Virginian-Pilot

June 16, 2003

Helen N. Townsend

NORFOLK -- Helen Naomi Potts Townsend, 83, went to be with her Lord on June 14, 2003.

Helen was born in Davie County, N.C., to the late Mary Rozine Weaver and Early Lee Potts on April 1, 1920. She was preceded in death by her loving husband, Edward Cornell Townsend and two sisters, Ruth Combs and Olean King. She was a very active former member for 49 years of Trinity Baptist Church and a 30-year member of Temple Baptist Church and a former Sunday school teacher. She was a member of the Chancel Choir, Temple Tones, Ed Townsend Prayer Breakfast, class mother for Inez Hall Bible Class and volunteer worker for the cancer bandages for Fairmount Park Methodist Church. She attended Bible Study at Faith Wesleyan and helped to start a new mission church at Westminster Baptist Chapel. She was a loving mother and adopted mother to many.

Mrs. Townsend is survived by her three daughters, Mary Townsend of Virginia Beach, Betty T. Whittington and her husband, Jim, and Nancy T. Sanchez and her husband, Harold, all of Norfolk; two brothers; Paul and Raymond Potts of Waverly, Va.; two sisters, Mildred Hermann of Virginia Beach, Margaret Wagner of Norfolk; four grandchildren; and six great-grandsons.

Homegoing services will be conducted at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Temple Baptist Church, Pershing and Tidewater Drive in Norfolk by the Rev. Dr. W. Emmett M. Diggs and David Vanhook. Burial will be at Woodlawn Memorial Gardens.

The family will receive friends at her church Tuesday night from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Memorial donations may be made to the Deaf Baptist Chapel of Temple Baptist Church. The family would like to thank the Hospice caregivers and all who helped during the time of her illness. H.D. Oliver Funeral Apts., Norfolk Chapel, is handling arrangements.

Annie Mae Goings

VIRGINIA BEACH -- Annie Mae Goings, 89, of the 1700 block of Janke Road, died June 12, 2003 at home. She was born in Gates County, N.C., and was the widow of Christian C. Goings. She retired after 40 years as a domestic worker in a private family home.

Survivors include two daughters, Barbara Jean Ebron and Janice Goings Riddick; three sons, Willie (Bunch) Goings, Vincent Goings and Columbus C. Goings; a very special grandson, Antonio Goings; three sisters, Malinda Corbett, Merlena Rouse and Thelma Jackson; 16 grandchildren; 22 great-grandchildren; and a score of nieces, nephews, cousins and other beloved relatives and friends.

A funeral will be conducted at noon Tuesday in Morning Star Baptist Church, 4780 First Court Road, Virginia Beach, by the Rev. Charles Williams. Interment will be in Roosevelt Memorial Park Cemetery, Chesapeake. The family will receive relatives and friends for remembrance and visitation today from 7 to 9 p.m. at P.G. Thomasson Funeral Services Inc., Bonney Road Chapel.

Arthur C. Hurtubise

VIRGINIA BEACH -- Arthur C. Hurtubise, 85, formerly of Hertford, N.C., went to be with his Lord on June 14, 2003. He was born in Hopewell, Va., on July 17, 1917 to Eugenia and James Hurtubise. He was a 1937 graduate of Maury High School. He retired from civil service after 20 years at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard.

In his retirement, he was an active member of the Sixty Plus Club in Ocean View which he loved and enjoyed so much. He was also a former member of the Portsmouth Moose Lodge.

He is survived by his first wife, Frances Cline of St. Augustine, Fla.; and their six children, Martha Fischer of Jacksonville, Fla., Faye Wimberly of St. Augustine, Fla., Donna Smith and her husband George of Virginia Beach, Jim Hurtubise and his wife Donna of Zephyrhills, Fla., Tammy Stevens and her husband John of Leesburg, Va., and John Hurtubise of Jacksonville. He was a blessed man with 20 incredible grandchildren, 10 awesome great-grandchildren and two precious great-great-grandchildren.

A service to honor his life will be held at Virginia Beach Christian Life Center, where he attended, located at 1000 N. Great Neck Road in Virginia Beach at 11 a.m. Tuesday. His family will be glad to meet with friends at Kellum Funeral Home from 7:30 to 9 p.m. today.

The family requests that any memorial donations be made to the local SPCA where Arthur found a loving and faithful friend, his special dog Digby, who brought great joy to his life these past few years.

Rebecca M. Drake

SEDLEY -- Rebecca Moss Drake, 76, widow of Andrew Thomas Drake, died June 15, 2003, at Southampton Memorial Hospital. A native of Townville, N.C., she was one of 11 children of the late Leonard Allen and Mary Iola Stainback Moss. She was a member of Grace Memorial United Methodist Church and the United Methodist Women.

Survivors include two sons, Jimmy Drake and his wife, Michelle, of Franklin and Timmy Drake and his wife, Kaye, of Capron; a brother, William Moss of Chesapeake; and four grandchildren, Ann Marie Drake, Haley Drake, Katlyn Drake and Ryan Wolfe. She was predeceased by a son, Dennis Drake.

A funeral will be conducted at 2 p.m. Wednesday in the chapel of Wright Funeral Home, Franklin, with the Rev. Elizabeth Von Trapp Walker officiating. Burial will follow in Rosemont Cemetery, Sedley. The family will receive friends at the church fellowship hall following the service and on Tuesday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to Grace Memorial UMC, P.O. Box 73, Sedley or the Sedley Volunteer Fire Department, P.O. Box 89, Sedley, VA 23878.

