Obituaries for Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Published 5:00 am Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Robert B. Deaton
Services for Robert B. Deaton, of Dothan, Ala., are 2 p.m.Wednesday, April 20 at Calvary Baptist Church in Dothan. The Rev.Dan Raley will officiate.
Visitation is Wednesday from noon until 1:15 p.m. at ByrdFuneral Home in Dothan.
Mr. Deaton, 65, died April 17, 2005, in Dothan.
Mr. Deaton was born April 19, 1939, in Quincy, Fla., and spenthis early years in Morganton, N.C. During his youth, he spent muchof his time hiking and camping in the mountains using skills hedeveloped as an Eagle Scout. He graduated from North Carolina StateUniversity. He began his career with St. Regis Paper Mill inJacksonville, Fla., and later relocated to Brookhaven. There hepursued a love for flying airplanes part-time and was also a memberof First Baptist Church in Brookhaven. He has traveled across thecountry in search of adventure from snow skiing in Whistler, B.C.,bill fishing in Costa Rica and fly fishing in Alaska. After 22years, his career led him to Dothan, Ala., working with GeorgiaPacific Paper Co. where he recently retired after 44 years ofservice. His strongest passions in recent years have been fishingand woodworking.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. B. R.Deaton.
Survivors include his wife of 42 years, Rebecca Williams Deaton,of Dothan; four children, David Deaton and his wife, Becky, ofMadison, Ala., Larry Deaton and his wife, Stephanie, of Round Rock,Texas, Barbara Deaton Saunders and her husband, Wesley, of Slocomband Linda Deaton, of Cumming, Ga.; five grandchildren, Eric andAnna Deaton, Hannah and Harrison Saunders and Claire Deaton; asister, Ruby Deaton Pharr, of Morganton, N.C.; a brother, DonDeaton and his wife, Alice, of Morganton; and several nieces andnephews.
Honorary pallbearers will be employees of Georgia Pacific PaperCo. and his fishing buddies from Mexico Beach.
Willard Davis
Services for Willard Davis, of Meadville, are 2 p.m. Wednesday,April 20 at Franklin Funeral Home Chapel with burial in MiddletonCreek Primative Baptist Church Cemetery.
Visitation is today from 5-9 p.m. and Wednesday from 8 a.m.until 2 p.m. at Franklin Funeral Home in Meadville.
Mr. Davis, 86, died April 18, 2005, at Meadville Nursing Home.He was born in Lincoln County on July 29, 1918, to Ruben Davis andAda Lofton Davis.
He was retired from maintenance in the Franklin County Schools.He was a member of Middleton Creek Primative Baptist. He served inthe Army and was a veteran of World War II.
Preceding him in death were his parents; his wife, Edith EzellDavis; one daughter; and one son.
Survivors are his two daughters, Patsy Wilkinson of Meadvilleand Katherine Pace, of Hattiesburg; his three sons, Willard RoyDavis, of McCall Creek, Charles Rayford Davis, of Brookhaven, andKen Davis, of Bude; one son-in-law; five grandchildren; and twogreat-grandchildren.