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Friends United Meeting |
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January/February 2006
Births
TO: Karen and Scott McDonald, a daughter, Remy Thurber McDonald, born September 30, 2005, Indianapolis First Friends Meeting, Indiana.
Deaths
BRIDGES Wilma Duncan Stephens Bridges, 92, September 23, 2005, Rocky River Friends Meeting, North Carolina. Wilma was born on January 24, 1913, in Piggott, Ark., the daughter of John A. and Alma Keller Duncan. She was a member of Rocky River Friends Meeting. She was preceded in death by her parents; two husbands, T.H. “Hoot” Stephens and George Bridges; twins, daughter Betty Van Stephens and son Bobby Houston Stephens and two sons, Billy Stephens and James Earl Stephens. Survivors include one daughter, Rachel “Tootie” (Dewey) Holt; two sisters, Katy Harrell and Sarah King; one brother, William Duncan; four grandsons and three great-grandchildren.
BYRD James Roma Byrd, 80, November 20, 2005, Holly Spring Friends Meeting, North Carolina. James was a native of Randolph County, retired from United Brass Works of Randleman and a member of Holly Spring Friends Meeting. Survivors include his wife, Anna McBane Byrd; two sons and daughters-in-law, James (Tammy) Reginald, Larry Keith and Nancy Byrd; two sisters, Betty Byrd McBane and Anne Byrd Hope; and five grandchildren, Sarah Byrd, Caitlyn Byrd, Christopher Byrd, Andrew Byrd and Emily Byrd.
CASEY James Franklin Casey, 81, October 29, 2005, Goldsboro Friends Meeting, North Carolina, following a courageous fight with melanoma cancer. A native of Wayne County, he was the son of Luby Randolph Casey and Florence Martin Casey. He was a member of Goldsboro Friends Meeting. He was an Army veteran of World War II. He was a previous nurseryman at Goldsboro Nursery and a retired Physics Professor, with 27 years of service, at Wayne Community College. He was preceded in death by his wife, Marjorie and one son, Michael. Survivors include two sons, Stephen (Melanie) Casey and Kevin (Sherry) Casey; his grandchildren, Joshua Casey, Morgan Casey, Bennett Casey and Paige Casey; one brother, Martin (Rose) Casey; and one sister, Jean Becton.
EDGERTON Michael David Edgerton, 35, October 28, 2005, Goldsboro Friends Meeting, North Carolina. Michael was born on December 14, 1969. He was a 1992 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he was a member of Theta Chi Fraternity. He was a member of Goldsboro Friends Meeting and attended Irving Park United Methodist Church where he was active in Methodist Men. He was a member of the Greensboro Elks Lodge #602. He was employed by Wachovia Bank and Trust Company. Survivors include his wife, Jerrie Ann Edgerton; one daughter, Emily Ann Edgerton; one son, Michael David Edgerton II; his parents, David and Jane Edgerton; two brothers, Jeff (Alice) Edgerton and Eric Edgerton; two grandmothers, Katherine Edgerton and Myra Thomason; and one nephew, Travis Edgerton.
