Samir Harith Abdul Rasheed
Lived life from May 30, 1983 until March 29, 2004
Samir was welcomed into this world on May 30, 1983 into a family rich with love and excitement about his birth. He came into this world; with a head full of curly black hair, eyes wide open, with high energy and a quest for life that said, “World, here I be.” Samir was a very active toddler, always into something and moving very, very fast! Even at this early stage of life, he would manage to make you laugh and you would ask yourself, “did he just do that?” Samir was a kind hearted, very caring, loving and sensitive young man who was always willing to give up a smile and would look for any opportunity to make someone else feel better. Always respectful, Samir had a strong desire to “fit in” and “be a part” – he trusted others to his fault. Throughout his life, he made friends easily and he made lots of them! His name, Samir Harith, means pleasant companion and conversationalist, he was absolutely that, a pleasant, fun loving companion and indeed he was a conversationalist! Samir loved to talk and he loved to get the scoop! He met no strangers. Everybody, who knew him, liked him. He would leave a lasting impression upon both young and old. Samir was extremely charming and very charismatic and he knew it! “The Harith Reef” finished Southern Vance High School in Henderson, NC with the noted superlative as the BIGGEST FLIRT in the class of 2001.
Samir loved sports, with a particular drive and passion on the basketball court. As a young entrepreneur, he demonstrated that he could nurture life and created a small business by breeding and raising puppies that will continue to live on as part of his legacy and a gift to many of us. He had a very special skill of establishing and maintaining aquariums. He raised Oscars and Pacus that he purchased in his fish tank along with catfish, frogs and turtles that he caught in Fox Pond Park’s pond! “Reef” had acquired an uncanny ability to mimic certain individuals. Forrest Gump was one of those – Samir could recite the ENTIRE movie verbatim and imitate Forrest to a tee! Samir loved flowers and he had a particular love and interest for roses and the rose garden that he planted and cultivated. Almost all the flowers and greenery planted at our home were planted by Samir. We will forever continue to love, nourish and cultivate Samir Harith’s memory and his Rose Garden. “I’m out Holla!”
Our hearts ache.
Your Daddy, Ma, Cheneta, Ahmed, Anwar, Iman-n-lah (“Birdie”)
Your Family and Your Friends
Marris Ven Rasnick
November 18, 1955 – October 28, 2004
Ven was a very strong man. He battled many trials before the Lord took him home. His main concern was always his family. No matter what, he never judged any of us and we never doubted his love. We had two daughters, which he was so proud of. He was strict but in a mushy way. It always hurt him more than either of the girls when he had to punish them.
Ven was born and raised in the small town of Nora, Virginia. He was the baby boy of seven kids. His mother raised all seven kids and everyone treats her with respect and more love than you could ever imagine.
He moved to North Carolina in 1980 because he vowed he would never go into the mines to make a living. He immediately found work with Bea-unit which later became Burlington Mills. He worked there until their closing in 2002.
Ven loved to be outside. It never bothered him to be out in the cold or heat. One day back in August of last year we were riding down I-40, around Burke County, and he pointed to the side of the road where there were miles and miles of woods and he said he would love to be in those woods, just listening and watching the birds, deer and whatever would come by.
He was a hard working man that always thought of his family before himself. He was an honest man and would help anyone anytime. He accepted Christ as his Savior in the summer of 2001. When Ven was told he would not survive the cancer, he told us in our sorrow that he had “laid it at the Lord’s feet” and he would take whatever road he was meant to travel.
I lost my husband and father of my two girls, but God truly gained an “Angel”. Even on his deathbed he asked his nurse if she was saved because he knew he was. You see even then he wasn’t worried about himself, but the souls of those around him.
If I learned anything from Ven in 20 years of marriage, it is to cherish every moment you have together because you never know what tomorrow holds for you.
SO much love and truly missed,
Marla, Jennifer and Caitlin
Polly Ratliff
My Wife Polly
Polly and I met on my birthday, October 22, 1993. We became good friends, then one day I asked her for a date. We’ve been together since, until she passed away. We went to the movies, parks, fishing, camping, for drives. We came to North Carolina on vacation. We liked it here so we moved up here. We went hiking to the mountains. Polly loved South Mountain State Park. That’s where she wanted her ashes to be placed.
