Person Page - 4202

     George Dewey Powell was buried at Evergreen Burial Park, 1307 Summit Ave SW, Roanoke, Virginia.¹ His Social Security Number was 719-03-5712.⁴ He was born on September 26, 1898 at Bent Mountain, Roanoke Co., Virginia; His death certificate has a birth year of 1896.^1,2,4 He married Elzora Arizona Wickham, daughter of Landon William "Willie" Wickham and Harriett Isabella Woodward, circa 1923.^1,3 George Dewey Powell died on January 17, 1975 at Roanoke, Virginia, at age 76.¹

     Okey Viola Powell was buried at Florida National Cemetery, 6502 SW. 102nd Ave., Bushnell, Sumter Co., Florida.^3,5 She was born on December 16, 1924 at Roanoke Co., Virginia.^3,4,5,6,8 She died on December 31, 1994 at Alachua Co., Florida, at age 70.^3,4,5,6,7

     His Social Security Number was 226-28-3150.⁷ George Wilson Powell was born on December 24, 1925 at Roanoke, Virginia.^3,4,5,8,7,6 He married Carrie Marie Bell on February 15, 1947 at Roanoke Co., Virginia.⁴ George Wilson Powell died on August 30, 1988 at Sumter Co., Florida, at age 62.^5,7,8

     Kandy Sue Rhoades was born on February 2, 1955 at Mason Co., West Virginia.^3,2 She died on January 21, 2012 at Tallahassee, Leon Co., Florida, at age 56.³

     Bonnie Rae Rhoades was buried at Suncrest Cemetery, Point Pleasant, Mason Co., West Virginia.^1,2 She was born on October 16, 1949 at Gallipolis, Gallia Co., Ohio.² She died on November 20, 1949 at Mason Co., West Virginia.²

     Myrtle Leona Rumburg was buried at Monte Vista Park Cemetery, Bluefield, Mercer Co., West Virginia.³ She was born on December 1, 1890 at Montgomery Co., Virginia.^1,4 As of April 26, 1906,her married name was Wickham.¹ She married Noel Freeman Wickham Sr., son of Rev. Samuel Kinzie Wickham and Mary Jane DeWeese, on April 26, 1906 at Kimball, McDowell Co., West Virginia.^1,3,5 Myrtle Leona Rumburg died on March 30, 1966 at Bluefield, Mercer Co., West Virginia, at age 75.³ She Mrs. Noel F. Wickham, Sr. , 76, of 1906 Vineyard St. died Wednesday morning at the Hopemont Sanitarium, where she had been a patient. She was born in Bluefield and was a member or the Trinity Methodist Church and the Order of the Eastern Star. Her husband preceded her in death. Survivors include three sons, Reginald R. and Noel F. Wickham Jr. of Bluefield, Albert Scott Wickham of Winter Park, Fla; and eight grandchildren. Funeral services will be conducted at Hawkins Funeral Home Saturday at ll a.m. with Rev. Bill Deal officiating. Burial will be in Monte Vista Park Cemetery. on March 31, 1966.³

     His Social Security Number was 233-09-7953.⁹ Reginald Rumburg Wickham was buried at Monte Vista Park Cemetery, Bluefield, Mercer Co., West Virginia.⁴ He was born on May 14, 1912 at McDowell Co., West Virginia.^3,4,9 He married Helen Grace Sisson on September 13, 1938 at Bland Co., Virginia.^3,4,10 Reginald Rumburg Wickham died on March 25, 1982 at Salem, Roanoke Co., Virginia, at age 69.⁴

     His Social Security Number was 233-09-5125.³ Albert Scott Wickham was buried at Palm Cemetery, Winter Park, Orange Co., Florida.⁵ He married Mary Lee Martin.¹¹ Albert Scott Wickham was born on March 15, 1916 at Bluefield, Mercer Co., West Virginia.^3,4 He died on November 2, 1995 at Orange Co., Florida, at age 79.^3,4

