Janet Wills Brown

Janet Wills Brown, 77 of Waynesboro, Va., formerly of Ripley, died Feb. 18, 2010, at home.

Born Nov. 23, 1932, in Falls View, she was the daughter of the late Virgil H. and Ruby Braun Wills.

Mrs. Brown was a member of the Ripley Presbyterian Church.

Surviving: husband, Robert Brown; daughter, Terry Brannon and her husband, Timothy, of Harrisonburg, Va.; sons, Steve Brown and his wife, Mary Jo, of Woodbridge, Va., and Thomas Bruce Brown and his wife, Kelly, of Ripley; brother, Virgil H. Wills Jr. and his wife, Joann, of Charlton Heights; six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Service was Feb. 21 at O’Dell Funeral Home, Montgomery, with Rev. James Dempsey officiating. Burial followed in Restlawn Memory Gardens at Victor.

Expressions of sympathy can be sent at www.odellfuneralhome.com.

Arrangements by O’Dell Funeral Home, Montgomery.

Debra J. ‘Debby’ Riddle Edwards

Debra Joyce “Debby” Riddle Edwards, 56, of Oak Hill, died Feb. 17, 2010, at CAMC-Memorial Division in Charleston, due to complications of diabetes.

Born July 28, 1953, at Beckley, she was the daughter of Norma J. Carter Riddle of Oak Hill and the late Garlin Riddle. Two brothers, David Riddle and Chris Riddle; her mother-in-law, Margaret Edwards; her grandparents and several aunts and uncles also preceded her in death.

Debby graduated from Sophia High School in 1971, third in her class. She was a member of the National Honor Society and the band, head cheerleader and senior vice president.

She began her working career in 1971 as a long distance operator for C&P Telephone Company in Beckley, moved to the position of service representative and then phone center manager in Charleston and back to Beckley with AT&T. After leaving AT&T she worked as a service representative for Appalachian Power Company in Oak Hill until disabled because of her health.

She enjoyed reading, cooking and working outdoors. Debby was especially proud of her home and the way she decorated it. She had fond memories of her cat, C.B., and her other pets and of vacations at Myrtle Beach. Her favorite vacations were the ones spent at Pipestem State Park in the Mountain Creek Lodge on the Bluestone River.

A very loving woman, Debby enjoyed all the good times with her family and friends.

Surviving, in addition to her mother: her husband of 20 years, Don Edwards; stepdaughter, Ashley Wiseman and husband Aaron and their daughter, Kaiden, of Charlton Heights; best friend, Gina Allen; special nieces, Brittany Gouge and Courtney Riddle; nephew, Zachery Riddle; half-brother, Roger Riddle; and numerous aunts, uncles and friends.

Services were Feb. 21 at Tyree Funeral Home in Oak Hill with Pastor Mike Kees officiating. Entombment was at High Lawn Memorial Park Mausoleum in Oak Hill.

Online condolences may be sent at www.tyreefuneralhome.com.

Arrangements by Tyree Funeral Home, Oak Hill.

John Joseph Fish

John Joseph “Joe” Fish, 85, of Boomer, died quietly in his sleep on Feb. 15, 2010.

Joe was the oldest of the 10 Italian children of the late Dominick and Filomena Lemma Fish. Joe also was preceded in death by his wife, Freda Rowan Fish, and his brother, Frank “Sponge” Fish.

Joe was a veteran of World War II, a member of the Immaculate Conception/St. Anthony Shrine Catholic Parish and a 35-year employee of the Union Carbide plant in Alloy where he where he worked with many of his best friends.

He spent his retirement years working even harder, baking bread at the Quick Mart in Charlton Heights and Italian food at the Glen Ferris Inn where he also enjoyed tending bar and greeting guests as only Joe could do.

In his spare time, Joe could be found at Hawks Nest Country Club with friends and family. He loved his annual hunting trips with his brothers Frank, Sam, Totty, Timmy, Bobby, Louie and Buzzy. Also surviving are his beloved sisters, Elsie Sodder and Faye Paroda.

Joe was a wonderful father to his surviving daughters and their families, Sally and her husband, Reggie Smith, Paula and her husband, Tim McLean, Harryette and her husband, John Tidquist, Patsy and her husband, Mark Coffield, and Joann Fish; 10 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Mass of Christian burial was Feb. 20 at Immaculate Conception Church in Montgomery with Fr. John Rice as celebrant. Private family burial followed at Montgomery Memorial Park at Lodon.

