Timothy Davin Simmons, Age 27 from Sandyville, WV, completed his journey to Jesus in the early Saturday morning, September 1, 2012.  Tim kept a joyous heart through the many trials of an extended illness.  His love for people was evident even when he was in great pain.

Tim is survived by his parents, John and Lisa Simmons of Sandyville, WV; his sister, Chelsea Simmons Morris and her husband, Brandon; his paternal grandparents, John and Ruth Simmons of Charleston.  He is also survived by his aunts and uncles: Henry Simmons, Charles (Jennifer) Simmons, James (Glenda) Simmons, Beth (Allen) Castle, Judy Gillian, Matthew (Jill) Gillian, Amy Jarrett, and Emily (Erick) Boles.

He was preceded in death by:  maternal grandparents, Jack and Betsy Gillian; uncle, Mike Gillian; and aunt, Julie Gillian.

Tim loved to sing and was a proud member of the Blue Persuasion show choir during his time at Ripley High School.  He was on the basketball and drama teams at the Chiang Mai International School during the four years he lived in Thailand. He was trained as a Certified Medical Assistant at NIT and enjoyed working.  He was an active member of the LifeSpring Jackson campus of the South Parkersburg Baptist Church where he served on the leadership team.

His faith remained strong through his decade long struggle with Juvenile Diabetes.  The disease along with many other medical challenges made daily living a constant struggle.  Tim never gave up.  Though his journey was often filled with pot holes and detours, he remained on course and finished the journey well.

Visitation to celebrate Tim’s life will be at the Santrock Education Center at the Parchment Valley Conference Center, 1715 Lower Parchment Valley Road, Ripley from 6 – 9 on Tuesday and one hour prior to services which begin at 10:30 am on Wednesday. Interment and graveside services will be at the Richmond Cemetery in Sandstone, WV at 3:00.

In lieu of flowers the family requests that memorial gifts be made to the West Virginia Chapter of Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation JDRF 26 Broadway, 14^th Floor New York, NY 10004 or  @www.jdrf.org. 

Condolences may be sent to: 7517 Parkersburg Road, Sandyville, WV 25275.

Donald Ray “Donnie” Stevens, 59, of Ashford passed away Saturday, August 25, 2012,  at home with his family by his side after a battle with cancer.

He was a coal miner, truck driver, member of the UMWA and the Rumble Community Baptist Church.

He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Joan; son, Donnie (Rhonda) of Ashford; Lorie (Brian) Semenie of Hurricane; grandchildren, Luke and Samantha Semenie; sister, Judy Tuemler of St. Albans and Cindy Pisarcik of VA;  brothers, Chuck (Shirley) Stevens of NC and Dave (Amy) Stevens of TX.    Many nieces, nephews, other family and friends.

Funeral service will be 11:00 am Tuesday at Rumble Community Baptist Church with Pastor Richard Harrold officiating.  Burial will follow in Barker Cemetery, Ashford.  Family and friends will gather from 6 to 8 pm Monday at the church.

The family wants to share a special thank you to brother-in-law, Wade Bishop and the staff at David Lee Cancer Center.

Betty Lee (Atkinson) Arnold, 86, of St Albans, went home to be with the Lord on Tuesday, August 21, 2012.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 64 years John Arnold; parents Hersey and Lena Pearl Atkinson; sisters Lucille Lemon, Marjorie Taylor, Virginia Jarrett and Patricia Clawson; twin brothers Donald and David Atkinson.

Betty was born in South Charleston, WV and attended South Charleston High School. During WWII she worked at both Teaby’s Dairy Bar and OJ Morrison. In 1946 she married and began her life as a homemaker. She was a Brownie Scout leader for her girls. Betty and her family spent most vacations camping at Blue Bend, Sutton, and Paradise Campground.

Betty is survived by her two daughters Trena Given (Walter) of Charleston and Linda Freeman (Lawson) of South Charleston; her three grandchildren Darrell Freeman of North Carolina, “Megan” Dailey (Matthew) of Charleston, and April Martin (Christopher) of South Charleston; her five great-grandchildren Julianne Freeman, Viktor and Alexander Dailey, Thomas Stevens III, and Riley Martin. She is also survived by her long term caregiver and dear friend, Cindy Holmes.

Visitation and services will be Monday, August 27, with services starting at 1p.m. and visitation beginning at noon at Highlawn Baptist Church, 2304 Jefferson Avenue, St. Albans. Reverends Joseph Jarrett and Mark Stauffer will be officiating. Burial will follow at Cunningham Memorial Park in St. Albans.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Highlawn Baptist Church’s Youth Ministry, of which Betty was an avid supporter.

Doris Jean Cunningham of St. Albans passed on to her heavenly home on August 19, 2012 after a courageous battle with cancer.

Doris was preceded in death by her parents, Richard and Blanche O’Brien; her husband Paul Cunningham;  sister Virginia Lee Walker; brother Eddie O’Brien; and son-in-law Ned Schroeder.

