Page 2A
OBITUARIES
CHUCK BALLEW
KINGS MOUNTAIN -
William Charles “Chuck”
Ballew, 78, 202 Edgemont Drive,
died July 3, 1999 at Kings
Mountain Hospital after a
lengthy illness.
A native of Pickens County,
SC, he was the son of the late
Meredith Anderson and Gladys
League Ballew. He was a mem-
ber of First Presbyterian
Church, and was a long time
member of the Kings Mountain
Kiwanis Club and the American
Legion.
He attended Clemson
University and graduated with
honors in Textiles. He worked
for J.P. Stevens and Burlington
Industries for 13 years. He then
went into yarn sales and later
had his own sales company,
from which he retired after 30
years.
He served in the United
States Air Force during World
War II. He was a fighter pilot
and flew in 97 combat missions
in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, and
Yugoslavia. He received the
Distinguished Flying Cross. His
rank was Captain when he re-
ceived his Honorable
Discharge.
He is survived by his wife,
Lou Ballew of Kings Mountain;
son and daughter-in-law, John
and Ellie Ballew of Signal Hill,
CA; daughter and son-in-law,
Susan and Greg Kilburn of
Irmo, SC; and grandchildren,
Steve Kilburn and Katie Kilburn
of Irmo, SC.
A graveside service was con-
ducted by Dr. Richard
Newsome at 2 p.m. Monday at
Woodlawn Memorial Park in
Greenville, SC.
Memorials may be made to
First Presbyterian Church, P.O.
Box 1188, Kings Mountain, NC
28086 or to the charity of the
donor's choice.
Harris Funeral Home was in
charge of arrangements.
JW. RAYFIELD
KINGS MOUNTAIN - J.W.
Rayfield, 78, 250 Putnam Lake
Road, died July 3, 1999 at
Gaston Memorial Hospital,
Gastonia.
A na-
tive of
Gaston
County, he
was the son
of the late
Harrison
and Helen
Yount
Rayfield. He
was also pre-
ceded in
death by his
wife, Elizabeth P. Rayfield; and
sister, Pauline Scism.
He was a member of
Patterson Grove Baptist Church
and the V.EW. He was a retired
building contractor and served
in the infantry in the United
States Army during World War
II.
He is survived by his sons,
Kenneth Rayfield and wife,
Patricia, of Matthews and Mike
Rayfield and wife, Debbie, of
Kings Mountain; daughter,
Judy Whisnant and husband,
Laurin, of Kings Mountain;
RAYFIELD
grandchildren, Jeffery Rayfield
and wife, Stephanie, of
Matthews, Jason Rayfield of
Charlotte, and Elizabeth
Whisnant of Kings Mountain;
and great-grandchildren,
Crystal Rayfield and Melissa
Rayfield.
The funeral was conducted
by the Rev. Terry Bird at 11 a.m.
Tuesday at Patterson Grove
Baptist Church. Burial was in
the church cemetery.
Memorials may be made to
Patterson Grove Baptist
Church, Challenge to Build, 301
Oak Grove Road, Kings
Mountain, NC 28086.
Harris Funeral Home was in
charge of arrangements.
KINGS MOUNTAIN WEATHER REPORT
(Compiled by Kenneth Kitzmiller)
June 30-July 6 Year Ago
Total precip. .09 87
Max. 1 day 09 (6th) .50 (2nd)
Year to date 20.82 - 35.53 J
Min. temp. 70 (1st) 68 (1st, 2nd, 3rd)
Max. temp. 99 (5th) 94 (4th)
Avg. temp. 82.3 81.0
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Herald/Times
CLAUDIA BOWERS
KINGS MOUNTAIN -
Claudia Jean Bridges Bowers,
+ 43, 1444 B York Road, died July
3, 1999 at Gaston Memorial
Hospital,
Gastonia.
A na-
tive of
Mayfield, KY,
she was the
daughter of
* the late -
Claude
Bridges. She
was the for-
mer office
clerk for
Swift Construction Company,
Greenville, SC.
