Jimmy Wade Saunders
Jimmy Wade Saunders was born and lived in Troy, North Carolina with his wife of 51 years, Betty Ann. He has three children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Every family should be able to experience the love and support that he gave his family. Jim was a great husband, father and grandfather. His family has always realized what a great gift they were given.
Jim had a great talent and love for music. He played the guitar (and later the fiddle) and sang at a very young age. He continued to successfully use that talent all of his life. He started playing on a local radio station at a very young age and later in life played in various venues with many known names such as Marty Robbins, Charlie Daniels, and a very young Elvis Presley. Jim took his music very seriously and always presented himself in a very respectful and professional manner, as he did in every aspect of his life.
Jim retired after serving 35 successful years with Cornwell Quality Tools where he was a District Tool Manager. Leadership was a very strong characteristic of his. Many people looked to him for leadership, guidance and encouragement, of which he gave graciously. He loved doing a great job and helping others. He was very driven to do his very best in everything he did.
He would be so very proud to know he continued to help others, because that is the kind of person he was. He was very generous, kind and loving. Making others happy made him happy.
Janice Schaffer
Janice was 62 years old. She was going to retire soon. She was so caring and loved everybody. Being her mother, her love for me was outstanding. She was so special. We enjoyed life together. She is sadly missed.
David Anthony Schroll
David was born in St. Louis, MO on September 27, 1959. He joined the U.S. Navy and served from 1980 to 1985. He learned his trade of computer programming, in which he continued as a civilian for 21 more years. David was married for 18 years. He had two beautiful children, a daughter, 17 and a son, 15. Dave, as he was called, enjoyed the hobby of collecting beer cans. He had collected for more than 15 years. He actually belonged to the Beer Can Collectors of America. He was very health conscious. He lifted weights at least three times a week. He drank lots of protein shakes, ate lots of protein, fruit and took lots of vitamins daily. David was very handy. He could fix and build just about anything. He enjoyed working in the yard and landscaping. He was absolutely the finest father and husband! Dave loved his 2003 Polaris Victory motorcycle. Unfortunately, he died November 19, 2006 at age 47 due to a motorcycle accident. David had beautiful, light blue eyes in which his daughter inherited.
John Garden Shields
John was a man firmly planted in his faith in the saving grace of Jesus Christ. He was a giant of a man, a man of unshakable faith, a man of compassion, of honor and dedication, of selfless servanthood, and a man of integrity.
Long years ago, John answered the call: Follow me, love the Lord your God and your neighbor as yourself, do unto others…follow Jesus, and become his compass. John recognized God’s call and purpose in his life, and he affirmed that he would follow Jesus in thought, word, and deed by investing in the lives of others. He transformed his corner of the world by being a conduit of God’s love and making an impact for the kingdom.
John died on a bleak, wintry day at the end of December 2006, as witnessed by his family and friends, but for John it was sunrise with Jesus for all eternity. He was a true witness of God’s love, and his family and friends are thankful for his endowment of friendship and love in our lives.
Ann Shields, wife
Jason Boyd Shirey
June 12, 1980 – September 16, 2006
Beloved son, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin and friend.
Born June 12, 1980 at William Beaumont Army Medical Hospital, El Paso, Texas, Jason and his family moved to Fayetteville, North Carolina where his dad was stationed with the Army at Fort Bragg. Fayetteville was the only home Jason knew. Jason was tragically taken from his family Saturday, September 16, 2006 as he was crossing a parking lot walking to his vehicle to come home and was run over by a drunk driver. At the time of his death, he was employed by Smithfield Packing Company, in Tarheel, North Carolina, where he had just been offered a management position.
Jason ran track and wrestled at Spring Lake Junior High School. He also wrestled at Pine Forest Senior High School.
Jason loved the water, especially the coast, fishing, playing football or catch with his nephews, watching drag racing or NASCAR racing with his Dad. Jason especially loved traveling with family to the Mac Tools Tool Fair and spending time with various NASCAR or NHRA drivers.
Jason was a kind, gentle and giving soul and is missed by all who knew and loved him. His older brother Brian says, “He was a good person who would do anything for anybody”.
