Brandon Lee Sanders

January 15, 1983 – September 9, 2005

Brandon was a vivacious young man.  He enjoyed life, he had more than his shares of ups and downs.  Brandon was a giver not a taker. He gave in a lot of instances when he should have thought of himself first.  But that wasn’t him.  Brandon always stated that he wanted to be a donor if anything should happen to him.  He said that he wouldn’t be needing those things when he was gone but that if someone could use them, he wanted them to have a better quality of life.  The funny thing about Brandon being an eye donor was that he wore contacts or glasses.   Every time that he went to see his eye doctor he would come home and say that his eyes weren’t getting any better and that he was “blind as a bat”.  Ironically, he has given two people sight and that is something that we, his family, look back on and chuckle at.  Brandon was 22 years old when he passed away – we don’t always know why things happen.  Brandon was ready to go see the God that he served.  As a parent, that is very comforting in knowing where he is – some parents don’t have that comfort.  God doesn’t make mistakes is the only thing that gets us through this.

Brandon enjoyed hunting of all kinds, but enjoyed deer hunting especially.  He loved to fish, from fresh water to ocean fishing, he just loved the thrill of not knowing what was on the other end and the size that it would be.  Brandon was an animal lover as a small child.  I don’t know of many animals he didn’t catch or try to catch in the wild.  He even tried raising quail when he was 10 years old.  Outdoors was where Brandon loved to be.  As a parent, punishment was easy – just restrict him from going outside.  He would usually straighten up pretty fast after that.

Brandon was a good student in school.  He was in industrial maintenance, working for a large feed making company.  He purchased his first home in July of 2005.  He was very proud of what he had done.  He had many friends from all walks of life.  He didn’t like others to pick on those less fortunate whether they had a handicap or their way of life was not up to someone else’s standards.  Brandon didn’t know any barriers of race or age or gender – everyone loved him for who he was.  At his visitation I realized just how many people my son had touched in his short 22 years of life.  His 3^rd grade teacher was even there.  We have estimated that there were over 300 people at his visitation – that spoke volumes about the person he was.  No, Brandon Lee was no saint.  He tried and he tested just like everyone else does, but thank God he knew what was right in the end.

I’ll close by saying that the definition of Brandon is what he and I used to talk about:  he would come home or by the house discussing everyday life and he would say he was confused about one thing or another.  I would tell him he had every reason to be confused, “Brandon, you were born in California, you highlight your hair blond, you have a pierced ear and tongue, you were raised in the south, you wear camouflage clothing, you love to fish and hunt, you in truth are a redneck - you have every reason to be confused”.  His response would be, “Well, it’s your fault that I’m confused then”.  In truth all these things made him a very diverse person, capable of loving and enjoying everyone, regardless of who they were.

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Joseph Andrew Sasser

Joseph Andrew Sasser went to be with his Lord and Savior on March 14, 2005.  Joseph’s passion and heart cry was to worship Jesus, to see others draw closer to the heart of the Father, and to see the anointing of the Holy Spirit bring forth conviction, healing and change.  Joseph was the Pastor of Father’s Heart Fellowship in Hampstead, NC, and ministered as an evangelist through Rushing Wind Ministries.  God birthed many worship songs through him as a psalmist and he shared the Word of God that burned with a passion in his heart.  His beautiful life impacted many as he simply yielded himself before the Lord as an instrument of worship.

The legacy and memory of his life will always live inside our hearts as we continue to worship Jesus with passion as he did and remember the message he proclaimed in a hope to draw others closer to the heart of the Father.  Joseph’s life was an expression of the goodness, grace, kindness and loving nature of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

“I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.  And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.  Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in Christ Jesus for ever and ever.  Amen.”  Ephesians 3:16-21

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Donna Elaine Saul

October 4, 1926 – July 8, 2005

Her last spoken words were said on July 3^rd, to her husband of nearly 58 years.  She had enjoyed the evening with friends and neighbors in celebration of the country’s Independence, with fireworks and a fine buffet.  As she retired, she spoke her last words to her husband, “This has been a wonderful day!”