She is survived by her com-
panion of 13 years, John Carlton
Threatt of Kings Mountain;
mother, Day Bridges of
Mayfield, KY; daughters,
Brandy Toon and Lee Ann
Benjamin, both of Mayfield, KY;
brothers, Tommy Bridges and
Mark Bridges, both of Mayfield,
KY; and five grandchildren.
The funeral will be conducted
by the Rev. Bobby Mims at 11
a.m. Saturday, July 10 at Ollie
Harris Memorial Chapel.
Interment will be in Mountain
Rest Cemetery.
Harris Funeral Home is in
charge of arrangements.
BOWERS
HATTIE HASKINS
KINGS MOUNTAIN - Hattie
Mae Stewart Haskins, 85, 111
Farris Road, died June 30, 1999
at Cleveland Regional Medical
Center, Shelby.
A native of Cleveland
County, she was the daughter
of the late John A. and Adelaide
Hambright Stewart, and wife of
the late Howard Walter Haskins
Sr. She was a homemaker.
She is survived by her sons,
Jack C. Stewart and wife, Eloise,
+ of Kings Mountain; David
Haskins of Atlanta, GA;
Anderson Bailey Haskins and
wife, Ruth, of Grover; and
Howard Walter Haskins Jr. and
John Haskins and wife, Pam, of
West Palm Beach, FL; nine
grandchildren and three great-
grandchildren.
A graveside service was con-
ducted by the Rev. Doug Allen
at 11 a.m. Saturday at Mountain
Rest Cemetery.
‘Harris Funeral Home was in
charge of arrangements.
GEORGE HAWKINS
SHELBY - George Cecil
Hawkins, 55, 414 Clegg Street,
died July 4, 1999 at Carolinas
Medical Center, Charlotte.
A native of Cleveland
County, he was the son of the
late John Kent Hawkins and the
late Mary Addie Lee Edwards
Hawkins. He was retired from
the City of Boiling Springs.
He is survived by his wife,
Cathy Hawkins of the home;
daughters, Lindsey Blaine
Hawkins of the home, April
Dawn Hawkins of Fallston, and
Betty Ann Hawkins of Shelby;
stepdaughter, Annette Lynn
Hawkins of Shelby; stepson,
Michael Eugene Hawkins of
Shelby; brothers, Glenn
Hawkins of Swainsville,
Chivous Hawkins of Forest
City, Ray Hawkins of Lattimore,
William Hawkins of
Blacksubrg, SC, and Boyd
Hawkins of Lawndale; sisters,
Janie Lou Hunt of Boiling
Springs, Shelby Jean Shehann of
High Shoals, and Frances Sue
Hawkins of Forest City.
The funeral will be held
Thursday at 11 a.m. at
Cleveland Funeral Services
Chapel. Burial will be in Sunset
Cemetery.
Cleveland Funeral Services is
in charge of arrangements.
July 8, 1999
ALAN HODGE/THE HERALD
Boiling Springs farrier Chuck Lemons has
been shoeing horses for three decades. An
artisan with hammer and anvil, Lemons is
known far and wide for his equine exper-
tise.
ALAN HODGE/THE HERALD
Boiling Springs native Chuck Lemons has
been making his living shoeing horses for
thirty years. A recent day out in the barn
had Lemons giving this calico horse a new
set of specially hardened "hot shoes."
If the shoe fits...
Boiling Springs professional farrier Chuck Lemons
can make a horse walk anyway he wants him to
BY ALAN HODGE
Staff Writer
Chuck Lemons of Boiling
Springs never met a horse he
didn't like. A professional farri-
er, Lemons has been shoeing
horses for over three decades.
One of the Piedmont's best
known and most talented
farriers, Lemons is a living leg-
end among the horsey set.
A native of Boiling Springs,
Lemons began his life as a farri-
er under the tutelage of another
horseshoe veteran.
"I started out by helping 70
year old Matthew Robinson as
an apprentice,” Lemons says. "I .-
" hurtyou.'
was working part time in an’
. upholstery/shop and shoeing |»
horses with Robinson part time
as well. I've been at it full time
for about fifteen years now."
With his level of skill,
Lemons can shoe a horse in
about an hour. Average cost for
putting on a set of shoes is
around fifty dollars. There is
plenty of work around, as evi-
denced by the fact that most
days Lemons will shoe at least
six horses. The life of a farrier is
often hot and dirty, and not for
everyone.
