​Bobby Scott (Scotty) Lockamy, 75, of Warsaw, died Thursday, February 25, 2021.  Scotty was born January 17, 1946 to Emma Scott Lockamy and A. C. “Peanut” Lockamy.  He was raised in Warsaw.  Scotty served in the Marine Corps and was a Vietnam veteran.  After his military service, he completed his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from East Carolina University.  He retired from the North Carolina Employment Security Commission, where he worked as a tax auditor.

Scotty was a dedicated ECU fan who loved all things Pirate.  He was a devoted husband of 52 years to his wife, Rebecca, who survives.  He is also survived by his daughter, Tamara Lockamy Stevens and husband, Daniel, and their children, Hannah, Beckett, and Claire Scott Stevens of Washington, NC; brother, Charles Lockamy of Warsaw; brother-in-law, Woody Oakley and wife Sara of Beaufort, SC; sister-in-law, Ann Batts and husband Ronnie of Warsaw; and mother-in-law, Margaret Oakley of Kenansville. 

A funeral service will be held 11:00am, Monday, March 1, 2021 in Community Funeral Home Chapel, Warsaw, NC. All visitation will be held at the home. Mr. Lockamy will be buried in a private family service in Devotional Gardens.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the East Carolina University Pirate Club, 304 Ward Sports Medicine Building, Mail Stop 158, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, 27858-4353 or to Kenansville Baptist Church, P. O. Box 865, Kenansville, NC, 28349.

The family request that all attendees practice social distancing and wear a mask.

​John Leonard Rich, 95, passed away Monday, February 22, 2021 at his home.  Mr. Rich was born February 12, 1926 in Duplin County, NC to the late Julius Leonard Rich and Mattie Pearl Massey Rich.  

Mr. Rich is survived by wife, Edith Brown Rich of Hampstead; sons, Craig Rich and wife, Vickie of Aiken, SC and Dwight Rich and wife, Phyllis of Garner NC; grandchildren, Michelle R. Quinn and husband, Kim and Johnny Rich and one great grandchild, Holden A. Quinn.  He is also survived by brother, Jimmie W. Rich of Kenansville; sisters, Zella Stanley and husband, Jimmy of Wilmington, Ann Stroud of Wilmington, Millie Bland of Magnolia and Jean Bowling and husband, Donald of Magnolia.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date.

​Julia Botesky West, 96, passed away Friday, February 19, 2021 at her home. Mrs. West was born November 19 1924 in New Hanover County, NC to the late Dallu and Victoria Osidatz Botesky.

Mrs. West is survived by three children, John Bennett West, Jr. of Wilmington, NC, Sheila West McLean and husband, Jim of Warsaw, and Cindy W. Dail and husband, Edward of Kenansville; two grandchildren, Shannon Dail Bell and husband, Nick and Westley Dail and wife, Jamie; four great grandchildren, Laney Bell, Paul Halen Bell, Bennett Dail and Will Dail.

In addition to her parents, Mrs. West was preceded in death by husband, John Bennett West.

All services will be private.

Lily Gray Stafford Boyette, 87, passed away Tuesday, February 16, 2021 at her son's home surrounded by loved ones. Mrs. Boyette was born August 10, 1933 in Greene County, NC to the late Willie and Maybelle Caraway Stafford.

Lily was a loving wife, mother and grandmother. She worked for many years as a bank teller and faithfully attended Johnson Baptist Church.

Mrs. Boyette is survived by her two sons, Tony Boyette and wife, Ginger of Wilson and Jerry Boyette and wife, Debbie of Tampa, FL; grandchildren, Sarah Boyette and husband, Chris Skelly, Jesslyn Hayes and husband, Michael, Ryan Boyette, Matthew Boyette, and Kristina Boyette; and two great grandchildren, Gretchen and Hannon Skelly. She is also survived by brothers, Fred Stafford and wife Rachel of Midlothian, VA, Frank Stafford and wife, Hazel of Chesapeake, VA, Jack Stafford and wife, Jean of Garner and sisters, Mary Stafford of Garner, Carolyn Thigpen and husband, Earl of Pink Hill and Rose Kahler of Garner.

