It is with deepest sorrow that we announce the passing of our brother, David James Bryant, who died unexpectedly in his home on the 26th of September.  Mr. Bryant, a long time resident of St. Richards, NC was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather as well as a devoted member of Living Waters Baptist Church where he was an active member and Treasurer, as well as Choir Director.

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Brother Bryant was proceeded in death by his Mother, Effie May and Father, George D. Bryant, as well as his son, Major Frederick Bryant (wife Sarah still living).  He is survived by his loving wife, Rosemary Bryant and his devout daughter, Alice Bryant Campbell and her husband, John Campbell, his six Grandchildren, David and Victoria Campbell and Mary C. Duvall (husband Andrew), as well as Noah, Savannah, and Terri Bryant, and Great Grandchildren, Lily and Grace Duvall.  He will also be missed greatly by his brother, Maxwell Carter Bryant and his wife, Ruby of Santa Clarita, CA.

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For those who wish to pay their last respects, a memorial will be held September 26th and 27th at Rose & Williams Funeral Home at 7pm with services being held at Living Water's Baptist Church on September 29th at 2 pm, officiated by his pastor, Pastor Kevin Cooke. No graveside service will follow.

The family ask that in Lieu of flowers that donations be made to "Hope for the Warriors" a charity that works for the benefit of Veterans and their families.

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Frieda K. Swain age 68 died September 23rd, 2008 at Cornerstone Regional Hospital in St. Richards, North Carolina. A native of Bath, Ohio; she was the daughter of the late, Edward and Ida Borling Hofstetter. Frieda was an active member of St. Richards First United Methodist Church where she was the organist and pianist for many years.

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She is survived by daughter, Lisa (Peter) Bennett and son, David (Sheila) Swain both of West End, N.C.; grandchildren, Adam Hinesley, Caitlin Swain, Kelly Swain, Houston Douglas and Seth Swain. She was preceded in death by her husband, David Michael Swain who died in 1989 and a brother, Daniel J. Hofstetter who died in 2007.

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The family will receive friends Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. at Rose & Williams Mortuary. Service will be held at 1 p.m. and will be officated by Rev. Kevin Cooke, Friday at Living Waters Baptist Church, with a graveside service to follow.

We regret to announce the passing of Renee C. Smythe, age 36, on October 4th. Ms. Smythe was a long time resident of Winterville, NC and was preceded in death by her mother, Patrisha Blue of Wagram, NC and her father Benny (aka Benedict) Roland Smyth of Lemon Springs, NC.  She is survived by her brother Dwayne Smythe of West End and her sister Carole Buie of Carthage, as well as her daughter, Jennifer Canter of Wilmington. Ms. Smythe was most well known to the community as Sister Renee, a psychic, and spiritual healer.

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Viewing will be at the Rose & Williams Funeral Home in St. Richards, on October 6th at 6:30 pm and a graveside service will be held at 1:00 pm at Forever Fields Cemetery on October 7th.

 

The family asks that if anyone should have any information as to the whereabouts of Gregory Fitzsimmons of Tampa, FL that they contact their local authorities as he's wanted for questioning in the demise of Ms Smythe.  Mr. Fitzsimmons until recently was an inmate at a correctional facility in Jacksonville, FL. and has a tattoo of a black widow with the words “Dark Web” beneath it on the right side of his neck.  Do not approach him as he is considered dangerous. 

It is with deepest sympathy that we announce the death of Clyde Abner Montague, 90, of St. Richards. Mr. Montague died peacefully in his sleep at his residence on Oct.8th.

 

Mr.. Montague, originally from Copley, OH is survived by his wife of 70 years, Mathilda (Tilly) Anne Montague as well as his 6 of his children, Jerry (Gertie), Jack (Donna), Clyde Jr (Mattie Sue), Robert (Celia), Barbara (Claude), and Dave.  He was preceded in death by his sons, Jimmy and Bill.  Mr. Montague is also survived by 26 grandchildren, and 14 great grandchildren.

