Robert Lee Barham
Wake Forest
Robert Lee Barham, 91, passed away Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015. He was born on December 20, 1923, in Wake County to the late Cleveland Reuben Barham and Zelma McCoy Height Barham.
He served in the U.S. Army as squad leader in Company “C” 41st 2nd Armored Infantry and was awarded several Medals of Honor He retired as an engineer with WTVD Channel 11 in Durham. Robert was a member of the Wake Forest Masonic Lodge for over 50 years.
A memorial service to celebrate his life will be held on Wednesday, December 16, 2015, at 1 p.m. at Falls Baptist Church, 9700 Fonville Road, Wake Forest, with Pastor Terry Ashe officiating. Representatives of the U.S. Army will fold and present the flag on behalf of the grateful nation.
Surviving are his wife, Nina Lloyd Barham; son, Ken Barham Sr. of Wake Forest; daughter, Amy Barham of Wake Forest; grandchildren, Kenneth Jr. (Sissy), Rebecca (Sumantha), Gracie, Jenny (JW), Zoe and Trey; great-grandson, Andrew Barham; and brothers, Preston Barham (Laura) of Wilmington and Marvin Barham (Mary Anne) of Edenton.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sons, Gerald Wayne Barham and Darrell Todd Barham, and nine siblings.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Falls Baptist Church, 9700 Fonville Road, Wake Forest, NC 27587 or Falls Community Cemetery Fund, c/o Linwood Barham, 9705 Fonville Road, Wake Forest, NC 27587.
He will be remembered by his family for his advocacy toward lifelong learning, encouraging working in a field you love and to strive to live with Godly morals and values.
Condolences to the family may be sent to poolefuneral.com under Obituaries.
James Andrew Wooten
Wake Forest
James Andrew Wooten, 67, of Wake Forest passed away on December 7, 2015. He was born on February 24, 1948, in Shelby to the late Willard Wooten and Kathlene Marshall Wooten.
He is survived by his wife, Charlotte Humphrey Wooten; two brothers, Willard Wooten (Barbara) of Las Vegas, Nevada, and Charles Wooten (Carol) of Pinehurst; sister, Kathy Walden of Greensboro; and a number of nieces and nephews.
Mr. Wooten received the bachelor of science degree in engineering from N.C. State University and the MBA degree from Duke University. His professional career spanned 40 years with International Business Machines in a variety of areas, including product development, software engineering, and sales and marketing. He retired as a program director. During this time Mr. Wooten also served in the U.S. Army on both active and reserve duty where he reached the rank of captain.
The funeral was held Tuesday, December 15, 2015, at 1 p.m. at Ckhrist Church, 120 East Edenton Street, Raleigh. Family visitation was on Monday, December 14, 2015, at Dafford Funeral Home in Angier.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Xavier University of Louisiana, 1 Drexel Drive, Box 66, New Orleans, LA 70125-1098.
Lee Frederick Hunt
Wake Forest
Lee Frederick Hunt died December 6, 2015, surrounded by family at his home in Wake Forest. He was born in Anderson, Indiana, on January 14, 1940, to Dr. John Hunt and Maxine Cushman Hunt.
On 1965 he received a bachelor of arts degree in economics and philosophy from Colorado College His career path focused on computer science, and he was responsible for data base design in both government and private industry. He lived in Falls Church, Virginia, for 25 years and moved to Minneapolis in 1996 to work as a consultant in data base development. In 2002 he retired from a position with Eaton Hydraulics and moved to Raleigh.
Heis survived by Georgene Curtis Hunt, his wife of 46 years; his sister, Cynthia Bischoff of Venice Florida; three children, Charles Hunt (Sarah Hunt) of Raleigh, Cynthis Hunt of the Raleigh area, and Andrew Hunt (Amy Hunt) of Henderson, Minnesota; and five grandchildren.
A memorial service was held at Holy Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, 2723 Clark Ave., Raleigh at 11 a.m. Wednesday, December 16, 2015. In lieu of flowers, friends may contribute to Holy Trinity in his honor.
Online memorials at www.MitchellatRMP.com.
Kathleen Keith Rogers
Wake Forest
Kathleen K. Rogers, 91, of Wake Forest passed away Wednesday, December 9, 2015, at Hillside Nursing Center. She was born in Wake County, the daughter of the late Essie Woodlief Keith and Willie J. Keith.
Funeral services were held at 11 o’clock Saturday morning, December 12, 2015, in the Chapel of Bright Funeral Home with Dr. Bill Slater officiating. Burial was in the Oak Grove Baptist Church Cemetery.
Mrs. Rogers is survived by her son, Cleve Rogers of Wake Forest; daughter-in-law, Ginny N. Rogers, and granddaughter, Gracie, of Wake Forest; and a sister, Inez Hart of Youngsville. She was preceded in death by her husband, G.C. Rogers Jr., and by her son, W. Nelson Rogers.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Wake Forest Baptist Church Building Fund, 118 E. South Ave., Wake Forest, NC 27587.
