All Obituaries

William Pless Orr, 94, of Maryville, TN, formerly of Robbinsville, NC passed away early Thursday, February 7, 2019 at Brookdale Sandy Spring Assisted Living Center in Maryville, TN. A native of Graham County, NC, he was the son of the late A.J. and Bessie Crisp Orr.  In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his son, Rex Randall Orr, and his sister, Hildred Orr Collins. Together, with his family, he owned and operated Mountain View Motel and Restaurant and began selling...

Niece Orr, age 83 of the East Buffalo Community of Robbinsville, NC passed away, Tuesday, February 5, 2019 at Blount Memorial Hospital in Maryville, TN.             She was a native of the Proctor Settlement in Swain County and the daughter of Lee and Rosie Hughes Jones.  In addition to her parents she was preceded in death by her daughters, Diana and Kay Orr; her brothers, Denny Jones, Steve Jones, Robert Jones; sisters, Mildred...

Ben F. Crisp of Tuskeegee, went to his eternal home on Thursday, January 31, 2019. Born to Harve and Ida Crisp, July 25, 1936, he lived a long and full life. He was raised in Graham County and grew up on the family farm, instilling in him hard work, attention to detail, and a passion for helping others. He moved to Charlotte with his brother Delbert Crisp while a teenager and opened a service station while continuing his education and graduated from Burton Institute. He and Delbert then...

Eric Barlow, 43, of Lewisburg, TN, formerly of Robbinsville, NC and Fort Mead, FL, passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday January 30, 2019. He was the son of Cheryl Sellers and her husband of Florida, and John Barlow and his wife of Robbinsville, NC. Eric was a giant of a man in stature and had a personality to match. The only thing that was bigger than him, was his heart. Once you met Eric, you would find that you had met a friend for life.  He would often greet his friends with his...

Vera June Lemmond Johnson Driver, 86, went home to be with the Lord on January 17, 2019, at her daughter Patricia's home in Robbinsville, North Carolina, where she had been living for the past year. June was the daughter of William and Lois Lemmond and grew up in Somerville, AL.  In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her second husband, Julian Driver, son, Kenneth Johnson, step daughter Jeri Driver, and brothers Theo, Buey, and Jack Lemmond. June is survived by...

Mary Ellen Varner, age 95 of the Hidden Valley Community in Robbinsville, NC went home to be with her Lord and Savior, January 12, 2019.             Born in Rose City, Michigan and the daughter of the late Charles and Mary Clemmons Brooks.  She was married to Theo Vern Varner for 69 years (1949-2010) until his death.  She moved from Pompano Beach, Florida to Robbinsville in 1993 after retirement from Publix...

James Kelly Jenkins, age 69 of Almond, NC passed away, Saturday, January 12, 2019 at Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, GA.           He was a native of Graham County and the son of the late Edward H. and Ethel Andrews Jenkins.  In addition to his parents he was preceded in death by his brothers, Don Ray Jenkins and Jerold Jenkins.           He is survived by his wife, Nina...

Arnold Jenkins, 93, of Robbinsville, NC passed away on Monday, January 7, 2019 at Graham Health Care and Rehabilitation Center. A native of Graham County, he was the son of the late James Virgil and Esta Hyde Jenkins.  In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Ruth Orr Jenkins, his son, Roger Jenkins, his brother, Wallace Jenkins, and his sister, Zora Walker. Arnold was a Veteran of WWII having served his country proudly in the US Navy.  For many years,...

Anna H. Smith (nee Butler) 76, passed away peacefully on January 6, 2019.  Anna, known by her family as Sandy, was born on August 7, 1942 in Annapolis, Maryland to Mary Virginia and Milford Butler. After a long and dedicated career in customer service, Anna retired to Robbinsville, North Carolina 20 years ago. Anna is survived by her husband of 40 years, James Frederick Smith, and two daughters, Laura Ann Liccione and Cindy Donlin.  One of Anna’s greatest joys was to be in...

Richard Beasley, 74, of Robbinsville, NC, went home to be with the Lord on Wednesday, January 2, 2019 at Mission Hospital in Asheville, NC. A native of Graham County, he was the son of the late Hardy Beasley and Lydia Hollifield Beasley Panter.  In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a sister, Maybelle Beasley. Richard was a builder by trade.  He enjoyed helping others and was a kind and generous person.  He enjoyed fishing, boating, and doing fun things...