James Allen MacDavid
Born in Riverside, California on July 23, 1955, the fourth child of Daniel and Elsa. He was a bachelor who completed his high school education in Chicago, Illinois. He served his country and the US Army during the Vietnam war, taking his training at Fort Knox, Kentucky and Fort Riley, Kansas as a tank gunner. After his return home, he attended Wright Junior College and graduated from the Art Institute in Chicago. As a distinguished artist, he painted numerous murals he donated to various Veterans Hospitals throughout Illinois and North Carolina, where they hang today. Multi-talented, he was a kind and generous man who had friends throughout America who will miss his great nature.
Respected and loved by many, Jim leaves behind his immediate family: mother Elsa, brother Martin and his wife Shirley of Fairfield, Illinois; sister Dana Dudley of Erwin; sister Rena MacDavid of San Leandro, California; brother Odin and his wife Carla of Queensbury, New York; brother Timothy and his wife Mary of San Geronimo, California; his nephew Kelly and his wife Luciane, and grandnieces Rebecca and Sarah of Burnsville, Minnesota; his niece Keri Benson and her husband Charlie, grand-nephews Andrew, Joshua, Gabriel and grand-niece Braelyn of Apple Valley, Minnesota; his niece Ashley Kendrick of Raleigh, NC; his nieces Anna and Sara of Fairfield; Magen, Madalyn, Molly, Michelle of Queensbury, New York; his niece Sonja of San Leandro, California; grand-nephews Che, Cian, and Charles and grandniece Lilly of San Geronimo, California; and his best friend Cliff Amundsen of Seattle, Washington, who will all miss him. He was preceded in death by his father Daniel in 1986.
Raised and confirmed a Lutheran, he attended many denominations, learning more about the God he loved and worshipped. During his life, he served others selflessly, giving his time and money to help others less fortunate than himself. Always being considerate of others, even in death he continued his mission, donating his organs so others might enjoy life as he had.
He passed away quietly the evening of January 8, 2003, at Heffner VA hospital in Salisbury, North Carolina. Memorial services were held in the chapel at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Dunn, North Carolina.
Maurice Mangum
Maurice Mangum’s life will always be remembered by the family and friends who loved him. He was a wonderful husband, father and grandfather. His time on earth was valued by so many people. Maurice was a hard working man, who wanted to provide for his family. His profession was hanging sheet rock. However, Maurice was not an all work and no play type of person. He loved playing golf. Maurice and I spent a lot of time at the golf course.
I greatly miss Maurice and all of the times that we have shared. But my faith in God will get me through this difficult time. Knowing the type of person Maurice was, I knew donating his eyes would be a wonderful thing. He always wanted to help people and make a difference in other people’s lives, and I know that he will continue to do so by the life he led.
David Martin
Dad was a giving man all his life even into his death. Dad was a simple man. One of my most memorable memories of dad was when he put cardboard in his shoes to save money so he could buy shoes for his children.
The last thirty years of his life were spent caring for a handicapped son while ensuring the health and safety of the rest of his family.
He was an educator, businessman, family man and our hero. I’m proud to say he was my dad. His testament was simple: “Let my life’s work bespeak the man I am.”
Nicholas Martin
Nicholas was born in Dobson, North Carolina on September 24, 1984. He had a passion for sports, music and people. He was a people person. Nicholas had a smile and personality that would light up anybody’s world. And he did just that because everyone; friends, family and new acquaintances, loved him also.
At an early age he was active in sports. He played football, basketball, and baseball throughout elementary and high school. He was inducted in the National Honor Society in seventh grade and was a member all through high school, a Fellowship of Christian Athletes and a D.A.R.E. role model. In his freshman year at Starmount High School Nick became a member of the Show Choir which led to him attending Governor’s School in Winston-Salem his junior year, a credit to his musical talent. Nick was also a member of the church choir at Clark’s Memorial Baptist Church where he first started singing.
With his outgoing personality he influenced young and old alike. He could relate to them with a heart of gold. No task was too big for him, he took charge with eagerness and pride.
Nicholas was a spiritual person. He often spoke of God and his experiences in his conversations. He often spoke of being an organ donor. So this honor is most suitable. Nicholas had been expected to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He wanted to be a lawyer.
Nicholas has a twin sister, Meredith A. Martin who loved him dearly.
Rachel MartinRachel had a passion for writing and had dreams of helping others through her writing. She had an even greater passion for taking care of her infant son, Jaelon. I feel she approached both with tremendous dedication. In one of her poems she makes a bold, courageous statement that touches my spirit and is a source of inspiration to me. In the face of her pain and struggles she states, “…I know I will rise, I know I will make a change.”
And she has. Being a donor is such a privileged honor. It has made it possible for her to benefit others.
