Geraldine Marie Richards, 75, of Grottoes, VA, passed away Tuesday, March 12, 2013 at Sunnyside Retirement Community in Harrisonburg, VA.

Mrs Richards retired from Rockingham Memorial Hospital Harrisonburg where she was a housekeeper for 28 years. She attended St. Stephens The Good Shepherd Church in Rocky Bar and was a graduate of Montevideo High School class of 1955.

Her second husband, Thomas Carr Richards who preceded her in death on March 25, 1988. She was also preceded in death by her first husband Dennis Reed Dean in 1964.

Surviving are two daughters, Denise Meadows of Elkton, VA and Trudy Irvine and husband Skip of Grottoes, VA; three sons Garland Dean and wife Lisa of Elkton, VA, Clarence Dean and companion Brad Alt of Franklin, and T.W. Richards of Grottoes, VA; a sister, Naomi Mefford and husband Fred of Falling Waters; 11 grandchildren, Jessica St. Clair and husband Rick, Jordan Meadows, Cassandra Terry and husband Scott, Angelica Dean, Davey Irvine and companion Stacey Supinger, Craig Irvine, Jim Irvine, Angela Harper and husband Roy, Amanda Kyger and husband Scott, Amber Frank and husband Joe, Emerald Dean; and great grandchildren Mason, River, and Sylas St. Clair; Hayden Campbell, Dakota and Ciara Harper, Alana Irvine, Bryna Dawkins, Noah, Ashleigh, and Nicole Kyger; Peyton and Tyson Frank; and one on the way.

A funeral service was held at Johnson Funeral Service Chapel in Grottoes, VA with Rev. James Kite and Pastor Carter Dean officiating. Burial will follow at Mt. Olivet Cemetery.

Leta Rader of Franklin, passed away on Saturday, March 16, 2013 at Courtland Acres Nursing Home in Thomas.

Mrs. Rader was a 1940 graduate of Franklin High School and a graduate of Dunsmore Business School in Staunton, VA. She was a member of the Franklin Presbyterian Church and retired as an Accountant/Bookkeeper from Pendleton County Bank.

Surviving are a daughter, Martha Ann “Marti” Fisher and husband Robert of Romney; a son, Edwin Lee Rader and wife Diane of Davis; two grandchildren, Seth and Nathaniel Rader; and several nieces and nephews.

She was also preceded in death by three brothers, Kenny Jr., Arthur, and Roy E. Rexrode; and two sisters, Glenna Mauzy and Bonnie Sharp.

Funeral services were held Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the Basagic Funeral Home, Franklin, with Rev. Bob Anderson officiating. Interment will be at Cedar Hill Cemetery, Franklin.

Senator Ursula Jae Spears, a West Virginia senator for 12 years and a three-term member of the House of Delegates, departed this life Saturday March 16, 2013, at her home in Elkins.

The Elkins legislator for 18 years established a record of firsts for women in state government. She was the first woman to serve as Senate Majority Whip and the first and only, female to chair the powerful Senate Finance Committee.

Spears pioneered the participation of women in the legislative process. Elected in 1974 as one of only eight women to the 100-member House of Delegates, she saw, during her 18 years of service, the female membership of that body grow to nearly 25 percent.

In 1980, Spears was elected as one of only two women to the 34-member West Virginia State Senate. Two years later, she was appointed Senate Majority Whip, becoming the first woman to hold a leadership position in either House. As Senate Finance Chairman in 1984-1986, she became the first and only woman to head the committee that puts together the budget for the state. She was also the first woman to sit on the Joint Committee on Government and Finance.

Particularly active in the health-care field, Spears sponsored and saw enacted into law the first home health-care bill and the first bills that provided help for hemophiliacs and for autistic children. She served for many years on the Statewide Health Coordinating Council and was part of the steering committee which established the Hampshire County Retardation Center. She was one of three senators who wrote the bill authorizing the Rural Health Initiative. She served for a number of years as a member of the Visiting Committee (Advisory Board) for West Virginia University’s College of Medicine.

