The Montgomery Herald, Montgomery, W.Va. - Obituaries

Wed, Aug 20 2008

Published: July 01, 2008 05:07 pm

Obituaries — Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Rev. James R. Ballard

Rev. James Russell Ballard, 83, of Fayetteville, died June 30, 2008, at the Princeton Community Hospital following a long illness.

Born Oct. 20, 1924, at Cannelton, he was one of the 14 children of the late William and Molly Maner Ballard. He also was preceded in death by sisters, Faye, Florence, and Mary Rose; and brothers, Willie, Charlie, and Bob.

Rev. Ballard was ordained a minister of the Baptist faith at Cotton Hill Baptist Church. Over the past 25 years he pastored at Gentry, Kaymoor, Loop Creek, and Bethel Baptist churches. He was a man who truly loved and served the Lord.

He was a graduate of Montgomery High School and attended Appalachian Bible College.

Rev. Ballard was a tech sergeant in World War II; he participated in D-Day at Utah Beach and aided in the liberation of Cherbourg, France. He received two Purple Hearts, medals for valor, and he served with the 79th Infantry 313 Division.

He was a coal miner and retired from Cannelton Industries with 38 years of service and he was a member of the UMWA.

Surviving: his loving wife of 62 years, Margaret Duncan Ballard of Fayetteville; his daughters, Brenda Baumgartner and husband, Ed, of Huntington, Lisa Milam and husband, Sonny, of Fayetteville, and Judith Ellison and husband, Gene, of Fayetteville; sons, Jimmy and Nora Ballard, Randall and Brenda Ballard, and Danny Ballard, all of Fayetteville; special niece, Ann and Jimmy Simms of Ohio; grandchildren, Cara and Mike Monick, Adam and Lisa Baumgartner, Philip Ellison, Amanda Ballard, Jacob and Nicholas Milam; special nephews, Joshua and Jonah Simms; great-grandchildren, Madeline, Gavin, and Kate Margaret Monick; brothers, Gary, Larry “Butch,” and Don; and sisters, Phyllis, Genevieve, Rita and Sue.

Graveside services were held July 2 at Huse Memorial Park, Fayetteville, with Rev. Fred Christian and Rev. Bill Drennen officiating. The Oak Hill VFW Post 3110 followed with military rites.

Donations in Rev. Ballard’s memory may be made to the Gentry Baptist Church’s Baptismal Project, or the church of your choice.

Online condolences and other information available at www.doddpaynehessfuneralhome.com.

Arrangements by Dodd-Payne-Hess Funeral Home, Fayetteville.

Cindy Lou Cole Begley

Cindy Lou Cole Begley, 52, of Gauley Bridge, died June 27, 2008, at CAMC, Memorial Division, Charleston, following an extended illness.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Howard “Mopey” Cole Jr. and Betty Lee Taylor Cole.

She was a disabled operations manager from the AEP Power Plant at Glasgow. She also was an Air Force Vietnam veteran.

Surviving: her husband, Larry “Sleepy” Begley; daughters, Emily Lilly and fiancé, Mike Wall, of St. Albans, and Melinda Pauley and husband, Jay, of Smithers; sons, Danny Flores of Miami, Fla., and David “Chunk” Begley Jr. and wife, Robin, of Gauley Bridge; grandchildren, Ally, Shawn, Kristin, Brooke, Rylee, Gage, Megan, Heather, and Katie; sisters, Karen Johnson of Oak Hill, and Betty Jo Donato and husband, Kenny, of Summersville; and a special caregiver, Carol Dodd of Oak Hill.

Service was June 30 at Pennington Funeral Home Chapel, Gauley Bridge, with Rev. Richard Harold officiating. Burial followed in Montgomery Memorial Park, London, with military graveside services conducted by Ansted VFW Post 7695.

Arrangements by Pennington Funeral Home, Gauley Bridge.

Dr. Pamela Chambers Champe

Dr. Pamela Chambers Champe of Montgomery died June 22, 2008, following a short illness.

Born in Oakland, Calif., in 1945 and raised in the Bay area, Pam earned her B.A. from Stanford University in 1967, an M.S. (microbiology) from Purdue University in 1969, and a Ph.D. (microbiology) from Rutgers University in 1974. For the next 22 years she taught at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at Rutgers in Piscataway, N.J., earning tenure as an associate professor (a rare distinction for non-research faculty).

Pam was a gifted teacher whose talents were sought for many programs and classes. She won every teaching award the medical school offered, and in 1992 received the school’s first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award for Teaching, created for her by the student body.

Pam applied her enthusiasm and energy to directing the Minority Students Program at the medical school, an innovative and highly successful initiative that became a model for similar programs throughout the country. Pam repeatedly was recruited as a guest lecturer in countries as diverse as Kuwait and Grenada, and made friendships in those nations that lasted for decades.

Pam’s success as a teacher generated new ways to explain and present scientific subject matter, which led to a collaboration with Richard Harvey for a highly successful series of books. Lippincott’s Illustrated Reviews, serving students in health-related fields and professions, included titles on biochemistry, pharmacology, and microbiology. Last week she was notified that over a million copies of these titles have been purchased.