 

Clyde and Mathilda retired to this area 12 years ago after his retirement from the Department of County Works, in Summit County OH which he worked at for forty years.

 

Mr. Montague was an avid gardener who prided himself for his green thumb, raising beautiful gladiolas that won blue ribbons in county and state fairs in both OH and NC. He also enjoyed gifting his flowers to rest homes in the area to help brighten the lives of the residents there.

 

Clyde also was known in the area for making delicious homemade jams and jellies and the most delicious spaghetti sauce, a recipe that he would make in huge batches for friends and family, but would never share his secret with.  “That recipe was one he took to the grave.” his wife Mathilda admitted.  “He wouldn’t even let me near the kitchen when he made it, all I know is he’d simmer it for three days. I’m not sure which will be missed more, him or that lovely sauce.”

 

Viewing for Mr. Montague will be held on October 10th at 7 pm at Rose & Williams Mortuary and his funeral will take place at St. Richards Methodist Church on October 11th at 1 pm. With graveside service to follow.

 

*As a side note, and of course with Ms. Tilly’s permission to tell, I’d like to relay a story she told me, “Back in the day,” she said, “families held the wakes of loved ones in their own homes and guests were invited in.  For three days the deceased’s coffin sat in the parlor so friends and neighbors, mostly farmers with hectic schedules, could come to pay their last respects.  There wasn’t any embalming back then either.  Well, when Clyde was just a little one, maybe 3 or 4, his Granddaddy died.  Everyone was eating in the kitchen, as they did when neighbors brought in loads of food to share with the family and his Granddaddy got up out of his coffin, causing his wife to faint, and asked if there was a party, why hadn’t he been invited.  The man lived another 20 years.”   “Now you might think I’m telling a tale,” she said “but it's God's honest truth, unless Clyde was lying, and I don’t know why he’d do that.  So he told me when the time came, we better make sure he’s proper dead.”

 

I assured her that he was in fact dead.  Patrick Hunt :)

“We Are Family” and it’s with great sadness that we announce the passing of our sister, Rochelle (Dancing Queen) Dubouis, 65, of St. Richards, NC.  Though she tried “Staying Alive” “Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel” and Rochelle had her “Last Dance” October 12th, 2008, after suffering a heart attack when she “Boogie Oogie, Oogied” during “Ladies Night” at the Tavares Club as they “Played That Funky Music” “The Second Time Around” but “That’s The Way” she liked it.

 

Rochelle wasn’t one of those “Bad Girls” but she was “More Than A Woman” off the dance floor and “Hot Stuff” when she was on “The Groove Line”.  Ever since the early 70s, she absolutely loved “Disco Nights” at “Boogie Wonderland” until 1980 when it was burned to the ground by a “Disco Inferno” that started at the neighboring “YMCA”.  Still, her mottos were “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” and “Don’t Stop The Music” because “I Love The Nightlife” and we can say with certainty that she did.  “Heaven Knows” that we’re going to “Knock On Wood” that “The Boss” upstairs will greet her with open arms and proclaim “Let’s Groove” and she can continue to have “Good Times”.

 

Rochelle was preceded in death by our Father, Maximus L. Dubouis, originally of Baton Rouge, LA and our Mother Sylvia Chase Dubouis, originally from Charleston, SC.  She is survived by three sisters, Gabriella Dubouis Dupree, Francesca Dubouis Clegg, and Katarina Dubouis Sellers.

 

Rochelle had been previously married but chose to reclaim her maiden name in 1989 after her divorce.  There were no children between the couple, however, Rochelle had plenty of children that she loved, cared for, and mentored, being a teacher at St. Richards Middle School for 36 years, retiring in 2003.  She was proud to have been named “Teacher of the Year” several times during her career.  Since retiring she had volunteered her time at St. Richards Youth Center, teaching both disco dancing and crocheting, two of her greatest passions.