She would have described her life with the same exclamation.  Her family was her life.  She created joy for those touched by her life and example.  Accompanying her husband’s consulting travels, Donna had been in 28 foreign countries and lived in eleven, including 5 years in Malaysia.

She made friends in all countries by her acceptance of people for who they were, and not by their status.  She volunteered in hospitals and orphanages wherever possible and made her life more complete by this service to those in need.

Submitted by her husband, Lawson Saul

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Robert Schell

My husband, Robert Schell, was quite the jock in high school in Silver Creek, New York.  He played all sports, captaining many, that did not interfere with his main passion – golf.  He was an avid, excellent player.  One might think that a person so sports-oriented would become angry and bitter later in life when he lost first one leg, and then a couple of years later the other leg, to diabetes.  But even though he was in his 50’s he took to his artificial legs like a duck takes to water, and kept an upbeat attitude and a positive spirit.  People were amazed at how well he got around.  From time to time illness would knock him down, but he would always bounce back.

He was an intensely patriotic man; proud of his service in the USAF and his work as a civilian in the flight simulator field training Air Force pilots.  His work allowed him to spend time overseas and he lived in many areas of our country.  He was particularly fond of the Southwest; quite a contrast to where he was born and raised.

He loved his children deeply, and was so proud of each of them.  He was sad that he could not see his kids or grandkids very often because everyone lives so far apart.  But one of the highlights of his life was his 65^th birthday when all his children came to surprise him.

I know that his last gift – giving sight to two people – was his greatest gift and would have brought joy to his heart and tears to his eyes.  If angels could cry.

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Richard Albert Schluth

Richard Albert Schluth, born July 17, 1935, in Philadelphia, Pa.  He attended Catholic and public schools in Philadelphia and enlisted in the Naval Reserve in 1956, from which he was honorably discharged.  He later enlisted in the Marine Corps, then went on to work various jobs such as carpentry, welding and others.  The ones he enjoyed the most were truck-driving and finally as a newspaper carrier for the Daily Reflector of Greenville, NC.

He moved to North Carolina in 1977 and lived his life in eastern North Carolina.  He lived in Pitt County and then Beaufort County.  He was an avid fisherman and hunter and he so loved to be outdoors to see the wildlife and the waters of eastern North Carolina.  Some of his and the family’s fondest memories were of the fishing trips he so much enjoyed.  Folks around eastern North Carolina will remember him as a friendly man who would help a stranger, always a hello, a helping hand, and a happy “we’ll see you later”.  He passed away suddenly on January 31, 2005, doing what he loved best, his job as a newspaper carrier.

Wherever Richard Albert Schluth went, he met a friend.  For he was just that – a friendly man, a man who enjoyed life and sharing it.  That is why we know that sharing himself is just what he was, and in so, the sharing of himself unselfishly at the end was the way he was also.  Giving a helping hand or the gift of sight to someone was a gift he shared again.  There are no strangers in life, only people you have not yet met.

Richard Albert Schluth passed on January 31, 2005, but his memories and gifts will last forever.

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Mark Scrase

Our beloved Mark will always be remembered because he was such a wonderful person.  He was loved by everyone in his family.

He loved his Lord and his two wonderful sons, Yuri and Misha, that he and his wife, Cheryl, went to Russia and brought to America to be loved and to have a better life.

Mark had lots of friends.  He had such a wonderful personality that it was easy for him to make friends and those friends stuck by him all through his bout with cancer.

Mark had several hobbies.  He loved riding his motorcycle more than anything.  He loved to play golf and liked to go to the beach and camping with his family.  He also liked to go fishing and boating.

Mark, we know you are now in God’s care in heaven, but we, Mom, Dad, brother Matt and your boys, Yuri and Misha, all love you and miss you.

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Michael Setzer

The Way We Remember Michael

The way we remember Michael is surely true for all,
As a man of character, wit, and friendship who loved to have a ball.

Always smiling and laughing, “What’s happening?” and “high fives”,
Anyone around Michael couldn’t help but feel alive.

He loved the open waters and the peace they helped him feel,
With the thrill of a big catch at the end of his rod and reel.

