| Obituaries for Saturday, April 21, 2001
CLARKSBURG -- Herbert J. Brown, 79, of Williams Avenue, North View, died Thursday, April 19, 2001, in United Hospital Center, Clarksburg, following a brief illness.
He was born Dec. 3, 1921, in Wakecross, Ga., a son of the late Luther and Agnes Waters Brown.
His wife, Dolores Springer Brown, whom he married Sept. 12, 1942, survives.
Also surviving are one brother, Adolph Brown, Wakecross, Ga., and several nieces and nephews.
He was also preceded in death by one son, Roger Brown, three brothers and three sisters.
Mr. Brown was retired from Harry Green Chevrolet Jeep Nissan, where he was employed as a mechanic.
He was a Baptist. He was a veteran of World War II, having served with the U.S. Navy. He was a member of the Clarksburg Model Aviation Club.
Family and friends may call at the Davis Funeral Home, 1 Olen Thomas Drive, from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Sunday where the funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. Monday with the Rev. Kenny Kendall officiating. Interment will be in Bridgeport Cemetery.
FAIRMONT -- James Ashley Carpenter, 77, of Fairmont, died Friday, April 20, 2001, at Fairmont General Hospital.
He was born July 22, 1923, in Fairmont, a son of the late Columbus Albert and Nellie Duskey Carpenter.
His wife, Genevieve Elutrio Carpenter, survives.
Also surviving are three sons and daughters-in-law, James Richard and Gloria Carpenter, Quincy, Ill., Randall David and Terry Carpenter, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Brian Ashley and Susan Carpenter, Cary, N.C.; one brother and sister-in-law, Ervin E. and Susan Carpenter, Sandusky, Ohio; two sisters-in-law, Jane Carpenter, Pleasant Valley and Beatrice Carpenter, Hagerstown, Md.; five grandchildren, Ashley Carpenter, Jamie Carpenter, Matthew Carpenter, Michael Carpenter and Carolyn Carpenter; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.
He was also preceded in death by two brothers, Rollin Carpenter and Carl Carpenter, and one sister, Marjorie Tims.
Mr. Carpenter was retired from the Marion County Board of Education, where he worked as a carpenter. Prior to that he had worked at the A&P warehouse in Fairmont. He was a graduate of Fairmont Senior High School and served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II.
He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 629, the Woodmen of the World and the Marion County Retired Teachers and Service Employees Association. His hobbies included woodworking and working crossword puzzles. He was an avid Mountaineer sports fan.
John Edward 'Ed' Hall Sr.
PINE GROVE -- John Edward "Ed" Hall Sr., 87, of Pine Grove, died Friday, April 20, 2001, at Wetzel County Hospital, New Martinsville.
He was a son of the late John E. and Maude Haught Hall.
His wife, Iva Stoneking Hall, survives.
Also surviving are three sons, John Hall Jr. and wife, Debra, Ronald Hall, Tom Hall and wife, Linda, all of Pine Grove; two daughters, Arlene "Skip" Adams and husband, Bob, and Susie Efaw and husband, John, all of Pine Grove; one brother, Walter, Canton, Ohio; three sisters, Freda Bell, Pine Grove, Joann Wyatt, Colliers, and Mary Jane Yarberry, California; 12 grandchildren, Robin Wadsworth, Deedee Brittom, Kimberly Bates, Cindy Carpenter, Dana Hall, Kevin Hall, Eric Adams, Lisa Couch, Johnna Harter, Shawna Staley, Jaysha Thompson and Jodee Efaw; two stepgrandchildren, Lisa Myer and Keith Baker; 11 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.
Mr. Hall was a Protestant by faith. He retired from the former Bell's Store, Pine Grove.
GRAFTON -- Betty Kines, 80, of West Boyd Street, died Thursday, April 19, 2001, at Grafton City Hospital after a brief illness.
She was born June 18, 1920, in Grafton, a daughter of the late Adolf and Sophia Pytlik Schmuck.
Her husband, Claudis S. Kines, preceded her in death in 1983.
Surviving are one foster son, Jeffrey Michael Dodge; two sisters, Virginia Drennan, both of Grafton, and Frances Kisner, Fairmont, Smithtown community; one special niece, Carolyn Pauletta and husband, Bob, Grafton, and several nieces and nephews.
She was also preceded in death by two brothers, Emmett and Adolph Schmuck, and one sister, Ann Thorn.
Mrs. Kines was employed as a receptionist for Dr. Malone in Michigan, at the Hazel Atlas factory of Grafton, the Owen Illinois factory of Fairmont, and Robert Hall Clothing of Michigan.
She was a member of the St. Augustine Catholic Church, Grafton.
