Dennis Thomas
We are grateful that our husband/father Dennis Thomas was able to contribute to the North Carolina Eye Bank. He was a simple Christian man who believed in giving of himself. He loved his family and took great joy in his 9 grandchildren. Over the years he was able to do many things, from being a mushroom farmer in Pennsylvania to farming here in North Carolina. In his later years he was a craftsman, working in carpentry and painting. He was an avid NASCAR fan, particularly a Dale Earnhardt fan, and looked forward to watching the races on Sundays. Dennis, in his spare time, simply loved to read anything he could get his hands on. Westerns, biographies, mysteries; he loved spending his free time reading. We take great satisfaction that we had the opportunity to help someone restore their sight.
Ana Mercedes Thompson
Ana was a loving homemaker and an avid gardener, who also loved to walk in the mall.
She was very generous with the Humane Society and various charities, as she was always trying to help others.
She is missed by her husband and all her loved ones.
God bless.
Hubert O. Thompson
Roy Thompson
Roy was a people person – that is what made him a good salesperson. He was as good as his word.
He loved dogs and children.
He really enjoyed bluegrass music and would sing and tell stories at get-togethers.
He traveled a lot and visited every state but Alaska and Hawaii. Most of this was done in his motor home, camping all the way. He also went on tour buses with his friends.
When his eyes got so bad he couldn’t drive, he spent his winters in Florida.
His hobby was woodworking and nothing pleased him more than to receive tools for his birthday or Christmas.
He was married to his wife Joan for 54 years and had two sons, Stephen and Paul.
Margaret Tilley
Our mother was born and lived her life in Stokes County, NC. She was a loving daughter, sister, devoted mother and a wonderful grandmother and great-grandmother. She never minded hard work, with tobacco and gardening, beginning each day with a drive to get the things done for the day and planning for tomorrow. Mother had a love for the simpler things, enjoying her family and community. She worked at Bassett-Walker, Inc. in Stuart, VA. She enjoyed going with her mother, sisters and sister-in-law to the campsite near the coast on July 4th week. During the last many years, quilting was a true joy for her – she was part of the Lawsonville Senior Citizen Quilters. Some of her hobbies were a variety of crafts - sewing, needlepoint, crochet and embroidery were a way to spend the lonelier moments. Reading and crossword puzzles were a comfort during the later part of her fight with emphysema. Mother was a realist, making sure everything was given the attention during her lifetime.
Her many joys included watching the birds at the feeders – hummingbirds fighting for a turn – and her flowers growing. Mother leaves five children, Joseph, Jonathan, Janet, James and Jeanne, eight grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, her mother, five sisters and one brother.
Mama will be greatly missed.
Sidney Styron Tolson
Sidney Styron Tolson was the most amazing man I have ever known in my life. Not only because he was my husband, but because he was my friend, confidant, mentor, and because of all the things he was able to accomplish throughout his life.
He touched deeply the lives of everyone he encountered through his journeys and travels on God’s earth. He lived life to the fullest. He lived life by his rules and followed no one.
Sid was a body builder, motorcycle racer, police officer, entrepreneur, inventor, businessman, husband, father to three wonderful girls, and grandfather to eight beautiful grandchildren. He built his business from just a dream to beyond even his own expectations.
Sid Tolson did not only take the road less traveled, he made his own road and traveled on his own terms.
I feel honored and blessed to have had him a part of my life for twenty-three years. Sid was a generous man and has kept on giving after he passed.
Michael Trinque
Michael’s eyes showed so much of his personality. When he was happy, they twinkled. When he was sad, they cried. When he was angry they were on fire. They were definitely the mirrors of his soul. For the last year and a half of his life, Michael developed his personal relationship with Jesus Christ. During this period of his life his eyes took on the qualities of compassion, love, understanding, and peace. I believe this photo truly depicts those feelings in his beautiful green eyes.
One of God’s greatest gifts to Michael was that he was given the talent of being a loving caretaker. He helped and took care of people he knew, people he didn’t know, and specialized in caring for those with developmental disabilities. It was only fitting that upon his death he continued his spirit of the giving of himself by donating the gift of sight to the National Eye Foundation.
Valerie Trull
Valerie was a very tender hearted young woman. She had a special love for toddlers and the elderly. She had many friends and they all said she was the peacemaker of the group. She could take any situation and find the brightest side to it.
Valerie loved the outdoors. She enjoyed playing with her dogs, riding four-wheelers and her horses. She loved to cook and was known as the Betty Crocker of our family. Her favorite hobby was shopping. Pink and green were her favorite colors. It didn’t matter what color she wore, everyone always noticed her beautiful blue eyes. Cheerleading was her favorite sport. She started cheerleading in elementary school and cheered until her 10th grade year on the Varsity squad at Southeast High School. She also enjoyed playing softball for her school and a recreational league.
Valerie loved her family. She was a best friend to her older sister Tiffany and a protector to her younger brothers, Matthew and Tyler. She had a way of making us all laugh and her laugh was very unique.
But, most of all, Valerie loved God. She was a member of Northside Baptist Church and attended Pleasant Garden Baptist Church and Alamance Presbyterian Church with other family members and friends. Valerie had read her Bible through by the age of six years old.
Brenda Tullock
My Mother’s Love
My mother loved helping others. She would give them just about anything (if she had it). She loved cross stitching and making pillow cases for me and the two grandchildren because most of the time she didn’t have money to buy us anything.
She would call me at least five times a day just to make sure that I was alright. I miss those phone calls…
I would spend a lot of nights with her, playing cards and talking about the good old days.
She was there when I gave birth to my daughter (Deanna) and she was the first to hold her and carry her to the nursery.
I know that she would want me to donate her eyes just to help someone see. She was that giving.
Her name was Brenda Tullock. The best mother in the world.
Paul Turbeville, Jr.
Paul was my life; he was laughter, joy and pride. He brightened my world and could make me feel so safe. He could take away the worries and make them look so small. He was a kind, honorable and wise person. He was strong in his beliefs, a good husband, a great daddy, and an awesome granddad.
Favorite pastimes: loading bullets and shotgun shells.
Hobbies: gun club and sports and clays.
Sports: car racing and basketball (all kinds).
Work: superintendent (construction worker).