BIMINI’s and oysters, fresh shrimp and good cold beer
Are memories of being with Michael that we will always hold dear.

Michael was at times a jokester and sometimes would have you “searing”,
But his ability to get you laughing was a quality most endearing.

He loved the tunes of Jimmy Buffett and the reggae, party style of band,
But a real blues lover at heart – Delbert McClinton was his man.

To watch Michael singing out loud with Delbert, raising his arms and yelling “Wo-Hoo”,
Was the spirit of celebration he embraced with me and you.

Michael was the last to leave a party, and not just because of fun,
But because he was the kind of person where helping was never shunned.

Michael was also an intellect who loved a good debate,
Our conversations about education and politics are some of our best to date.

He also shared great love for our God, our Higher Power
Who we’re sure was holding Michael close in his final earthly hours.

Michael was many things to us – husband, father, friend,
But the thing we share in common was his friendship to the end.

And we think it would make him happy to know despite our grief each night,
Sustaining us his hearty, lively laugh and to this he’d say, “That’s exactly right!”

There is so much more to Michael that we can ever begin to share
About his wife, his sons, business, family and dogs.
For all he so deeply cared.

So the way we remember Michael is surely true for all,
As a man of character, wit and friendship who loved to have a ball!

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C. Paul Shepherd

Paul was a graduate of South East High School, Greensboro, NC.  He was a sergeant in the U.S. Air Force.  He retired from the Liberty Police Department where he served as a chief, detective, juvenile officer and patrolman.  At the time of his death he was a rural mail carrier which he loved to do.

Paul loved to smoke his pipe and would only smoke the brand Half and Half tobacco.  He had been a ham radio operator for 43 years and his call letters were WA4LGX.  He loved to talk all over the world, but he also liked to listen to the chatter while he played solitaire on the computer at night.  It was while adjusting a ham radio antenna that he was electrocuted.  He loved to raise goats and to go RV camping.  He was such a handy man that he seldom ever had to call a repairman.  He loved his family, a wife of 38 years, two sons, daughters in law and four grandchildren.

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Master Sergeant Jack Nelson Shuping USMC

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.  ~Psalm 116:15

Jack Shuping was one of the bravest men God ever created.  He was proud to be a Christian, a U.S. Marine, a loving husband, father, grandfather, son, brother and friend.  Jack left behind a legacy of faith, love, honor, and courage that those who knew him would do well to emulate in their own lives.

Jack served in the United States Marine Corps for 20 years.  He served three 13-month tours in Vietnam.  When a friend at church asked him if he was afraid that he would be killed, his reply was, “I don’t want to die but I am willing to die for my country”.  It was with the same valor that he faced the two diseases that would end his life here on earth, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.  Jack went home to glory to be with Jesus with his honor and integrity intact.  He never complained or asked “Why me”.  He often told his girls that they had two choices, get tough or die.  His daughters think they are mighty fine words to live by.

Jack had a lifelong love of reading, fishing, gardening, and foremost the beauty of God’s creation and believed in living his faith.  He was an active member of the Baptist Church as a Sunday School teacher, deacon, and member of various committees.  Jack was always willing to lend a hand to anyone in need.  He never met a stranger, and loved everyone from the cradle to the grave.

Jack was steady and dependable at work and at home.  After retiring from the Marine Corps, he worked as an electronics integrated systems mechanic for the Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point, NC for an additional 17 years.  When the government changed to private contractors, he was hired as a KC-130 visual flight simulator supervisor until his health would not allow him to work any longer.

Jack was a good and faithful husband to Rose for 46 years.  He provided for all of his family’s needs with warmth and generosity.  He would mend his daughters’ scrapes and bruises with love and tenderness.  He read bedtime stories, helped with homework, chauffeured wherever they needed to be – A SUPER DAD!

His family loved him very much and will always have his precious memories to cherish.

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Alton Beamon Smith, Jr.

Alton Beamon Smith, Jr., known as “Tubby” to his family and close friends, was killed in an automobile accident May 3, 2005 at the age of 23.

