September 09, 2008 08:04 pm
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Dr. Lyle Blackwell
Dr. Lyle Blackwell was born in Charleston on Jan. 29, 1932, the only child of the late James Elvin Blackwell and Sarah Margaret Ballard Blackwell.
He was a graduate of Gauley Bridge High School, West Virginia University, Chrysler Institute of Engineering, and the Ohio State University which he attended as a National Science Foundation Fellow receiving the PhD degree in 1966.
He married, in 1953, Mary Jean Fitzgerald, his high school sweetheart.
After graduation from WVU in 1954 with a BSEE, he accepted a position at Chrysler Central Engineering and the couple moved to Detroit where their first two sons were born. The young family returned to West Virginia in the late 1950s and in the early 1960s he accepted a teaching position at West Virginia Tech where he remained for 30 years.
He was proud of the fact that when he assumed charge of Tech’s engineering programs in 1966, not a single one was accredited by the appropriate national agencies, and when he left as Dean of Engineering, every engineering program was fully accredited and national engineering honor societies such as Eta Kappa Nu, Pi Tau Sigma, and the flagship society Tau Beta Pi had been established on campus. West Virginia Tech had become a legitimate and nationally known engineering school with a dedicated faculty and more than a thousand undergraduate engineering students.
He was a bit of a Renaissance man and had many interests. He loved travel; even after being diagnosed with lung disease he determinedly packed up his pills and breathing apparatus and visited five continents. He was a voracious reader, he was a better than average photographer, he sketched in pencil and in ink, he painted in watercolor and oils, he wrote books and bad poetry, and he was a skilled modeler. He was an avid hunter and fisherman, loved camping in the outdoors and his hunting lodge in Virginia. He composed, arranged and conducted instrumental and vocal music, gave concerts, and loved his piano. Piano jazz was his passion and he played solo performances as well as with groups, most recently the Kingsport big band, the “Has Beens.”
He was a member of Tau Beta Pi, Eta Kappa Nu, Phi Kappa Psi, IEEE, and was a registered professional engineer.
He was among the longest continuous members of the Gauley Bridge Baptist Church (for more than 65 years) serving, at one time or another, as Sunday school teacher, youth leader, church moderator, treasurer, and choir director.
In 1998 Lyle and Mary retired to Kingsport, Tenn., where they became associate members of the First Broad Street United Methodist Church.
Surviving: his devoted and loving wife of 55 years, Mary Fitzgerald Blackwell; their five children and families: son, Dr. Jim Blackwell of Summersville, son, Dr. Jerry and Cindy Blackwell of Kingsport and grandsons Joey, Ryan and Brad; son, Scott Blackwell of Columbus, Ohio, and grandchildren Michael Blackwell, Paul and Katy Dalton Rigsby, Patrick and Sarah Dalton Ortlieb and great-granddaughter Emeila Ortlieb, daughter, Diane and Mark Pendleton of Hurricane, and granddaughters Meredith and Erin Pendleton, son, Matt and Amber Blackwell of Columbus, and grandsons Lyle and Samuel Blackwell; and his beloved aunts, Viola Tucker and Madora Ballard, as well as Karleen Dalton Blackwell and Bianca Blackwell.
Memorial contributions may be made to Gauley Bridge Baptist Church, PO Box 787, Gauley Bridge, WV 25085.
A memorial service was conducted Sept. 6 at Gauley Bridge Baptist Church in Gauley Bridge. Burial was in the church cemetery.
Please visit hamlettdobson.com.
Arrangements by Hamlett-Dobson Funeral Homes, Kingsport, Tenn.James Ferrell
James Herman “Butch” Ferrell, 60, of Mt. Lookout, died Sept. 8, 2008.
Born Feb. 24, 1948, at Charleston, he was the son of Ellen Snodgrass Ferrell of Dunbar and the late Norman Ferrell.
Mr. Ferrell was a veteran of the United States Army, having served two tours in Vietnam as a helicopter crew chief.
He was a born-again Christian and a member of Restoration Fellowship in Mt. Nebo and he was a retired construction worker. Butch was a member of the Summersville VFW.
He was a beloved husband, father and grandfather who loved camping and spending time with his family. He will be sadly missed my his family and many friends.
Surviving: wife, Linda Brown Ferrell; children, Chad Ferrell and his wife, Robin, of Nettie and Kimberly Roberts and her husband, Rodney, of Mt. Lookout; grandchildren, Tyler, Andrew, Travis, Colton, Cathey, Cain, Darian and Madison; brothers, Allen Ferrell of Dunbar and Larry Ferrell of Dunbar; and sister, Deanna Allen of South Charleston.
Service will be at 1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 11 at O’Dell Funeral Home in Montgomery with Pastor Allen Travis officiating. Entombment with military honors presented by Post 8366, Veterans of Foreign Wars of Gauley Bridge, will be in Kanawha Valley Memorial Gardens at Glasgow.
Friends may call from 6 until 9 p.m. on Wednesday at the funeral home.
Arrangements by O’Dell Funeral Home, Montgomery.George Cleo Morton
George Cleo Morton, 88, of Mount Lookout, formerly of Lizemores, died Sept. 6, 2008, at the VA Medical Center, Beckley.