FEAGINS Mary Ellen Brown Feagins, 87, October 23, 2005, New Garden Friends Meeting, North Carolina. Of Quaker lineage, she was born on November 19, 1917, in Muncie, Indiana, to Glen David Brown and Suzette Willcutts Brown. She held a degree in philosophy from Goucher College and earned her master’s degree at Duke University in the same field. While attending Duke, Mary met her husband of 64 years and Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Guilford College, Carroll Spurgeon Feagins Sr. She taught at Guilford College, serving as an assistant professor teaching German from 1956 until her retirement in 1982. Her travels abroad, often as a visiting Friend from New Garden Friends Meeting, have included Britain, most of Western Europe and parts of Eastern Europe, Russia and Africa. In connection with the Guilford College study abroad program, she and Carroll led summer sessions in East and West Germany from 1974 to 1982 and established a Munich semester program in 1978. They spent the 1965-66 year stationed in New Delhi, India, participating in the Quaker Conferences and Seminars Program ranging from Afghanistan to the Philippines, with orientation in Japan and sessions in Nepal and Sri Lanka. Being a member of the Society of Friends and drawing from her spiritual philosophy, Mary was a sincere pacifist, who placed the highest value on all human life and held steadfastly to the belief during her entire life. She volunteered for Hospice for approximately 10 years. After years of writing during her teaching years, she published her first book, Becoming Myself, in 2001, at the age of 82. Since that time, she had two other books published, Reflection on a Convinced Friend and the last one, Bemused, in 2004. She especially loved poetry and had many poems published in various magazines such as Quaker Life, The Miscellany, Poetry Venture, The Piper and The Guilford Review. This fall, Becoming Myself was produced as a cassette book by the Department of Cultural Resources State Library of North Carolina Library Services Section Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Her Quaker beliefs had a profound impact on her written work as did her travels both at home and abroad. She was preceded in death by her brother, Glen David Brown Jr. and her daughter-inlaw, Louise Hilty Feagins. Survivors include her husband, Carroll Spurgeon Feagins, Sr.; two sons, Carroll Spurgeon Feagins Jr., and David (Tanya Ward Feagins) Willcutts Feagins; one granddaughter, Debora Ann Feagins Yousef; and one brother, Joseph Edward Brown Sr.
HARGROVE Grace Foust Hargrove, 80, September 26, 2005, Plainfield Friends Meeting, North Carolina. Grace was born November 15, 1924, the daughter of Hiram R. and Dora (Wright) Foust. She was retired from A. J. Schneierson & Sons. She was a member of Plainfield Friends Meeting and the Emily Payne Missionary Society, past Treasurer of the Plainfield Friends Meeting cemetery fund and a member of the Sunshine Sunday School Class. She was preceded in death by her husband, Simon J. Hargrove. Survivors include one daughter, Gwen H. (Ned) Headen; one son, Larry (Glennett) Hargrove; three grandchildren, Steven Headen, Karen (Joel) Potter and John Will (Tisha) Headen; and four great-grandchildren, Cole Morris, Haley Morris, Avery Grace Headen and Jackson Headen.
HILL Ronald Earl Hill, 72, October 19, 2005, Marlboro Friends Meeting, North Carolina. Ronald was born in Guilford County on September 11, 1933, the son of Junius Earl and Lora Alice Hill. He was an active member of Marlboro Friends Meeting and served as Clerk of Monthly Meeting, Ministry and Counsel and he taught Sunday school. He served in the U. S. Army, Company A, 60th Infantry from 1952-1954 and was a member of the Rifle Team. He had an outstanding career in the furniture industry for over 40 years. Most recently, he worked part-time at the Greensboro Auto Auction. He also delivered Meals on Wheels and volunteered for Hospice. He was preceded in death by his father, Junius Earl Hill. Survivors include his wife, Mae S. Hill; two daughters, Susan (Kevin) Jefferson and Cindy (Ricky Lay) Hill; five grandchildren, Lauren Jefferson, Kristen Jefferson, Brandon Resor, Drew Resor and Blake Lay; his mother, Lora Alice Hill; one sister, Joann (Jim) Hancock; and one brother, Larry (Jill) Hill.
HILTY Janet Brown Hilty, 89, October 13, 2005, New Garden Friends, North Carolina, from respiratory illness. Born September 20, 1916, Janet was the only child of Louise Barnum and Fred C. Brown. In 1939, Janet Quaker Life January/February 2006 21 Passages graduated from Mt. Holyoke College and entered Hartford Seminary where she earned her master’s in religious education in 1940. At Hartford Seminary, she met her future husband, Hiram Hilty. They were married on March 15, 1941, and were married 60 years until his death in 2001. Upon marriage, Janet became a Quaker minister’s wife, joining her husband in his parish at Clinton Corners, N.Y. After two years there, they were called to do mission work in Cuba for five years, between 1943 and 1948. They then moved to Guilford College where Hiram became a Spanish professor. In 1954, Janet received her master’s degree in education from Women’s College (now UNC-G) and was a teacher in the Greensboro and Guilford County Public Schools for 11 years. The mission work of Janet and her husband Hiram in Cuba influenced their entire lives. They became ardent Quakers, and once back in the States they used their knowledge and fluent Spanish to help bring many Cuban Quakers to the United States, often to or through Guilford College. Janet helped many Cubans settle into new lives. She also “held the fort” at home while Hiram made many relief trips to Cuba between 1949-1979. Even in ill health during her last years, she knitted blankets for AFSC relief efforts and caps for cancer patients (and all daughters and grandchildren). She was preceded in death by her husband, Hiram Hilty and her eldest daughter, Louise Feagins. Survivors include two daughters, Esther Searls and Ruth Ann Chatfield; son-in-law, Carroll Feagins Jr.; and four grandchildren, Debora Feagins Yousef, Colette Searls, Peter Searls and Elizabeth Chatfield.
