Unemployed textile workers in Southside Virginia took their pleas for help to legislators over the weekend, and they were heard.
The Textile Workers Relief Act will be introduced in the General Assembly by Southside legislators this week.
Del. W.W. "Ted" Bennett added his signature to the bill on Friday, joining Southside legislators in pushing the bill to increase unemployment benefits and provide health care relief to textile workers.
Del. Ward Armstrong, D-Henry, stopped at Bennett's Halifax home en route to Martinsville from Richmond last week so that Bennett could back the legislation. Bennett is recovering from cancer surgery at his home.
Approximately 400 Tultex workers lost jobs here in December when the sewing plant closed in South Boston.
The unemployment rate here was 8.4 percent before the December Tultex closing.
In Martinsville and Henry County, Armstrong said 4,000 to 5,000 textile workers have lost jobs due to several plant closings. Martinsville's unemployment rate is currently about 20 percent.
"We talked several times (about the bill) last week and worked to figure out a route that would pass," said Bennett yesterday.
"We are among the lowest in the country in terms of unemployment benefits."
"On $232, with a mortgage and car payment and food, medical insurance is the one that gives," said Armstrong. "They can't afford it."
If passed, the Textile Relief bill will offer help to qualifying households. Armstrong estimated those in the $27,000 to $28,000 bracket would be affected.
The bill would also remove the seven-day waiting period for unemployment benefits, according to the legislators.
Also, those available for shift work at least two of three shifts would not lose their unemployment benefits if they are in school retraining.
The Saturday forum at the Henry County Administration building drew 300 to 400 former textile workers. The jobless workers described their plight to several dozen state legislators and Congressman Virgil Goode, D-5th District.
The Textile Workers Relief Act of 2000 will increase unemployment allotments by 43 percent to a maximum of $332 a week, up from $232, in areas with jobless rates above 10 percent.
The Saturday forum in Henry County was organized by Armstrong, Barnie Day, D-Patrick, and Sen. Roscoe Reynolds, D-Henry, who will introduce the bill.

COLLINSVILLE, Va. (AP) - Unemployed textile workers pleaded with lawmakers Saturday to help them recover from the loss of thousands of jobs in Southside in recent months.
Nearly 4,000 textile workers have lost their jobs in Southside since 1993. Many of those job cuts came recently when Tultex closed its Martinsville textile plant. Martinsville's unemployment rate is now about 20 percent.
Between 300 and 400 people attended Saturday's forum at the Henry County Administration building. Jobless textile workers lined up to tell several dozen state lawmakers and U.S. Rep. Virgil Goode, D-5th, about the hardships they face.
''Textile is all I knew,'' said Frankie Lichens, who worked at Tultex for 35 years. ''I want (Gov. Jim) Gilmore to know, all is not well in the commonwealth.''
Many workers blamed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) for allowing manufacturers to ship jobs overseas and use cheap labor at foreign factories.
Katie Winnette said she had double bypass open heart surgery five years ago, resulting in an $80,000 hospital bill paid by her insurance from Hampton Industries. She will lose her coverage Feb. 25.
''If I have another heart attack and live, we'll lose everything,'' she said. ''NAFTA took my job and very well may take my life.''
Sen. Janet Howell, D-Fairfax, seemed moved by the testimonials.
''When we passed Tultex, I was struck by how barren everything was,'' Howell said. ''My district is getting richer because of NAFTA, but I'm convinced nobody knows the pain you are experiencing.''
The forum was organized by Dels. Ward Armstrong, D-Henry; Barnie Day, D-Patrick; and Sen. Roscoe Reynolds, D-Henry, who have introduced the Textile Workers Relief Act of 2000 in the General Assembly.
''We're committed to making Southside's economy the number one issue in the General Assembly. People are deciding whether to fill their oil barrels or fill their prescriptions. That's unacceptable,'' Day told the gathering.
The bill would increase unemployment allotments by 43 percent to a maximum of $332 a week in areas with jobless rates above 10 percent. Currently, the maximum unemployment compensation workers can receive is $232. Armstrong called that figure - which is $100 less than North Carolina's provision - ''wholly unacceptable.''
Other provisions provide continued health coverage and allowances for workers to enter retraining programs without the loss of their unemployment benefits.

