Braxton Citizens' News, Obituaries

Obituaries

Matthew Burton Friend
Matthew Burton Friend, 37, of Gassaway, WV sadly left us suddenly on June 16, 2023. He was born on January 9, 1986, to parents Ricky and Rebecca Friend.
Matthew enjoyed hunting, fishing, and riding 4-wheelers with his two sons. He was a lifelong resident of Braxton County, WV.
He is survived by his parents: Ricky and Rebecca Friend of Heaters WV, sons: Ryan and Nicky Friend of Big Otter WV, companion: Mackenzie Wimer of Gassaway WV, sisters: Shelly Traupman (Ronald Traupman) of Pittsburgh Pa, and Kelly Marsh (Roy Marsh) of Ravenna Ohio, 3 nieces: Katie Marsh, Allie Traupman, Lizzy Traupman, 3 nephews: Chase Marsh, Jacob Traupman, Skyler Marsh, and 1 great nephew: Clayton Marsh.
Services were held at 2:00 pm, Saturday, June 24, 2023, at Stockert Funeral Home, Flatwoods, WV. Visitation was three hours prior to the service from 11:00 am-2:00 pm. Burial was in the Heaters Cemetery, Heaters, WV.
Stockert Funeral Home is honored to serve the family of Matthew Burton Friend.

Paul David Chapman
Paul David Chapman, 87 of Sutton, formerly of Cowen, passed away on Tuesday, June 20, 2023 at WVU Hospital Braxton County Memorial after an extended illness.
Paul was born April 19, 1936 in Diana to the late Louis Wade and Vergie Adeline McCourt Chapman and was a coal miner by trade. He was a former Cowen Chief of Police, a logger, a mechanic, and a jack of all trades. He kept up with his family genealogy, collected coins and pocket watches, and loved music and trading guns with his friends.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his daughter Vergie Elizabeth Chapman; former wife and mother of his first seven children, Ella Conrad; infant brother Willard Chapman; brother Arthur Ray Chapman; sisters Lela Beale and Gladys Bragg; and brother-in-law Chuck Bragg.
Paul is survived by his companion and mother of his three youngest children, Carol White of Birch River; children Betty (Steve) Selman of Birch River, Gerald Freeman Chapman of Ansted, Warren Wade Chapman of Caldwell, Carl Vernon Chapman of Huntington, Ellen Carelene (Ronnie) House of Webster Springs, Gladys Renee (Buck) Ellison of Webster Springs, Carolyn Pauline (Richard) Postelwait of Valley Head, Paul David White of Weirton, and Shannon Nicole (Shawn) Shaffer of Craigsville; numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren; many nieces and nephews; and other extended family and friends to mourn his passing.
Friends joined the family for visitation on Saturday, June 24, 2023 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM at Dodd & Reed Funeral Home. Funeral Services to celebrate Paul’s life were held on Sunday, June 25, 2023 at 1:00 PM at the Funeral Home with Brother Larry Jo Bragg officiating. Interment followed in Chapman Cemetery, Bonner Ridge, Webster Springs.
Online condolences may be left for the family at www.doddreedfh.com.
Dodd & Reed Funeral Home is honored to be serving the Chapman family.

June R. Barnett
June R. Barnett, 87, of Mount Lookout, went home to be with the Lord on Thursday, June 22, 2023 at the Summersville Healthcare Center.
She was born December 13, 1935 in Quick, WV, the daughter of the late Hurl Richardson Sr. and Pina (Rose) Richardson. Also preceding her in death was her husband, Orville Barnett; brother, Hurl Richardson Jr.
June was a homemaker and a cook.
She is survived by her daughters, Violet Carte of Craigsville, Vonda Profit of WV, Janet Cottrill, of Birch River, Jimmy Sue Beasley of Newton WV, Anna Charlene Hale of Conaway NC, Cindy Cutlip of Mount Lookout WV, Debbie Duckworth of Widen WV; sisters, Wanda Wilson of Dayton OH, Brenda Vessie of Sutton WV; beloved cousin, Sam Jackson of Little Birch WV; thirteen grandchildren and several great grandchildren.
Upon her request the body will be cremated.
Greene-Robertson Funeral Home is honored to be serving the Barnett family.
Online condolences may be sent to: greene-robertsonfuneralhome.com

