​Isabelle Jones Murphy, 93, passed away Tuesday, February 11, 2020 at Vidant Duplin Hospital in Kenansville, NC.

A funeral service will be held 2:00 p.m., Sunday, February 16, 2020 at Grove Presbyterian Church in Kenansville, NC, burial will follow the service in Pinecrest Cemetery.  Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church.

In lieu of flower memorials may be made to: Grove Presbyterian Church, P. O. Box 786, Kenansville, NC 28349. First Baptist Church of Wallace, Attn: Deaf Ministry, 408 W. Main Street, Wallace, NC 28466, or NC School for the Deaf, 64 West Fleming Street, Morganton, NC 28655.

** A full obituary will be posted later.

Magnolia - Hubert Lee Howard, 84, passed away Wednesday, February 12, 2020 at his home.  Mr. Howard was born September 29, 1935 in Duplin County, NC to the late Hubert Gaston and Emma Lee Merritt Howard.

Mr. Howard is survived by wife, Mary L. Howard of the home; three daughters, Terri Howard of Woolwine, VA; Pat Matthis and husband, Gray of Ayden, NC and Becky Ross of Greenville, NC; and one sister, Geraldine Rouse of Raleigh, NC.  He is also survived by four grandchildren, Laura Lancaster and husband, David of Goldsboro, Jordan Jones and husband, Eric of New Bern, Casey Matthis of Winterville, and Dillon Ross of Valdosta, GA; and six great grandchildren, Trey Flanagan, Nick Lancaster, Jeremy Lancaster, Zack Lancaster all of Goldsboro and Kennedy Jones and Kamryn Jones of New Bern, nephew, Shannon Rouse and wife, Tamara and niece, Cathy Rouse of Raleigh.

A funeral service will be held 11:00 a.m., Saturday, February 15, 2020 in Community Funeral Home Chapel, Warsaw, NC with burial to follow in Devotional Gardens.  Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service.

 Flowers are welcome or memorial donations may be made to Bethany Pentecostal Free Will Baptist, 1068 Rackley Rd., Clinton, NC  28328.

​Warsaw - Norwood Carl Ray Harper, 66, died January 20, 2020 at Accordius Healthcare in Wilmington, NC.  Mr. Harper was born December 27, 1953 in Wayne County, NC to Sallie Harper and the late Norwood Harper.

In addition to his mother, Mr. Harper is survived by sons, Alan Harper of Warsaw and John Harper of Rose Hill, NC and daughter, Samantha Harper of Chinquapin, NC; granddaughter, Madison Harper.  He is also survived by brother Franklin Harper of California.

He was preceded in death by his father, Norwood Harper and sister, Belinda Harper.

A memorial service will be held 2:00 p.m., Saturday, February 8, 2020 at Community Funeral Home of Warsaw, Inc., with visitation following the service.

 ​Hallie Wade Smith of Calypso passed away peacefully  at Kitty Askins Hospice on January 31, 2020. Wade, as he was affectionately known to his family and friends, was born  April 19, 1943 the son of Hallie and Mary Gladys Smith of Wallace. 

He is survived by his beloved wife of 47 years, Ruth Roberts Smith of Calypso, a son Kiley Smith and wife Cyndy of Mocksville, NC and three grandchildren, Korbin, Kyra, and Kaden Smith. He is also survived by a sister Sue Smith Stott  and husband, Ron of Wilmington. His parents preceded him in death. Wade is also survived by many nieces, nephews, and in-laws  that he was fond of. Special recognition to Ruth’s sisters Janet, Betty Ann, and Gail and a niece Stephanie for their support through Wade’s declining health. 

Immediately after graduating from Wallace-Rose Hill High School, Wade joined the Air Force. He was proud to serve his country for 8 years. After leaving the Air Force, he spent 23 years in banking. Wade had a gift for cooking, enjoyed trying new recipes, and loved sharing food with his family and friends. He was known as “Daddy Wade” to Kiley’s friends, whom he served as an important role model to. He was a gardener and enjoyed wood-working, especially building bird houses. Wade exuded a gentle, kind and loving spirit to his family and friends. 