The big, orange Virginia Department of Transportation trucks were on the roads again Sunday morning, as snow covered the area and closed schools today for the third time in less than a week.
Approximately one to three inches of snow fell on Halifax County throughout the day, with the highest concentrations falling in the southern end of the county, making road travel hazardous.
Assistant resident engineer Zach Weddle said VDOT crews had the primary roads in pretty good condition by 4:30 p.m. Sunday, but was just starting on the secondary routes.
"The primary roads are pretty clear. They're just wet now, but we're just getting on to the secondaries," he said Sunday afternoon.
"There has been a little traffic on these secondary roads, which has packed the snow down and made it extremely hard to get up in places, so I would advise using strong caution on these back roads," he added.
He said VDOT crews would continue to work through the night clearing secondary routes and treating cold patches where black ice might form.
"As the temperatures drop back down, certain areas will freeze up, so motorists definitely need to be careful," he advised.
South Boston Police Sgt. D.L. Blanks, who said there had been several reports concerning vehicles sliding off the roads into ditches, agreed.
"They've scraped the roads and have sand down, but the roads throughout the town limits are slushy and slick," he said, adding that as the temperatures drop at night, anything that was wet was going to turn to ice.
"You've got to be extremely careful and drive a lot slower than the speed limit."
Virginia Power crews were busy on Sunday as well, but the power outage that affected over 1,000 customers was not due to the snow, power company spokesperson Emmett Toms said.
"We had a pole there at highways 501 and 58 where a conductor or wire burned out shortly after noon," he said.
He said power crews had to open the circuit to prepare the conductor, which left 2,162 customers in that area without power.
"We fixed the conductor and had it back on by 12:53 p.m., however, due to cold weather and the power load due to people's heaters, etc., we couldn't pick all that load up at once," he explained. "We have to restore power in sections."
Toms said power had been restored to all but about 100 customers by 4:30 p.m. He added that the remaining customers should have power by 5 p.m.

A tractor-trailer rig snagged a guide wire and snapped a utility pole on Wilborn Avenue shortly after noon Friday knocking out electricity, telephone and cable television service to a number of businesses and homes as far as Centerville.
However, crews from Virginia Power arrived at the scene quickly and restored electrical services to the area in 16 minutes.
South Boston Police Sgt. D.L. Blanks identified the driver of the tractor-trailer rig involved in the 12:01 p.m. accident as Mark S. Ingle, 44, of Alexis, N.C.
Blanks stated that Ingle was traveling south on Wilborn Avenue and was making a right turn into the former Domino's Pizza lot located about 50 feet north of Easley Street when the trailer snagged the guide wire and snapped the utility pole, downing the utility wires.
A utility wire fell and struck an oncoming 1992 model auto driven by Roosevelt Jordan Jr. of South Boston.
Damage to the utility pole, which had to be replaced, was estimated at $1,000.
An estimated $100 damage was done to the car driven by Jordan. No damage was done to the 1997 model tractor-trailer rig driven by Ingle.
No charges were filed by Officer R.D. Edmunds in connection with the mishap.

A Halifax County Circuit Court Judge found a South Boston teen guilty of the September 30 armed robbery at One Valley Bank.
Timothy Ray Pannell, 17, of Poplar Creek Street, who was captured just minutes after the robbery, pleaded not guilty to the related charges of armed robbery, use of a firearm to commit robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, possession of a firearm under the age of 18, and brandishing a firearm at a law enforcement officer.
After Judge William L. Wellons overruled defense attorney Robert Morrison's motion to strike the Commonwealth's case, Pannell pleaded guilty to the additional charge of attempted obstruction of justice.
According to court records, Pannell entered the One Valley Bank branch located at Wilborn and Logan streets brandishing a .38-caliber snub-nose pistol containing five rounds of live ammunition.
He ordered two customers and all but one bank employee to hit the floor, then instructed that bank employee to fill a backpack with cash from several teller booths.
He exited the rear door and fled on foot, but was quickly tracked down by South Boston Police Officer Tim VanArnem, who stopped him near the Norfolk-Southern Railroad tracks.
Pannell reportedly stuck his gun in VanAernem's chest, but the officer disarmed the teen and took him into custody.
Officers recovered the backpack full of money, as well.
Wellons ordered Pannell to remain in jail until a presentence report is prepared for the next term of court.
Conspiracy charges against another teenage suspect charged in connection with the robbery were dismissed.

