Obituaries

Teresa ‘Teri’ Smith Markham, age 65, of 2027 S. York Ave, Covington, died December 14, 2023, at the Lewis Gale Medical Center.

Teri was born July 30, 1958, in Alleghany County, and was preceded in death by her parents the late Aaron E. Smith and JoAnn Grady Smith; a brother, Henry Noel; father-in-law and mother-in-law Roy Markham,Sr. Annalee Markham and stepbrother, Gary Frame.

Surviving is her husband for 49 years, Roy Markham of Covington; a daughter, Candace (Chris) Hoke of Covington; a son, Shane Markham and LeeAnn Wright of Covington; four grandchildren, Skyler Markham and Emma ‘Dakota’ Markham of Covington, Dylan and Liliana Hoke all of Covington; three sisters, Georgia Miller of Conyers, Georgia, Michelle (Jose) Ortiz of Jacksonville, Florida;  Lisa (Allen) Stallings, Moyock of North Carolina; two stepbrothers, Bruce and Wesley Smith of Covin...

Verna Jean Morris Ross 90, of 3004 Kanawha Trail, died Saturday December 9, 2023, at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.

Mrs. Ross was born April 12, 1933, in Alleghany Co., and was the daughter of the late James and Lavlet Sively Morris. Other than her parents, she was preceded in death by three sisters and two brothers.

Jean had worked for number of years for the Carrlowery Glass Co. in Baltimore Md and was also a member of the Dunlap Christian Church.

Surviving are two sons Bob Ross and his wife Stella of Woodbine, Maryland, and James Ross of Covington; four grandsons Robert N. Ross, Jonathan (Nicole) Ross, Steve Paige, and Ronnie Ross; four great grandchildren; her twin sister June Martin of Covington and a host of nieces and nephews.

The funeral service will be Wednesday December 13, 2023, at 2:0...

Willie Jasper McKnight, Jr., 75, of Clifton Forge, died Friday, December 8, 2023, in Townsend, Delaware, following an extended illness.

Willie was born September 13, 1948, in Alleghany County, and was preceded in death by his parents, Willie J. McKnight, Sr. and Gertrude Bell McKnight; one grandchild, Antonio “Duke” Hill; two brothers, Randall McKnight and Raymond T. McKnight; one sister, Patricia Pancho; and a nephew; Raymond ‘Boodie’ T. McKnight; a niece Kristine Nichole Harris.

He worked at Hercules Corporation in Covington until it was closed by fire and worked at CSX railroad and Bacova Guild until retirement.

Survivors include his wife, Myra Hunter McKnight of Clifton Forge; a son, Marlon and Keinna McKnight of Townsend, DE; a daughter, Willisa Terri McKnight of Covington; two step-sons, Clarance (Erika) Hunter, and ...

Afton Nicole Whitehead, age 33, of Covington, died Thursday, December 7, 2023, at her residence.

Afton was born March 15, 1990, in Alleghany County and was preceded in death by her grandfathers, Ralph Whitehead, Jr., and Donald Shawver; a nephew Maddox Zamana; her grandmother, Effie Holestin; and her great grandmother, Nora Whitehead.

Afton loved her children and enjoyed being outdoors.

Surviving is her mother, Natalie Whitehead (Anthony Holestine) of Covington and her father, Victor Beasley; her daughter, Leigha Whitehead of Covington; two sons, Nathan and Chance Whitehead of Covington; one sister, Brooke Whitehead of Covington; a nephew, Kason Zamana of Covington; a half-brother, Jake Beasley of Winchester; a maternal grandmother, Georgette Nicely of Covington; a paternal grandmother, Sandra Shawver of Covington; a grand...

Roy Herbert Carter, Jr., age 78, of Covington, died Wednesday, December 6, 2023 at his residence.

Roy was born February 15, 1946, in Covington, and was preceded in death by his parents, the late Roy H. Carter, Sr. and Mary Chapman Kelly, a sister, Victoria C. Holloway; two brothers, Joe Louis and Reginald Carter and a stepfather, Hillary Kelly.

Deacon Roy H. Carter, Jr. was a lifetime and an active member of Pine Street Baptist Church serving his church proudly as the chairman of the Deacon Board, Men’s Fellowship, Men’s choir, Bible Study and wherever else he was needed. Deacon Carter was a proud graduate of the former Watson High School finishing in 1964. He was an employee of Hercules until a fire closed the plant and afterwards, he was employed at Mead Westvaco working as a security guard from which he retired. Roy was a devoted, proud, and avid Dallas Cowboy fan.

Betty Taylor Price, 77, of Covington, died Sunday, December 3, 2023 at her residence.

Betty was born April 7, 1946 in Alleghany County, a daughter of the late Ernest J. and Frances Byer Taylor. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Ralph O. Price; a daughter, Lisa Fridley; one granddaughter, Faith Fridley; five brothers, Pete Taylor, Ernest “Jack” Taylor, James “Bo Bo” Taylor, Curtis Taylor, Herman Taylor, Sr., and Buck Taylor; and one sister, Erma Lipes.

Mrs. Price was a member of Cliffdale Christian Church.

Survivors include her son, Ralph P. Price; a daughter, Donna (Gene) Wilson, all of Covington; grandchildren, Courtney Fridley, Olivia Price, and Layne Fridley; a brother, Ralph Taylor; and numerous nieces and nephews.

