Obituaries for the week of May 8

staff reports
Published: May 14, 2008

Thelma Walsh Beasley, 79, of Esmont, died on April 30.
She was born in Nelson County, daughter of the late Robert Edward Taylor and Mary Agnes Ragland Taylor, and was the widow of Raymond Walsh and Phillip Berryman Beasley.
Survivors include two daughters, Gwen Davis and her husband, Barry, of Barboursville and Gayle Luck and her husband, Wayne, of Esmont; four grandchildren, Angela Allen and her husband, Phillip, Jacob Small and his wife, Joy, Karen Tinsley and her husband, Marcus, and Kelly Davis; six great-grandchildren; and one step grandchild, Josh Sprouse.
She was a 1970 graduate of the University of Virginia Practical Nursing Program and she worked there in the West 2 Pediatric Department until 1979. She then worked in Children’s Rehab from 1979 until 1988 and at the Blue Ridge Epileptic Center from 1988 until 1990. Following retirement, she was active in community activities as well as her church, New Faith United Methodist Church, in Schuyler. At the church, she was Sunday school Superintendent from 1991 until 2005 and was a member of the United Methodist Women for many years.
A funeral service was held on May 2 at Thacker Brothers Funeral Home in Scottsville. Interment followed at Monticello Memory Gardens in Charlottesville.

Guy Troy Hall, 46, of Charlottesville, died on May 4.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Dennis and Frances Hall; two brothers, Dennis E. Hall II and William Timothy Hall.
Survivors include one brother, Jerry Wayne Hall and his wife, Theresa Gail Hall, of Schuyler; and one sister, Frances Joy Leung and her husband, Harry, of Fredericksburg; three nieces; three nephews; one great-nephew; and two half brothers, William Davis and Rodney Taylor.
A funeral service was held on May 7 at Thacker Brothers Funeral Home in Scottsville. Interment followed at Alberene Cemetery in Alberene.

Hazel Miller Hight, 82, of Roseland, died on May 5.
Born in Nelson County on Dec. 9, 1925, she was a daughter of the late Clarence M. and Maude Little Miller.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 57 years, Robert Preston Hight.
She was a member of Bethlehem United Methodist Church and was a charter member of the Roseland Rescue Squad Auxiliary.
She is survived by a son, Robert Hight Jr. and his wife, Nancy, of Level Green; a daughter, Ellen Catherine Hight of Lovingston; one brother, Pettit Miller of Amherst; two sisters, Virginia M. Bryant of Piney River and Grace M. White of Lynchburg; three grandchildren; three great-grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren.
A funeral service will be conducted on May 8 at 2 p.m. at Byrum-Parr Funeral Home. Burial will be in Bethlehem UMC Cemetery.

Mattie Armistead Lovelace, 71, of Brookneal, died on May 1.
She was the daughter of the late Reafus Armistead Sr. and Gladys Pannell Armistead. She was the wife of the late Kenneth Lovelace.
She is survived by one son, Kenneth Wayne Lovelace of Evington; two daughters, Patricia Younger (Wayne) of Newport News and Barbara Jean Green of Appomattox; four grandchildren, Keith Younger of Germany, Kelvin Younger of Newport News, Shavone Lovelace of Lynchburg, and Barry Green of Appomattox; one brother, Reafus Armistead Jr. of Concord; six sisters, Marion (Aquilla) Mosby of Brookneal, Elsie (William) Foster of Lovingston, Annie (Bernard) Randolph of Phenix, Mary (Gerald) Hunter of Lynchburg, Mable (Lorenza) Callaham of Naruna, and Lona Scott of Lynchburg; three brothers-in-law; five sisters-in-law; three aunts, Elisha Baker of Concord, Shirley Pannell of Baltimore, Md., and Lillie Mae of Manhattan, N.Y.; two uncles, Jimmy Pannell of Baltimore, Md., and Preston Pannell of Florida; and a host of other relatives and friends.
Funeral services were held on May 7 at the Mt. Calvary Baptist Church in Brookneal. Burial followed in the church cemetery.