Halifax County Administrator Dan Sleeper and South Boston Town Manager Ted Daniel will present the Board of Supervisors with a possible solution to their landfill woes when they meet tonight.
Currently, both the county and the Town of South Boston are wrestling with different problems, but Sleeper and Daniel believe these problems could be solved by putting the county's solid waste in South Boston's landfill.
"What we both have are unlined landfills. While those were permitted years ago, there has been an emphasis by the state and Department of Environmental Quality to close these out and go to lined landfills," Daniel said.
The county landfill is receiving more solid waste than it can handle and is growing too high, according to Sleeper.
"When it gets too high, the trash blows in the air, and the county gets cited by the state," he said.
However, Sleeper said there are design problems that need to be addressed with the county's lined landfill in the Bethel Community before it can be used.
South Boston's landfill doesn't have enough solid waste to close, which could cost the town if it has to truck in dirt to fill it to the desired height, Daniel said.
"County landfill sights 2 and 3 are ready for closure. They are built up as high as they need to be. But the town's unlined landfill still has capacity left," Daniel explained. "We've had several studies done as far as our remaining capacity, and based on the current elevation for the area, the landfill could go for about 10 years at the rate we are filling in."
However, there is an increasing emphasis by the state to go ahead and close, he added.
"We might have to close the town's landfill within four years," Daniel said.
Daniel and Sleeper plan to propose a "memorandum of understanding."
"Perhaps we can use the county's residential and construction trash, which is the same as what we're currently putting in ours, rather than starting to use the county's lined facility now," Daniel said. "Why not incorporate the solid waste for the next three to four years, which would help us build ours up to the desired elevation and eventually cap it off?"
By that time, Sleeper said the design problems could be addressed, and both the county and town could use the new lined system in the Bethel Community.

The Halifax County Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing tonight to receive comment on a proposed Transportation Enhancement Grant to help develop the Staunton River Trail.
The 7 p.m. public hearing will be held in the second floor Conference Room of the Mary Bethune Complex in Halifax.
The Staunton River Trail is a recreational byway slated to run from the Staunton River Park to the Staunton River Battlefield Park at Randolph.
The grant would provide the necessary funds to begin the project. The proposed trail could be used by those riding bicycles, by pedestrians and by horseback riders.
The proposed Transportation Enhancement Grant is from the Virginia Department of Transportation.

A South Boston man was bitten twice by a rabid fox outside his home on Powell Road Thursday afternoon.
While neither bite broke the skin, Halifax County Health officials say it is unclear if the man, whose identity is being withheld, will need to undergo treatment.
According to Lt. Rick Loftis with the South Boston Police Department, the victim was fetching some wood on Thursday afternoon when the fox ran out from underneath the woodshed and bit him on the ankle.
"The man knocked the fox on the head with a stick of wood, and when he bent down to look at him, the fox came at him and bit him again," Loftis said.
The man then ran inside and called for help, Loftis said, and South Boston Animal Control Officer Terri Farris responded to the call and disposed of the fox.
The remains tested positive for the rabies virus at the State Veterinary Office in Lynchburg, Loftis said.
"This is our first case within the town limits (and the entire county) this year, and hopefully it will make people aware," Loftis said. "Wild animals, like the fox, are usually shy and will just run away. If they hang around, most likely there's something wrong, and you should contact the authorities."
Last year, there were three confirmed rabies cases, involving two racoons and one skunk, in South Boston, while six, involving two raccons and four skunks, were recorded in Halifax County, according to health department records.
None of these cases involved human contact.