In addition to her parents, Lily was preceded in death by her husband, Boyce Boyette; granddaughter, Julie Gray Boyette; brother, Douglas Stafford; sister Dixie Hay and a infant brother.

A celebration of life service will be held 11:00a.m., Saturday, February 20, 2021 at Johnson Baptist Church, 473 Johnson Church Road, Warsaw, NC 28398. Burial will follow the service in Devotional Gardens, 1260 NC 24 and 50 Hwy, Warsaw, NC 28398. The family will welcome friends and family at the church beginning at 10:00 a.m.

James Melvin Purdee (Big Jim), 74, of Warsaw, NC, passed away, Wednesday, February 10, 2021 at his home surrounded by his family that loved him immensely.

A celebration of life service will be held at 3:00 PM, Sunday, February 14, at Community Funeral Home, 1654 NC-50, Warsaw, NC 28398. The burial will follow at 4:00 PM at Devotional Gardens. Visitation will precede the funeral at 2:00 PM at the funeral home.

Jim was born February 21, 1946 in Raleigh, NC to Walter and Lucille Purdee. He began driving long haul trucks at the age of fifteen and continued for the next seventeen years till 1978. He began his own business and created Purdee Diesel in 1978 that has continued to be a respected family business. There were several adventures before reaching the present destination in Mount Olive, NC including a mobile repair service crossing several states. Jim was a big man with the big heart and big personality who never met a stranger.

He was hard worker and only retired a few years prior to his passing; however, he would still go to the shop to "keep an eye on things". He was a generous and funny man who loved to pick on people and laugh. He liked to watch a race and said it was the best nap of the day. He loved his family and especially enjoyed taking the grandchildren on camping trips. The grandchildren will always treasure the time they were able to spend with their grandparents even when he would tell them to sometimes "get still, be quiet". He would say that the grandchildren were good kids but kind of loud.  

Jim is survived by his wife of 53 years who took care of him sacrificially and spoiled him with love and attention, Betty Gail Blanchard Purdee. 
His children, Angel Wallace (Chasten) Jimmy Purdee (Billie Jo) and Susan Alonso(Tico.)  

Grandchildren, Daniel Wallace (Ashley), Jacob Wallace and Stone Wallace, Cameron Purdee (Alex), Leah Reaves (Zach), Dillon Alonso (Kayla), Cody Alonso and Naomi Alonso

Great-Grandchildren, Carson and Carter Purdee and soon to arrive, Alaina Reaves 

Sister, Linda Purdee Parker (Bernard) 

Numerous nieces and nephews  

He was preceded in death by his parents and sister Peggy Hicks.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to "Love for Layla Grace, Inc." 127 Circle Drive, Kenansville NC 28349. On memo line list Jim Purdee memorial gift or "Rayford Kennedy Foundation" Southern Bank PO Box 40, Kenansville NC 28349. Both of these agencies provide services for families that have specific needs and ministry options.

​Tula Mae Whitaker Elvin, 65 passed away on Sunday, January 17th, 2021 at her home in Warsaw, NC surrounded by loved ones.   She loved spending time on her porch taking care of the dozens of hummingbirds that returned ever year.   

Mrs. Elvin was born September 13, 1955 in Waynesboro, PA to the late Emmert and Hilda Grove Whitaker.  Tula was an accomplished swimmer and diver while she was growing up in Waynesboro, PA.  She was a bright spot in many people’s lives with an infectious smile and positive attitude. 

Tula graduated from Elizabethtown College with a Bachelor of Science with a focus in Occupational Therapy.