Polly was a kind hearted person. She was always giving to others. Polly and I were happy together and had a good life. We knew we were meant for each other. Our love for each other will never go away. Polly was my life, my heart and soul mate. I will never find another Polly. She was a wonderful wife, daughter, daughter-in-law, sister, aunt and friend. Polly’s memory will live on. Polly will never be forgotten. We will always miss and love her. I know Polly would be proud to know she helped others have a better life.
Gary L. Reid
Gary was a Christian man who loved serving the Lord.
He experienced many accomplishments in his life. His success on the athletic field has been well documented. As an all-state defensive lineman in 1963, he helped the Wilkes Central High School football team win the North Carolina State Championship. Along with the brawn there were brains. As a blacksmith he was acknowledged as one of the best Tennessee Walking horseshoers in the country. He was a founding member and president of the N.C. Horseshoer’s Association. As a farrier and metallurgist, he became an outstanding welder, mechanic, artist and engineer.
Gary had many hobbies and interests. Those included automobile restoration, hunting and fishing, farming, and beekeeping. He loved history and genealogy. His knowledge of welding and automotive engineering helped him win a “Best of Show” in 2002 at the 24th annual F-100 Supernationals in the ’61-’66 Custom Pickup class.
As a person, Gary was a loving husband, brother, uncle and friend to all that knew him. He touched many lives and we’re proud to know that his spirit lives on through the organ donation program.
The Gary Reid Family – loving wife, Connie Reid and Dennis Green, nephew
Walter Russell Reid, Jr.
Russell is survived by his wife, Sylvia, and two sons, Rusty and Ron. Also his beloved Rottweiler, Princess. Russell loved his family, his dog, his Paso Fino horses and in general loved life. Russell had emphysema for several years and pneumonia three times. He had a very difficult time breathing but he fought a good fight and never gave up.
His 2 year old filly finished Reserve Champion at the National Show. At least, he was able to be there to see her. Russell won the National Costume Class two years in a row riding as the “Frito Bandito”.
We are sure that he is riding or training horses and frying chicken in Heaven. He could sit in another room and tell when it was time to turn the chicken. We long for the day when we can be with him in Heaven and get some of his wonderful fried chicken.
Donald Roberts
Donald Roberts was a very special man. Donald was born June 6, 1953 in Science Hill, Kentucky. He graduated from high school in 1971. He left Kentucky to work for the FBI in Washington, DC. I met Donald and we became best friends. We married on April 6, 1974. We left Washington, DC on July 19, 1974. Don accepted a position with the State Bureau of Investigation and began his job August 1, 1974. He worked with the SBI for the next thirty years and retired January 1, 2004.
Donald and I had three children, a son Brad, daughter Ami, and son Brian. Don started singing gospel music and managed a gospel music ministry for twenty-five years. He sang lead and never missed a performance until his leukemia got so bad. The happiest day in his life was December 31, 2001, when our grandson Mitchell was born. He and Mitchell were the best of friends and he was Don’s pride and joy.
Donald loved to travel. Two trips we enjoyed were to San Juan, Puerto Rico and Las Vegas, Nevada. Don was a strong family man and he enjoyed simple things like yard work and watching and playing basketball with his boys. He loved Duke basketball and was a big Duke fan. We miss him so much and his legacy will live on with his children and grandson.
Lyndell Roba Robinson
Lyndell Roba Robinson was born in 1939 in Braholm, WV to David Wilburn Robinson and Tennys Marie Rutrosse Robinson. He was the youngest child with 2 brothers and 3 sisters. February 23, 1961 he married Anna Mae Buchanan from Lyburn, WV. He was 22 years old and she was 18. They moved to Raleigh, NC in 1963. Lyndell worked at Dorothea Dix Hospital in the power plant until he retired in 1992. In 1994 Lyndell and Anna moved to Four Oaks, NC.
In 1962 Lyndell’s first daughter, Clara, was born. She was followed by Kathy and Gaynel. Being a devoted father and very much a family man, he physically, financially and vocally supported “his girls” as they played softball, basketball, and volleyball. In due time his grandchildren were born; Megan, Dalton, Lyndell (guess who he was named after?) and Taylor. Nothing filled him with love or stiffened his back with pride more than his grandchildren. They were his heart and his greatest joy.
Lyndell had many things he liked to do. For 18 years he played catcher for the Dorothea Dix men’s softball team. He liked to hunt in his younger years but began to turn his interest towards golf which he “lived and breathed” while he was physically able to participate. Lyndell liked to “wet a hook” whether in a pond, river or ocean. An avid gun collector, he liked pawn shops and Saturday morning yard sales always “looking for a deal”. Lyndell liked to travel and always made stops “looking for a deal”.