Last season Comets guard Fred Price sank the E.C. Glass Hilltoppers by hitting a shot at the final buzzer.
But, Friday night, the Comets never got to launch a potential game winning shot.
In the final 44 seconds, Halifax County turned the ball over and, despite two opportunities, failed to pull the trigger.
As a result, the Comets were left shouldering a disappointing 53-52 loss to the Hilltoppers in Lynchburg.
"I guess that was the pressure on the guys because we had been getting our shots off fairly well," remarked Comets coach Garrett Dillard.
"We just didn't make the little plays down the stretch."
The loss marked the fifth consecutive loss for the Comets who dropped to 5-7 on the season.
And, the loss, the Comets' second consecutive loss in district play, left them in the cellar in the Western District with a 0-2 mark.
"We're disappointed," Dillard said.
"But, the guys are still upbeat. They're confident. They made the statement that if we continue to play this well we'll eventually win some ball games."
Dillard pinned his victory hopes on William Jennings who had scored 23 points for the Comets and had led the Comets in rebounding going into the final minute and a half of the contest.
But, Jennings never got a chance to touch the basketball during that final 44 second span.
"We wanted him to be the man down the stretch," Dillard said.
"The plan was to work the ball around until we could get William Jennings open in the post. We didn't think they (Glass) could stop him.
" I thought if we could get him the ball he was either going to get fouled or he was going to score," added Dillard.
" But we never got to a point where we could throw it to him in the post."
The Comets trailed by three points until Jennings scored with 1:27 left in the contest to put the Comets within one point at 53-52.
Halifax came up with a steal with 44 seconds to play, creating an opportunity for the Comets to come up with the winning shot.
With 30 seconds to play, the Comets fired a pass to center Cardell Mosley deep into the paint but the Hilltoppers wrestled the ball away and sped to the other end of the floor.
That play could have been a killer bullet for the Comets. But, they dodged it when a Glass turnover gave them the ball back with 21.1 seconds to play.
Halifax ran several seconds off of the clock before Comets guard Fred Price spotted Dashawn Baird, who had scored eight points in the game, in the corner. Price fired a quick pass to Baird but the pass was a little off the mark and Baird couldn't handle the throw.
Baird saved the ball from sailing out of bounds by firing it to Josh Milam. But the Comets weren't able to get the ball into position to get a shot off before the final buzzer sounded.
"Baird was spotted up in the corner," Dillard said.
"He had been making that shot fairly well. We threw it (the pass) but it was little in front of him and he didn't catch it.
"Milam did a good job of saving it," continued Dillard.
"We got it back with possibly time to call a time-out. But, I know when the ball is bouncing around like that it it's hard."
Jennings admitted that the loss was tough to take. But, he pointed out that there was also a good side.
"It's a bad loss because we're in last place in the district now," Jennings said.
"But, the game was not that bad because we played the hardest game we've played in this season and we're looking better. If we play as hard as we played in this game and keep getting better, we can still come out pretty good."
Jennings, who scored a lot of tough points in the paint, refused to take sole credit for what was one of his best scoring performances of the season.
"That comes from the rest of the team," Jennings said.
"Everybody played together and played hard. As long as everybody plays hard it doesn't matter who scores."
The game was another typically close Halifax County-E.C. Glass contest with seven lead changes and four ties in the fourth quarter.
Yet, it wasn't one of the more sterling games for either team as numerous turnovers plagued both clubs.
The Comets committed 27 turnovers in the game and Glass didn't do a lot better.
Price, who scored 11 points in the contest, and Jennings, gave the Comets a quick 3-0 lead before the Hilltoppers ran off three quick baskets to go up 6-3.
Jennings deadlocked the game for the Comets with just over two minutes to play in the opening stanza. And, with two free throws by Jennings and a three-point field goal by Price, the Comets took a 13-11 lead at the end of the first period.
Jennings opened the second period with a pair of free throws that gave the Comets a 15-11 lead.
But, when the Comets turned the ball over five times in the next three minutes of the period, Glass went on an 8-0 run and took a 19-15 lead.
The Comets trailed by four when they were hit by a technical foul. But, they escaped a big blow there as Glass hit only one of the two free throws and missed the shot on their possession, and fell only five point down.
Halifax, with a free throw each from Mosley and Baird and a basket from Price, cut the Hilltoppers' lead to a single digit at 25-24 at the half.
Baird hit the opening shot of the second half to give the Comets a 26-25 lead.
The Comets built a four point edge at one point in the period, that coming on a basket by Jennings with 2:11 left to play in the period.
But, the Hilltoppers scored in the final minute and left the Comets holding a 38-36 lead after three periods.
Glass hit the opening basket of the fourth period to tie the game and launch the see-saw battle to the wire.