Tubby was born, raised and attended school in Norfolk, VA.  He loved sports, but football was his favorite.  We are all very proud of his MVP awards.  He also played baseball for the Azalea Little League.  Tubby loved the outdoors, camping, fishing and hunting as well.

Tubby was a handsome guy, light hair, beautiful blue eyes and a very infectious smile.  He was very outgoing with lots of personality.  He was very big-hearted and had extreme compassion for the elderly.

So when the call came that day from the North Carolina Eye Bank, I guess it shouldn’t have been a surprise.  Although he had never discussed being a donor with us, this should give you an idea of the kind of person he really was.

Yes, I guess you could say in stature, Tubby was almost bigger than life only we all found out he had a bigger heart.

His funeral was attended by many.  Even his elementary school principal was there and spoke fondly of him as well.  He would have been so pleased that she had not forgotten him.

Tubby leaves behind to cherish his memory his family and most importantly, his son Tyler, of whom he was very proud and who he loved dearly.

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James Smith

Daddy was a loving and giving person.  He always had a smile on his face.  He never met a stranger.  He had a heart as big as the moon, but it wasn’t strong enough to keep him going.

Daddy was a dedicated husband and father.  He and my husband would go on fishing trips to the coast of North Carolina and boy, what “fish tales” we would hear when they returned home.

My daddy loved life.  He collected Barbie dolls, Case knives and Beanie Babies.  He loved to take his dog to the lake for long walks.  He was not only my father, he was my best friend ever.

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Jeanne Smith

Our mother, Jeanne Smith, was one of the most caring and unique people you would ever want to meet.  She loved life.  She lived life to its fullest.  She loved to travel.  She had been many places in her lifetime.  She had been to South America, Hawaii, England, Germany, and her favorite was China.  She went to China with her Tai Chi class towards the end of her life.  It was always a dream of hers to go there.  She was a great artist.  She used many different mediums – one of her best was pastels.  She loved to do art work for her family.  We have many works of hers that we will cherish.  She had different jobs throughout her life – they usually involved helping others.  She worked at the YMCA, owned a tutoring business, tutored at a local college (Methodist College), and also owned a silk screening business.  She loved her children and grandchildren immensely.  She spent a lot of her time helping her family.  She would volunteer in her grandchildren’s classrooms teaching art.  There was nothing she missed when it came to family.  She was at every ballgame, recital, awards assembly, etc., even when she was at her worst.  Her children and grandchildren were her life.  She taught us, her children, to always put family first, respect others, and live life to its fullest potential.  She was a great person and most of all a great mother.  We love you mom/grandmom, and you will never be forgotten.

Danny, Davey, Kathy, Joey, Corey, and Gabrielle

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Sandy R. Smith

Wife, mother, sister and daughter.

I would first of all like to thank the North Carolina Eye Bank for the opportunity to tell you about the kind and caring woman I called Mama.

Mama loved country music and anything that Alan Jackson sang.  Her family was the most important thing in her life.  She had three children that she called every day if to say nothing but “I love you”.  She would ask about each one in the family and then we would talk about different things.  Things you always thought were unimportant, but now would give anything to talk to her about.  She had seven grandchildren and was “Mam” to them.  She loved them more than anything.  Then there is her husband, the love of her life, her best friend.  We all miss Mama, but no one as much as Daddy.

Mama was very outspoken.  She could tell you what she thought one minute, then the next it was over.  She always wanted to buy for everyone.  If she saw something and thought you would like it, she bought it for you.

Christmas was always special at our house, even after the three of us were grown.  There was always more than enough for her husband and children.  Valentine’s Day, my sister and I knew that flowers would be coming some time that day.  Even if all she got was a card, as long as she was giving she was happy.  So when the NCEB called to ask if we would donate Mama’s corneas, it was the right thing to do – that such a giving woman while living should continue to give after her death.

We lost Mama on January 10, 2005 to a massive heart attack, and so many times since that day I’ve wanted to hear the phone ring and hear her say, “Hey Baby” and talk about things I always took for granted.  So now I tell everyone, “Don’t take anyone in your life for granted – live each moment like it’s your last”.

We love you and miss you every day.