Jason enjoyed spending time with family and this past spring took his vacation time from work to help his brother Brian with the house he was building rather than spend time with friends or travel to the beach. Three years ago he drove to Cape Hatteras after working all night to spend the weekend with his mother and family, who had traveled to the coast to celebrate his mother’s birthday. He also enjoyed traveling to Michigan to visit family members.
Jason is dearly missed by his family. Devon, his 12-year-old nephew has written a prayer that has been placed at his grave site: “Dear God, can you put your hands on Uncle Jason as he moves in life?” Love, Devon, Curtis, Mom, Dad, Brian, Lisa.
Jason is gone from us but he will never be forgotten.
Steven Ray Slate
Steven Ray Slate was born on October 23, 1951 in Danbury, Connecticut. At an early age, Steve and his family lived in a stone cottage on a dairy farm where his father worked. Steve’s love for stone and dreams of becoming a stone mason began. He learned the trade as an apprentice in the late 1970’s and, through research, determined the Raleigh area to be the place to begin his business. He established Sunrise Stoneworks in 1980. Steve had the heart and talent of an artist and used stone as his medium. He apprenticed many young men who now own businesses of their own.
Not only was Raleigh a place to begin a business, it was where he met Angela and her daughter, Allison. Steve and Angela were married on February 4, 1983. They made Fuquay Varina their home.
Due to his passion for nature and natural things, Steve also dreamed of owning a piece of land with a pond. He bought acreage in Harnett County where he was able to enjoy his hobbies of hunting and fishing. He so looked forward to opening day of deer season.
Steve accepted Christ as his Savior in 1986 and was passionate about sharing his experience with others. Through his business, he began his ministry by sharing the Gospel with employees and clients. This desire led him on two mission trips to Pakistan.
In his short lifetime, Steve was able to achieve both of his life dreams. He knew this was only possible because the Lord Jesus had blessed him. Therefore, he shared his blessings with numerous others in his ministry, on his mission trips, and in his daily life.
Stephen J. Sloop, Jr.
Steve considered the gift of sight a special evidence of God’s grace and he is undoubtedly grateful that he can help share that gift with someone else. Whether enjoying the wonders of God’s world, exploring other lands and cultures through travel, playing hide-and-seek with his grandchildren, watching sporting events, keeping track of daily happenings, reading—or whatever—he relished the experience of seeing, even when it meant using trifocals!
Steve was a Presbyterian minister for over 35 years and died on Valentine’s Day, 2006, just four days before his sixty-fourth birthday. For over 40 years he shared his life with his wife, Betty. They have been blessed with three children, two children-in-law and four grandchildren who continue to strengthen and sustain each other through this loss. A large and loving extended family and many friends add their support and help by remembering and sharing memories, celebrating his time with us, and celebrating the loving God he knew and encouraged us to know in our own ways.
A page cannot begin to capture what we would like you to know about Steve, but phrases from friends and family at his memorial service remind us of special qualities - “never missed an opportunity to share his joy with all of us;” “no matter the situation, he had a funny story to tell;” “taught me much…about hugging the people you love often;” “loved to draw silly pictures to make me laugh;” “loving, caring and supportive;” “delighted in jokes and teasing;” “made me feel special”
Steve’s faith, his understanding of God’s grace, his vision of our life in Christ, and his goal for his witness are summarized in a hymn he wrote which was used at his memorial service:
Early in our lives You called us, to belong to Your own flock.
You sustained us; You have blest us. You have been our Solid Rock.
With the gifts with which You’ve graced us, may we serve the world You love.
Feed the hungry, heal the wounded, guided always from above.
As with Israel, You have led us, to our service in this place.
Joys and sorrows have been with us; all our lives we’ve seen Your grace.
Teach us how to love our neighbors, as ourselves we learn to love.
Fill us with gifts of Your Spirit. Live through us, O Heavenly Dove.
God, Who loves us and protects us, in the darkness and the light.
Give us hope and guide our footsteps; help us know the wrong from right.
God of yore and of tomorrow, keep us ever by Your side.
Free us from all sins which bind us, in Your presence to abide. Amen!
These lines from a poem by a good friend give voice to our feelings:
Do we miss him? You bet! Hallowed memories of pleasant times together -
Eating, playing, talking and celebrating - will nourish and seal the hole in the stomach
Or ease the lump in the throat that sometimes chokes and won’t go away.
You shared him with us, Lord, for just a while.