She is survived by her daughters, Patsy Brown (David) of Chesterfield, VA; Linda Cunningham of Pittsburgh, PA; and Judy Cunningham of Nitro; grandsons Eric Brown of Alexandria VA, Travis Brown of Chesterfield, VA, and Brian Schroeder of Pittsburgh, PA; sister, Dorma Castano of Tucson, AZ; and brother, George O’Brien(Judy) of Hurricane; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Doris recently retired as Treasurer/Manager of Members Choice WV Federal Credit Union with 42 years of service.  Doris was also very active at both the local and state credit union level. In 1975 she was elected to the Board of Directors to the Kanawha Valley Chapter of Credit Unions and served for many years as the Chapter’s President.  In 1990 she was elected by the Kanawha Valley Chapter to serve as their representative on the Board of the WV Credit Union League, a position she held until earlier this year. During the 22 years she served at the state level, she was elected and served as Chairman two years, then was elected and served as Treasurer for the past 14 years.  In 1992 Doris received the William Bryan Hawkins Award which is the League’s highest award recognizing outstanding service as a volunteer. She also served as a Board Member of WV Central Credit Union and WV Corporate Credit Union, both located in Parkersburg, Doris also was a member of Highlawn Baptist Church in St. Albans.

Service will be 1:00 PM  Wednesday, August 22 at Highlawn Baptist Church with the Rev. Mark Stauffer officiating. Entombment  will follow at Cunningham Memorial Park, St. Albans.

Family and friends will gather from 6 to 8 pm Tuesday at the church.

In lieu of flowers, Doris requested that donations be made to Highlawn Baptist Church, 2304 Jefferson Ave., St. Albans, WV 25177.   Or, donations may be made to HospiceCare, 1606 Kanawha Blvd., W., Charleston, WV 25387.

Julian “Red” Shaffer, 78, of Yawkey, passed away Saturday, August 18, 2012 at his home following a courageous battle with cancer.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Albert and Jenny McClure Shaffer; sister Mabel and brother-in-law Scott; and brothers Byron, Harold and Edward Shaffer.

Julian is survived by his wife of 55 years, Lyndel; daughter, Monica Summers and husband, Aric of St. Albans; son, Kevin Shaffer of Yawkey and former daughter-in-law, Susan of Winfield; granddaughters Leslee Shaffer of Winfield, and Lynsey Hargraves and husband, Joe of Ona; great-grandsons Dylan and Reed Hargraves: and sister, Shirley Hill of Julian and brother, James Estil Shaffer of Michigan.

He  served during the Korean War in the U.S. Navy for four years; followed by an additional four years in the U.S. Naval Reserve. Julian belonged to the Teamster Union #175, Griffithsville Masonic Lodge, No. 71 and Beni Kedem Shrine, Charleston.   He also attended Beech Grove Baptist Church.

He was a 31 year resident of St.Albans, where he ran a personal care home with his wife. He loved music and playing the piano and guitar.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to Dr. Mark Sheridan, Dr. Faredoon Misaghi and Penny Adkins, RN; and special friends, Paul Lett, George Atek and Richard and Dottie Hill.

Funeral service will be  1 p.m. Tuesday, August 21, at Curry Funeral Home, 2097 Childress Road, Alum Creek, with Rev. Kenny Sams officiating and special music by Dottie Hill. Burial with Masonic graveside rites and Military Graveside rites will follow  in Cunningham Memorial Park, St. Albans.

Friends may visit from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at the funeral home.

Lynn Renee Adkins Green, 55 of Charleston was born June 19, 1957 in Oak Hill, WV and went home to be with the Lord  Friday, August 17, 2012.   She was the daughter of the late Ray McKinley Adkins and Irene (Ford) Adkins.

She is survived by her husband, Tony of  Charleston; children, Gerod of Aurora, CO and Makenzie of Charleston; sister, Laura (Ted) Talbert of Huntington; brother, Ray (Carrie) Adkins of Huntington; dogs, Pepper and Buddy; nieces and nephews  JR (Ami) Romanowski of Charlotte, NC, Wendy (Rocky) Mason of Lexington, KY, Cara Romanowski, Brian Adkins and Edie Adkins all of Huntington.

Renee was a graduate of Nutall High School, WVU School of Nursing and CAMC School of Anesthesia.  She was a Registered Professional Nurse and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist.  She was active in the WV Nurses Association.  She dedicated the past several years of her life to establishing a monitoring and  recovery program for WV nurses and was instrumental in the founding of WV Medical Professionals Health Program.

She was a member of Forks of Coal Missionary Baptist Church, Alum Creek.  Renee loved her family,  had many caring friends and was  always willing to lend a hand.  She was a very giving person with a beautiful smile.

A Memorial Service will be at 7:00 pm Tuesday, August 21, 2012 at Curry Funeral Home, 2097 Childress Road, Alum Creek with Pastor Keith George officiating.  Family and friends will gather two hours prior to the service.   Burial will be at a later date at Wallace Memorial Gardens, Sam Black Church, WV.