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Tatyannia (Ty Ty) Lynette Smith

January 23, 2004 – March 17, 2005

From the time of birth Tatyannia was an angel.  She was a very special gift from God.  Tatyannia was born at 37 weeks, weighing only 3 pounds and 2 ounces.  She was on a respirator for less than 24 hours.

Before birth, we all knew that Tatyannia would have Down’s Syndrome.  She was a fighter.  At birth, the doctors said she might have to have surgery to correct a bowel problem.  Not Tatyannia – she was born with no bowel problems, but she did have three holes in her heart.  The doctors waited to see if the holes would close.  Only one closed.  At the age of four and a half months, she had open heart surgery.

I will never forget that day.  She was supposed to be sedated, but she felt her mother’s love and jumped every time I touched her.  She defeated the odds of the time to be spent in pediatric ICU.  The doctors said one week, but Tatyannia said two days.

Tatyannia was a fighter who never met a stranger.  She melted the hearts of everyone who met her.  She had a spirit that would make even the saddest or most evil person smile.  She brightened the day.  Tatyannia was a person who had holes in her heart, but gave warm love to everyone.  Everyone who met her remembered her and her angelic spirit.

When Tatyannia went to meet God and rest, everyone (family and friends) was so sad.  We decided that Tatyannia would want her spirit to live on and help someone else.  We decided to donate her corneas so that someone else can live and have a happy life.  We are so happy to do this and feel that this would be something that Tatyannia would want.  She is truly missed, but we all know that we truly have a guardian angel watching over us.

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Teri Anne Boyuls Smith

My mom was born in Los Angeles, California on October 2, 1960.  She was raised in Los Angeles and later moved to San Diego, CA.  In 1966, she moved to Mount Airy, NC.  She was married to my father for 20 years and had 3 children, one girl and two boys.

There was nothing in this world she loved more than her children and she was very proud of all three of them.  She also enjoyed tutoring children at the local schools and was a favorite among many of the kids.  She was very active in the community and was always willing to  help someone in need.  We know that she would have wanted to be able to share the gift of sight with others.

Teri was a very warm and friendly person, and could make friends with anyone.  She loved to have fun and lived life to the fullest.  Some of her hobbies included traveling, cooking, exercising, shopping, and just about anything that involved her family.

Teri was a wonderful wife, mother, daughter, and friend.  She is missed so much, each and every day.

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Clarence Spearman

April 1, 1937 – July 3, 2005

Although we have lost someone special, we have been blessed with supportive friends and family, for which we express our heartfelt thanks for your comforting words, the many prayers, and all other acts of kindness during our bereavement of our dear husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle and friend.  We graciously appreciate your warm and sincere generosity.  Your friendship and love are most sustaining and shall always be remembered with love.  May God continue to richly bless you.

Perhaps you sang a lovely song, or brought a dish of food.
Perhaps you sent a potted plant, or a bouquet to set the mood,
Perhaps you sent a lovely card, or said a silent prayer,
Perhaps you just sat quietly;  If so, we saw you there.
Perhaps you spoke the kindest words,
As any friend could say;
Perhaps you were not there at all, Just thought of us that day,
Whatever you did to console our hearts,
We thank you so much, whatever the part.

The Spearman and Williams Family

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Alton Speight

Sharing a bit of my husband’s personal history with you is a bittersweet occasion.  Al would be very happy to know that someone has benefited from his “gift”.  So I offer the following narrative to share a little about his life and to extend the memory of the man I loved and married.

Alton Butler Speight, Jr. was born November 15, 1949, and reared in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina.  After high school graduation, he joined the U.S. Air Force, serving mostly in Michigan and Korea.  After Al served his country, he returned to our hometown.

Al and I were married September 1, 1989.  Until his health would not permit, Al worked as a lieutenant with the Virginia Department of Corrections at Deerfield in Capron, Virginia.  He enjoyed the outdoors, loved to hunt, fish, play golf, and enjoyed keeping the yard and flowers well manicured.  He was a very caring person with a big heart.  He loved to watch “Fear Factor” and “American Idol”.  Al always made opening gifts at Christmas or birthdays memorable by guessing what each gift was, and joking about how many he got right.  He had a wonderful sense of humor and loved to cut up with friends and family.  He loved to laugh and loved to make others laugh.