"Only one person in ten who
goes to farrier school makes the
grade," Lemons says. "The hors-
es are easy to work with, it's
trying to please people who
think they know more than the
farrier does that makes the job
hard. If a horse owner tells me
how to put shoes on, I just show
them the tools and tell them to
do their best. You can't learn to
shoe horses from a book."
Learning about horses is
something that his years in the
farrier trade has taught
Lemons. In addition to being an
expert on the anatomy of a
horse's feet and legs, Lemons
has also learned to read a
steed's moods. Though he ad-
mits to being kicked before,
Lemons stresses that you can't
do farrier work and worry
about it.
"Horses are real humble ani-
mals if you know how to relate
to them," said Lemons. "They'll
let you put a red hot shoe on
their foot, but if you don't un-
derstand their body language
and how they. think, they can
To do his job; Lemons will:
travel within a 50 mile radius of
Boiling Springs. Though people
can bring their horses to his
shop at home, the majority of
Lemons' work is done at the
owner's farms from the back of
his truck. A portable blacksmith
shop, Lemons' truck contains a
propane-fired forge, a custom
rack festooned with at least two
dozen different types of horse-
shoes, a complete set of tools,
and a 112 pound anvil.
"[ take the basic shoes and go
from there to custom make and
fit whatever type of shoe is best
for the horse and the use the
owner wants to do with it,"
said Lemons. "Shoes can range
from heavy steel coated with a
special boron material, to ones
made out of aluminum. I can
put different weights of shoe on
a particular foot to make the
horse walk a certain way."
Shoeing a horse is a multi-
step process that involves re-
moving the old shoe, cleaning
out the hoof, fitting the new
shoe to the hoof, then nailing it
all together. Just like giving
horsey a trip to a manicurist,
Lemons gives the hoof a coat of
polish.
Due to the fact that there are
actually more horses in North
Carolina now than there were
thirty years ago when he began
shoeing, Lemons is concerned
with passing on his knowledge
to the next generation of farri-
ers. Lemons’ current apprentice
is Brian Harrill of Gaffney, S.C.
Harrill is the fifth apprentice
* that Lemons has taken under
his wing over the years. |; i, -v.,
"I call Chuck the 'master farri-
er," Harrill said. "He knows all
there is to know about horses
and shoeing. I've been shoeing
my own horses for a few years
now, but I wanted to learn as
much about it from the best
person around."
As sinewy and tanned at age
fifty five as the leather apron he
wears on the job, Chuck
Lemons plans to work at his
craft for another ten years then
retire. In his spare time, Lemons
gives horseshoeing and black-
smithing demonstrations to
schools and other groups. Also
an artisan, Lemons takes used
horseshoes and fashions tools
and decorative items as gifts.
A modern day version of the
"village smithy," Chuck Lemons
is a living bit of Americana
right here in Cleveland County.
Hearing set on 4-year terms
Public hearing has been set
by City Council for July 20 at
7:30 p.m. on a resolution of
intent to amend the city char-
ter and call for a vote at the
polls in November on reinstat-
ing four year staggered terms.
When Kings Mountain vot-
ers elected Mayor Scott
Neisler and council in 1991 it
was to a four year staggered
for tee times call
(704) 482-GOLF (4653)
Located five miles north
of Shelby near Moss Lake
term. In 1996, terms for mayor
and all seven council members
were changed to two year
terms after citizens ran a suc-
cessful petition effort and a
small turnout of voters ap-
proved a change in the city
charter.
The mayor, who is not of-
fering for reelection, said con-
tinuity and experience are
necessary in conducting city
business. He said all seven
seats and the mayor’s seat are
up which makes possibility of
an all new board.
Councilman Gene White
November.
argued against the idea. say-
ing council should be consis-
tent. White was joined by Bob
Hayes and Jerry Mullinax in
opposing the motion whch
passed 4-3. Supporting
the resolution of intent were
Council members Phil Hager,
Norma Bridges, Clavon Kelly
and Rick Murphrey.
Amending the charter and
ordinance to revert back to the
four year term would have to
be approved in a referendum
and would not affect the may-
or or board to be elected in
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