetery. Reynolds Funeral Home, Inc., Ahoskie, is in charge.

Survivors include her mother, Maggie Wiggins of Virginia Beach, Va.; two daughters, Patricia Mitchell and Sharlene Blount; three sons, Eugene Blount, Allen Blount and Anthony Blount, all of New York; four sisters, Juanita Wiggins, Vernelle James, Gwen Wiggins and Myra Wiggins; four brothers, Quinton Wiggins Jr., Vonzell Wiggins, DeWit Wiggins and Bernard Wiggins; six grandchildren.