He has given us a pathway of love and happiness to follow, until we meet again.
Steven Spahr
My husband, Steve, was the greatest man I’ve ever met. He taught me so much about love and kindness. He was compassionate and caring. We were married for 14 years before he had a heart attack and died. He was 48 years old.
We have two wonderful daughters who loved their Daddy more than anything in this life. He devoted all his free time to both of them. He never missed the chance to go to a softball game or dance recital. Anything that involved Jenna or Hailey, he was there.
For 17 years he was a part of the NASCAR racing families. He worked on several different race teams. He was currently working for Bill Davis Racing as a jack man and rear-end suspension specialist. He loved the excitement of “going over the wall” pit stops. At 48 years old, he was one of the oldest jack men on pit road. But he was still the best.
He left us with so many wonderful memories. That is the greatest blessing of all of this. He will be in our hearts forever until we meet again.
Denise Spahr – wife of 14 years
William Dustin (Dusty) Stewart
William Dustin (Dusty) Stewart was born on July 30, 1968. He passed away from pancreatic cancer on July 30, 2006. Dusty was a graduate of North Forsyth High School. He served in the Navy on aircraft carrier, the U.S.S. Dwight D. Eisenhower CVN 69. He loved to take his oldest son, Joshuah Cooper, on his ship and show him where he worked. He served in Desert Storm in the Mediterranean Sea. Dusty was a big, lovable teddy bear whose number one love in life was his children. He always put others first and was in no way a selfish man. Nothing could match his love for his children, but something else he also loved was baseball. He was a Dodgers fan and very active in his youngest son’s, Brandon Stewart, little league play. He helped coach a few years and rarely missed his games. Another joy in his life was reading. He may have been Barnes and Nobles’ biggest customer in the area with as many books and magazines he had. His daughter, Megan Cooper, who also loves reading, made him so happy because she is someone who enjoys reading nearly as much as he did. Dusty wanted everyone to see the world if not personally, then through books. He did a lot of his reading at RJ Reynolds Packaging Company. He worked there until it was bought by Oracle Packaging, where he continued to work until his illness.
Dusty’s last wish was to donate his eyes so that others could see the beauty he saw, or to help through research to reach that same goal. He was a man who received a lot of love from his family, and gave his love tenfold to his family. We all miss him so very much and love him dearly.
The family of William Dustin (Dusty) Stewart
Joseph Stout
I met Joe in January of 1953. He had just turned 17. His desire to continue his art studies was his one goal for the future. He graduated from high school in 1954. He finished his tour of military duty during the Korean Campaign and married his childhood sweetheart - that’s me. He enrolled in commercial art classes at Ringling School of Art in Sarasota, FL, graduating in 1961. Joe loved fine art and won recognition with a number of his abstract oil paintings in both North and South Carolina. We settled in Winston-Salem, NC. Our oldest son Alex arrived in 1963. He resides in Murfreesboro, TN with wife Sandi and two daughters Cambron and Claire. Christopher was born in 1966 and now lives in Davidson County with his wife Karen. They have two daughters, Jennifer and Jessica.
He doted on his four beautiful granddaughters and they have never called him anything but Grand Joe. He had a vision of what each granddaughter could achieve. He often saw character qualities that they may not have known they possessed. He was so accepting of everyone and everyone enjoyed being around him.
Joe was employed by Piece Good Shops 28 years, producing the point-of-purchase artwork and store signs. His dream of publishing the “Hermit”, a cartoon strip, never materialized, but his wit never dimmed. For 51 years he added the comedy to our drama. Joe, with the eyes of an artist and the personality of a humorist, truly knew the difference between wit of the mind and humor of the heart.
Peggy Stout
Annie M. Strader
Annie M. Strader passed away September 22 at Moses Cone Hospital. She was an Eye Bank donor.
My mother will never be forgotten by those she knew and she gave to all. When she was alive, she always told us if any part of her could help someone else live - to let them have it. I lost two family members within 32 days of each other, and I know they may be helping someone else. Thank you to the Eye Bank for helping me in the process of making it easier to bear.
Margaret Loy, daughter
Elmer Strader
He was a giving person in life, as in death. He believed in helping other people anytime he could. I cannot think of a better memorial than this. I just hope in death he was able to help one person at least. He is loved and missed by all.
Margaret Loy, sister