Gordon B. Price Jr.
Gordon B. Price Jr., 76, of Ocean View, Delaware, went home to be with the Lord on June 13. Gordon was born in Baltimore, MD, to G. Brent Price Sr. and Claudine (Nagle) Price. They later moved to Western Maryland. His childhood was filled with adventures on the farm and pancake eating contests with his cousins. He graduated from the University of Maryland. Go Terps!
He met his wife Shirley in Bethany Beach, Delaware, on his summer job as a milkman to area businesses from the Koontz dairy in western Maryland. They married during a freak snowstorm on March 1, 1969. He worked in construction, building and remodeling homes in Coastal Sussex and later owned a landscaping business.
Gordon is predeceased by his parents. He is survived by his lovely wife and devoted care giver Shirley, his two daughters Michele McCoy of Phoenix, AZ, and Melissa Dittman (Matthew) of Gassaway, WV. He was the beloved brother to sister Kathy Montgomery of Falling Waters, WV. Gordon was blessed with grandchildren, Connor, Devin and Aurelia McCoy of Phoenix AZ and Brent Dittman (Savannah) and Elizabeth Arbogast (Dusty) of Gassaway WV. He was delighted and enamored by his 2 great grandsons, Roman and Ryker Dittman. Gordon was beloved by his many nieces and nephews. His two sisters-in-law would be the first to admit to his strength and love, as the only brother-in-law to survive the hazing.
Gordon loved the outdoors, and was an avid fisherman and hunter. He was passionate about gardening. He was a lifelong fan of Baltimore sports teams: Orioles and Ravens and never liked that the Colts owners kidnapped the team to Indianapolis. Gordon was well known for his ability to turn a phrase, lovingly called Gordonisms such as: you will have that on these big jobs, you were never alright since you were half left, and responding I am fair to middlin when asked how he was.
He was an active member of High Tide Church serving in many leadership roles. He believed if you could help your neighbor, you should. He was a member of the Roxana Auxiliary and the Selbyville Elks.
Services were held at Melson’s Funeral Home on Muddy Neck Road in Ocean View, on Monday, June 26, at 2 pm with visitation from 12 -2 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to High Tide Church Food Pantry, PO Box 127, Dagsboro, DE 19939, or the Church Building Fund at the same address, causes Gordon poured his heart and soul into supporting.

Joanne White Dunlap
September 11, 1939 – June 16, 2023
Somerset, Kentucky – Joanne Dunlap, 83, was called to join her husband, Teddy B. Dunlap, in their eternal home on June 16th, 2023 at Somerset Nursing and Rehabilitation, Somerset, Kentucky.
The eldest of three girls, Joanne was born to parents, Denver and Helen White, in Rosedale, West Virginia. The Whites moved to Ohio, where Joanne met her husband. Teddy and Joanne grew their family to include a son, Whitney Jay Dunlap, of Somerset, Kentucky and a daughter, Carol Ann Dunlap Geralds of Stanford, Kentucky.
During Joanne and Teddy’s married life, their residences encompassed many states, from Ohio, West Virginia, Florida, Arizona, California, New York, Pennsylvania, and Georgia to their final farm homestead in Somerset, KY. Joanne’s favorite location to live was Florida, being her most recent residency prior to relocating back to Kentucky.
From occupations in Real Estate to Retail Sales, she always enjoyed serving and meeting new people. She was an avid Red Hat Member while living in Somerset, Kentucky, appreciating the fellowship of the ladies group. Traveling was another activity that was always of great interest, along with learning new things through research, be it religion or politics. Books were truly a great source of enjoyment for her and the library was one of her highly frequented locations.
Joanne is survived by her sister, Patricia (Tessa) Yeager of Grafton, OH; children, Whitney Jay Dunlap, Carol Ann Dunlap Geralds; grandchildren, Kelly (Michael) Shouse of Versailles, KY, Cory (Abigail) Dunlap of Memphis IN, Carly Geralds of Charleston, SC; and great grandchildren, Logan and Savannah Shouse, Collin and Drue Dunlap.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Denver and Helen White; a sister, Mildred White and by her husband, Teddy Brooks Dunlap.
Her celebration of life service was 2 P.M. Saturday, June 24, 2023 at Roach Funeral Home, 708 Braxton Street, Gassaway, WV with Austin White officiating.
Visitation was two hours prior to the service at the funeral home.
Committal service followed at Sugar Creek Cemetery in Gassaway, WV across from Sugar Creek Baptist Church at 2409 Elk River Road, Gassaway, WV 26624.
In lieu of flowers, Joanne’s family requests memorial donations be made to Hospice of Lake Cumberland, 100 Parkway Drive, Somerset, KY 42503 or the Sugar Creek Cemetery Maintenance Fund, c/o Huffman Bookkeeping, 512 Elk Street, Gassaway, WV 26624.
Words of comfort and fond memories may be extended to the family at www.roachfuneralhome.com.