     His Social Security Number was 717-10-2008.² Noel Freeman Wickham Jr. was buried at Woodlawn Memorial Park, Bluewell, Mercer Co., West Virginia.⁵ He was born on January 23, 1921 at Bluefield, Mercer Co., West Virginia.² He married Elnora Louise Cheyney on December 31, 1949 at Bluefield, Mercer Co., West Virginia.^11,12,4 Noel Freeman Wickham Jr. married Evelyn Stephens on February 12, 1965 at Bluefield, Mercer Co., West Virginia.³ Noel Freeman Wickham Jr. died on November 21, 2005 at Tazewell Co., Virginia, at age 84.^2,13

     His Social Security Number was 719-03-9163.³ John White Wickham was buried at Monte Vista Park Cemetery, Bluefield, Mercer Co., West Virginia.³ He was born on January 29, 1907 at Kimball, McDowell Co., West Virginia.³ He married Mary Esther/Easter Marshall in 1941.⁴ John White Wickham John W. Wickham, 47, of 2428 Fairfield Ave., Bluefield, died yesterday evening at 6:30 at St. Luke’s Hospital following an illness of several months. He was a member of the Bland Street Methodist Church, the Bland Street Choir, and a member of Bluefield Masonic Lodge No. 85. For 26 years he was employed by the Norfolk and Western Railway. Survivors include his wife, the former Miss Mary Easter Marshall; two children; Weeta Jane and John Marshall; his parents, Mr. and Mrs. N. F. Wickham, three brothers; Reginald, Scott and Noel, Jr., all of Bluefield. He was preceded in death by one brother, Dennis K. Wickham. The body will remain at Hawkins Funeral Home pending completion of funeral arrangements. on April 22, 1954.⁴ He died on April 22, 1954 at Bluefield, Mercer Co., West Virginia, at age 47.³

     Dennis Kinzie Wickham was buried at Monte Vista Park Cemetery, Bluefield, Mercer Co., West Virginia.² He was born on November 9, 1908 at Wilmore, Jessamine Co., Kentucky.² He married Elnora Louise Cheyney on June 15, 1935 at Bluefield, Mercer Co., West Virginia.^2,6 Dennis Kinzie Wickham died on August 10, 1946 at Panther, McDowell Co., West Virginia, at age 37; Struck by a car.²

     Elnora Louise Cheyney was buried at Monte Vista Park Cemetery, Bluefield, Mercer Co., West Virginia.³ She was born on August 19, 1911 at Portsmouth, Scioto Co., Ohio.^3,4 As of June 15, 1935,her married name was Wickham.² She married Dennis Kinzie Wickham, son of Noel Freeman Wickham Sr. and Myrtle Leona Rumburg, on June 15, 1935 at Bluefield, Mercer Co., West Virginia.^1,2 Elnora Louise Cheyney married Noel Freeman Wickham Jr., son of Noel Freeman Wickham Sr. and Myrtle Leona Rumburg, on December 31, 1949 at Bluefield, Mercer Co., West Virginia.^3,4,5 Elnora Louise Cheyney died on March 31, 1964 at Bluefield, Mercer Co., West Virginia, at age 52.³ She Mrs. Eleanor (should be Elnora) Cheyney Wickham, wife of Noel F. Wickham Jr., 328 Parkway, Bluefield, died Tuesday morning at St. Luke's Hospital. She was born at Portsmouth, Ohio, a daughter of Clyde I. Cheyney, who survivies, and Mrs. Lula Craft Cheyney, who died in 1963. C. I. Cheyney is chairman of the board of Bailey Lumber Company, a former president of that company before his retirement, and for a great many years active in the business and civic life of Bluefield. He is also a former member of the city board of directors. Survivors in addition to her husband and father are a brother (should be son), Freeman Wickham of Parkersburg and a sister, Mrs. Mary Cheyney Nelson of Toledo, Ohio. Mrs. Wickham was a member of the First Christian Church of Bluefield and of the Bethany and Jeter Circles of that church. She also taught Sunday School and sang in the Chancel Choir. Other membership included the McGuffy Book Club, little Gardens Club, Bluefield Civic Center, and Salvation Army Auxiliary. Mrs. Wickham attended Bluefield public schools, Bluefield College and Lynchburg College. Funeral arrangements were incomplete. on April 1, 1964.⁴