Expressions of sympathy can be sent at www.odellfuneralhome.com.

Arrangements by O’Dell Funeral Home, Montgomery.

Andrew George Guthrie

Andrew George Guthrie, 47, of St. Albans, formerly of Gauley Bridge, died Feb. 19, 2010.

Born Feb. 18, 1963, in Clay, he was the son of the late Leonard E. and Elsie Faye Workman Guthrie.

Andrew was a graduate of Stonewall Jackson High School, a CAD operator for Whirlpool, and attended the Brownsville Holiness Church.

He also was an Army veteran and an avid outdoorsman.

Surviving: fiancée, Jane Davis of St. Albans; daughter, Michaela Guthrie of Manchester, N.H.; brother, Randy Guthrie of Belle; sister, Ruth Ann Guthrie of Roanoke, Va.; and granddaughter, Lora.

Funeral services will be 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 25, at the Pennington Funeral Home, Gauley Bridge, with Rev. Charles Blankenship officiating. Burial with military honors will follow in the WV National Cemetery, Pruntytown. Friends may call one hour prior to the service at the funeral home.

Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.carlwilsonfuneralhome.com.

Arrangements by Pennington Funeral Home, Gauley Bridge.

Vivian Jean Hall Lopez

Vivian Jean Hall Lopez, the wife of Admiral T. Joseph Lopez, USN (Ret.), and mother of Commander Thomas J. Lopez II, and Mrs. Dominique Lopez-Lepse, died Feb. 5, 2010, after a long illness.

Born in Montgomery on April 8, 1942, she married Admiral Lopez, who at the time was a young Navy enlisted man, at the age of 17 on Feb. 27, 1960. Growing in experience and stature alongside her husband during his 39 years of service to our nation, she became the “First Lady” of the U. S. Navy in Europe from 1996 through 1998 during her husband’s last tours as the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Navy in Europe and the Commander-in-Chief of Allied Forces Southern Europe for NATO.

The intervening years from her marriage until Admiral Lopez’s retirement were spent raising and educating her son and daughter, attending college, and supporting and assisting others, particularly those in Navy organizations.

Mrs. Lopez always gave credit to her maternal and paternal grandmothers for instilling in her the highest principles and values. She maintained those values and principles to “do what is right” as she supported those in need with compassion and love. While her first priority was always her children and family, she also found time to work with the Red Cross, the Navy Relief Society, and numerous charitable organizations. She was fond of saying she believed that the world could be conquered with patience, “niceness” and kindness.

Vivian Lopez was unique. Although she had very humble beginnings in the coalfields of West Virginia, she was able to combine her grandmothers’ ideals with an innate desire to make a difference in the lives of others; to somehow do all things and gain positive results each and every time. She was at her husband’s side for each of his commands, working with young military families to keep them informed, and without worry, while their husbands were halfway around the world. Neither she nor her husband ever forgot their roots in West Virginia, returning frequently to support local holidays and veteran groups. On those occasions when Admiral Lopez was honored by his home state, he was always quick to point out that his accomplishments were due, in very large measure, to Mrs. Lopez’s unwavering support and their lifelong partnership. And even when she was cited both by the Secretary of the Navy and the Chief of Naval Operations for her charitable work and lifelong support of others, she humbly accepted the accolades but placed the citations in a drawer at home. She would later say that while she was genuinely appreciative of the recognition, just knowing her efforts made someone smile was a reward in and of itself. Her greatest joy was children, not only her own and her grandchildren, but those who needed support around the world.

Mrs. Lopez was at ease with people of all walks of life. As her husband became more senior, she regularly hosted representatives of the highest levels of the U.S. Government, and foreign ministers, ambassadors and governors and, on any given day, could also be seen interacting the Navy’s young enlisted, supporting children’s causes, women’s groups or anyone else who needed her. Accompanying Admiral Lopez to numerous countries in Europe and Africa, she was truly an ambassador for her country and the Navy.

She loved travel and living in Italy. She always spoke of favorite visits to Israel and Turkey, but her most exciting and enjoyable country visit was South Africa. She simply loved the people and the beauty of South Africa. Her husband stated that he had never met anyone quite like her and there was no one that he admired more because of the example she set for everyone