Janet Madison Mauer, 66, of Charlottesville died on May 2.
Born Feb. 13, 1942, in Charlottesville, she was the daughter of the late Vander Larkin Madison Sr. and Hazel Birckhead Madison. She was also preceded in death by two sisters, Ellie V. Powell and Hilda M. Turner; and three brothers, Randolph L. Madison, V. L. Madison Jr., and Broadus H. Madison.
She retired in 2004 from Sperry Marine Systems after 35 years of service. She was a member of First Christian Church and the VFW Post 1827 Ladies Auxiliary.
Surviving her are her son, Ronald W. Mauer Jr. and his wife, Tracy, of Lovingston; two grandsons, Colt A. Mauer and Ty H. Mauer; a sister, Audrey M. Jones of Ruckersville; a brother, Raymond R. Madison of Albemarle County; and numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews.
A funeral service was held May 6 at the Hill and Wood Funeral Home. Interment followed at Riverview Cemetery.

Genevieve “Jenny” Coffey Moyer, 75, of Patrick Henry Highway, died on May 1.
She was born Sept. 10, 1932, at White Rock, Nelson County, the daughter of the late Clarence Henry and Maywood Sorrells Coffey.
She was raised around the White Rock, Montebello, Tye River and Piney River areas of Nelson County. In addition to her mother and father, she was raised primarily by Sip and Olie Fitzgerald of Piney River, who have preceded her in death.
She spent most of her adult life supporting Bill Archie Moyer pursue his U.S. Army military career for 18 years until 1968. Then, in 1974, she again decided to pursue the U.S. Army military career, while helping her nephew for another 21 years until January 1996 when he decided to retire. In total, she served 39 years of service supporting the U.S. Army. She retired from a business in Oklahoma City, Okla., in 1998 and decided to move to Virginia to be closer to her family.
In addition to her mother and father, she was preceded in death by four sisters, Vivian Allen, Velma Quick, Elaine Bryant and Shirley Maddox; and a brother Jerry Dean Fitzgerald.
She is survived by her nephew, Clayton Derell and his wife, Elbia Ruth Coffey; her four grandchildren, Aaron, Kathleen, Jessika, and Angelina; two great-grandchildren; one brother, William H. Coffey; and four sisters, Vera Falls, Georgie Phillips, Betty Coffey and Josephine Carr.
A funeral service was conducted on May 4 at the Stuarts Draft Chapel of Reynolds Hamrick Funeral Homes. Burial followed at Mt. Paran Baptist Church Cemetery.

Evelyn Arlene Carwile Stargell, 91, of Lynchburg, died on May 1.
She was born on Aug. 4, 1916, to the late Charles Robert and Janie Lee Carwile. She was the wife of the late Kirkwood Lewis Stargell.
She is survived by two stepdaughters, Susan S. Boyne and husband Michael of Frederick, Md., and Sherry S. Osborne and husband, Tom, of Littlestown, Penn.; four step-grandchildren, Brian Osborne and wife, Laura, of Reisterstown, Md., Patrick Boyne and wife, Stacey, of Albuquerque, N.M., Amy Osborne of Baltimore, Md., and Colleen Boyne of Washington D.C.; three great-granddaughters; and two brothers-in-law, Hollis Stargell and wife, Elizabeth, of Schuyler, and Jimmy Stargell and wife, Janice, of Charlottesville; five nephews; two nieces; as well as many great-nephews, great-nieces and a host of close family and friends.
She was preceded in death by a step-grandson, Kirkwood Francis Boyne; two brothers and six sisters, Raymond Carwile, Mitchell Carwile, Olive Jackson, Mary Ericksen, Nanny Foster, Pearl Mason, Pattie Cheatham and Georgia Faries.
She retired from the Navy Department Supply System Command, after 30 years of service in Washington, D.C. She and her husband, Kirk, retired to Remington and after her husband’s death, she returned to Lynchburg in 1980. She has been a member of the Peakland United Methodist Church in Lynchburg, an active member of the Beta Master Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi Sorority, a member of the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the National Association of Retired Government Employees.
A funeral service was held on May 5 at the Diuguid Wiggington Chapel. Burial followed in Monticello Memory Gardens in Charlottesville.