CLARKSBURG -- Mr. Oran Bland Matthey, 73, of 1241 Penn St., Clarksburg, died at 8:55 a.m. Friday, April 20, 2001, at the Country Living Personal Care Home in Jane Lew, following an extended illness.
He was born Nov. 13, 1927, in Bristol, a son of the late Charles Glenn Matthey and Ethel Regina Day Matthey.
His wife, Pauline B. "Polly" Brown Matthey, whom he married Oct. 23, 1949, survives.
Also surviving are two daughters and sons-in-law, Mrs. Rebekah Jean and Dennis A. Wyckoff, Martinsburg, and Mrs. Joanna Lea and Robert L. Huffman, Route 5, Salem; one brother and sister-in-law, Walter Eugene Matthey and wife, Norma Jean, Waldorf, Md.; three grandsons, James Elden Wyckoff, Martinsburg, Patrick Robert and Joseph Lee Huffman, both of Salem; one nephew, Walter E. Matthey Jr. and wife, Jennifer, Johnstown, Pa.; one niece, Mrs. Karen Fowler and husband, Keith, Waldorf; and four sisters-in-law.
He was also preceded in death by one sister, Glenna Louise Matthey; one sister-in-law, Shirley Brown Howell, and one brother-in-law, William Harding.
Mr. Matthey graduated from Bristol High School with the class of 1945 and attended Salem College for two years. He worked for A&P Tea Co. and the Clarksburg Water Board.
He was a veteran of World War II, serving in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He retired in 1987 after 20 years of service with the U.S. Department of Labor as a wage and hour compliance officer.
He was a member of the Clarksburg Baptist Church.
Friends may call at the Davis-Weaver Funeral Home, 329 East Main St., from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Sunday. The body will be moved to the Clarksburg Baptist Church on Monday and will lie in state from 10-11 a.m. The funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at the church with the Rev. David L. Hulme conducting. Interment will follow in Middleville Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers the family request donations be made in his memory to the Gideons Camp, P.O. Box 2075, Clarksburg, WV 26302-2075 or the Radio Bible Class, R B C Ministries, P.O. Box 291, Grand Rapids, MI 49501-0291.
Virginia Woodford 'Ginny' Rettzo
ELKINS -- Virginia Woodford "Ginny" Rettzo, 92, of 1 Goff St., Elkins, died at 9:10 a.m. Friday, April 20, 2001, at the Broaddus Hospital, Philippi. Death was attributed to pneumonia.
She was born Nov. 16, 1908, at Belington, the youngest daughter of the late Dr. Alonzo H. Woodford and Helena Rease Woodford.
She was twice married. Her first husband, Dorwin D. Talbott, preceded her in death. Her husband, Anthony V. "Tony" Rettzo, whom she married Aug. 8, 1944, at Forestville, Md., survives.
Also surviving are one son, Anthony V. "Chip" Rettzo II, Elkins; one daughter, Peggy Talbott Wagner and husband, Charles R. Wagner, Fairfax, Va.; four grandsons, Eric R. Wagner, Christopher D. Wagner and Timothy C. Wagner, all of Virginia, and Christian Anthony Melton, Charleston; one niece, Mary Kelly "Gerri" Fisher, Elkins; two stepgranddaughters, Angela Lyn Roy, Elkins, and Tina Dawn Benner, Virginia; six great-grandchildren and two stepgreat-grandchildren.
She was also preceded in death by one brother, William Rease Woodford; one sister, Adelaide Kelly Bennett, and one granddaughter, Tony Lynn Melton Kidd.
Mrs. Rettzo was a graduate of Elkins High School with the class of 1925. She had worked for Club Talford on the Airport Road for many years. She was employed by the Rettzo Insurance Agency of Elkins for several years.
She was a volunteer for Davis Memorial Hospital, a member of the Women's Club of Elkins, and the Davis Memorial Presbyterian Church where she sang in the choir.
She was an avid dancer and bridge player.
ELKINS -- Jean McCorkle Ross, 80, of Kerens Hill, died Thursday, April 19, 2001, at her home. She had been in declining health for more than a year. Death was attributed to cancer.
She was born July 5, 1920, in Leavenworth, Kan., the older daughter of the late John E. McCorkle and Annie Laurie Cooper McCorkle.
Her husband, Thomas Richard Ross, whom she married June 1, 1946, survives in Elkins.
