Verna Gibson VanReenen
Verna Gibson VanReenen, age 97, of Marlinton, died Saturday, September 28, 2002, at Pocahontas Memorial Hospital.
Mrs. VanReenen was a Methodist.
The daughter of the late George Gilbert and Lena Beverage Gay, she was born on Elk September 21, 1905.
She was preceded in death by husbands, James Phillip Gibson and Theodore VanReenen; two brothers, Jacob Gay and Lewis Gay; and one great-great-grandchild.
Surviving her are two daughters, Naomi G. Gibson, of Goose Creek, South Carolina, and Gatha L. Friel, of Marlinton; a son, George Andrew Gibson, of Marlinton; eleven grandchildren, twenty-four great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild.
Funeral services were held Monday at 11 a.m. in VanReenen Funeral Home Chapel by the Rev. Robert L. Mann. Burial was in the Gibson Cemetery.
Memorial gifts may be made to Pocahontas Memorial Hospital.
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Silas S. Sharp
Silas S. Sharp, age 94, of Slatyfork, died September 24, 2002, at Pocahontas Memorial Hospital after a long illness.
He was born on October 27, 1907, at Slatyfork, the son of the late Luther David and Laura Morgan Sharp.
In his long lifetime he was a farmer, a watchmaker, an amateur gunsmith, a barber, and an artist. Many of his paintings are on display at the Sharp Country Store at Slatyfork, now managed by his niece, Linda Carroll. He was a gifted fisherman and a hunter and life-time member of the National Rifle Association. He graduated from Edray District High School. He was a life-time member of the Slatyfork United Methodist Church.
In addition to his parents, his wife, Eunice Kerr Sharp, brothers Ivan and Paul, sisters Creola, Ada and Violet, preceded him in death.
Stepson Lowell Gibson, of Slatyfork, with whom he made his home for the past year, and his brother, Dave Sharp, of Cincinnati, Ohio, survive him.
Funeral services were held Saturday at the Slatyfork United Methodist Church by the Rev. Robert Mann. Burial was in the Sharp Family Cemetery at Slatyfork.
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Hercle Kenton Eagle
Hercle Kenton Eagle, age 87, of Terre Haute, Indiana, died Thursday, August 29, 2002, in Terre Haute Regional Hospital.
Mr. Eagle was a retired senior corrections officer in the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
He was born February 20, 1915, in Lobelia to John William Morgan Eagle and Lucy Jane Vaughn Eagle.
Survivors include his wife, Dorothy Triplett Eagle; two sons, Robert Eagle and David Eagle; four daughters, Betty Williams, Joyce Scott, Linda Holt, and Nancy Owens; two brothers, Delbert Eagle and Ira Eagle; one sister, Mary Schrock; eight grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, Vernon Eagle and Lipton Eagle, and two sisters, Thelma Poole and Ethel Mertz.
He was a World War II veteran and was a member of Eagles 291. He received a Journeyman Certificate in Wood Finishing for Watts Manufacturing, where he was the foreman furniture finisher, a World War II victory medal, Asiatic-Pacific Theater Ribbon, and a Good Conduct Medal.
Services were held September 3 in Roselawn Funeral Home by the Rev. Craig Wininger. Burial was in Roselawn Memorial Park.
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Mildred M. Ware
Mildred M. Rhea Ware, age 76, a resident of Valley Head and a patient in the Broaddus Long Term Care in Philippi, died Tuesday, September 24, 2002, at the facility.
She was born August 11, 1926, at Slaty Fork, a daughter of the late Walter Lyle and Eula Grace Galford Rhea.
She attended the schools of Pocahontas County.
She was married to Junior L. Ware, who preceded her in death in April 1975.
Mrs. Ware is survived by one son, Gary W. Ware, of Valley Head; two daughters, Judith Thompson, of Norton, and Darleen K. Ware, of Elkins; one brother, Forrest L. Rhea, of Marlinton; five grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.
Funeral services were held at the Valley Head United Methodist Church by the Rev. Robert Baer. Interment followed in Valley Head Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to Mountain Hospice, 1410 Crim Avenue, Belington, WV 26250, in her memory.
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Harry Lynn Sheets
Harry Lynn "Chisel" Sheets, age 83, of Marlinton, died Tuesday morning, October 1, 2002, in Pocahontas Memorial Hospital.
He was born July 15, 1919, in Marlinton, the son of Carl Lynn Sheets and Edna Pennel Lynch Sheets. Two sisters, Pauline and Phyllis, are deceased.
He graduated from Marlinton High School in 1938 and attended Marshall College. He was a pilot in World War II and flew the Hump to China, flying 58 combat missions in Burma, and was honored with the Air Medal and Presidential Citation.
In 1946 he married Arreta P. Legg, who survives, and they have a daughter, Deborah J. Sheets Guill, of Alexandria, Virginia, and a son, Scott L. Sheets, of Marlinton.
Mr. Sheets has operated the Marlinton Electric Company, Inc., as president for 38 years. He served as a director and president of the Bank of Marlinton, and was building chairman for the new bank building.
He was a member of the Draft Board for 16 years from 1966 until it was dissolved, and served as chairman.
A member of the Pocahontas County Historical Society, he was instrumental in the establishment of the Historical Museum and served as curator.
Mr. Sheets was a member of the Marlinton United Methodist Church and served on the Board of Stewards, as chairman, and was on the Building Committee and Financial Fund Drives.
With his father he operated a flying school at Marlinton Airport from 1946 to 1950; he had an instructor's rating and a commercial license for charter flights; he taught many local pilots to fly.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Friday at the Marlinton United Methodist Church by the Rev. Stanley Clark. Burial with military honors will follow at Mountain View Cemetery.
Visitation will be at VanReenen's from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Marlinton United Methodist Church.
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Milburn Wilfong
Milburn Wilfong, age 84, of Charleston, died September 30, 2002, at his residence.
Mr. Wilfong was a retired purchasing agent for Columbia Gas.
He was born in Marlinton but spent most of his life in the Kanawha Valley. He was a veteran of World War II, serving in the United States Army, and was a graduate of Morris Harvey College.
Surviving him are two sisters, Katie Wilfong, of Charleston, and Vallie Wilson, of Marlinton. A brother, Paul Wilfong, preceded him in death.
Funeral services will be held Thursday at 2 p. m. at the Van-Reenen Funeral Home in Marlinton by the Rev. Henry Johnson. Burial will follow in the Wilfong Family Cemetery.
Visitation will be one hour prior to the funeral service, from 1 till 2 p.m. Wednesday, at Van-Reenen Funeral Home.

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