Al and I, Melinda, enjoyed snow skiing, traveling, and always enjoyed our visits with Jane and Larry,  his sister and brother-in-law, at Holden Beach.  A classic car enthusiast, Al was a member of the Stray Cats Hot Rod Association.  After selling his original dream car, a 1955 Chevy, he purchased a 1967 Camaro in which we enjoyed cruising and going to car shows with the club.  Al was blessed with a beautiful tenor voice and enjoyed singing with the Chancel Choir at our church, Rosemary United Methodist.  I miss hearing him sing, but now I know he’s singing in Heaven.

After being treated for kidney cancer in October, 2000, we found out his cancer had metastasized to his lungs on February 14, 2002.  The doctors said most people do not survive a year once this cancer returns, but Al fought the good fight, and, with God’s help, lived and enjoyed life for over three more precious years during which he treasured every moment with friends, family, and his beloved cats, Emme and Elle.

Al loved spending time with his family and cherished every moment with his daughters, Ashley and Wendy, granddaughters, Jordan and Ella, and grandson, Koby.  Al was also thankful his daughters had good husbands, Travis and Daniel respectively, and always enjoyed spending time with them as well.  One of Al’s final answered prayers was to live to see his grandson’s arrival!  Koby was born January 14, 2005, and Al went to be with his Heavenly Father February 19, 2005.  Koby has beautiful brown eyes, just like his Granddaddy Al.

Al will continue to live in our hearts and our precious memories.  His living and dying will forever be an inspiration to his family and friends and we were blessed to have shared in his life.

I have fought the good fight.  I have finished the race.  I have kept the faith.  II Timothy 4:7.

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Robert Christopher Spence, Jr. (CJ)

Our son, CJ, was a very special person.  He came into this world on September 23, 1985.  He grew into a young man that almost everyone who got the pleasure of knowing, fell in love with.  He had such a way about him; an aurora.  He loved cars.  Fast, expensive cars.  Ferrari’s and Lamborghini’s were his favorite.  Friends, best friends, were always around CJ.  He had friends from his school, Davie High.  He worked at Sam’s Club in Winston-Salem.  He made friends of the younger and older people he worked with.  There were only a few things CJ was afraid of; spiders, clowns, and heights.  On October 30, 2004, his brother in law, Anthony, talked CJ into jumping out of an airplane.  He went skydiving.  We have a DVD of the jump.  While they are in the plane, you can see CJ turning a little green and see the tears in his eyes.  But once he is out of the door with Ken, his jump master, the look on his face is unforgettable.  The smile lights up his whole face.  He came home and shared his feelings with us.  He said he felt close to God and that the earth was beautiful from 13,500 feet up.  He wanted to jump again and asked if I would jump with him.  I said yes.  Unfortunately, CJ passed away July 2, 2005.  There are several of his best friends, his sister, his brother in law, his girlfriend and me, his mom, who are going to jump on October 23, 2005.  This will be done in loving memory of CJ Spence.

Update:  On October 30, 2005, 12 people jumped out of the same plane that CJ had jumped out of just a year ago.  This was his sister Amber’s first plane ride.  She jumped because she loved her brother so much.  His girlfriend, Marina, her mother, two of his best friends, Ryan and Rolando, jumped, as well as his cousin Tommy.  The jump master that CJ had also jumped with me, CJ’s mom.  We showed CJ’s DVD just before we jumped.  Ken remembered CJ.  I gave him a pin that Mike, a friend from Sam’s, had made in memory of CJ.  Ken was so touched by this that he said he would put the pin in his trophy case.  He was honored to have met CJ.

All in all, it was a great day to do this in remembrance of our son, brother, boyfriend, cousin, brother in law, and best friend.  Thanks, Anthony, for a great memory.

