Edna Earle Johnson Barham
Wake Forest
Edna Earle Johnson Barham, 88, of Wake Forest went to be with her Lord and Savior on Saturday morning, June 23, 2018. She was born in Smithfield, the only child of the late Edna Earle Beaty Johnson and John Atlas Johnson. After the death of her mother at her birth, she was dearly loved and raised first by her late paternal grandmother, Ida Manning Johnson, and later by her second mother, Ola Elizabeth Beaty Johnson, and by her late father. Mrs. Barham was a State of North Carolina employee for 30 years and a member of Rolesville Baptist Church.
Mama was the epitome of a Southern belle; a faithful wife, a very loving mother and nana, an excellent advisor, an immaculate housekeeper, and extraordinary cook, a talented seamstress and gardener, and a beautiful and classy lady. She will be dearly missed by us all.
Funeral services were held at noon on Tuesday, June 26, 2018, at Rolesville Baptist Church. Burial followed in the church cemetery.
Mrs. Barham is survived by her sons, Lee Barham and wife, Diane, of Raleigh, Mike Barham and wife, Sarah, of Kure Beach and Rick Barham and wife, Kim, of Garner; daughter, Gail Barham Moody and husband, Larry, of Wake Forest; 12 grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren ( and one on the way): and three great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by the love of her life, Edward Lee Barham Sr., and by her daughter-in-law, Gail Eatmon Barham.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Rolesville Baptist Church, P. O. Box 185, Rolesville, NC 27571 or to Transitions LifeCare, 250 Hospice Circle, Raleigh, NC 27607.
Friends visited with the family from 10:30 to 11:30 Tuesday morning in the Rolesville Baptist Church Family Life Center prior to the service.
A service of Bright Funeral Home & Cremation Center. (919-556-5811)
William Jeffrey ‘Jeff’ Yandle
Middlesex
Jeff Yandle, 68, passed away on Saturday, June 23, 2018, at his residence. He was born in Mecklenburg County, the son of Lucille Keziah Pleasants and the late William Newton Yandle.
Jeff was a veteran of the United States Marine Corp, where he served in the Vietnam War from 1969 to 1971 and earned the rank of corporal. He was a Free Mason.
A memorial service celebrating his life was held at Wednesday afternoon, June 27, 2018, at the Pilot Lions Club Building.
Jeff is survived by his wife, Vickie Chalk Yandle; daughters, Leah Wells Yandle of Raleigh and Laura-Brooks Williams and husband, Jason, of Knightdale; stepdaughters, Kristin Sandusky Gurganus and husband, Jason, of Cary and Valerie Sandusky and her friend, John, of Knightdale; mother; Lucille Pleasants of Cary; a sister, Susan Hayes of Lumberton; brothers, Max Godfrey of Cary, Russ Yandle of Leland and Bill Yandle of Oaksboro; grandchildren Cy and Sailor Stone Gurganus and Dayton Leigh Bowdle; also his loving pets, Snafu and FuGirl.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Marine Toys for Tots at the Cooper Center, 18251 Quantico Gateway Drive, Triangle, VA 22172-1776.
A service of Bright Funeral Home and Cremation Center, Wake Forest, NC. (919-556-5811)
Jessie Willard Gay
Wake Forest
Jessie Willard Gay, 81, of 3500 Pine Valley Drive, Wake Forest passed away at his home on June 26, 2018, following a year-long battle with a lung infection. He was born in Franklin County on April 26, 1937 to the late John Pettigrew and Nellie Bunn Gay.
Jessie enlisted in the North Carolina Army National Guard in 1954 and was stationed in Zebulon. He served there for eight years. After graduating from Wakelon High School in 1955, he completed the Tool & Die Apprentice Course offered by Westinghouse. He started his own company as a tool & die maker. He later worked at the Sylvania Plant in Smithfield and also the Data General Plant in Clayton.
In 1970 he joined the Rolesville Rural Volunteer Fire Department where he served until his retirement in 1993. He started the Rolesville Realty Company in 1991 where he was broker-in-charge until the summer of 2017. The Rolesville Town Board awarded him “Citizen of the Year” in 2008 due to his involvement in the community and especially his accomplishments while serving as chairman of the Rolesville EMS Board of Directors.
Jessie served as assistant treasurer of the Rolesville Baptist Church for several years. He could often be found working on spread sheets for the church or in the kitchen pouring tea and lemonade for Wednesday night dinners and other various meals.
Forty-eight years of his family time was spent at the Ponderosa on Kerr Lake. He loved watching his children and grandchildren enjoy the water, especially trying to flip those tubes. He also enjoyed attending N.C. State basketball games and watching the Atlanta Braves play baseball.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, June 28, 2018, at Rolesville Baptist Church. Dr. Randy Bridges will officiate. Burial will follow in the church cemetery
Left to cherish his memory are his wife of 53 years, Faye; daughter, Lisa Atkinson and husband, Tommy; son, Monty Gay and wife, Karen; grandchildren, Ashley Ray and husband, Hunter, Emily Pulley, Josh and Jonathan Gay, all of Wake Forest; one beloved sister, Geraldine Fleming and husband, Mutt, of Grifton; sister-in-law, Sue Gay of Atlanta, Georgia; nieces, Tiffany Rountree (Chip), Gina Rothchild (Peter), Jessica Snyder (Vern); and one nephew, Geoffrey Gay (Lisa). In addition to his parents he was predeceased by his brother, Johnny Gay of Atlanta, and a niece, Pamela Holmes of Connecticut.
Memorial donations may be made to the Rolesville Baptist Church Building Fund, PO Box 185, Rolesville, NC. 2757.
Visitation will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 27, 2018, at Bright Funeral Home & Cremation Service, 405 South Main Street, Wake Forest, NC (919)-556-5811.
