More May 2011 Nitro High School WV obituaries

Colleen Kaye Huff Kortz, 47, of Charleston passed away Sunday, May 29, 2011, at her home, surrounded by her loving family.
She was born July 26, 1963, in South Charleston and was a daughter of the late Harry and Helen Stevens Huff. Besides her parents, she was preceded in death by the father who raised her, Quentin Fisher; brothers, Steven Huff and Jeff Huff; and sisters, Beverly Huff and Debra Anne Huff Kortz.

She was a 1981 graduate of Nitro High School and graduated from West Virginia State University with a major in human resources management.

Colleen is survived by her husband, Tom; daughter, Jessica; sons, Adam and Colin; sister, Mindy (Jimmy) Lemon; brothers, Kevin Huff and Brian Huff; brothers- and sisters-in-law, Bobby and Susie Salisbury, Karla Huff and Stevie and Libby Kortz; nieces and nephews, Kelly, Jamie and Mary-Katherine Lemon, Robert, Andrew and Brittney Kortz, Kristopher Huff and Carmen and Frannie Salisbury; and faithful pets, Ace Von Churchill, Daisy Mae, Molly and Lucky.

To those of us who knew Colleen, she was a very special person. Her 10-year battle with breast cancer was fought courageously and without a complaint. The love of her life was her three children, whom she thoroughly enjoyed and cherished. She couldn't go a day without talking to them or at least thinking of them. Attending her kid's sporting events and coaching her oldest daughter, Jessica, in softball was her passion. Missing any event that her children were a part of was never an option. She did everything from spending weekends at the softball field to countless hours in the hot, steamy gymnasium for her youngest child, Colin's, wrestling matches. She proudly supported middle child, Adam's, decision to retire from sporting activities and focus on academics.

Colleen's love and acceptance for people spilled over into her career. She was employed by Target Corporation as a human resources manager. She was looked highly upon by her fellow employees as a loving and kind-hearted person who could relate to her co-workers on a more personal level than any other person inside of her industry. She was constantly rooting for the underdog and got great joy out of seeing them succeed.

When she wasn't at one of her own children's activities, she fully supported her six beautiful nieces and three handsome nephews in all of their athletic, educational and career endeavors.

Mary Edith Bird Hilleary, 89, of Cross Lanes moved to her new home in heaven on May 29, 2011, after a long illness.
Mary was born and raised in St. Albans and was the daughter of the late Silas and Savannah Bird. She met her late husband, Herbert Fred Hilleary, while he was working on old Route 60 in the St. Albans area. Fred served in the Army during WWII. Mary worked in Huntington in a tent factory, as she would say, “putting flaps on tents.” When Fred returned they were married and moved to Mill Creek, where they began raising five children, until his death in 1965 when she became a very single mom. She started working in a lumber mill until 1968 when she moved her family to Cross Lanes. She returned to school and received her GED and also had training as a teacher's aide. She worked in the Kanawha County school system as an aide and then as a cook until her retirement in 1962. Mary enjoyed being with her family, working in her church and quilting with her friends. She was an amazing Christian mother who sacrificed her time for her children. She will be greatly missed by all her family.
She is survived by her son, Herbert Hilleary; her daughter, Carol Hilleary; daughters and son-in-law, Yvonne Hilleary and Donald Ash, Susan Hilleary and Keith Perry and Mornalee and Clark Greene; grandson, Clark Anthony Greene; two granddaughters, Megan Perry Polly and Hillary Greene Billings; great-grandson, Brayden Billings; and a new great-granddaughter, Addison Ruth Billings, on the way.

James Addison Duffield Jr. of Cross Lanes died peacefully May 29, 2011, at the age of 90.
Jim was born November 30, 1920, in Charleston and was the son of the late James Addison and Esther Franklin Duffield. He was also preceded in death by his loving wife of 55 years, Ravina Casto Duffield; and his grandson, Lawrence Duffield.
Jim graduated from Charleston High School in 1939 and entered the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCCs) in 1941, went on to specialize in radio operations and mechanics as a radio range and high power communications servicing engineer at several air bases and was a radio mechanics instructor at Scott Field, Ill. Jim followed his love for radios and his country and entered World War II for the Army Air Corps in 1945. Jim reveled in retelling stories of his days as a Staff Sergeant - radio operator and navigator with the 1st Troop Carrier Squadron of the 443rd Troop Carrier Group. Over his three years in the service, flying the China-Burma-India Theatre, known as “The Hump,” Jim accumulated over 2000 flight hours on 273 missions and, by the grace of God, survived many dangerous encounters. Following the war, Jim did a brief stint in Alaska as a radio technician but returned to the warmer climate of Charleston to marry his sweetheart, Ravina, and to begin his 35-year career as an electronics engineer with Appalachian Power.
Jim continued his avid interest in radios, was a licensed amateur radio operator and was a founder and curator for the Antique Radio Museum in Huntington. Jim's faith and his church were always an important part of his life. He was a founder, deacon and Sunday school teacher for the First Baptist Church at Tyler Mountain and a Gideon lay preacher at other area churches.
Jim is survived by his daughter, Dianna Duffield Illig and her husband, Howard, of Weirton and their daughter, Brenda, his son, Larry Duffield and his wife, Deborah, of Cross Lanes; his daughter, Cathy Duffield Chestnut and her husband, Michael, of Charleston; and his daughter, Shelda Duffield Thorburn and her husband, Ronald, and their sons, Grant and Kenneth.

Edward J. Canterbury, 67, of Cross Lanes passed away at his residence Saturday, May 21, 2011.
He was born in Charleston and was the son of the late Chester and Edith Lawson Canterbury.
After Ed's retirement from Eskew, Smith and Cannon as a long-term salesman, he was a self-employed contractor with Hickman Assembly.
Mr. Canterbury is survived by his daughters and their husbands, Michelle Canterbury and Gary White of Charleston and Elizabeth Canterbury and Ron Tornes of Cross Lanes; his sister and her husband, Olivia Canterbury “Libby” and Jack Kelley of Jasper, Arkansas; three grandchildren, Allison White, Corey Tornes and Ashley Tornes; and his life partner of 16 years, Johanna Garnes of Cross Lanes and her children, Mike Garnes, and Rick Bowling, and their families.

Gerald Eugene Page, 74, of Cross Lanes passed away May 22, 2011.
He was born May 15, 1937, and was a son of Eugene “Gene” and Faye Page, who preceded him in death. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a brother, Darold Page.
Gerald was a member of Teamsters Local 175 and was a retired truck driver from Praxair. Prior to working for Praxair, he hauled heavy equipment for R.L. Jeffries Trucking. He loved to fish and looked forward to his annual fishing trip to Pocahontas County. He also loved to raise a garden. Gerald was an Army veteran with five years of service.
Left to cherish his life and memory are his wife, Virginia Mabe Page; son, Gerald Page “JR” and his wife, Cindi, of Charlotte, N.C., and their three children, Montana and her two children, Trinity and Tristan, Laramie and Jacob; daughter, Gwendolyn Page of St. Albans and her three children, Anthony, Joshua and Jeremy; daughter, Deborah Page and companion, Fredrick Wilmore, of Oxford, N.C., and their two children, Miles and Shelby; son (grandson), Anthony Page and his two children, Seth and Alyssa; brothers, Harold Page and his wife, Betty, of Kellys Creek, C. L. Page and his wife, Linda, of South Charleston and Jerry Page and his wife, Dee, of Charleston; and sister, Brenda Bavle and her husband, Bob, of Kenna.