Also surviving are one son and daughter-in-law, Attorney T.R. Ross II and Vidia C. Ross, Elkins; one daughter and son-in-law, Laurie Ross Taylor and Richard Taylor, Albuquerque, N.M.; four granddaughters, Amanda Lee Ross, Columbus, Ohio, Natalia Marie Ross, a senior in Elkins High School, Teresa Ross Taylor and Hannah Ross Taylor, pupils in Albuquerque public schools; one sister, Stewart Homme, Alexandria, Va.; one sister-in-law, Nancy Ross Smith, Albany, Calif.; three nephews, Jeffrey Homme, Darnestowne, Md., Greggrey Homme, Palm Desert, Calif., and Dr. Frederick Hickling, Maumelle, Ark.; and two nieces, Anne Hickling, Los Altos, Calif., and Katie Hickling, San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Mrs. Ross was a graduate of Leavenworth High School and received a bachelor's degree from Park College in Missouri and a master's degree from the George Peabody College of Vanderbuilt University in Tennessee. She taught English and history in high schools in Iowa and Massachusetts for six years prior to moving to Elkins in 1949 when Dr. Ross joined the faculty of Davis and Elkins College.
She became associated with the Randolph County Senior Center when it was started in 1967 and served as craft coordinator for three years. In 1971 she was appointed executive director, a position she held until her retirement in 1985. Membership in the center grew from an original 260, mostly in Elkins, to more than 3,800, from throughout the county by 1985. Under her leadership the present Senior Center Building on Fifth Street was planned, financed, constructed and endowed, and many of the services and programs now available were developed.
Largely in recognition of her work at the Senior Center, Governor John D. Rockefeller IV, named Jean Ross a "Distinguished West Virginian" in 1982. On this occasion, the Inter-Mountain reported that the Governor told a large audience, "When I first met Jean Ross, I went home to Charleston and told my staff that I had met a woman who should be Governor of this state and that woman is Jean Ross. I'm not kidding, this is a true story. There is something special about the directors of senior centers - and Jean Ross is the best director in the state."
She has served as president of the board of the United Way of Randolph County, president of the West Virginia State Association of Senior Programs, president of the Elkins branch of the American Association of University Women, president of the local chapter of PEO, president of the Central School PTA, and a member of the Randolph County Red Cross and the Randolph County Domestic Training and Referral Program.
She was a member of the Council of Senior West Virginians, the National Council on Aging, the American Association of Retired Persons, the D&E College Aid, and the Friends of Halliehurst. She was a member of the Davis Memorial Presbyterian Church for more than 50 years. She was one of the first two women to be elected and ordained as an Elder. She served for many years as a Sunday school teacher of a circle of the Presbyterian Women and on various committees of the Session. Long an advocate of civil rights and equal rights for women, Mrs. Ross was one of the first women to serve on both a petit and grand jury in Randolph County when the state finally permitted women to serve on juries.
In 1979 she was named "Employer of the Year" by the Elkins Business and Professional Women's Club and in 1985 she was presented the Alpha Beta Merit Award. In 1999 Congressman Robert Wise honored Mrs. Ross at a Senior Citizens Recognition event.
The family suggest the memorial gifts be made to the Mountain Hospice, 1410 Crim Ave., Belington, WV 26250 or to the Davis Memorial Presbyterian Church, 450 Randolph Ave., Elkins, WV 26241 (designated for the "Heating-Cooling" Fund).
FAIRMONT -- Burley D. Tennant Sr., 81, of Vermont Avenue, died Friday, April 20, 2001, at Fairmont General Hospital.
He was born May 1, 1919, in Fairview, a son of the late Clarence and Lou Brookover Tennant.
His wife of 56 years, Beatrice Leona Shipp Tennant, preceded him in death on Aug. 24, 1995.
Surviving are one son and daughter-in-law, Burley D. "Butch" Jr. and Jacqueline R. Tennant, Fairmont; one daughter and son-in-law, Diane and Rocky Glover, Abingdon, Va.; two grandchildren, J.B. and wife, Shirley Tennant, Fairmont, and Rebecca "Dee Dee" Tennant, Blacksburg, Va.; one stepgranddaughter, Niki Brandimarte, Fairmont; one sister, Dora Ashton, Clarksburg; and one niece, Carol Lynne McCoy, Florida, who was raised in his home.
He was also preceded in death by one brother, Bernard Clarence Tennant.
Mr. Tennant was retired form the U.S. Postal service with 43 years of service. He was previously employed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and most recently worked as a financial consultant for the American Advantage Capital Co.
He served in the U.S. Army for 27 years. He was a retired captain with the Headquarters Battery Commander 201st Field Artillery. He served in Germany and Korea as well as the Normandy Invasion during World War II. He was a recipient of the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star. He was a graduate of Fairview High School and an alumni from West Virginia University.
He was a member of the B.P.O.E. No. 294 Fairmont Elks Club, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 629 in Fairmont, the American Legion Post 17 of Fairmont, and the Retired Rural Letter Carrier Association. He was an avid bowler and a loyal WVU Mountaineer fan and season ticket holder for many years.
The family asks that memorial contributions be made to the Mountaineer Athletic Club, P.O. Box 0877, WVU, Morgantown, WV 26507.
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