A graveside service will be held at 2:00pm on Sunday, February 2, 2020 at the Calypso Cemetery in Calypso by Pastor Jeff Dail of First PH. Visitation will be at the cemetery after the service. Donations can be made to the American Kidney Foundation.

Kenansville - James Franklin Arnette, 66, of Kenansville passed away Saturday, January 25, 2020 at Vidant Medical Center in Greenville.  Franklin was born in Wayne County to Sudie Jane Maready Arnette and the late James Lee Arnette.

Franklin spent his life dedicated to the Highway Patrol retiring with the rank of Lieutenant.

A funeral service will be held 2:00pm Tuesday, January 28, 2020 at the Kenansville Baptist Church.  Burial will follow in the Devotional Gardens.  A visitation will be held prior to the service at 1:00pm also at the Kenansville Baptist Church.

 Franklin is survived by son, Jason Arnette and wife, Robyn of Clinton, step son David Shane Arnette of Jacksonville, FL; mother, Sudie Arnette; sister, Regina Kilpatrick of Kenansville; close friend, Lesley Starling of Clinton; grandchildren, Jake Arnette, Harbor Arnette, Ashley Arnette and Rachel Arnette; and his four legged baby, Lexy Belle.

Franklin was preceded in death by father, James Lee Arnette.

Flowers are welcome or memorial donations may be made to Love for Layla, Inc. 127 Circle Dr., Kenansville, NC  28349.

​Kenansville-Mary Gray Taylor Murphy, 88, of Kenansville passed away Friday, January 3, 2020 at Vidant Duplin.  Mrs. Murphy was born in Duplin County January 12, 1931 to the late Ceness Leon Taylor and Velma Mozingo Taylor.
A funeral service will be held 12:00pm Tuesday, January 7, 2020 at Grove Presbyterian Church in Kenansville.  Burial will follow in the Devotional Gardens.  A visitation will be held at 11:00am prior to the service also at the Church.
Mrs. Murphy is survived by, son, H. W. Murphy and wife, Amanda of Kenansville; daughters, Gayle Bostic of Kenansville and Susan Kornegay and husband, Bill of Warsaw; grandchildren, Christy Kornegay, Amber Kornegay, Robbie Bostic and Samuel Murphy; great grandchildren, Chloe Bostic, Caroline Bostic and Cassie Bostic.
In addition to her parents, Mrs. Murphy was also preceded in death by husband, Harry Murphy; brothers, Ceness L. Taylor, Jr, Samuel E. Taylor; and sister, Ghaynelle Garner.
In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to Grove Presbyterian Church, P. O. Box 786, Kenansville, NC  28349.