In accordance with h...

Warren ‘Junior’ Franklin Harris, Jr., age 66, of Greenville, N.C., formally of Covington, died Friday, December 1, 2023, at E.C.U. Medical Center in Greenville.

Warren was born February 18, 1957, in Bluefield WV, a son of the late Warren F. Harris, Sr. and Helen Coger Harris. In addition to his father, was preceded in death by his niece, Kristine Nichole Harris and nephew Raymond Arthur ‘Boodie’ McKnight.

Warren graduated from Covington High School in 1975 and furthered his education by attending Virginia Tech and ultimately graduating from WVU Potomac State College in Keyser, WV where he received a associate degree in journalism. At age 57, he graduated Summa Cum Laude from Miller-Motte College in Greenville with a 4.0 GPA and perfect attendance, walking to school daily when his car was broken down. He was also a member of the Alpha Beta Kappa Honor Society. He worked n...

Robert Peter Lindsay, 89, of Roanoke, died Wednesday, November 29, 2023 at Lewis-Gale Medical Center.

Mr. Lindsay was born May 9. 1934 in Belleville NJ. He was the son of the late Peter Lindsay and Clara DePuy Lindsay.  In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Gwendolyn McCormack Lindsay; one brother-in-law, Bill McCormack; two sisters-in-laws, Pam McCormack and Gabriele McCormack.

Robert retired as an insurance agent with the Prudential Insurance Company.  He attended Northview United Methodist Church in Hollins.

Survivors include two sisters-in-law, Carolyn M. Hinkle and Julie McCormack, both of Covington; three brothers-in-law, Steve McCormack of Covington, Bob McCormack of Troutville, and David (Karlee) McCormack of Troutville; nieces and nephews, Ryan (Sarah) McCormack of Roanoke, Me...

Phyllis Sue May Brewster, 69, of Covington, died Friday, November 24, 2023 at her residence.

Phyllis was born November 4, 1954, in Alleghany County, the daughter of Catherine Graham May and George W. May and wife, Verna. She was preceded in death by one brother, George Larry May; one sister, Sharon May Bradley; and a nephew, David May.

Mrs. Brewster was employed at the former Bacova Guild in Low Moor. She attended Grace Baptist Church in White Sulphur Springs, WV. She was a family-oriented woman who especially loved spending time with her grandchildren.

In addition to her parents and step-mother, survivors include her husband, Jerry A. Brewster, Sr.; one son, Jerry A. Brewster, Jr. and his wife Penny; one daughter, Denise Haynes and her husband, David; grandchildren, Garrett, Graham, Gracin, Faith, and Gabe; one great-gran...

Richard Arrington “Rick” Martin, 71, of Covington, died Saturday, November 18, 2023, at his residence.

He was born August 25, 1952, in Bath County, a son of the late Charles Arrington Martin and Charlotte Warwick Martin Loughner. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a brother, Bill Martin.

Rick was a self-employed contractor - building many houses around the area over the years. While he was a tireless worker, he enjoyed fishing and hunting when his health allowed and was known to enjoy good western movies. He served his country in the United States Navy as a 1stClass Operations Specialist.

Surviving are his wife, Wanda Bowers Martin of Covington; two children, Melisa (Chuckie) Via and Chris (Danielle) Martin, all of Millboro; two step-children, Lori Hepler and Robbie (Amber) Hepler, all of Covington; gr...

Durward Emmett ‘Dude’ Downes, Jr., 73, of Covington, died Saturday, November 18, 2023, at his residence.

He was born October 18, 1950, in Alleghany County, a son of late Durward E. Downes, Sr and Pauline McDaniel Downes. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in by brother-in-law, Kendall Dolan.

Dude retired from VDOT after 39 years of service.  He was an avid hunter and gardener.

Surviving are his sister, Rhonda Dolan of Covington, and brother Kenny (Patti) Downes, of Clifton Forge; one nephew, Mike (Amy Fridley) Knick; two nieces,  Amie (Travis) Bond and Beverley (Tony) Bowers; great-nieces and nephews, Jakob Knick, Luna Knick, Samantha (Marshall) McCullough, Taylor (Dakota) Cordle, Peyton Rogers, Lucus Rogers, Kallista Hoke; two special friends, Wayne Howard and Robert Crawford; and also his dog, Jenny.

Curtis William Stewart, age 76, died Tuesday, November 14, 2023, at the Lewis Gale Alleghany Hospital in Low Moor after an extended illness.

Curtis was born, January 17, 1947, in Covington and was preceded in death by his father and mother, the late Dennie and Leatha Stewart; one son, the late William (Boo) Stewart; mother and father-in-law, the late Charles and Priscilla Twitty; sister and brother-in-law, the late Rhoda and Mike Lewis; brother-in-law, the late Tommy Sampson; and a nephew, the late Bryan Palmer.

Mr. Stewart worked at Hercules, Inc. until the plant closed because of a fire, C & O Railroad and was a maintenance employee at Covington High School. Curtis was happiest when he was listening to and playing music. He was fondly known in the Alleghany Highlands as the best D.J. around. In later years D.J. Curtis played faithfully for his church, Historic Firs...