Halifax County High School basketball coach Garrett Dillard has said over the past few weeks that his team will eventually dig itself of the big hole that it has fallen into.
The Comets took a huge step in that direction here Saturday afternoon with a 72-61 win over Dinwiddie.
Saturday's victory snapped the Comets' five game losing streak and pushed them to a 6-7 overall mark.
"It feels great," Dillard said of his team's victory over the scrappy Dinwiddie team.
"This is what we've been waiting on. Hopefully, we can let this carry us on through the rest of the season."
For the first time in several weeks, the Comets packaged all of the positive facets of their game into one tidy bundle.
The defense was solid, the field goal shooting came around, the rebounding effort was good, and, the Comets hit 69 percent of their free throws, their best mark of the season.
"This is the way we expect to play," Dillard said.
"The way we played today was the same way we played at (E.C.) Glass (Friday night) except we didn't have as many turnovers.
"I thought we did the things we needed to do defensively," continued Dillard.
"We didn't have a bunch of turnovers. We got some easy shots off of the fast break and had some slam dunks. We did a decent job on the boards. We made out free throws. We made some outside shots. That's the way I've been expecting us to play."
The Comets scoring effort was the most balanced in recent games with William Jennings leading the way with 17 points and Fred Price knocking down 15 points. Comets center Cardell Mosley, in what was, by far, his best effort to date, scored 13 points.
Sterling Williams scored nine points, Carleton Roach pitched in eight points, and Josh Milam scored five points.
That effort, Dillard pointed out, came against a pretty solid Dinwiddie team.
Dinwiddie, with four of its five starters from last year on the floor, entered the game with a 5-9 mark. But, that record doesn't reflect the true mark of the Generals.
Six of its nine losses came by margins of two points or less. And, the Generals had won a district game the night before.
"This (Dinwiddie) is a pretty good ball team," Dillard pointed out.
"They're playing well in the Richmond area and are playing at or around .500. They've got some good ball players."
Dinwiddie led the first four and a half minutes of the contest, building a four point lead twice.
Price kicked off what would become a 10-0 Comet run over the final three minutes and 40 seconds of the period with a layup and a three-point field that put the Comets head for the first time in the game at 9-8.
A basket by Sterling Williams, and a free throw and field goal from Mosley closed the run and vaulted the Comets to a 14-8 lead.
Two free throws by Price and basket by Roach in the wake of a steal by Price, added four more unanswered points to the Comets flurry and put the Comets up 18-8 with 7:10 left in the half.
Dinwiddie broke what was a near six minute scoring drought with a basket with 6:35 left in the half. But, Price answered with a three-pointer that put the Comets up 21-10 with 6:20 to go.
The Generals turned up the heat on defense and made what was to be their final big run at the Comets.
With four unanswered baskets, the Generals pulled to within three points of the Comets with 4:58 left in the half.
They stayed within four points until the Comets launched a spirited run that had a three-point field goal from Josh Milam sandwiched between a pair of baskets from Jennings. That pushed the Comets' lead back to 11 points with 1:25 left in the half.
Dinwiddie, with four points in the final minute and 12 seconds of the half, cut the Comets' lead to nine points at 37-28 at the half.
The Comets put the game away in the first two and a half minutes of the second half.
Jennings opened the Comets scoring, Mosley got a big bucket inside and Jennings hit another to give the Comets a 6-0 run and a 43-28 lead with 5:38 left in the period.
The Comets held their own the rest of the period, maintaining leads ranging from 10 to 14 points.
After leading by 11 at the end of the third period, the Comets got baskets from Williams and Mosley early in the fourth period that netted 13 point advantages on both occasions.
Dinwiddie attempted one last run at the Comets and chipped the Comets advantage to eight points with 3:15 left in the game and was within nine points with 1:44 left in the contest.
But, when the Generals were forced to start fouling the Comets in an attempt to get the ball back, the Comets responded with Jennings hitting seven of his eight free throws down the stretch and Mosley adding a slam dunk for good measure.
That was good enough to push the Comets' edge to as high as 15 points and allow them to settle for a 13 point win.
While the Comets had things pretty much their way and built sizeable leads in the final two stanzas, Dillard said he never relaxed.
"When you've lost five games in a row you keep thinking anything can happen," Dillard remarked.
"You don't want to ever get comfortable because the next thing you know, they hit a couple of three-pointers and cut the lead to five or six points with 25 or 30 seconds to play. Then, you might miss your free throws or something else happens. You just never know."

Loraine Starkey McDonald, age 60, of Buffalo Junction, died at the University of Va. Medical Center on January 20, 2000.
Mrs. McDonald was born on December 19, 1939, the daughter of Harold Starkey and was married to Edward Stonewall McDonald. She was reared in Cannonsburg, Pa.
Survivors include her husband; four sons, Scott McDonald of Harrisonburg, Joseph McDonald of Spottsylvania, Darryl McDonald of Montclair and Daniel McDonald of Lake Ridge; one sister, Ruth Lacey of Harrisonburg; and four grandchildren.

Funeral services were held January 22 at 11 a.m. at Watkins Cooper Lyon Chapel in Clarksville with Rev. Gary Long officiating. Burial followed at Oakhurst Cemetery in Clarksville.