Tula was highly skilled and respected in her field of Occupational Therapy.  During her 40+ years of being an Occupational Therapist she was able to touch the lives of many children and families in Eastern NC and Pennsylvania.  She left a memorable mark on many of the families she loved helping so much.

Tula is survived by her son, Ryan Elvin; and his significant other Jessica Luvender, of Greenville, NC.  She also left behind her dog and loving companion, Kali. 

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St Jude’s under Tula Elvin Memorial Fund.

Click Here to donate to Tula Elvin Memorial Fund with St. Jude

John C. Golden, Jr., age 79, passed away on Friday, January 29th.
John was born in Dania, FL to John C. Golden, Sr. and Elizabeth Burroughs Golden.

​He is survived by his wife Mary Ellen, children Martha and John, daughter-in-law Lee, brother Kim (Adriana), sisters Beth (Chuck) and Debbie (Lance), three amazing grandchildren Ethan, Annalise and Kate and dear nieces and nephews.

John attended Duke University where he met Mary Ellen. After graduation he joined the Army Corps of Engineers and earned a Master’s degree from Harvard. Mary Ellen and John lived in Huntington, WV and Mount Pleasant, SC before moving to Wilmington, NC in 1977. John retired from the Corps at age 55. For the rest of his life he enjoyed making music and telling stories with many friends in Wilmington and Ocracoke. He sang for hospital patients with the Therapeutics music group weekly at NHRMC and supported local musicians and groups by organizing benefit concerts. He had a gift for getting people together to make music and sang with many good friends including the Hewlett’s Creek Boys, Mark Teachey, Catesby Jones, Geoff Morris, Martin Garrish, Jim Clare, Gary and Kitty Mitchell and Molasses Creek, Anne Haley, Kent Knorr, Eric Miller, Alex Lanier, Eric Bruton, Dave Bond, Randy Drew, Phil Bruschi, and many more. He wrote and performed songs about the Lost Colony and Cape Fear history with Rob Nathanson and told stories with Lloyd Wilson and Joyce Grear. 

John served on the Eagle Scout Board of Review and helped countless scouts achieve that honor. He was active for many years in the Historical Society of the Lower Cape Fear, the Friends of Fort Fisher and the Friends of the Battleship North Carolina. In past years he sang in the choir, taught Sunday School and worked with youth groups at Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church in Wilmington.

The family would like to thank all of the caregivers who helped John during his battle with cancer including EMS, ER, hospital, Zimmer Cancer Center and Lower Cape Fear LifeCare personnel. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to your local hospice or Lower Cape Fear LifeCare (formerly Hospice) 1414 Physicians Drive, Wilmington, NC 28401 in memory of John.
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The family plans to hold a hootenanny to celebrate John’s life with his musician friends and family later when the pandemic allows. 

Ricky Gill Sloan, 66, passed away January 24, 2021 at Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, NC. Mr. Sloan was born May 18, 1954 to Winnifred Hollowell Sloan and the late Erwin Gill Sloan.

A funeral service will be held 2:00 pm, Wednesday, January 27, 2021 in Community Funeral Home Chapel, with burial following the service in Devotional Gardens. Visitation will begin at 1:00 pm at the funeral home

Mr. Sloan is survived by his wife, Cathy Sloan of the home; mother, Winnifred Ann Sloan; son, Ricky Paul Sloan and wife, Tricia of Apex; daughter, Ann S. Powers and husband, Keith of Lumberton, NC; four grandchildren, Harrison Sloan, John Merritt, Jordan Powers, and Terry Powers; four brothers, Robert "Bobby" Sloan and wife, Darlene of Buena Vista, VA, Erwin "David" Sloan of Magnolia, Norman Sloan and fiancee, Maryann of Hampstead, and Aaron Sloan and wife, Rosemond of Turkey.

Mr. Sloan was preceded in death by his father, Erwin Gill Sloan and an infant brother, George F. Sloan.

​The family request attendees wear mask and social distance.