Thomas Mayfield II
Tom was a bright, athletic, and sensitive young man. However, it was not his God-given abilities we admired the most, but his concern for this world and his desire to give of himself to make it a better place, especially for those who suffer discrimination and have not been able to receive help. He had great pain in his own life and because of this he questioned God’s purpose for him. He prayed for understanding and guidance.
Life was particularly difficult for Tom the past year and we mourn his early death. As a small child Tom was always concerned about being blind, so we are sure that he would be happy knowing others could see because of his gift.
We are thankful for the opportunity to share some things about our son. He is greatly missed today and always.
Tom and Janie Mayfield
Lemi McCall, Sr.
Lemi was a very caring and giving person. He was born October 13, 1940 and lost his battle with cancer on April 18, 2004. Although he appeared to be in much distress at times he would never complain.
He lived in Norwalk, CT for over 20 years before returning to North Carolina. He was a great father, grandfather and great friend to many. He didn’t meet strangers. He would talk to someone that he met for the first time as if he had known them his entire life! If there was anything he could do to help someone he would do it without a doubt. He was also a hard worker and loved his job with all of his heart!
He is missed so much by his family and friends! It is a blessing to know that a part of him lives on and is helping someone else! We know he would not want it any other way!
Isaiah Alphonso McCallum
We, the family of Isaiah Alphonso McCallum feel that we are very blessed to be able to donate Isaiah’s corneas, which have given sight to two people. Isaiah was a very special young boy – his smile would light up a room. Isaiah had a very special place in his heart for every person he loved who knew him, he loved to help people. As young as he was he was very mature for his age. If I was feeling down or upset, Isaiah would say, “Mommie don’t cry, everything will be alright” and he always said he loved me no matter what. Isaiah’s favorite pastime was football – he loved the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The best memory I have with Isaiah is that he was very nice to me and we played around a lot.
(Brother) Thomas Williams, Jr. –
I miss my brother being around me and around his family. Isaiah was and still is a good person. My best memory with my brother was we always played the Playstation together. Before his tragic death happened, I slept in the same room with him and he was snoring. I touched him to wake him up to stop snoring because I couldn’t sleep. That was the last day I touched him alive.
(Brother) Sentellis Burgess
I miss Isaiah’s fussing with me and us hanging out together.
We love and miss Isaiah very much.
(Sister) Maneeka –
God bless you all NC Eye Bank.
John Willie McCollum
Born July 21, 1949. Died November 10, 2004.
As I sit here and think about the man I knew by the time I knew myself, I have nothing but fond memories of him. I will call him Honey just like we called each other for 40 years. Honey and I were blessed with two daughters and a son. The girls knew that they were daddy’s girls. They did not have to give a second thought about the things their daddy would do for them. His son was his pride and joy. Finally, a son to carry on the family name was more than a blessing to him. He would sometimes call him Junior with great dignity.
To know Honey was to love him. His charisma and personality were so infectious that everyone he met was given a lasting impression. Honey never met a stranger, and everyone he met was treated like he had known him or her all his life.
Honey’s profession was a long haul truck driver. Truck driving was the love of his life. I believe that if you love what you do, then you can do it well. He was an expert at his job.
I thought when Honey passed; all his good qualities would be gone. However, it has truly been a blessing to know that a small part of him lives in the eyes of deserving people.
Bobby McDonald
Bobby was a quiet young man who worked hard and loved his family. He had four nephews and one niece who loved to see him come in from work because they knew it was playtime with Uncle Bobby. Bobby never married and had just bought a house for him and his mother who he looked after. He enjoyed NASCAR racing but his real passion was bowling. He did some traveling to bowl in Championship Tournaments. He is greatly loved and greatly missed.
The family of Bobby McDonald
Richard (Ricky) Miller
Ricky was a senior at Ashe County High School. He loved track and was 3rd in the state in the high jump competition. He also played varsity football, #10 for the Ashe County Huskies. He loved to go camping, riding four-wheelers and motorcycles. He loved life and lived it to the fullest.
Ricky gave his heart to God a few years ago. He was saved and baptized at Middle Fork Baptist Church, where he still attended.
When God called Ricky home he got a very special angel.
Glenn Millsaps
Glenn was a caring and giving person. He loved the mountains and the beaches. He was a below the knee amputee and got around by electric wheelchair. He loved to be outside and watch gardens grow and sunsets. He loved to be around people and family.
Brandon Mitchell
Brandon had a heart of gold. He was always ready to help someone in need. This was ultimately how he lost his life – fearing his co-worker was going to be hurt. He loved playing paintball with his friends, especially at night. He always said, “it’s more of a challenge”. He also loved riding 4-wheelers and just hanging out with his friends, especially his best friend, Josh. He was in the process of restoring his ’92 Dodge Stealth to enter in car shows. He was a member of “Dream Chasers” car club in Ahoskie, NC.
