Obituaries
Betty Sue Kelly Umstead
May 8, 2025
DURHAM - Mrs. Betty Sue Kelly “Mimi” Umstead, 92, passed away peacefully Thursday, May 8, 2025, in comfort care at Duke Regional Hospital. A devoted mother, grandmother and great grandmother, sister, aunt, and loyal funny friend, Betty will be deeply missed by all who knew her.
Betty was born January 26, 1933, to the late Banks Clifton and Mary Rigsbee Kelly,...
John F. Wily
May 2, 2025
John F. Wily III passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, leaving a legacy of warmth, generosity, and unwavering optimism. A devoted father, loyal friend, and proud Tarheel, John will be deeply missed by all who knew him.
Born on April 26, 1938, John was the beloved son of the late Hazel L. Wily and John F. Wily Jr., founding members of...
Alora Isabelle Scopano
Apr 29, 2025
“We never had the chance to play, to laugh, to rock, to wiggleWe long to hold you, touch you now, and listen to your giggle.She’ll always be your mother, and I’ll always be your Dad,You will always be our child – the child we never had.But now you’re gone … but yet you’re here. We sense you everywhere,You are our...
Irving Koppel
Apr 27, 2025
Longtime California educator and social justice activist Irving Koppel (age 96), died on Sunday, April 27th at Duke Hospice Hock Family Pavilion due to complications from uremia. He taught World History and French for over 30 years primarily at Irvington High School in the Fremont Unified School District. Additionally, Irving was an active member and organizer with the American Federation...
Timothy Jason Mangum
Apr 27, 2025
TIMBERLAKE – Timothy Jason Mangum age 55, died at home on April 27th, 2025. He was born on April 8th, 1970, to Timothy Bruce Mangum and Andrea Odom Bowen.
Jason grew up in Durham, NC and graduated from Northern High School in 1988. He served in the US Navy. He later went to trucking school and drove cross country. Many years...
Scott Russell Douglass
Apr 26, 2025
Scott Russell Douglass, age 76, died at Duke Health’s Hock Family Pavillion on April 26, 2025. He was born on February 2, 1949 and adopted by the late Dorothy Mae Douglass and late William Ross Douglass.
Scott graduated from Glenbard East High School in Illinois, had two degrees from the University of Delaware and worked on a PhD at Syracuse University....
Dr. Christos Constantinos Chamis
Apr 23, 2025
Dr. Christos Constantinos Chamis was born on May 16, 1930, in Sotira, Northern Epirus which was then Greece and now Albania. As a youth, he enjoyed singing, dancing, playing the harmonica, and most of all, he was passionate about learning. Despite his gregarious spirit, he experienced a lifetime of suffering during his youth including separation from his father, the premature...
Frank Hilton Skidmore, Jr.
Apr 20, 2025
Frank H. Skidmore Jr. of Durham, NC died at his home in Croasdaile Village, April 20, 2025. He was 83. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth (Betsy) of the home, his brother Walter (Kathy) of Saugerties, NY, as well as several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother Kenneth.
Born in Danbury, CT to Frank H. and Natalie...
Beverly Patton Oakley
Apr 18, 2025
Beverly Patton Oakley passed away peacefully at her home in Durham on April 18, 2025, just two months shy of her 75th birthday. She was a beloved sister, aunt, great-aunt, teacher, neighbor, and friend. Known for her sparkling smile, boisterous laughter, boundless empathy, rebellious streak, and deep compassion, Beverly left an indelible mark on everyone fortunate enough to know her.
Born...
William Coffeen "Bill" Holton
Apr 9, 2025
Chapel Hill, NC – William Coffeen “Bill” Holton, age 94, died Wednesday, April 9, 2025, at UNC Hospice in Pittsboro. Born on July 24, 1930, in Washington, DC, he was the son of the late William Bultman Holton and Ester Coffeen Holton.
Bill called Chevy Chase, MD, his hometown. He graduated from UNC, Chapel Hill in 1952 with a BS in...