 

Our sister also loved travelling, especially cruising to exotic locations.  She was full of life, vim and vigor right up until she literally danced until she dropped.

 

Now some of you may find this obituary a little corny or tacky but the truth is Rochelle loved her disco music and made us promise that if she passed before us that we would make it known far and wide. So that’s exactly what we have done!  Until we meet again our beautiful, sweet, sister, we hope you “Dance, Dance, Dance”!

It’s with deepest sympathy that we announce the passing of Linda C. Bennett, 68, of St. Richards who died of an accident in her home sometime between the 14th and 21st of October. The exact date of her earthly departure is still unclear as Ms. Bennett wasn’t found until the morning of October 22nd after a neighbor observed that she hadn’t left her house for her weekly rounds of “trash is treasure” curbside collection spree. Authorities were called to perform a  safety check after not getting any response to repeated knocking. Ms. Bennett’s body was found by emergency services under a large and heavy pile of boxes filled with old books and magazines. Her cause of death appears to be suffocation.

 

Though Ms Bennett was a custodial supervisor with the St. Richards school system for over 30 years, according to her sister, that is where her cleanliness, neatness, and known organizational skills stopped.  “She didn’t practice those traits at home” her sister, Sandra, commented.  

 

Ms. Bennett was preceded in death by both of her parents, Emmett and Maggie Sue Wertz, as well as her husband of 15 years, Dean (aka Dinky) Alan Bennett.  She is survived by her older sister Sandra Henney (Husband, Oliver) as well as a niece, Megan, and nephew, Scott.

 

Linda most enjoyed finding treasures in thrift shops, yard & estate sales, and considered herself a great bargain hunter and collector.  She also enjoyed driving around her lovely town looking for curbside finds.

 

“I told her numerous times that she couldn’t take that stuff with her and that it was an accident waiting to happen, and I was right.”  Sandra is quoted as saying.

 

A closed casket service will be held at Rose & Williams Mortuary Oct. 26th at 7pm and a graveside service on Oct. 27th at 2 pm.

It is with deep regret and heavy heart that we announce the passing of Michael Andrew Kline, 48, of Saint Richards, NC who died tragically and unexpectedly on November 9th, 2008.

 

Michael was the son of Andrew Leonard and Kathryn O’Reilly Kline of Medina, OH.  A devoted husband of 26 years to his wife, Savannah Duncan Kline, he was a loving and wonderful father to his three children, Augustus, Simon, and Lindsey Kline Borling.  He had two beautiful grandchildren, Kevin, 4 and Ricky 2.  Michael is also survived by his older sister, Annastasia Kline Gallup (Husband Jon).

 

Michael Kline was a well loved and valued member of his community who volunteered his time at St Richard’s Food Bank,  coached a youth softball team, The Titans, and served as a positive role model as a youth group leader at Living Waters Baptist Church.  He also  participated as a mentor in a program for underprivileged youth.

 

Mr. Kline died a true hero, risking and losing his own life saving others from a lone gunman at a small diner on the outskirts of town.

 

In lieu of flowers his family requests that donations be made to Healing Hearts and Hooves Rescue, a program near and dear to his heart that rehabilitates horses as well as military vets.

 

Viewings will be held at Rose & Williams Mortuary on both November 10th and 11th from 6 - 9 pm.  Funeral Services will be held at his church, Living Waters Baptist Church at 2 pm on November 12th.

 

“Michael, you will always be remembered and cherished by those whose lives you touched with your kindness and compassion.  Until we meet again my Dearest Michael, may you rest in peace til then.”  Savannah

On November 9th Reginald (aka Reggie) Lucas Wright passed away from internal injuries sustained in a car accident.  I’m saddened to say that not much was known about Reginald Wright other than he moved to the area from Asheville, NC.  Reggie was a man who, for the most part, was often seen walking with his dog near his home in Glenwood Trailer Park, but who only on rare occasions interacted with the locals.

