Albert Cowles Gaither, age 88, a lifelong resident of Newton, NC, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, November 20, 2019 at Abernethy Laurels in Newton, NC. Born July 23, 1931 in Catawba County, NC, he was the son of the late William Cowles Gaither and Allie Comer Gaither. Continue reading
May 12, 1934 - February 9, 2020 Julia Ann Gaither Sharp, of Raleigh, died peacefully at William Dunlap Hospice Center in Raleigh, the morning of Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020. She was born May 12, 1934, to the late Ralph and Louise Gaither in Harmony. She was also preceded in death by her husband of 67 years, L.W. Sharp Jr. Surviving are her brother, Ned Gaither; daughters, Delaine Blinson (Mel), Mary Lou Rhodes (Tim), Carla Brewer (Mark) and Connie Sharp all of Raleigh; six grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 12, at Saint James United Methodist Church. Interment will follow at Raleigh Memorial Park. The family will receive friends from 1 to 2 p.m., at the church, prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Saint James UMC, 3808 Saint James Church Rd., Raleigh, NC 27604; or Transitions LifeCare, 250 Hospice Circle, Raleigh, NC 27607.
Ethel Ilene Koger began the final journey of her life on July 17, 2019 when she passed away after a long illness. She was the daughter of Norman L. and Alvena Widiger Montgomery, and was born on the 19th of April, 1925 in Morrison, OK. Most of her life was lived in Oklahoma. She married Robert L. Koger on October 21st, 1951 in Ponca City, OK. They were married by the Rev. Charlie Shedd. Ethel and Robert lived for a while in Arkansas City, KS. In 1955 they moved to Ponca City and have resided there ever since.
Ethel spent her working life in the food service industry, including 21 years at the Ponca City Country Club.
Her lifelong hobby was Genealogy and researching her own family history. She and her sisters took many trips to other states to look through dusty courthouse records and search old cemeteries for family names. Ethel traced two family lines back as far as Charlemagne of France. She was a member of the Jamestowne Society, the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Huguenot Society, Colonial Dames, and John Gaither Descendants. Continue reading
Leander Washington (L.W.) Sharp, Jr.
Raleigh
L.W. Sharp, Jr., died peacefully at his residence, early Sunday morning, 12/8/2019, after a brief illness. He was born on March 31, 1929 to the late Leander Washington Sharp, Sr. and Josie Bell Mullis Sharp in Hamptonville, NC.
Surviving are his wife of 67 years, Julia Ann Gaither Sharp; his daughters, Delaine Blinson (Mel), Mary Lou Rhodes (Tim), Carla Brewer (Mark) and Connie Sharp, all of Raleigh; six grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held 11:00 am Tuesday at Saint James United Methodist Church. Interment will follow at Raleigh Memorial Park.
The family will receive friends at the church on Tuesday from 10:00 am–11:00 am prior to the service.
Original obituary was published in The News & Observer on Dec. 9, 2019
Fall is here (Thank Goodness!) and the 400th anniversary of John Gaither’s arrival in Jamestown, Virginia is fast approaching. Larry Campbell and I looked at various venues to host our 2020 reunion while we were in Williamsburg in July. After discussion with the Board, we selected the Best Western Williamsburg Historic District Hotel. The dates for the reunion are
Thursday, June 4th through Sunday, June 7th, 2020. I am excited to announce that we were able to secure a room rate per night of $135.28 (taxes included). That rate is nearly ½ the amount quoted to us by other facilities. Because of the low cost, we expect our block of rooms to fill up quickly. Make your reservations EARLY! While this hotel is not a destination resort, it has all the amenities - - -pool, fitness center, restaurant, lounge and meeting rooms. Best of all, it has ample parking near your room and is located about one mile from Colonial Williamsburg. It is an easy walk! We will receive a full, hot buffet breakfast with our rooms. You are going to need a full breakfast because you will be busy the remainder of the day! As it stands now, the schedule is as follows: Continue reading
The m
arriage of John Gater and Mary Waters/Walters is recorded in St Luke’s Church, Chelsea, Middlesex, England on 31 Oct 1642. Thanks to Fredric Z Saunders for passing along this information. With the apparent birth date of John II, this would be the marriage of his parents, our ancestors. Research by Nancy Jones and Mary Jane Simpson show John Gater was back in England at this time according to court records.
By Nancy Jones
It has long been accepted, by Gaither and Beard families alike, that John Gaither married Ruth Beard. While there is circumstantial evidence supporting this claim, the absence of a record of their marriage has frustrated genealogists and invited doubt. Now, however, a newly discovered court case, from 1716-1717, establishes that Ruth Gaither is a Beard. This discovery, plus new, extensive research that we've undertaken into the Beard family, gives us the original source documentation needed to prove Ruth is a Beard and to refute claims to the contrary. Continue reading
Rachel (Cole) Gaither(1935 - 2018)
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Rachel Cole Gaither, born November 29th, 1935, was reunited with her beloved husband and best friend, Dr. James "Jim" Gaither, this Saturday, the 25th of August. Rachel and Jim were inseparable in life and throughout their 57 years of marriage they both shared a passion for serving the medical and health needs of the people of Catawba County. The health and welfare of the people of Catawba County was much more than a chosen vocation. It was truly a mission to which they mutually dedicated their lives. Continue reading