Pam’s great joy was sharing her life with Dr. Sewell Preston Champe, a world-respected microbiologist, whom she married on June 28, 1969. The couple lived in Edison, N.J., until 1996 when they moved to Sewell’s hometown of Montgomery, in the beautiful Kanawha Valley. They built a lovely home overlooking the Kanawha River and enthusiastically participated in the life of the town, making dozens of friends and serving on several community boards and committees. Pam was always grateful for the support West Virginians extended to her after Sewell’s death in 1999.

Pam traveled widely throughout Europe and Asia, with great curiosity for and interest in cultural history. She built a museum-quality shell collection, read thousands of books, and welcomed high school and college chums, professional colleagues, neighbors, cousins and family friends to her home. Pam continued to find time to stay current in her professional field, updating subsequent editions in the Lippincott series.

Truly beloved by thousands — students, neighbors, family and a legion of friends around the world — Pam was an inspired educator, an intrepid adventurer, and a deeply committed friend.

Surviving: sister, Penelope Percy of Seattle; brother, James Chambers of Dallas; stepsons, Mark Champe of San Francisco and Peter Champe of Longmont, Colo.; nephews, Robert Chambers and Cameron Percy; niece, Katharine Chambers; grandchildren, Alexander Gilliland, Uma Champe, and Benjamin Sewell Champe; 30 first cousins she adored; and countless students, relatives and friends who will miss her warm attention and affection.

In honor of her legacy, gifts to the Pamela and Sewell Preston Champe Endowed Scholarship Fund at the West Virginia University Institute of Technology (PO Box 94, Montgomery, WV 25136) will be most appreciated.

A memorial celebration of Pam’s life will be held at her home in Montgomery at 3 p.m. on July 26, 2008.

Arrangements by O’Dell Funeral Home, Montgomery.

Stephen W. Hall

Stephen W. Hall, 57, of Newark, Ohio, died June 17, 2008, at his residence.

Born Nov. 28, 1950, in Boomer, he was the son of the late Ray Hall and Norma Thornton Hall of Newark. He also was preceded in death by a brother, Rick Hall.

Mr. Hall proudly served his country in the U.S. Army, serving two tours in the Vietnam War.

Surviving: the love of his life, his wife, Kathy Ensley Hall, who he married Nov. 7, 1986; daughters, Tammy (Greg) Kean, Tawnye Hall, Joe Anne Slate and Tabitha Hernandez, all of Newark; brothers, Dave (Pam) Hall and Jim (Diana) Hall, all of Newark; sister, Marilyn Messina of Newark; 11 grandchildren; special friends, Larry and Karne Dupler; numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins, as well as three aunts, one uncle and a host of friends.

Funeral service was June 20 at Criss-Schoedinger Funeral Home, Newark, with Pastor Tom Myers officiating. Burial was in Newark Memorial Gardens, with military honors provided by the Licking County Veterans Alliance.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Licking County Veterans Alliance, PO Box 854, Newark, OH 43056-0854.

Visit www.CrissSchoedinger.com and click on the obituary link to sign an online guest book or send an e-mail condolence.

Arrangements by Criss-Schoedinger Funeral Home, Newark.

Ann Pickens

Mrs. Ann Cosgrove Pickens, 74, of Decatur, Ala., formerly of Huntsville, Ala., died June 22, 2008, in Decatur.

Mrs. Pickens was a member of the Central Baptist Church, Decatur, and was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Don Pickens of Huntsville.

She was a member of the Huntsville Dental Auxiliary and was a graduate of Florence State University.

Surviving: daughters, Kelly Sanders and husband Rob of Decatur, and Missy Bouldin and husband Walter of Huntsville; grandchildren, Drew, Forrest and Sydney Sanders and Lily and Trey Bouldin; sisters, Barbara Fleet and Alice Cosgrove, both of West Virginia, and Mary Sue Flores of Tuscumbia; and brother, Tom Cosgrove of West Virginia.

The family received friends June 25 at the First Christian Church in Florence, with funeral service following, with the Rev. Dr. Carl Gebhardt officiating. Burial was in Greenview Cemetery.

The family suggests memorials to the Alzheimer’s Program of the Mental Health Association in Morgan County, PO Box 1502, Decatur, AL 35602.

Arrangements by Elkins Funeral Home. Please sign the online register at elkinsfh.com.

Belva Jean Vigilante

Belva Jean Vigilante, 77, of Smithers, died June 22, 2008, in Clark Christian Care Home in East Bank.

Born May 15, 1931, in Clay County, she was the daughter of the late Robert and Pearl Brogan Stone.

Mrs. Vigilante was a devout Catholic and a member of St. Anthony’s Shrine Catholic Church at Boomer.

She was retired from the Memorial Division of Charleston Area Medical Center.

Surviving: son, Michael Vigilante and his wife, Brenda, of East Bank; granddauaghters, Stephany Jean Lutz of Parkersburg, Cayte Irene Vigilante of East Bank, and Renee Wynchez; step-grandson, Brian Light of Clayton, N.C.; and sister, Louise Pyatt of Indore.

Service was June 24 at O’Dell Funeral Home, Montgomery, with Fr. John Rice officiating. Burial followed in Kanawha Valley Memorial Gardens at Glasgow.

Arrangements by O’Dell Funeral Home, Montgomery.