Massie Leonard Staton, 73, of Concord, died on May 2. He was the husband of Ashby Wright Staton.
Born in Amherst County on Oct. 2, 1934, he was the son of the late William Smiley Staton and the late Nancy Diana Hughes Staton.
He was retired from Thomasville Furniture Company after 15 years of service and was a former employee of Lynchburg Foundry with 18 years of service.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by two sons, Roger L. Staton and Mark A. Staton, both of Concord; four brothers, Will H. Staton of Harrisonburg, Frank Staton of Monroe, Bernard Staton of Big Island and Tommy Staton of Amherst; and two sisters, Madalene Smith of Madison Heights and Leana Ragland of Shipman.
A funeral service was conducted on May 6 at Whitten Monelison Chapel. Interment followed in Mt. Olivet United Methodist Church Cemetery.

William Blair Thurmond Sr., 81, of McDaniel, Md., died on April 22.
Born April 29, 1926, in Faber, he was the son of the late Charlie Boaz and Sallie Bowling Thurmond.
He is survived by his wife, the former Edwina Kinzel, whom he married Jan. 12, 1952; three children, Lori Ann White and her husband, John, of Centennial, Colo., William Blair Thurmond Jr. of Gaithersburg, Md., and Sallie Jane Schaper and her husband, Samuel, of Englewood, Colo.; a sister, Louise McDearmon of Amherst; a brother, Melville Thurmond of Forest; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was predeceased by a sister, Virginia Newman.
A memorial service was held on May 3 at the Easton Presbyterian Church. Burial was private.

Robert Lewis Vest Jr., 55, of Village Road, Shipman died on May 1.
Born Aug. 6, 1952 in Nelson County, he was a son of the late Robert Lewis Vest Sr. and Essie Mae Washington Vest.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brothers, Glen Washington and Horace Washington; and a sister, Alice Turner.
He was a self-employed painter, carpenter, and contractor in the Lynchburg area.
He is survived by his stepmother, Dorothy Shirley Vest of Roseland; a daughter, Denise Wright and husband Scofield L. Wright Sr. of San Antonio, TX; two sons, Robert D. Vest of Washington, DC, and Michael Vest of Wingina; nine sisters, Helen V. Meredith, Florence V. Bell, Anna V. Meredith, Mary Vest, Dorothy V. Martin, all of Shipman, Irene V.Tillman and Saddie Deloris Vest, both of Roseland, Dorothy Michelle Vest and Fairy Elizabeth Vest, both of Lovingston; two brothers, Leroy Vest and Oscar Vest, both of Lovingston; a grandson, Scofield L. Wright Jr.; and several aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins.
A funeral service was May 6 at Calvary Baptist Church in Lovingston. Interment followed in the Bright Hope Church Cemetery in Lovingston.

Charles “Mack” McClellan Wagner III, 60, of Greenberry Drive, Afton died on April 27.
Born May 7, 1947 in West Virginia, he was the son of the late Charles M. Wagner Jr. and Dorothea Lee Rorrer Wagner.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife Virginia Langran Wagner.
He was a registered nurse who retired as the service coordinator for the Department of Plastic Surgery O.R. at the University of Virginia Medical Center and was a Vietnam veteran, having served as an army medic.
He is survived by a son, Noah Klew Erin Wagner of Jacksonville, Fla.; a step-son, Robert W. Brent of Roseland; two step-daughters, Myra Brent-McGarry and husband Matt of Shipman and Susanne C. Brent and friend Keith McCormick of Appomattox; a sister, Rebecca Smith and husband Fred of Martinsville; one grandson, Brody Wagner; six step-grandchildren, Fernando Maria, Savanna, Laura, Virginia Corrine, and Monica; a niece and a great-nephew.
A graveside service will be held on May 24 at 11 a.m. at the Jonesboro Cemetery in Roseland.