Virginia F. Barnett

ELIZABETH CITY -- Virginia Ferrell Barnett, 80, of the 100 block of Harrell St., died June 15, 2003, at her residence.

She was born in Elizabeth City to the late Claude Eure and Evelyn S. Ferrell and was the widow of Henry Grady Barnett. She was a retired telephone operator and supervisor with Carolina Telephone Company, a member of First Baptist Church, the Pasquotank Arts Council, and was a graduate of Elizabeth City State University.

Mrs. Barnett is survived by a son, Michael Barnett of the home and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by a brother, Claude E. Ferrell Jr.

A funeral will be conducted at 2 p.m. Tuesday in First Baptist Church by the Rev. Lamar Eiland. Burial will be at Westlawn Memorial Park Cemetery. The family will receive friends in the parlor of the church immediately following the service and at other times at the residence. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to First Baptist Church, P.O. Box 402, Elizabeth City, NC 27909. To sign the online register, please visit www.twifordfh.com.

Twiford's Memorial Chapel, 405 E. Church St., is in charge.

Virginia C. Jennings

ELIZABETH CITY -- Virginia C. Jennings of the 2900 block of W. Main St. Ext., died at Albemarle Hospital Saturday morning, June 14, 2003. She was born in Pasquotank County, N.C., to the late Seth and Lillian Bateman Jennings. She was a retired nurse and a lifetime member of Berea Baptist Church. Miss Jennings left North Carolina in 1938 to live and work with the C. Burke Elbrick family who served in the Foreign Service.

She lived in Poland, Norway, Portugal, Cuba, twice in France and in Washington, D.C. Mr. Elbrick was later appointed U.S. Ambassador to Portugal, Yugoslavia and Brazil. In 1992, Miss Jennings returned to her family home in Elizabeth City.

Miss Jennings is survived by a sister, Ima Jennings of Elizabeth City; a sister-in-law, Idra B. Jennings of Portsmouth; nine nephews and their wives, Clarence and Carolyn Jennings, Rodney Jennings, Jeffrey and Susan Jennings, Zenas and Nancy Jennings, Tony and Ann Rene' Jennings, Kevin and Anne Jennings, all of Camden, Lin and Ann Weeks of Elizabethtown, N.C., Seth and Patty Jennings and Mike Jennings of Portsmouth; two nieces, Brenda Gould of Portsmouth and Faye Peter and her husband, Dale, of Zionsville, Ind.; a goddaughter, Valerie Elbrick and her two sons of Washington, D.C.; a godson, Alfred Elbrick and wife Fern of Suffolk, England, and his four children; 13 great-nephews; and six great-nieces. She was predeceased by a sister, Alma J. Weeks and two brothers, Jesse Jennings and Samuel H. Jennings.

A funeral will be conducted at 11 a.m. Tuesday in Twiford's Memorial Chapel, 405 E. Church St., with the Rev. Roger J. Stanley officiating. Burial will follow at Westlawn Memorial Park Cemetery. The family will receive friends following the service in the lobby of the funeral home, and at other times at the residence, 2973 W. Main St., Ext. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Berea Baptist Church, 2033 North Road St., Elizabeth City, 27909, or to a charity of one's choice.

To sign the online guest register, please visit www.twifordfh.com.

Olga M. Osborne

MOYOCK -- Olga Margarete Osborne, 65, of the 100 block of Dolphin St., died Friday, June 13, 2003. The funeral will be conducted at 11 a.m. today in Fellowship Baptist Church in Moyock by the Rev. James Harrington. Oman Funeral Home & Crematory, Great Bridge, is in charge.

E. Morris Small Sr.

EDENTON -- Edwin Morris Small Sr., 74, affectionately known as ``Granddaddy'' to many in the community, died Sunday, June 15, 2003 in the Skilled Nursing Facility of Chowan Hospital.

Mr. Small was born in Chowan County and was the son of the late Shadrack Felton Small Jr. and Ethel Harrell Small. A retired farmer, Mr. Small was an active member of Edenton Baptist Church where he was elected to the Deacon Board in 1963 and had served as the board's chairman, was a former Sunday School teacher and chairman of the Building and Grounds committee. A former member of the Chowan County Board of Education, he was a member of Unanimity Masonic Lodge No. 7, AF & AM and had served in the National Guard. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his first wife, Frances Bunch Small, his sister, Evelyn S. Bunch and brothers, Shadrack Felton Small III, Vann McDonald Small and Lee Augustus Small Sr.

Surviving are his wife, Helen Copeland Small; a daughter, Yvonne S. Parker, her husband, Charles L. Jr. and their children, Brian and Nicole, all of Kenansville, N.C.; two sons, E. Morris Small Jr., his wife, Susan and their daughters, Katie, Brooke and Lauren, all of Edenton, and Jerry H. Small and his wife Brenda of Edenton and their son, Lin Hurdle, his wife Mary and their son Drew of Greenville, N.C.

Also surviving are Helen's daughters and their families, Cherry Kershner, her husband Richard and their son Erich of Virginia Beach and Jennifer Hawkins, her husband Melvin and their son Blake of Elizabeth City.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday in Edenton Baptist Church by Dr. Paul Pridgen and Dr. Kenneth Word. Burial will follow in Beaver Hill Cemetery with Miller Funeral Home in charge of arrangements. Friends may join the family from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday in the funeral home and other times at the residence.

Memorial contributions may be made to the ``Challenge to Build'' fund, in care of Edenton Baptist Church, 200 S. Granville St., Edenton, NC 27932.