In lieu of flowers the family requests contributions made to Kanawha Charleston Humane Association, 1248 Greenbrier St., Charleston, WV 25311.

Keith A. Rabel, 90, of South Charleston died Friday, August 17, 2012 at Hubbard Hospice West at Thomas Hospital, South Charleston.

He was a retired school bus driver for the Kanawha County Board of Education.  He was a WWII Army Veteran serving in the Pacific Theater and life member of the Alum Creek VFW Post 4768.

He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Maggie Gillispie Rabel; wife, Grace; sister, Phyllis Pauley and brother, John B. Rabel.

He is survived by his only child and loving son-in-law, Pamela Rose and John; brother, Thomas E. Rabel; sisters, Shirley (Bob) Holstine, Charlotte McGraw; grandchildren: John Rose, Jessica Young (Justin), Natalie Rose and fiancé, Timothy Henry; Susan Button (Christopher);  great grandchildren, Keith Rose, Alan Strojia, Chloe Button, Lorelai Rose, Savannah Young and Grace Henry.

Service will be 1:00 PM Monday, August 20, 2012, at Curry Funeral Home, 2097 Childress Road, Alum Creek with Pastor Dwight McClure officiating.  Entombment will be in Graceland Memorial Park Mausoleum, South Charleston, with Military Graveside Rites conducted by the Alum Creek VFW Post 4768.    Family and friends will gather one hour prior to the service at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the HospiceCare, 1606 Kanawha Blvd. W., Charleston, WV 25387-2536.

Alice Lucille Laster, 70 of Griffithsville, formerly of Highpoint, North Carolina went home to the Lord Thursday August 16, 2012 at home after a long illness.

She was former co-owner of Oak Island Landscaping.

She is survived by her husband of 54 years  Bill, sons Dale, Jeff and his wife Mary all of Lincoln County, grandson Jeremy, grand daughter Diana and great-grand-daughter Willow. Sister Lovone Gardner, brothers Henry Clay Maynor of Ashboro, North Carolina and Ronnie Maynor of Highpoint, North Carolina.

Memorial service will be 2:00 PM Sunday August 19, 2012 at Eden Baptist Church Griffithsville with Pastor K. D. Bragg officiating. Family and friends will gather one hour prior to the service at the church.

Lois  Forrest McClure, 93, of Charleston peacefully entered eternal  life on Thursday, August 9, 2012, at Hubbard Hospice House – Charleston.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Ralph “Mac” McClure.  Lois  was born in El Campo, TX and later moved to Charleston where she was a social worker at Health & Human Services in Kanawha County, and a longstanding member of Oakwood Baptist Church.

Our beloved mother and grandmother is survived by three daughters: Pam (Bob) Vicars, Lake Wylie, SC, Patty (Gib) Hunter, Oxford, OH, and Nancy (Bob) Guttendorf, Gaithersburg, MD.  Also survived by one sister, Ida  Bellah, Lewisville, TX, seven grandchildren, Sara, Cory, Jennifer, Chris, Kathryn, Beth, and Nathan; two great grandchildren, Kaylee Fe, and Noah and several special nieces and nephews.

Services will be  2:00pm  Saturday, August 11, 2012, at Oakwood Baptist Church, 855 Oakwood Rd., Charleston, WV 25314 with Pastor David Moutz officiating. Entombment will follow at Graceland Memorial Park South Charleston.

Visitation with family and friends will be one hour prior to the service.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made either to the Oakwood Baptist Church, 855 Oakwood Rd., Charleston, WV 25314 or to  Hubbard  Hospice House, 1606 Kanawha  Blvd., West, Charleston, WV 25387-2536.

The family wants to express appreciation for the outstanding care provided by Dr. Julian Espiritu and Dr. Stephen Lewis, the Staff at 4-South  CAMC – Memorial, and Hubbard Hospice House.

Mom’s  influence and life will always  be joyfully remembered by her family and many friends.

Freddie Cobb 65 of Alum Creek went home to the Lord Wednesday August 1, 2012 at CAMC Memorial Hospital Charleston after a long illness.

He enjoyed his time visiting his friends at the Handley Community Center and was a member of Christ Temple at Winifrede and a former member of the Alum Creek Volunteer Fire Department.

He is survived by his former wife Vickie Cobb, son Freddie Dale (Michele) Cobb of Spring, TX, daughter Tammy (William) Edwards of Winifrede, sisters Marsha Fennimore of South Charleston, Loma Rice of Newark, OH, grandchildren Chloe and Caleb Boen-Cobb, and Julie and Mariah Ward and many nieces and nephews.

Service will be 3:00 PM Monday August 6, at Curry Funeral Home 2097 Childress Road, Alum Creek with Pastor Jack Long officiating. Burial will follow at Orchard Hills Memory Gardens Yawkey. Family and friends will gather one hour prior to the service at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers family request contributions toward funeral service.