     Helen Grace Sisson was buried at Monte Vista Park Cemetery, Bluefield, Mercer Co., West Virginia.^2,3 She was born on April 30, 1920 at Bluefield, Mercer Co., West Virginia.^1,2,3 As of September 13, 1938,her married name was Wickham.¹ She married Reginald Rumburg Wickham, son of Noel Freeman Wickham Sr. and Myrtle Leona Rumburg, on September 13, 1938 at Bland Co., Virginia.^1,4,3 Helen Grace Sisson died on April 18, 2004 at Salem, Roanoke Co., Virginia, at age 83.^4,2,3 She Funeral services for Helen Grace Sisson Wickham, 83, of Salem, Va., who died Sunday, April 18, 2004 of pancreatic cancer, will be conducted Wednesday at 10 a.m. at Oakey's Funeral Home-South Chapel in Roanoke, Va. Burial will be Wednesday at 3 p.m. at Monte Vista Cemetery, between Bluefield and Princeton, W.Va. Born in Bluefield, W.Va., she was the daughter of the late Charles E. (Pop) and Maude Argabright Sisson. She married Reginald R. Wickham of Bluefield, and was widowed in 1982. She came to know Christ as her Savior at an early age, and fellowshipped for forty years with saints gathered to the Lord's name in Bluefield and Roanoke, and was beloved by her Christian brothers and sisters and her family, neighbors, and friends. She often asked people, "Do you know my Jesus?" In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by a sister, Mabel Karnes of Bluefield, W. Va; and a brother, Curtis Sisson of Bluefield, Va. Survivors include her three sons, Larry E. and wife, Louise, of Mechanicsville, Va., Reginald C. (Jack) and wife, Carroll Anne, of Chesterfield, Va., and Phillip D. and wife, Jan, of Delaware, Ohio; a sister Beatrice Tyler of Salem, Va; five grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. Friends may call at Oakey's South Chapel, Tuesday from 7 to 9 p.m., 989-3131. on April 20, 2004.³