Dorothy Oakley Lipscomb
Apr 7, 2025
Mrs. Dorothy Oakley Lipscomb, 101, died April 7th, 2025, just four days prior to her 102nd birthday at the Hock Pavilion. She was the daughter of the late Raymond Pinkey and Lillie Hobgood Oakley and widow of the late John M. Lipscomb Jr.. Dorothy lived all her life in Durham, graduating from Durham High School in theclass of 1941. Her...
Jennifer Lynn Wesson
Apr 6, 2025
CHAPEL HILL- Jennifer Lynn Wesson, born on October 14, 1970 in San Bernardino, California, Jennifer was a loving and vibrant presence in the lives of everyone she touched. She was the daughter of Dexter Wesson and Patricia Blaskowski and is survived by her Mother, her sister Victoria Wesson, her niece Milissa Wesson-Korn, and her beloved cats Ollie and Marsha. Predeceased...
Sheila Robinson Norton
Apr 5, 2025
Sheila Robinson Norton died peacefully on April 5, 2025, in Durham, North Carolina. Born in Ohio, to the late Lester and Nellie Robinson. She moved to Wilmington, NC where she graduated from high school and earned her AA at UNCW. After she married she lived in Virginia Beach, Virginia and Camarillo, California. Upon retirement, she returned to Smithfield, Virginia. Sheila...
Richard Emmitt Joiner
Apr 1, 2025
Richard Emmitt Joiner died peacefully, his wife Emily by his side, on April 1, 2025, at age 90. He was born on January 2, 1935, in Fort Pierce, Florida, to James William Joiner and Frances Roberta Emmitt Joiner. Richard’s father died when he was two, and his mother had to work to support the family, so he and his older...
Nancy Kennedy Gallup Schaefer
Mar 27, 2025
DURHAM- Nancy Kennedy Gallup Schaefer, a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother and friend, passed away peacefully on March 27, 2025, at Croasdaile Village in Durham, North Carolina. She lived a life filled with love, humor, happiness, and an unwavering commitment to family.
Born on November 18, 1934, to Benjamin and Lucy Gallup, Nancy was raised on the Gallup Homestead Dairy...
Lucretia Elaine Jeffcoat
Mar 24, 2025
Stories are the very stuff of life, and Elaine’s life is very much a story.
Born Lucretia Elaine to Mary Lou (Mary Lucretia Pou) and Lewie (Bruce Lewie, Sr.) Merchant of Columbia, SC, Elaine spent her youngest years in nearby Saluda County, SC learning how to make biscuits and corn husk dolls from her grandmothers. When her father returned from war...
Hubert Franklin "Frankie" Browning, Jr.
Mar 24, 2025
DURHAM- Mr. Hubert Franklin Browning Jr, age 80 passed away peacefully at his residence on Monday, March 24, 2025. Mr. Browning was born on June 27, 1944, to the late Hubert Franklin Browning Sr. and Mamie Patrick Browning. Mr. Browning was predeceased by his wife Doretta Sims Browning.
Mr. Browning grew up on the family farm on Sparger Road in Durham,...
Robert Alan Stelzenmuller
Mar 20, 2025
Robert Alan Stelzenmuller, age 93, died at home on March 20, 2025. He was born on May 7, 1931 in Birmingham, Alabama to the late James Grey and Helen Brennan Stelzenmuller.
After graduating from the University of Alabama, Al served in the United States Air Force in Louisiana. It was the first of many Southern homes he shared with his wife...
Marilyn Ruth Kearns
Mar 18, 2025
Marilyn Ruth Kearns, age 83, died in Durham on March 18, 2025. She was born on December 10, 1941 to the late Robert William Metzger and Ruth Gibbons Metzger in Fulton, New York.
Marilyn spent her childhood in Constantia, New York, on a small family farm surrounded by animals, including her beloved horse Snowball. A graduate of the Convent School in...
Virginia Ross Riley
Mar 17, 2025
Durham, NC – Virginia (Ginger) Ross Riley, age 68, died at home in her sleep on March 17, 2025.
Ginger was born on October 25, 1956, the fourth of five born into the family of Homer and Martha Riley. She was named after her mother’s oldest sibling, Virginia Ross. She grew up on Indian Trail across the street from Hillandale Golf...
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