James (“Jim”) Earl Stocker, 82, of Kenansville, NC passed away on December 31, 2019 at Kitty Askins Hospice Center in Goldsboro, NC after a twelve-year bout with colon cancer. 
Jim was born on December 7, 1937 in Palmer, TN to Alfred and Norma Stocker. He was the middle child of three boys and had a twin brother that died at birth. As a child, he worked on the family farm, referred to as the homeplace, atop the Cumberland Plateau. It was an idyllic 1,700-acre farm with rolling hills of green pastures, hardwood tree-covered mountains, a meandering creek, and mountain springs that must have been reminiscent of the Stockers’ Swiss origins. They grew most of what they needed for survival and sold any excess. They sold timber and raised chickens, hogs, and cattle; grew apples, potatoes, beans, greens, and many other vegetables. This was his Rocky Top.
He met his wife of 60 years, Betty Scott, while attending Sequatchie County High School in Dunlap, TN. Their love was cemented on their senior trip when she came to his rescue after he got sick on an amusement ride, and the rest is history. After completing high school in 1955, he became the first of his family to attend college. In 1959, he received a degree in Agricultural Business from the University of Tennessee (Knoxville). He helped fund his education through cattle sales, barbering, and being a pool shark. 
In 1960, he began his career at Central Soya Company in Chattanooga, TN and ultimately held positions in Orangeburg, SC and Charlotte, NC as credit manager. After 13 and a half years with the organization, Wendell Murphy recruited him to work for Murphy Farms. In a tenure lasting 28 years, he reached the highest levels of management in one of the most successful agribusiness firms in recent history. Serving as vice-president, executive vice-president and general manager, president, and vice-president of the board of directors, he helped the company expand to swine operations in eight states and engineer and manage the development of many cost-reducing technological production changes. 
Over the years, he was a trusted advisor to many organizations. He was a member of the board of directors for Harrells Christian Academy for twenty-five years. He was active in the North Carolina Pork Producers organization and served on various committees, including the budget committee and as chairman of their political action committee. He served on the North Carolina pseudorabies task force from its inception until the disease was eradicated. He served as a member, appointed by the Governor, of the James Sprunt Community College Board of Trustees. He was elected to the board of directors of the National Pork Producers Council and served as chairman of the NPPC Swine Health Committee. He was involved in the development of the North Carolina State Animal Response Team. He served on the Ag Alumni Council at the University of Tennessee, later serving on the Ag Development Board, and eventually chairing the board for two years. He also served as President of the Duplin County Cattlemen’s Association and represented Duplin County as a director of the North Carolina Cattlemen’s Association. He received the North Carolina Pork Council’s Hall of Fame award in 2019, which is the highest honor bestowed by the organization, one reserved for outstanding lifetime achievement and contributions to the industry.
His primary hobbies were playing the guitar, golfing, and tending to his herd of some 300 black angus cattle, all of which he knew by number. Being a strong advocate of education, he created a trust after his cancer diagnosis for descendants of his mother and father that would pay for any level of higher education they wished to pursue. To date, this trust has helped put six family members through college. He also established the James E. Stocker Scholarship for Agricultural Economics at the University of Tennessee. He will be remembered as a man of good humor, intelligence, integrity, and epic snoring. He said often, “I tell everyone that there is plenty of time for sadness, and we need to live every day for doing better.”
Jim was preceded in death by his father Alfred, mother Norma, and brothers Don, Jarvis, and Russell. He is survived by his wife, Betty Jean Scott; son, Michael Edward Stocker and wife Pamela of Kenansville; daughter, Myra Ellene Stocker Rappl and husband John, grandchildren Samuel James Rappl and Sara Ellene Rappl of Raleigh; son Miles Edwin Stocker and wife Lora of Clayton; and many nieces and nephews.  
A visitation will be on Sunday, January 5th from 6 to 8 pm at Community Funeral Home in Warsaw, NC. A private funeral will be held. A celebration of life event will be held at the River Landing Clubhouse on Sunday, January 26th at 3pm with a reception to follow. 
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the REX Cancer Center Campaign Fund, c/o REX Healthcare Foundation, 2500 Blue Ridge Road, Suite 325, Raleigh, NC 27607, https://rexhealthcarefoundation.com. 

Warsaw - Donna Jean Divine Fonvielle Cates, 92, passed away Friday, December 27, 2019 at Kitty Askins Hospice Center in Goldsboro, NC. 

A funeral service will be held 2:00 p.m., Sunday, December 29, 2019 at Warsaw Baptist Church.  Burial will follow the service in Devotional Gardens.  Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service.

Ms. Cates is survived sons, John Fonvielle and wife, Cathy and Robert Fonvielle and wife, Laura both of Mount Olive, NC; daughter, Jeanie Fonvielle of Warsaw, NC. She is also survived by grandchildren, John Fonvielle, III and wife Amanda of Hampstead, NC, Thomas Fonvielle of Mount Olive, NC, Allison Fonvielle and Brian Simmons of San Francisco, CA, Austin Taylor and Rayanne Taylor both of Mount Olive, NC; great grandchildren, Elizabeth Fonvielle and Nathan Fonvielle; and niece, Sallie Fonvielle Tiktin of Las Vagas, NV.

In addition to her parents, Mrs. Cates was preceded in death by husband, John Fonvielle and George Cates; and daughter-in-law, Betty Jo Fonvielle.

The family would like to extend a special heartfelt thank you to Gracie Sanchez and Brenda Rubalcava and Wendy’s Angels for all love they gave Ms. Donna. 

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Warsaw Baptist Church, 209 E. College Street, Warsaw, NC 28398 or Kitty Askins Hospice Center 107 Handley Park Court, Goldsboro, NC 27534.