     Mary Lee Martin was buried at Palm Cemetery, Winter Park, Orange Co., Florida.² Her married name was Wickham. She married Albert Scott Wickham, son of Noel Freeman Wickham Sr. and Myrtle Leona Rumburg.¹ Mary Lee Martin was born in 1917 at Athens, Mercer Co., West Virginia.¹ She died on August 31, 2006 at Winter Park, Orange Co., Florida.¹ She WICKHAM, MARY LEE, Pioneering Central Florida Educator dies at the age of 89. One of the most influential early educators in Central Florida's mid-twentieth century boom, Mary Lee Wickham, died in Winter Park, on Thursday, August 31st. She was in the loving care of her family when she passed peacefully in the early hours of the morning from natural causes. Mrs. Wickham was 89 years old. Born Mary Lee Martin in Athens, West Virginia, in 1917, Mrs. Wickham and her late husband, Scott Wickham, moved to Winter Park in 1956, three short years after the birth of their daughter, business executive and education advocate Mary Scott Singer. While her husband took a job with the fledgling Clayton Realty, Mrs. Wickham began teaching at Blankner Elementary, and was assigned as the liaison to senior executives from high-profile corporations who, in the late 1950's, were questioning the viability of relocating their businesses and their employees to Central Florida. She helped convince firms such as Martin Marietta that the schools of Orlando and the surrounding communities guaranteed a progressive and superior level of education, as good as or better than northern schools, helping to convince them to invest in and relocate to Orlando. She began her teaching career at the age of 18, after an early graduation from Concord College in her hometown. She was invited by the Superintendent of Schools for Mercer County, West Virginia to teach in a one-room school that she quite literally walked to and from five miles each day. Working alone with as many as fifty children at one time from across eight separate grade levels - many of whom were only a year or two younger than she - the young Miss Martin developed an experimental curriculum for one-room schools that went on to be a model program nationwide. She spent fifteen years teaching in West Virginia, including working as a principal of Whitethorn School in Bluefield, and serving as president of the Mercer County Elementary Principal's Association. Taking a brief respite from her profession in 1959 following the birth of her son, writer and creative film executive Rhett Wickham, Mrs. Wickham returned to teaching at Brookshire Elementary School in Winter Park in 1965, where her innovative programs and curriculums were the subject of numerous Orlando Morning Sentinel and Orlando Evening Star feature articles. In fact, in her first year at Brookshire, following Walt Disney's announcement of his company's intent to build a major theme-park in the area, she promptly introduced a unit to her classroom teaching values and citizenship using the Disney characters. Walt and his brother Roy, upon seeing the Orlando Sunday Sentinel pictorial feature highlighting this particular program, sent a personal courier to her classroom with a hand signed note of thanks for her generous and warm welcome to "Mickey and his friends" accompanied by numerous gifts for her students. One of her earliest classes at Brookshire was invited to be part of the inaugural live broadcasts from the fledgling Public Television Station - now WMFE. In the course of her life she mentored dozens of young educators, many of whom are still teaching in Central Florida Schools, and in 1982 she joined a select group of educators who were given (then) unprecedented access to the classrooms of the People's Republic of China during a tour sponsored by the Smithsonian Institute. "I was fortunate to be able to be in the classroom at a time when teachers could still praise children by hugging them, hold them when they were troubled, and teach them about a world of subjects without fear of anyone being offended", she said. "She gave countless children the priceless gift of learning to read" said her daughter, "and she did it with great love, and the respect and admiration of every child and every parent of a child that ever entered her classroom." She remained at Brookshire until her retirement in 1987. "She survived the Great Depression and the Second World War. She met Amelia Earhart and had dinner with Albert Einstein, and still," says her son, "she found more wonder, interest and promise in a newborn child than in any historical figure or event. Only days before she passed, she was giving new books to children who came to see her and wish her well. Like the hand-painted plate that hung in her kitchen for as long as I can remember, she was, quite simply, a person who "feels to school teach." In addition to her work in education, Mrs. Wickham was a charter member of the William P. Duval Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and a member of the PSI Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma, the international teacher's honor society. She was a member of the University Women, Orange County Retired Teachers, Brookshire Retired Teachers, and was most recently invited by the Governor of the State of West Virginia to return for a celebration that commemorated her childhood achievement of the Golden Horseshoe - a coveted scholarly prize of which she had been the first recipient. After retiring from the teaching profession, Mrs. Wickham continued to be called upon in private to advise countless educators and parents throughout Winter Park and Orlando, many of whom would stop her on Park Avenue or come by her home for coffee and a "conference" seeking her expert counsel and common sense advice. She remained outspoken in her own personal campaign for empowering teachers and parents, and it was her fervent wish that parents would once again take responsibility and that teachers would be given the requisite control in the classroom and respect and admiration in society that she had experienced when she began her work, nearly three-quarters of a century ago. Mrs. Wickham was predeceased by her husband in 1995, and in addition to her daughter and son, both Winter Park residents, she is survived by her grandson, Nicholas Reid Singer, a Junior in the Honors Program at the University of Maryland College of Business, Mary Allen Singer, a recent graduate and former student government president of the Hamilton Holt School at Rollins College, her son-in-law, Ivor A. Singer, Jr., and her son's life-partner, Peter John Narus. A memorial celebration will be held at the First Presbyterian Church of Maitland, on Saturday, September 9th at 10AM. At her direction, a fund has been set up with the Church, in her name, to finance and support both secular and non-secular children's education and worship. on September 3, 2006.¹

     Dennis Rhett Wickham was born on May 19, 1959 at Orange Co., Florida.³ He died on June 30, 2014 at Orange Co., Florida, at age 55.² He DENNIS RHETT WICKHAM, 55, Maitland, died Monday. Baldwin Brothers Cremation Society, Winter Park. on July 5, 2014.²