MORGAN Paul J. Morgan Sr., 79, November 5, 2005, Centre Friends Meeting, North Carolina. Born in Guilford County to Gurney C. and Lillie Crews Morgan, he attended Oak Ridge Military Academy and Duke University. A member of Centre Friends Meeting, he was a founding member of Jamestown Friends Meeting, Treasurer of the N.C. Yearly Meeting and a member of the Board of Friends Homes at Guilford. He served on the Guilford County Planning Board 1970-1983 and was a member of the Greensboro Rotary Club and recipient of the Paul Harris Fellows of Rotary International medal. He also served in World War II. He was owner of Morgan & Sons Poultry Processing Co. and was inducted into the N.C. Poultry Hall of Fame, president and member of the N.C. Poultry Processing Association, founder and president of the N.C. Poultry Federation, president of the Southeastern Poultry & Egg Association, director of the American Poultry Institute, Founder and president of the National Broiler Marketing Association, president of the National Broiler Council and the Founder’s Club of the National Broiler Council. Survivors include his wife, Kathleen Kirkman Morgan; two sons, P.J. (April) Morgan, Jr. and George Victor (Lisa McLean) Morgan; one daughter, Kathleen Morgan Thompson; three sisters, Gladys Bremmer, Ruth (Allen) Kirkman and Martha Edens; one brother, James (Janice) Morgan; six grandchildren, Lisa Morgan, Cindy Morgan, Sophia Hanscombe, Carrie Abernethy, Brittany Morgan and Brent-Paul Morgan; and three great-grandchildren, Bailee Hanscombe, Madison Abernethy and Gabriel Abernethy.
OESTRIKE Irene F. Oestrike, 91, October 7, 2005, Indianapolis First Friends Meeting. Irene was a graduate of Michigan State University and a homemaker. She was a member of First Friends Meeting, AOII Sorority and Mayflower Society. She was preceded in death by her husband, Wilfred C. Oestrike and one sister, Norene Comfort. Survivors include two sons, Dr. Norman W. (Teresa) Oestrike and Henry (Jackie) Oestrike; one daughter, Janet L. (Frank) Gerstenecker; seven grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and one sister, Jeanne Sineni.
STALEY Sarah Murchison Staley, 83, October 25, 2005, Rocky River Friends Meeting, North Carolina. Sarah was born March 20, 1922 in Chatham County, NC, a daughter of Gaston and Anna Pike Murchison. A member of Rocky River Friends Meeting, she was known to visit shut-ins. She was preceded in death by her husband, Park Staley; one sister, Kathleen M. McPherson; two brothers- in-law, Tommy McPherson and Arthur F. “Doc” Ingle; and former husband, Clinton Hinshaw. Survivors include one sister, Ella Mae M. Ingle and several cousins, nieces and nephews. Memorials may be made to the Rocky River Friends Meeting Cemetery Trust Fund, 8217 Silk Hope-Liberty Road, Siler City, NC 27344.
WHITE Billy Steve White, 63, September 22, 2005, Edwards Hill Friends Meeting, North Carolina. Billy was born September 16, 1942, the son of Charles Leslie and Pauline (Andrew) White. He was a member of Edwards Hill Friends where he served on the cemetery committee and was a member of the Chatham County Cattlemen’s Association. Survivors include his wife, Janice Deaton White; two sons, Stephen Todd (Kathy) White and Charles Bradley (Jan) White; one sister, Shirley White McKeithan and four grandchildren, Clay, Matthew, Luke and Nolan.