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Christopher Paul Stancil

Christopher Paul Stancil was born on December 30, 1985.  He was just 19 years old when God took him home.  He did more in his short 19 years than most people do who live a very long time.  He loved hunting and riding horses and anything to do with being outside.  He loved snow skiing and all water sports.  He loved his truck and going to mud slings and truck pulling contests.  He played baseball and football and was very good at it.  He was also very dedicated to the FFA organization in his school.  He had a very big heart and his passion in life was to make everyone around him happy.  I remember when he was 16 and we went to get his driver’s license.  The examiner asked him if he would like to be a donor.  To my surprise, he immediately, without hesitation, responded that he did.  I stood beside him a little embarrassed because I was not a donor myself.  As soon as the examiner was finished with Christopher, I handed my driver’s license to the examiner and requested that he make me a donor also.  It is ironic that a 16-year-old opened the eyes of his mother in this situation.  Christopher found joy in helping people who were less fortunate than he was and the donation of his eyes was a way that he could do that.  He was a very special young man who is missed by many.

Connie P. Stancil
Mother

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Harold P. Stephens

My husband, Harold P. Stephens, passed away on February 28, 2005, after a brief illness of pulmonary fibrosis.  I wanted to share this poem with you that our son wrote about his dad.

Harold was an English major and jazz guitarist and played in a big band.

He was a wonderful husband, father and grandfather.  Our grandchildren called him “Daddy Harold”.  Our son, Hal, and his family live near Nashville, Tennessee and our daughter, Cindy, and her family in New Bern, NC.

We were all very willing and proud to donate Harold’s eyes to someone that I hope and pray can see now.

Thank you,
Jean Stephens

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Richard Stinedurf

Richard was known by everybody as Dick.  Dick loved to fish, play pool, and play cards with his family – mostly poker for nickels and dimes.

We moved to a small community named Snug Harbor, in Hertford, NC, and bought waterfront property, which is really the back of the house, but everybody calls it waterfront down here.  It has a pier and he fished often from it, throwing the fish back.

He also loved his home and yard and worked on both all the time as he was very proud of both.

Dick served 20 years in the U.S. Navy.  He traveled to many places and has pinned all of them on his globe.  He was in Korea, the Philippines and Vietnam.

Before he retired he worked for the government as Deputy Equal Employment Officer in the Human Resources Management offices.

So many memories, but here is one he spoke of often.  He and his brother and son Dean went fishing at the Naval Base in Lexington, MD.  Dick and his brother went to get something for everyone to eat and left Dean to watch the poles.  Being a young one, Dean got restless and bored and started to do what kids do, when all of a sudden the fishing reel started spinning and singing and the pole was leaving the beach, just as Dick came back to their spot.  And Dick said to Dean, “Didn’t you hear that noise?” and Dean said he thought it was a moped.  Boy, did they all have a good laugh.

They also had an acorn fight one time and his brother fell over a small cliff.  Bad fishing day.

Dick loved life and his family.  He never referred to the boys as stepsons – always my two sons.

He had 6 grandchildren and enjoyed them to the fullest when they visited.

Richard is missed and loved by me greatly.  He is also missed by his whole family.  We had 30 years of love and wonderful memories.

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Nelson Striplin

Nelson Striplin was born and raised in Doerun, GA and joined the U.S. Air Force at age 18.  He retired after 20 years of military service after several tours of foreign duty.  Nelson’s love was always aviation.  He made a lifetime out of traveling for the airways.  He was a dedicated flight instructor, sharing his love of flying with many people, including his son.  He later served as chief pilot for Guilford Mills until retirement.  Nelson was an active member of his church, volunteering his time and talents in many capacities.  Nelson was an avid photographer and enjoyed woodworking in his shop.

Nelson and his wife Alice were married for 49 years.  He was a devoted husband and an exemplary role model for his two children and four grandchildren.  His witty sense of humor and dedication to serving others will be sorely missed by all who knew him.

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The North Carolina Eye Bank takes great pride in our ability to share the gift of sight with thousands of people every year through corneal transplant, research and education. This gift does not come without a price. We must remember that for each grateful recipient of a transplanted cornea or medical breakthrough achieved, there is a family who is struggling with the loss of a loved one. These are the stories and remembrances of their family members — the faces of donation.

The 2005 Faces of Donation

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