4A • FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2011
SALISBURY POST
OBITUARIES/AREA
Man charged with assaulting coach BILL win at the championship game and Jan. 28 , and confronted West Middle coach Samuel Moore on the court after the final buzzer sounded. Authorities said Phillips pointPHILLIPS ed his finger in Moore’s face, making derogatory comments about his coaching and the players. Moore told authorities he
tried to shake it off, telling Phillips he thought they played a great game, but Phillips pushed him, and an altercation between the two of them began. The game had been recorded, and the camera was still rolling when the incident happened, the report said. After a line-up of suspects, Moore identified Phillips as his assailant, and warrants for his arrest were issued. Officers arrested Phillips on Monday. Phillips has an April 13 court date.
Road work closes Stokes Ferry bridge N.C. Department of Transportation
The N.C. Department of Transportation is closing the Stokes Ferry Road bridge over Second Creek in Rowan County starting Monday to conduct repair work. Motorists should expect traffic delays as they follow the posted detour route. Weather permitting, work is scheduled to start at 8 a.m. and last until Friday, March 18, at 3 p.m. Crews will repair rusty beams, pour concrete around some of the wooden support columns and paint the 47-year-old bridge. This work will help extend the lifespan of the bridge so it can continue to serve drivers traveling over the backwater of High Rock Lake near Salisbury. The Department of Transportation will post the following detour route: • Traveling southeast on Stokes Ferry Road: Turn left on Agner Road, turn right on
Bringle Ferry Road, turn right on St. Matthews Church Road and take it back to Stokes Ferry Road. • Traveling northwest on Stokes Ferry Road: Turn left on St. Matthews Church Road, turn left on Bringle Ferry Road, turn right on Agner Road and take it back to Stokes Ferry Road. The Department of Transportation reminds motorists to stay alert and obey the posted speed limit. For real-time travel information at any time, call 511, visit www.ncdot.gov/travel or follow the Department of Transportation on Twitter at www.ncdot.gov/travel/twitter. Another option is NCDOT Mobile, a phonefriendly version of the Department of Transportation website. To access it, type “m.ncdot.gov” into the browser of your smartphone. NCDOT Mobile is compatible with the iPhone, Android and some newer Blackberry phones.
Old Lexington Road traffic disrupted Motorists who rely on Old Lexington Road to travel between Davidson and Forsyth counties will encounter construction work starting Monday as the N.C. Department of Transportation begins making significant improvements to the road. State maintenance crews will replace drainage pipes, widen the road and replace the deteriorated pavement with a new, smooth layer of asphalt. “A pavement condition survey conducted last year ranked Old Lexington Road as the worst road in Davidson County,” said Mark Crook, the NCDOT Davidson County maintenance engineer. “This
$900,000 project will enable us make much-needed to changes that will enhance safety, improve the ride quality for motorists and help the road last longer.” The project area extends 2.2 miles from the Davidson County/Forsyth County line to Gumtree Road. Motorists who drive through the work zone should expect to encounter traffic congestion, as well as lane and road closures. The Department of Transportation will announce all scheduled road closures in advance and provide detour routes to steer drivers around the construction work efficiently. Department of Transporta-
tion crews will begin Monday inspecting, repairing and replacing storm water drainage pipes along Old Lexington Road. This summer, they will start widening the road from 18 feet to 22 feet, which will bring the road up to modern standards and allow more room for vehicles to travel safely. In the fall, crews will remove the top layer of pavement and put down a fresh, smooth layer of asphalt in its place. Once the pavement markings are added, the project will be complete. For more information about the project, contact Davidson County Maintenance Yard at 336-249-7001.