 

No family is known of and Mr Wright was unemployed.

 

Services will be held at Rose & Williams Mortuary on November 11th at 5 pm.

 

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Update:  We at Rose & Williams Mortuary believe that everyone deserves dignity and to have their voice heard and their story told.  It wasn’t until after Mr Wright’s obituary was already published both here and in the St Richards Sentinel that a family member, his sister, was finally located.  At her request we wish to update Reginald Wright’s biography and we are happy to do so by publishing the letter that she so kindly wrote to us. 

 

To all the residents of St Richards, and especially to the family of Mr Michael Kline, I wish to extend my deepest and heartfelt sympathies for your great loss.  I know that most of you can only be asking one question…”Why did this have to happen?”  I’m sure the majority of you can only consider my brother, Reggie, a criminal, a murderer, the man who took the life of a valued member of your community, and I can’t fault you for feeling that way.  What I can do, what I wish to do, is give you a better understanding of my brother.  Maybe in understanding, you can eventually find it in your hearts to forgive him for the devastating pain he caused on the afternoon of November 9th.

 

Reginald Lucas Wright was born in 1967 to Carter W. and Eilene Williams Wright of Asheville, NC, the youngest of 3 children.  Our brother Ben was the eldest and I, Diana, was the middle child.  Reggie had a close relationship with Ben and looked up to him as not only his brother, but also his best friend.  

 

In high school Reggie was an honor roll student, President of his class, was a great athlete, and as the Captain of the football team, he was a local hero.  His aspiration was to go to NC State and study to become a veterinarian.  Reggie had a great love for animals and was always getting scolded for bringing home strays.  

 

At the age of 20 my brother thought it only right that he do his duty and join the US Army, which would also earn him the means to eventually make his dream to attend NC State a reality without relying on our parents for financial support.  At the age of 22 he married Ellen, his highschool sweetheart and soon after they started a family and had a son, Ethan Matthew.  Reggie reenlisted for financial stability and in 1991 was sent to fight in the Gulf War.

 

I’m sad to say it but that war changed him, it was like a different person had taken his place.  He was withdrawn and suffered from night terrors, he became paranoid and would talk to no one about what happened, no one except Ben.  A year later Ellen left him, taking Ethan with her, his erratic behaviour scared her and she didn’t want Ethan exposed to seeing his father like that.

 

Ben was the only person he seemed to trust and he relied on him heavily until 5 years ago when Ben was killed by a drunk driver.  Reggie’s world fell apart.  He began hearing voices in his head and rather than burdening our family, he disappeared, using the funds that Ben had left him through an insurance policy.  

 

Once a month Reggie would reach out to us just to let us know that he was still alive, and to be honest, it was obvious he was getting worse.  Without Ben’s guidance Reggie stopped going for check ups, stopped taking his medications. 

 

A couple of years ago Reggie had called and said he’d found a stray dog, one that had looked like it had been on it’s own for a long time and Reggie took it in and named it Ben after our brother.  He’d help it heal, and it would help him, he said.  And he was right.  Looking after and loving that dog seemed to help, it quieted those voices that haunted him.

 

The last time I spoke to my brother was November 6th, he was inconsolable as he said some teenagers who lived nearby were harassing him and had gone so far as to kill his beloved Ben. Without Ben the voices were back and this time they were angry.

 

My brother was never violent, even during his worst episodes.  He hated confrontation and just wanted to be left alone.

 

I don’t know where or how he got a gun, I don’t know why he tried to rob that diner and I suppose I never will.  But I do know, my brother would never deliberately hurt anyone, I do know he wasn’t a monster who set out that day with the intentions of hurting anyone.  Reggie was a lost soul, one not of his own making.  

 

I would conclude this letter by saying I will miss my little brother, but the truth is, I lost him long ago.

 

Thank you Patrick for your compassion in allowing me to tell Reggie’s story.

 

Diana Wright Williams