When Lyndell developed diabetes, it of course affected his health and his physical abilities. As the disease progressed it affected, most profoundly, his heart and his eyes. After a quintuple bypass and 5 laser surgeries on his eyes, Lyndell seemingly was on a path towards better health. His eyesight began to slowly improve and so did other facets of his life. Very thankfully he began to feel somewhat better and encouraged. Then life took another turn and Lyndell started to have kidney function problems and circulation concerns. In 2004, Lyndell had to have a below the knee amputation after having a partial foot amputation that never fully healed. Feeling better with his eyesight steadily improving and his kidneys stabilizing, once again – life was looking up. He was on the road to recovery, feeling and acting like his old self, putting his life and hand in God’s hands.
May 26, 2004, while at home, Lyndell met with a freak accident. His wheelchair flipped backwards and he received a brain injury, a bleed, which, even after surgery, took his life. On May 28, 2004, Lyndell stepped into his final, perfect healing.
During a conversation with his wife he expressed that he would “donate his whole body” if it would help someone to not go through what he had. Throughout his life he was a loving father and grandpa, a steady provider, and a good husband.
Lyndell is loved and sorely missed by his family and friends. He was “one of a kind”.
Allen Welker (Bush) Rouse
December 8, 1928 – November 16, 2004
Allen Welker Rouse, 75, died on November 16, 2004 at Wake Med Hospital in Raleigh, NC. Before his death, he decided to become an organ donor because he wanted to help anyone who might be in need of any of his organs that were usable.
Allen, known to his family and friends as Bush, was born in Lenoir County, NC on December 8, 1928. He remained close to his mother, Naomi Blanch Rouse, brothers Bill, Raymond, Lake, and Maurice, and sisters, Ruth and Pat, after moving to Lucama, NC in Wilson County when he married Faustina Barnes. Allen and Faustina were married for 57 years and had six children, Nancy, Susan, William “Twig”, Ruth, Jackie, and Mary, and ten grandchildren, Lindsey, Garry, Jr., and Sidney Wright, Haley and Margaret Hurt, Kayley and Jacob Thorpe, and Jennifer, Karen, and Allen Rouse. Allen’s family was always the most important part of his life, and they were with him at the time of his death.
In his earlier years, Allen was a successful farmer, raising tobacco and corn. In later years he became involved in developing real estate. Many of those attending his funeral remarked how he had given them a chance to own a home, and that he had loaned them money to pay medical expenses when no one else would give them loans. Many told stories of other help he had given them in everyday life. He always made time to visit those that were sick.
Allen loved shooting, hunting, fishing, and boating. For years he and Tina fished from Beaufort, NC every weekend. He taught his son, and then grandsons to enjoy hunting and fishing as well. Allen loved family parties, birthdays, and food. Allen was active in the Republican Party for several years, serving as Chairman of the Wilson County Republican Party, and attended the 1976 Republican Convention in Kansas City as a delegate. He also served as a commissioner on the Lucama Town Board, and was a past member of Toastmasters International.
Allen loved his family, and will always be loved and remembered by them. He taught many lessons about life that will long be remembered.
Walter Gray Rozier, III
Walter Gray Rozier, III, 55 of Lumberton, North Carolina, died Wednesday, September 15, 2004. He was preceded in death by his father Walter Gray Rozier, Jr.
He is survived by one daughter, Sonya Rozier Parrent of Lumberton, N.C.; mother, Jean C. Rozier of Lumberton, N.C.; three brothers, Fred C. Rozier of Fayetteville, N.C.; Lt. Col. Arthur E. Rozier of Goldsboro, N.C. and Joseph K. Rozier of Charleston, S.C.; and two grandchildren, Gaberial and Noelan Parrent of Lumberton, N.C..
An avid reader, he loved history, traveling and seeing new places. He was interested in the outdoors and collecting such things as guns, knives, and coins. He shared himself with others in need. He will be missed.
Andrew Rushin
My husband was a friend to all. He had never met a stranger.
After his death, I received many cards, letters and messages; all repeating a common trend. Each commented on his ever present great smile and quick wit. His sense of humor never waned even in the most critical moments. Being with him for over fifty years, I still had difficulty separating the serious from his joking manner.
He is missed by me and many others.