Lillian Dale (Cutlip) Haymond
Lillian Dale (Cutlip) Haymond was born on May 7, 1936 on the family farm in Exchange, WV to Dacil Illa (Westfall) Cutlip and Frank Tracy Cutlip. As the middle of 7 children, she was “the peacemaker” throughout her days. When still in pigtails, she did many of the outdoor farming chores in the garden and with the livestock. She grew strong physically and was an outstanding athlete; her love of sports never waned. She was raised by a devout mother (her father died when she was merely 6), and she clung to her faith.
The responsibility she learned milking cows as a child carried her through her secretarial training at Fairmont Business College and to the Pentagon where she held crypto clearance in her position working for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. She married Denver Delano Haymond in 1956, remaining devoted to him and the family they created. When their marriage was cut short at 18 years by Denver’s death in 1974, her sole focus became raising their two daughters Traci and Terri. As dismaying as this occasionally was to them (they might have liked her to date and perhaps focus a tiny bit less on them), she always maintained that her marriage had been to “the perfect man” and was enough.
Lil knew how to make “enough” feel like “plenty”. She eked by financially for decades on determination and details, forgoing the shiny things that distract so many in this world. Around her, one was assured of being offered food, clothing (especially if she was cold), or a hug. Her loving demeanor earned her the moniker Mama Lil to young and old alike as she was forever thrilled to wrap her arms around visitors at her home on Twin Court or chat with people between incoming calls while working the switchboard at JCPenney’s. The smile in her voice was immediately recognizable to all. Her front porch was always a welcome mat and hangout for generations of kids playing kickball, hide-and-seek, basketball, or where one could often find freeze pops or prepare to be shuttled to the Baskin Robbins. Once the girls were grown, she was fortunate to travel the world, yet her comfort was forever rooted in Springfield, Franconia Baptist Church, and the hills of West Virginia.
Lil hurdled many challenges throughout the years. She single-parented before it was cool. She defeated uteran and skin cancer as well as lymphoma. She managed a bad back, broken bones, a brain tumor, hearing loss, and finally Afib with grace and nary a complaint. Her physical and mental strength flowed from her devout Christian faith as she exuded her unwavering belief of loving others as Christ has loved her. She spent her final nights in the hospital praying by name “for everyone” desiring that she and all she knew could “stay out of trouble”.
After 87 wonderful years of running her race, on June 22, 2023, Lil’s physical heart finally gave out and she embraced the next step on her journey to Heaven with enthusiasm and abundant joy, joining her husband Denver, parents Frank and Dacil, siblings Carol Joan Sumner (Bob), Frances Irene Sears (Doyle), Lowell Stanton Cutlip (Sue), in-laws Betty Belle (Haymond) Keene (Bob), Theda Bera (Haymond) Hayhurst (Larry), Jennings Wilson Haymond, Lewis Stanton Reed, Aubin Houston Lovin, son-in-law Bruce Wilson Fullerton, and niece Kimberly Sue (Lovin) Vick.
She is survived by siter-in-law Bonnie Jean Kirby, sisters Phyllis Elaine Reed, Patricia Sue Lovin, Frankie Jean Morehead (Clyde), daughters Traci-Dale Crawford (Jim), Terri Jo Fullerton, honorary nurse-daughter Mary Jensen; grandsons Brandon Fullerton, Denver Crawford (Trey), Brian Fullerton, Davis Crawford, Delan Crawford, great grand-daughter Harper Grace Fullerton, and numerous nieces, nephews, and neighbors who she truly treated as close family members.
Relatives and friends may call at Jefferson Funeral Chapel, 5755 Castlewellan Drive, Alexandria, VA 22315 on Saturday, July 1, at 12PM. Service will begin at 12:30PM. Memorial contributions may be sent to Cutlips Baptist Church, c/o Sharon Dennison Treasurer, 7340 Exchange Road, Exchange, WV 26619.

Dolly Christena Clifton
Dolly Christena Clifton, 83, of Little Birch, went home to be with the Lord on Thursday, June 15, 2023 at her residence.
She was born July 25, 1939 in Bays, WV, the daughter of the late Floyd James & Nannie Marie Brown Rose. Also preceding her in death was her husband, Henry Robert Clifton; son, Tim Clifton.
Dolly was a homemaker and attended Stump Chapel Baptist Church, Tesla.
She is survived by her daughter, Susan Murphy (Robert) of Little Birch; brother, Bernard Rose (Debbie) of Little Birch; sisters, Delores Shortridge of VA, Delcia Conley (Farrell) of OH, Debra Drake of Burnsville, Dorothy Banker of AZ; grandchildren, Matthew Murphy, Brian Murphy; great grandchildren, Alex Murphy, Angel Murphy, Kylee Murphy, Triston Murphy, Logan Murphy and Emma Murphy.
Memorial graveside service was held 11:00 am, Monday, June 26, 2022 at Braxton Memorial Cemetery, Sutton with Rev. Linn Schiefer officiating.
Greene-Robertson Funeral Home is honored to be serving the Clifton/Murphy families.
Online condolences may be sent to: greene-robertsonfuneralhome.com