Elizabeth Judson Nichols, age 89, of Mt. Laurel Road, Clover, died January 20, 2000, at Halifax Regional Hospital.
Ms. Nichols was born August 14, 1910, in Halifax County the daughter of Coleman McCalvin Nichols and Fannie Palmer Nichols. She was a member of Clover Baptist Church where she was a long time Sunday school teacher. She was also a member of the Virginia Retired Teachers Association, Halifax County Retired Teachers Association, and Clover Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary. She was a retired teacher with 45 years of service, with the Halifax County School System.
Funeral services were held at Clover Baptist Church on January 23 at 2 p.m. with Rev. Tom Walker officiating. Burial was in the Clover Cemetery.
Survivors of Ms. Nichols include one brother and sister-in-law, Bryan W. and Lucille B. Nichols of Clover; and a number of nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by three brothers, W.O., Thomas Sr. and Louis Nichols; and one sister, Alice N. Salmon.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider Clover Baptist Church, PO Box 306, Clover.

Luther Layfette Ingram of 2028 Dr. Merritt Rd., Nathalie died January 22 at The Woodview in south Boston. He was born February 5, 1911 and was 88 years old.
Mr. Ingram was the son of the late Charlie Hudson Ingram and Fannie Spencer Ingram.
He was a veteran of World War II and survived the attack on Pearl Harbor. He also served with the United States Army during the Korean Conflict.
He is survived by two brothers, Arthur Ingram of Nathalie and Garland Ingram of Los Angeles, Cal.; and two sisters, Edith I. Powell of South Boston and Elizabeth I. Martin of Nathalie. He was preceded in death by two sisters and three brothers.
Funeral services wil be held at Brooks Funeral Home Chapel tomorrow at 11 a.m. with the Rev. David Dickerson officiating. Burial will take place in the Winns Creek Baptist Church cemetery.
Visitation will be held at Brooks Funeral Home tonight from 7:00 until 8:30.

Mrs. Janie Anderson Ingram of 1158 Dr. Merritt Road, Nathalie died January 22 at her home.
She was born in Halifax County on June 15, 1908 and was 91 years old.
She was the daughter of Lee Anderson and Lottie Paulina Guthrie Anderson and was married to Charlie Phillip Ingram. She was a member of Catawba Baptist Church.
Mrs. Ingram is survived by a special niece and nephew, Lois Anderson and Weldon Anderson.
Funeral services will be held today at 2 p.m. at Catawba Baptist Church with the Rev. Ed Griffin and the Rev. Joseph Glass conducting. Burial will take place in the church cemetery.

James H. Holden of 725 Easley St., South Boston died Friday, January 21 at the Halifax Regional Hospital at the age of 84.
He was born in Durham, N.C. on May 5, 1915 and was the son of the late Patilda Holden and Connie Holden. He was married to Leathe Adams Holden.
Mr. Holden is survived by his wife; and one sister, Dorothy Covington of Durham, N.C.
Memorial services will be held tomorrow at 1 p.m. at the Greater Mayfield Apostolic Church with the elder Bernard Wilkins officiating.
The family will receive friends at the home of the deceased.

Luther Dean Lewis of 8183 Hunting Creek Road, Clover, died January 22 at Halifax Regional Hospital. He was born in Halifax County June 3, 1911 and was 88 years old.
Mr. Lewis was the son of the late Maurice W. Lewis and Maude Grace Lewis and was married to Lois Bomar Lewis. He was a member of the Mount Laurel United Methodist Church and the Mount Laurel Rurital Club.
Survivors include his wife; two sons, Bill D. Lewis and wife Betty of Chesterfield and John 'Johnny' W. Lewis and wife Ann of Mount Laurel; two grandsons, Steve Lewis and wife Leslie of Mount Laurel and Mike Lewis and wife Terry of Chesterfield; one granddaughter, Sharon Dance and husband Mike of Chesterfield; and five great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held Wednesday at 2 p.m. at Mount Laurel United Methodist Church with the Rev. Fred Clemens officiating. Burial will take place in the church cemetery.
The family will receive friends at Powell Funeral Home tomorrow from 7:00 until 8:30 p.m. and other times at the home.

Anthony Irving Hoffman of South Boston died Saturday, January 22 at the age of 47.
He is survived by his wife, Veroncia K. Hoffman; one sister, Yvette McGee of Tulsa, Ok.; and one brother, Carnell Hoffman of Woodbridge.
Funeral services will be held Wednesday at 11 a.m. at Mt. Olive Baptist Church in South boston with the Rev. Dr. James M. Crowder officiating. Burial will follow at Rose Garden Cemetery.
The family will receive friends at their home, 1121 Hunter's Lane, South Boston.