Meals in Wheels joins national campaign Meals on Wheels of Rowan
Meals on Wheels of Rowan announced Thursday that it will participate in the national 2011 March For Meals campaign. Meals on Wheels of Rowan’s March For Meals event will include: • Pastors for Meals, local pastors riding along with volunteers during the month • Barbecue fundraiser at First Presbyterian Church in Salisbury, March 8 • Mayors for Meals, mayors riding with volunteers in their communities, March 23 • South Rowan Y Service Club delivers all seven routes in the South Rowan area, March 24 • Meals on Wheels of Rowan County Night with the Charlotte Bobcats, March 26 “During these tough eco-
GAS FROM 3a In other news, the marketing committee discussed its spring marketing campaign for 2011 at Thursday’s meeting. Another sweepstakes promotion will be run through the group’s Facebook page. It voted unanimously to pay $4,850 to Aristotle Inc. for the creation of a spring website landing page and a 30-second television commercial, using high-definition video footage from a May 2008 shoot. It also agreed to purchase a $16,600 package of nearly 2,500 TV advertising spots. The commercials will be run throughout the Piedmont over six weeks on channels like News 14 Carolina, ABC Family, The Food Network, HGTV, Lifetime Movie Network, Oxygen and TLC. The package also includes 100,000 ad impressions on the
nomic times, the food and human contact we provide to seniors in this community is needed more than ever,” said Rita Sims, executive director of Meals on Wheels of Rowan. “We need the community to come out and support our March For Meals events. Our clients are counting on us. We can’t let them down.” March For Meals is a national campaign during the month of March, initiated and sponsored by the Meals On Wheels Association of America, to raise awareness of senior hunger and to encourage action on the part of local communities. Senior nutrition programs across the United States, like Meals on Wheels of Rowan, promote March For Meals in their local communities through public events, partnerships with local business-
Road Runner website and News14.com. “This is $1,450 above your allocated budget of $25,000, but you have money available in the kiosk program that won’t be spent this fiscal year,” Meacham said. He said because the Miller Davis Agency is a well-known local marketing company, it was able to negotiate more coverage. Wilson said in comparison, a $4,500 grant for OctoberTour commercials paid for 30 spots on one channel and 25 on another. Also at the meeting, the committee approved the creation of an online event booking system for about $7,800. Visitors soon will be able to go to a special section of the visitsalisburync.com website to register for events sponsored by partner groups. The Salisbury Parks and Recreation Department has made an in-kind request to the committee for funding to develop a platform for sporting events. The first
es, volunteer recruitment and fundraising initiatives. “Our Meals On Wheels programs are on the front lines every day in the battle against senior hunger,” said Enid Borden, president and CEO of the national association. “March for Meals is a time when communities can come together to stand with their local Meals On Wheels and support our mission to end senior hunger in America by the year 2020.” The problem of senior hunger in America is getting worse. Research sponsored by the national Meals on Wheels association shows 6 million seniors in America face the threat of hunger. Meals On Wheels supporters can take the association’s pledge — to “refuse to tolerate senior hunger in the world’s richest nation” — at mowwa.org/pledge.
event to be promoted is a 10k run in April. The committee decided at its Feb. 4 meeting to expand the system, created by Aristotle, to any type of ticketed event. Registration forms will be customized for each partner group, and credit card payment will be accepted. After registration, visitors will see a customized “thank you” page encouraging them to book a hotel stay and check out local restaurants and activities. “Could someone register for OctoberTour, also book a hotel room and pay for it all at once?” asked Betz McKeown, marketing and promotions manager for Downtown Salisbury Inc. Meacham said that’s possible in the future, but it’s costly, and most hotels have their own online registration. He said this system targets events that don’t already have online ticketing, so it will be easier for visitors to sign up. Contact reporter Karissa Minn at 704-797-4222.
FROM 3a death or injury of an unborn child could face up to life in prison without parole. Removed since the previous version is the possibility of the death penalty for murder convictions in the death of an unborn child. Even without the harsher penalty, the bill would strengthen laws protecting the unborn, Steen said. “In North Carolina, causing a fetal demise of an otherwise viable fetus is only an aggravating factor and not a felony. An aggravating factor can also be an empty beer can or open container of liquor during an investigation of a crime. This must change and this bill will allow that North Carolina recognizes the unborn as a person,” Steen wrote in an e-mail later Thursday. The bill has been sent to a judiciary subcommittee.
MCCANN FROM 3a Claire, a Park Avenue woman grieving the loss of her son in Vietnam. She’s in a group of mourning women from all walks of life. But being rich doesn’t save Claire. “Her grief is just as viable as any other. “Literature is the human heart in conflict with itself,” it knows no color or class, McCann said. McCann likes Claire, said she is a fun character to write, with a different point of view. He wrote her in first person, but with a third person-observer feeling. “James Joyce is the expert at this,” McCann said. He counts 13 main characters in the book — many voices to “create a song of the city.” The hardest voice to get was Tillie the hooker, but one phrase clicked for McCann, “the skinniest dog I ever seen is on the side of the Greyhound bus.” From that moment on, he could hear Tillie. The Irishman in the book, Corrigan, sings “the Whitmanesque song of the city,” McCann said before reading that section. His theme is simple: humanity, “the meek shall inherit the earth. “The meek might actually want it,” McCann said. “I’d like to leave the world in a way it would be a tiny bit better.” McCann used a real photo of Petit crossing between the towers in the book. On the left, above a corner of one tower, is a plane flying over — a hint of what was to come. “Sometimes you can get to the core through fiction, rather than fact. “Fiction means to shape” if you go back to the Greek root of the word, McCann said. “We all embellish our stories ... it’s a constantly evolving process of what’s true.” Most writing is a failure, McCann said, but a spectacular one, “it’s never as good as you want it to be — as you dreamed it’d be.” But he doesn’t stop. He finished with a quote from Samuel Beckett: “Nothing else ever. Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”