Pallbearers were Mike Hart, Rodney Hart, Craig Hart, Charles Keith, Ricky Keith, Ronnie Faison, and Jimmie Keith.
A service of Bright Funeral Home & Cremation Center. (919-556-5811)
John Harley Cecil
Wake Forest
(John) Harley Cecil, age 87, of Wake Forest “graduated” peacefully from this life on Wednesday, December 9, 2015.
Harley is survived by many loved ones including his precious wife of 53 years, Jo Ann Cook Cecil; his daughter, Connie Cecil Wendt and son-in-law, Daniel Wendt; his son, (Harley) Wayne Cecil, and daughter-in-law, Wendy Cecil; beloved grandchildren, Jonathan and wife, Kaitlin, Andrew, William and Daniel; as well as step-grandchildren, Jonathan and Jessica Farrell; and his very special 100-year-old mother-in-law and friend, Annalee P. Cook. He is also survived by numerous cousins, nieces, nephews, their children and great friends. His gentle, quiet, yet witty presence will be missed by all.
Born July 30, 1928, into a humble family in Guilford County, Harley served his country in the U.S. Army in 1951 and 1952. He also attended several colleges, pursuing various degrees and finalized his Master of Theology at Duke Divinity School and entered a life of service to God and man as a reverend in the United Methodist Church. He married Jo Ann Cook in 1962 and the two eventually settled in Butner, North Carolina, when Harley accepted the position of chaplain at Murdoch Center. There he and his wife raised their two children as he devoted 30 years to selflessly advocating for the spiritual needs of the residents. He loved music and had a great ability to help those with intellectual and physical disabilities discover overlooked or hidden talents.
A memorial service will be held on Friday, December 18, 2015, at 1 p.m. at Murdoch Developmental Center Chapel, 1600 East C Street in Butner.
Please no flowers! Harley would prefer to be remembered, if you feel inclined, with a donation to one of his favorite charities: The Murdoch Campership Program (100 percent goes to the program!) P.O. Box 3000, Butner, NC 27509 or The Salvation Army of Wake County, P.O. Box 27584, Raleigh, NC 27611.
A service of Bright Funeral Home and Cremation Center. (919) 556-5811
Joyce L. Merkley
Youngsville
Joyce L. Merkley, 54, of Youngsville died suddenly at her home on Tuesday, December 8, 2015. A native of Jordan-Elbridge, New York, she was born January 2, 1961, to Howard G. and Marjorie Wolfanger Kenyon. Joyce and her husband, Albert, have resided in North Carolina for 12 years.
In addition to her parents she is survived by her husband of 26 years, Albert D. Merkley of Youngsville; daughter, Toni Crandon of Wake Forest; son, Philip Crandon of Auburn, New York; two grandchildren, Cohen Fredette of Wake Forest and Kaiden Dwyer of Auburn, New York; three sisters, Patsy (Kirk) Allen of Texas, Sheila (Scott) Johnson of New York, and Donna (Marty) McClain of Oklahoma; three brothers, Bruce (Shelly) Kenyon of New York, Robert Evans of Tennessee, and Gary Kenyon of Texas; and she is also survived by an aunt, uncle, many cousins, nieces, nephews and dear friends.
Joyce was known as being quiet but quick-witted and she formed a special bond with her grandson Cohen. She loved visiting New York and the beauty of nature. Joyce enjoyed watching the sunrise at the beach, hiking, skiing, canoeing, and riding motorcycles.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Huntington’s Disease Society of America, 505 Eighth Avenue Suite 902 New York, NY 10018. Or online at hdsainfo@hdsa.org (212-242-1968)
A service of Bright Funeral Home & Cremation Center, 405 South Main Street, Wake Forest, NC 27587. (919) 556-5811.
Ralph Woodard
Wake Forest
Ralph Woodard, 83, of Wake Forest died Wednesday morning, December 9, 2015, at his home. He was born in Johnston County on January 31, 1932, the son of the late Flora Pittman and Clarence A. Woodard. Ralph was a member of Neuse Baptist Church for over 54 years, where he drove the church bus for over 20 years. He enjoyed gardening and being outdoors.
Funeral services were held at 2 o’clock Sunday afternoon, December 13, 2015, in the Chapel of Bright Funeral Home with Pastor David Shaffer officiating. Burial was in Pine Forest Memorial Gardens.
Mr. Woodard is survived by his wife of 65 years, Dorothy Eason Woodard; his children, Jerry Woodard and wife, Betty, of Youngsville, Cynthia Storms and husband, Sedford, of Lumberton, Debra Strickland and husband, Donald, of Youngsville, and Teresa Stubblefield of Wake Forest; six grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; one great-great-granddaughter; one brother; three sisters; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by three brothers and two sisters.
Memorial contributions may be made to Neuse Baptist Church Building Fund, 414 Southtown Circle, Rolesville, NC 27571.
Pallbearers were Michael Barnard, Matt Strickland, Adam Yarbrough, Tyler Morton, Connor Swim, Johnny Clawson, and Randy Stubblefield.
A service of Bright Funeral Home & Cremation Center. (919-556-5811)
