NHS WV obituaries update for May

Buel “Leonard” Gibson, 76, of Nitro was called to home to be with the Lord on May 27, 2011.
He was born May 5, 1935 in Fraziers Bottom, a son of Floyd W. and Mable Gibson.
Leonard was a retired meat cutter for NiteOwl Superette for 32 years.
He is survived by his loving wife of 59 years, Shirley; daughters, Barbara Gibson Rodrigo and her husband Herman of South Carolina, and Pamela Gibson Lemon of Nitro; grandson, Timothy Lemon and his wife Missy of St. Albans; great-grandchildren, Zachery and Merewyn; sister, Neada Pauley of St. Albans; brothers, Bobby Gibson of Poca, Floyd Gibson of St. Albans, and Darrell Gibson of Hurricane.

Sandra Sue Vance Good, 64, of South Charleston went home to the Lord Thursday, May 19, 2011 at Hubbard Hospice House after a short battle with cancer.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Cecil V. And Melva Coffman Vance, and brothers, Michael Vance and Eddie Vance.

She was a former employee of Black Diamond Girl Scout Council and Robin Godfrey, attorney-at-law, and was very active in the Nitro High School Alumni Reunion.

She is survived by her companion of 30 years, Carl Edward Pauley; sons, Tony, Darrin and Steven Good; stepchildren, Jody Hensley, Becky Parker, Carl E. Pauley II and Tina Pauley Roberts; brothers, John, Pat and Sam Vance; sisters, Jackie Taylor, Sharon Layne and Terri Vance; and many grandchildren and friends.

Kimberly “Kym” Dawn Canfield, 43, of Cross Lanes passed away May 15, 2011, at UPMC Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pa., after a long illness.

Kym was preceded in death by her sister, Kelli Canfield Gilfilen; paternal grandparents, Edward and Bessie Canfield; and maternal grandfather, William “Bill” Graham, all of Clay County.

Kym attended Cross Lanes Elementary and Nitro High School. She also attended Community Chapel Church in her youth.

Kym is survived by her children: daughter, Nicole Canfield; and sons, Nathan Canfield of Duck and Josh Lewis of Nitro. Also surviving is a grandson, Thomas Lewis of Nitro.

Kym is also survived by her parents, Leonard Canfield and wife, Sandy, of Canal Fulton, Ohio, and Sharon Given of Charleston; sister, Krista Given Vallandingham of Cross Lanes; grandmother, Janet Graham of Indore; a niece and a nephew; and many aunts, uncles and cousins.

George Lester Tinsley, 82, of Big Tyler Road passed away Sunday, May 15, 2011, at Cedar Ridge Nursing Facility, Sissonville, following a brief illness.

George was born February 24, 1929, in Charleston. He was preceded in death by his parents, James P. and Stella M. Tinsley; and sister, Louise Wood.

George was a shoe salesman from early on. He started working at Banks/ Matz department store in Nitro during high school. He went to Great Atlantic Shoe Company and later opened Classic Shoe Store in Dunbar. He also worked at Security America until December 2010 at the age of 81.

Survivors include son, Pat Tinsley and wife, Donna, of Cross Lanes; daughter, Lou Tinsley Dodd and companion, Rick Withrow, of Cross Lanes; four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren; and PaPaw's “special boy,” Ricky Wilkerson.

George H. Beckwith Jr. of Nitro passed away peacefully May 12, 2011, after a very sudden and quick battle with cancer. He passed at Hubbard Hospice House, surrounded by his family.

George was born June 27, 1951, in Charleston and was a lifelong resident of the Nitro-St. Albans area. He was a graduate of St. Albans High School, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, a Freemason, a former commanding officer in the American Legion Post 20 and was terminal manager for Essroc Cement, Nitro.

George worked at the Nitro terminal for 30 years. While owned by Essroc, he was awarded the highest honor in the corporation, the Essroc Service Above Self Award. George and the terminal received many other awards including the Essroc President's Spiral Award for Excellence, the Essroc Excellence in Service Award and the Distinguished Achievement Award from Essroc.

For 27 years, he was a loving and devoted husband and best friend to his wife, Linda Brown Beckwith of Nitro; and a loving and supporting father to Lisa Beckwith Smith and Anthony Smith, both of Annapolis, Md. In addition to his wife and children, George is survived by his father, George H. Beckwith Sr. of Nitro; sister, Cathy Beckwith Blankenship of Charlotte, N.C.; special pal, Jayden Zickefoose of Charleston; nieces and nephews, Michelle Blankenship, Bart Blankenship, Kandace McDonald, Noah McDonald, Brittney Beckwith and Brooke Beckwith; one great-niece and three great-nephews.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Lena Parsons Beckwith; and siblings Delores Beckwith Capehart, David W. Beckwith and Beth Beckwith McDonald.

George will be remembered as a peaceful and laid-back man. He always had a smile, a wave, a kind word and a helping hand.