Clara Sheffield
SALISBURY — Mrs. Mattie "Matt" Turner Thompson, age 76, passed on Tuesday, March 1, 2011, at Rowan Regional Medical Center. Born June 13, 1934, in Rowan County, she was a daughter of the late Willie and Iola Rabb Turner. Educated in Rowan County public schools, she was a graduate of Dunbar High School, East Spencer. Mrs. Thompson retired from Cone Mills, Salisbury. A faithful and dedicated member of White Rock AME Zion Church, she was a member of the Lay Council, Estella McGorda Missionary Society and served as Chairman of the Kitchen Committee. She was also a former member of the senior choir. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Andrew "Popeye" Thompson, Jr., on March 17, 2010; three brothers, Willie Turner, Jr., Thomas Turner, Sr. and Jesse James Turner; one sister, Bertha Mae Turner Survivors include son Melvin Keith Thompson of Granite Quarry; three grandchildren, April (Gregg) Kuhn, Mooresville, Antwon Walker (Christal) of Granite Quarry, and Kendall Thompson of Salisbury; three great-grandchildren, Takala Lyles, Tykier Walker and Travon Walker, all of Granite Quarry; one sister, Rosie Lee Turner of Autumn Care, Salisbury; one brother, Robert (Alice) Turner of Kokomo, Ind.; two sisters-in-law, Earlene Turner and Edrena Turner Beatty; and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. Visitation: Sunday, 2 p.m., at White Rock AME Zion Church, Granite Quarry. Funeral: Sunday, 2:30 p.m., at the church with the Rev. Morgan Glenn, pastor, in charge of the services. Burial: Antioch Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery Noble and Kelsey Funeral Home, Inc. is assisting the Thompson Family. Online condolences may be made at www.nobleandkelsey.com
TAMPA, Fla. — Sister Clara Sheffield, departed this life Sunday, Feb. 20, 2011, and went home to be with the Lord. She was born Nov. 27, 1935, in Mount Ulla, N.C., to the late Jow and Annie Cowan. Clara was educated in the public school system of Mount Ulla. She accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior and joined St. Jame's AME Church, where she was an active member of the Sarah Allen Women's Auxiliary Board, the Pastor's Aid Board and the Stewardess Board, until her health prevented her from participating on a regular basis. Clara retired from St. Joseph's Hospital after 24 years of dedicated service as a Unit Clerk. Clara was united in holy matrimony to Paul T. Sheffield and they were blessed with 54 years of marriage. With this union one loving son, Stanley T. Sheffield, was born. Preceding her in death were her parents, Joe and Annie Cowan; son Stanley Sheffield; sister Ozell Cowan; and brother James Cowan. She leaves to cherish her memories with her loving and devoted husband, Paul T. Sheffield: six sisters, Catherine Dewitt, Margaret Speights (Nelson), Katie Myers, Celerstine Murray, Josephine Remar and Annie Ashford ( George); one brother, Robert Cowan ( Martha); one sisterin-law, Willie Mae Ivison; one brother-in-law, Robert Leww Ivison; a loving goddaughter, Miracle Barker; devoted friends Emma Standford, Mary Reid, Rebecca Hair, Lillian Tolbert, Frances Pascoe, Sonia Solomon, Mazell Rush, Allie McPherson and Marie Alice Meyers; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, family and friends. Visitation: Friday, March 4 from 5-8 p.m. at Ray Williams Funeral Home. Funeral Service: Saturday, March 5 at 11 a.m. at St. James AME Church (Progress Village), 5202 S. 86th St., Tampa, FL 33619. Burial: Rest Haven Memorial Park, 4615 E. Hanna Ave., Tampa, FL 33610. Obituary is courtesy of Noble and Kelsey Funeral Home, Inc., Salisbury, NC.
Parris Webb Benfield SALISBURY — Parris Webb Benfield, 97, of Salisbury, died Wednesday, March 2, 2011, at the Laurels of Salisbury. Born March 17, 1913, in Lexington, Mr. Benfield was a veteran of the U.S. Army serving during World War II and was a member of Tar Heel State DAV, Salisbury Chapter. Those left to cherish his memory are several nieces and nephews and his friend, Juanita Corriher of Salisbury. Service: Graveside services will be conducted 11 a.m. Friday at Rowan Memorial Park Mausoleum with Rev. Ethel Reavis, VA chaplain, officiating. Military Graveside Rites will be conducted by the National Guard. Summersett Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be made at www.summersettfuneralhome.com
503 Faith Rd Salisbury Next to Winks
704-762-9900 Monday-Friday 9am-5pm Saturdays by Appointment
Locally Owned & Operated by James Poe & Mark Honeycutt
Troy Ecles Weaver SALISBURY — Troy Ecles Weaver, 74, of Salisbury, passed away Wednesday, March 2, 2011, at his residence. Arrangements are incomplete with Lyerly Funeral Home in charge.
Mr. Parris Webb Benfield Graveside Service 11:00 AM Friday Rowan Memorial Park Mausoleum
Lester Clay Efird SALISBURY — Lester Clay Efird, 63, of Salisbury, passed away Wednesday March 2, 2011. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at this time. Powles Funeral Home of Rockwell is assisting the Efird family.
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A man authorities say started a fight at a middle school championship basketball game between Erwin and West Rowan middle schools has been arrested, the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday. Carlos Tyrone Phillips, 28, of 145 Winterlocken Road, Salisbury, was arrested Monday on charges of assaulting a school official. He was given a $500 secured bond. According to the report, Phillips was upset after West Middle’s two-point loss to Er-
Mattie T. Thompson
Mr. Larry Gene Flora Visitation: 6-8:00 PM Friday Lyerly Funeral Home