Brandon was a respectful young Christian man. We know that he is now with the Lord in a much better place and look forward to the day when we are all together again.
We love and miss you very much! Mom, Dad and Courtney
Gerald James (J.R.) Mitchell, Jr.
The first thing people noticed about J.R. were his eyes. He had beautiful blue eyes with eyelashes most women envied. It’s actually the reason we met. I always had a weakness for guys with blue eyes and dark hair. My best friend knew this about me so she introduced us. And the rest, as they say, is history.
J.R. was born in Erie, Pennsylvania, and moved to North Carolina when he was 15. We met in 1995. He joined the US Navy in 1996, served for 4 years and was honorably discharged. We were married in 1998. We were blessed with the birth of our son in September of 2002, and our daughter was born in October, 2004, just 6 short weeks before my husband’s death.
He loved to work on cars. He always had a project he was working on. At the time of his death he was in the process of completely restoring a 1974 VW Bug. He worked at a car audio shop as the general manager. He was an excellent craftsman. He didn’t finish a job he wasn’t proud of. He would work on it until it was as close to perfect as he could get it. He loved working with his hands – he always had grease and grime under his fingernails and cuts on his hands. To him it wasn’t an honest day’s work if he wasn’t dirty.
It’s hard to write everything that was so important to him and me in a few paragraphs. I would never be able to really tell you what an extraordinary man he was. He was someone you had to get to know to really appreciate. He didn’t always make the best first impression, but always came through in the end. With him there was no guessing about what he thought. He loved his family, provided for and protected us. He is greatly missed by so many. He was the love of my life, and truly my other half.
Donating his eyes was a hard decision for me because they were so much of who he was. But in the end for me to know that those beautiful eyes live on in someone else and restored their sight…I couldn’t think of a better legacy to honor him.
Anthony Mohamed
Anthony Mohamed was a very happy child. He loved to play basketball and video games with his nieces and nephews.
Anthony departed this world suddenly with his mother and cousin in a tragic auto accident. He will be missed dearly by his dad, aunts, and uncles, and especially by his brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews.
Terrence (Terry) Moorefield
Terry always greeted you with a warm smile and “Hey, ya’ll”. A child’s laughter would put a twinkle in his eye and bring out the child in him. He liked picking on people and never ran out of jokes or funny one liners.
At home with nature, Terry saw beauty all around. The calm majesty of the mountains was his favorite. He cherished the often overlooked – morning dew, changing leaves. He would watch in awe the power of crashing waves, the colors of a sunset. The precision flight of hummingbirds always made him smile. He would be happy to have a part in sharing the beauty of this world with two people.
Terry was smart, creative, hard working and humble and had a deep love for family. His daughters and grandsons were always in his heart. He was a son who made his parents proud and was looked up to by his brother and sister. He looked forward to starting a life with his fiancée. Even though Terry never realized the depth of his qualities, those of us who loved him know how special he was.
Although God has taken Terry to be with Him after only 46 years, we are blessed with the constant reminders of his life. His love is firmly imprinted in our hearts and his laughter will ring in our souls forever.
Ronald Murray
November 7, 1936 to July 12, 2004, age 67
He was born into a family where his Dad became a United Methodist minister, moving every four years around North Carolina.
He graduated from high school in Charlotte, NC and from Appalachian Teachers’ College. He taught school in Charlotte for six years. During this time he married Joy and had two children. Intending Joy to be a stay at home mom, he worked part time at an insurance company. Although he hated to leave teaching (his first love), he worked in insurance, moving to Cincinnati, Ohio, St. Louis, Missouri and Sacramento, California, finally retiring after ten years as Director of Insurance in Charleston, South Carolina. Our summer home in the mountains of Virginia was where we enjoyed our last five years. He even took up golf and enjoyed it.
Our son Chris, 18, passed on after an auto accident. We had discussed being an organ donor when he got his first driver’s license at age 16. So we right away told the doctor when he was on life support that he was a donor. This made my decision to tell them for Ron easy because we were both so for organ donation.
During our 44 1/2 years of marriage we traveled all over the U.S. Our daughter married and her husband’s job transferred them a lot. We went to visit them and especially enjoyed our two wonderful granddaughters, now in Wisconsin.
Ron was a member of the Lions Club and had served as President and Secretary. He was always active in church and in retirement he became involved in politics. Ron will be remembered mostly for his humor and love of telling stories. He had an outgoing personality and a deep love for his family and friends he had made over his 67 years.
His wife,
Joy Pope Murray
Elwin Myers