Michael David Miller II
Mr. Michael David "Mikey" Miller II, 28, of Nitro passed away unexpectedly May 6, 2011.
Surviving Mikey are his father, Michael "Mike" Miller of Nitro; mother, Deborah Perkins of Cross Lanes; sister, Tana Miller Burford and brother-in-law, Dale Burford, of Hurricane; special nephew, Cayden Briscoe; and grandparents, Joe and Gaynell Snodgrass of Scott Depot, Eddie and Kathy Hilbert of St. Albans and Ferriel Craigo of Eleanor. He is also survived by many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends who will always cherish Mikey's memory.
Mikey attended Winfield schools. His favorite things were listening to old rock and roll music and playing his guitar. Mikey was playing his new guitar at the time of his death.

Ralph R. “Mickey” Wallace Jr., 88, of St. Albans passed away Wednesday, May 4, 2011, in Tampa, Fla., surrounded by his family. Ralph was born on June 22, 1922, in Nitro. He was a 1940 graduate of Nitro High School, as well as a 1943 graduate of West Virginia University, where he was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity.

As a longtime resident of St. Albans, Ralph was involved in civic organizations, including the Rotary Club, Catholic War Veterans and Knights of Columbus. He was a founding member of the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Nitro and a longtime member of St. Francis of Assisi Church in St. Albans. Ralph helped start the Winfield Rotary Club. He was a retired Colonel in the West Virginia National Guard where he served as Chief of Staff. He established Wallace Insurance Agency, which later became Insurance Exchange where he worked with his partners and friends until his retirement. During his career, he also acted as State Representative for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and served as president of the Professional Insurance Agents of West Virginia. Ralph also was active in the St. Albans Planning and Zoning Board. He was a longtime member and chair of the State Board of Risk Management.

Ralph is survived by his children; son, Michael Raymond Wallace of Cross Lanes; and daughters Barbara Wallace Pippinger and Ann Marie Wallace of Tampa, Fla.; son-in-law, Richard G. Pippinger of Tampa, Fla., and daughter-in-law, Lorna D. Wallace of Cross Lanes; grandchildren, Richard Brian Pippinger of St. Petersburg, Fla., Katherine Ann Pippinger of Orlando, Fla., and Benjamin Michael Wallace of Cross Lanes.

Ralph was preceded in death by his parents, Ralph and Mary “Marie”; and loving wife of 50 years, Mary Wallace.

Ralph spent much of his time with his friends and family in West Virginia and at the beaches of Anna Maria Island, Fla., where he spent many of his last years. He enjoyed spending time in the mountains at Snowshoe during the summer. Ralph could always be counted on for an insightful and amusing story about times gone by and the relevance that it still held today. Ralph's greatest joy in life was always his friends and family, and sharing his wisdom, opinions and secrets on how to live a successful and happy life. He will be greatly missed, but those who were touched by his life will carry a piece of him wherever we go.

Arthur V. King

Arthur V. King, 71, of Nitro went home to be with the Lord May 6, 2011.

Arthur was the devoted husband of his childhood sweetheart, Ruby D. King (Jones), now deceased, and faithful father of two children, Debbie King Bush (Joe) of Simpsonville, S.C., and Brian King (Michelle) of Caldwell, Ohio. He also leaves behind four grandchildren, Sarah Bush French, Kerri Bush, Jeanna Bush and Joshua King.

Arthur was retired from and a member of the Cross Lanes Bible Church.

There will be a memorial service at the church at 10 a.m. Monday, May 9.

Arthur requested that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to HospiceCare.

William Edison Kyle
William "Bill" Edison Kyle was born on March 10, 1927 in Peytona, Boone County. Bill passed away on May 4, 2011 after a serious illness.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents, Charles Kyle and Pearl Keiffer Kyle; his two sisters, Virginia Shepard of Tucson, Ariz., and Betty Olmes of Florida; and his two brothers, Charles Kyle of Charleston and Lt. Darwin Kyle, who was killed in the Korean War and awarded the Medal of Honor for his service. Bill was also preceded in death by his first wife, Lois Kyle.

Bill is survived by his loving wife, Rose Kyle of Cross Lanes. He is also survived by his three sons, Michael (Joanne) Kyle of Cross Lanes, Patrick (Ginny) Kyle of Birmingham, Ala., and Dennis (Debra) Kyle of Hurricane; his two step-daughters, Catherine Gilbert of Scott Depot and Elizabeth (Tony) Benedetto of Elkview; his seven grandchildren, Brianne Kyle Taylor, Kimberly Kyle, W. Brent Kyle, Matt Kyle, Megan Kyle, Bre Erin Kyle and Brittany Kyle; his two great-grandchildren, Jayden Taylor and Neva Marie Kyle; and many nieces and nephews. Bill is also survived by his sister, Mabel Foster, of Chatsworth, Ga.

Bill was the owner of Carpet Mart in St. Albans. He was a U.S. Navy veteran, having served his country in World War II.