A strong advocate for protection of the family farm, Spears served 14 years on the West Virginia University Visiting Committee for Extension and Continuing Education.

for the West Virginia Branch, Literacy Volunteers of America, and was state president for two terms. She was a member from its inception of the Governor’s Literacy Council.

As a member of the Advisory Council for WNPB-TV, Morgantown, Spears became its chair for two years. She served as a member of the Advisory Commission of the Governor’s Task Force for Children and on the Advisory Board for the West Virginia Women’s Commission.

Senator Spears also served for many years on the state board of directors for the West Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges and recently was recognized for her contributions and support to Glenville State College, when that college named their board room in her honor.

An ardent advocate for veterans and the National Guard, Spears’ bill for employing and training veterans — the first such legislation in the nation — brought her a national award from the U.S. Department of Labor and Veterans Affairs. She was the first legislator to receive the state Veterans Council award, and was named an honorary brigadier general in the West Virginia National Guard. She served for a number of years on the executive board for the West Virginia Employers Support Group for the Guard and Reserve.

Spears was honored by the governor of North Carolina with an environmental award for her work in protecting the West Virginia portion of the New River. She received awards from the Professional Educators Association and the West Virginia Association of Retired School Employees. She was named woman of the year by the National League of American Pen Women and by the Elkins Branch of the B.P.W. She received the Susan B. Anthony Award from the state organization of N.O.W.

Following her legislative service, Spears was appointed by the governor and the Supreme Court to the Judicial Hearing Board.

Spears served both as a regular and an honorary board member for the Elkins YMCA, having established the first continuous women’s exercise program and nursery. She served for many years on the Randolph County Council for Human Services and was an honorary board member of Women’s Aid in Crisis.

She is listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who of American Women, Who’s Who in the World, Who’s Who in the South and Southwest, Who’s Who in Politics and Who’s Who in West Virginia.

Born Jan 5, 1923, in Latonia, KY, a daughter of the late James and Sylvia Fox Marshall Her husband, Colonel Lawrence E. Spears, retired, US Air Force career officer and past WV Deputy Commissioner of Commerce, preceded her in death on March 14, 1996.

Surviving are four children, Katherine Jae “Kitty” Cooper and husband Jim, Charleston, Marsha Bruce Spears, Austin, TX, Lawrence Michael “Larry” Spears and wife Judy, Raleigh, NC, and James Westbrooke “Jim” Spears and wife Ellen, Elkins; nine grandchildren, Katherine Cooper, Patrick Spears, Hunter Duncan, Andrew Spears and wife Tasha, Brooks Spears, Morgan Duncan, Logan Spears, Alex Spears and Lauren Spears; and one great-grandson, Anderson Spears.

A funeral ceremony will be held Saturday, at 2 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church, Elkins, with the Rev. Dr. Basil A. Hensley and the Rev. Barry R. Moll officiating. Interment will follow at the Beverly Cemetery at Beverly.

Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.lohrbarbfuneralhome.com Lohr & Barb Funeral Home, Elkins.

Golden Guy Auville, 70, of Bridgewater, VA, passed away on Wednesday, March 13, 2013 at Rockingham Memorial Hospital, Harrisonburg, VA.

Surviving are two daughters, Amanda Pittington and husband Steve and Fonda Harper and husband Tim all of Harrisonburg, VA; four grandchildren, Natalie Pittington, Lauren, Lindsey and Leah Harper; six sisters, Helen Sites of Elkins, Margaret Anderson, Reva Shull and Susan Cupp, all of Bridgewater, VA, Shirley Miller of Dayton, VA and Mary Brown of Phoenix, AZ.

He was also preceded in death by a sister, Eva Hartman, and six brothers, Granville, Richard, Calvin, Stanley, Harvey, and Marvin Auville.

A memorial service was held Saturday at Johnson Funeral Service Chapel in Bridgewater, VA with Pastor David R. Miller and Archie Webster officiating. Burial was private.

Memorial contributions may be made to American Heart Association 3025 Berkmar Dr., Charlottesville, VA 22901 or Montezuma Church of the Brethren 4937 Ottobine Rd. Dayton, VA 22821.

Obituaries are used with the permission of the Pendleton Times.

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2001, Janet Cooper

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