Born Nov. 25, 1919, at Lizemores, he was the son of the late George Monroe and Martha Alice Smith Morton. He also was preceded in death by his sister, Lena K. Nichols.
Mr. Morton was a retired employee from Clonch Industries at Dixie.
He was a World War II Army veteran, serving on the Burma Road Supply Route, a member of Ansted VFW Post 7695, and a member of the Bethel Baptist Church, Lizemores.
Surviving: his caregivers and nephew, Jim and Doris Nichols of Mount Lookout; special niece, Julia Nichols of Mount Lookout; other nephews, Paul Nichols of Elkhart, Ind., William Nichols of South Charleston, Douglas Nichols of Fayetteville, and Greg Nichols of Grotto, Va.; and niece, Mary Doyle of Florence, Ky.
The funeral service will be held today Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2008, at 11 a.m. at Pennington Funeral Home Chapel, Gauley Bridge, with the Rev. Carl E. Burrows officiating. Interment will be at Sunset Cemetery, Fola, with military graveside service conducted by Ansted VFW Post 7695.
Arrangements by Pennington Funeral Home, Gauley Bridge.Emma B. ‘Mother’ Sizemore
Emma B. “Mother” Sizemore, 96, of Cannelton, died Aug. 26, 2008, at home after a short illness.
Born Oct. 12, 1911, in Kimberly, she was the daughter of the late Benjamin and Lucy Chipchase Davis. She also was preceded in death by her first husband, Thomas Boyd Sr.; second husband, Bob Sizemore; and a daughter, Rosalie Babiak.
She was a homemaker, worked in the shipyards in California during World War II as a welder, and was a member of Hughes Creek Community Church.
Surviving: a daughter, Colleen Buster of Cannelton; son, Thomas Boyd Jr. of Madison, Ohio; 13 grandchildren, 37 great-grandchildren and 37 great-great-grandchildren.
Funeral service was Aug. 29 at B.C. Hooper, Bostic & Layne Funeral Home, Montgomery, with the Rev. Gary Tucker officiating. Entombment was in Kanawha Valley Memorial Gardens Mausoleum, Glasgow.
Arrangements by B.C. Hooper, Bostic & Layne Funeral Home, Montgomery.Jonathan Andrew Thompson
Jonathan Andrew Thompson, known to family and close friends as “Johnny,” 22, of Charleston and Ghent, died peacefully at home Aug. 31, 2008.
Born March 5, 1986, in Beckley, he was the son of Pat and Patricia Thompson.
Johnny was born with a single ventricle heart and faced many obstacles during his childhood and into adolescence. Despite the restrictions his condition caused, his childhood was one of many wonderful memories. The most memorable experiences were with his three older brothers, who kept his life “eventful” ... to say the least!
On Oct. 28, 2001, at the age of 15, he received a long awaited heart transplant. Within days a remarkable transformation took place and Jonathan now had a new lease on life! Jonathan has been and will continue to be an inspiration to all those who have experienced the pleasure of knowing and loving him.
He graduated from Riverside High School in 2004. Jonathan went on to attend West Virginia University Institute of Technology Montgomery as a civil engineering major. He recently completed an internship with the Department of Transportation and had plans to begin a career there upon graduation. A career as a civil engineer was only second to his hopes of being invited to join the Professional Golf Association.
Jonathan enjoyed many outdoor activities: hunting, fishing, kayaking, and four-wheeling. He had a special love for his car as most young men of his age do. But most of all he enjoyed spending time with his family; he especially looked forward to annual hunting and fishing trips with his dad and brothers.
He was preceded in death by his grandparents, John and Dixie Thompson of Ghent and Ove Andersen of Lakewood, N.J.
Surviving: his mother, Patricia Thompson of Shady Spring; father, Pat Thompson and his wife, Kelli, of Charleston; grandparents, Rita Andersen of Lakewood, N.J., Margaret Ashworth of Beckley, Dan and Mary Ratliff of Charleston; brothers, Patrick Thompson of White Oak, Christopher Thompson and his wife, Amy, of Belle, Joshua Thompson and his wife, Amanda, of Midway; sisters, Jacqueline and Amanda Guy of Beckley, and Haileah Light of Charleston; nieces, Morgan Lester, Rhianna Ratliff and Lillian Thompson; nephews, Addison Thompson, Tyler Lester and Robert Hurd; and special friends, Doctors William Neil, Larry Rhoades, and Barbara Gus of Morgantown, and Dr. Timothy Hoffman of Columbus, Ohio.
The funeral service was held Sept. 5 at Stevens & Grass Funeral Home, Malden, with the Rev. John McDonough officiating and the committal service followed at Blue Ridge Memorial Gardens, Beckley.
The family suggests donations in Jonathan’s memory to Children’s Hospital Cardiology, 700 Childrens Drive, Columbus, OH 43205-2696 or to The Children’s Hospital Foundation, PO Box 827790, Philadelphia, PA 19182-7790.
The online guest book for Mr. Thompson may be accessed at www. stevensandgrass.com.
Arrangements by Stevens & Grass Funeral Home, Malden.
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