3 OBITUARIES
: NELSON ROPER
. KINGS MOUNTAIN - Nelson Roper, 60, 212
: Fairview Street, died May 16, 2007 at VA Hospital,
: Salisbury.
© He was born in Cleveland County. He was the
son of the late William Ivy and Mamie King Roper.
He was husband to the late Billie Jo Wells Roper.
. He was also preceded in death by his brother,
William Roper Jr., and sister Lorena Falls.
© He served in the United States Army during
World War II' and he was retired from Lithium
Corp. FMC, Bessemer City.
He is survived by his sons, Nelson Roper of
© Kings Mountain, Scott Roper and wife Tiffany of
Gastonia, and Mark Roper of Kings Mountain;
brothers Paul Roper and Michael Roper, both of
. Kings Mountain, Donald Roper of Grover and
Jimmy Roper of Cedar Mt., NC; sisters Margaret
Payne, Mary Pearson and Ivory Nolen, all of Kings
Mountain, and Mildred Shytle of Blacksburg, SC;
and ‘three grandchildren, Logan Roper, Addison
Roper and Jackson Roper.
The funeral was conducted by the Rev. Eddie
Gray at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 19, 2007 at Ollie
Harris. Memorial Chapel. Interment was in
Mountain Rest Cemetery, Veterans Garden.
A guest register is available at www.harrisfuner-
als.com.
Harris Funeral Home was in charge of arrange-
ments.
HELEN HUFFSTETLER JENNINGS
KINGS MOUNTAIN - Helen Huffstetler
Jennings, 90, 110 Fox Fire Lane, died May 16, 2007
at White Oak Manor in Kings Mountain.
She was a native of Cleveland County and the
daughter of the late Forest and Quillie Ray Ham
Hulffstetler. She was also preceded in death by her
husband, Daniel Jennings, and sons John
Carpenter and Louis Carpenter.
She was a former employee of Burlington Mills
and Kings Mountain Hospital.
She is survived by her son Steve Carpenter and
wife Frankie of Kings Mountain; sisters Aileen
Huffstetler, Margaret Huffstetler and Iva Mae
Henson, all of Kings Mountain; grandchildren
Chad Carpenter of Bessemer City and Brad
Carpenter of Kings Mountain; and great-grand-
children Lane Carpenter and Stephanie Carpenter.
The funeral was conducted by the Revs. Boyce
Huffstetler and Darrell Lewis at 3 p.m. Friday, May
19, 2007 at Ollie Harris Memorial Chapel.
Interment was in Mountain Rest Cemetery.
Memorials ma be made to White Oak Manor
j “Activities, "716 8ipes:
i 28086 A La TR CN Halak
A guest register is available at www. harrisfuner-
als.com.
Harris Funeral Home was in charge of arrange-
ments.
JAMES M. “JM” HICKS JR.
KINGS MOUNTAIN - James M. “JM” Hicks Jr.,
84, 404 Tot Dellinger Road, Cherryville, died May
18, 2007 at White Oak Manor, Kings Mountain.
He was born in Cleveland County, son of the late
James Miles Hicks Sr. and Mattie Viola Morris
Hicks. He was also preceded in death by his wife
Ollie Jane Hicks, daughter Lillie Sanders and
brother Albert Lee Hicks.
He was of the Baptist faith and served in the
United States Army. He retired from Burlington
Industries after more than 30 years of service.
He is survived by his son, Luther Ray Hicks of
Lawndale; daughters Sarah Roberson and
Margaret Roberson of Cherryville, and Martha
© Short and Mildred Biddix of Kings Mountain;
brothers Sidney Hicks and Paul Hicks of Kings
Mountain, Tommy Hicks of Grover, Franklin Hicks
of Shelby and Jacob Hicks of Clover, SC; sisters
Helen Kiser, Betty Ledbetter and Lydia Emma
: Putnam of Kings Mountain, and Mary Boheler of
. Clover, SC; 13 grandchildren and 13 great-grand-
children.
The funeral was conducted by the Rev. Jack
Callaway at 2 p.m. Monday, May 21, 2007 at Ollie
Harris Memorial Chapel. Interment was in
Cleveland Memorial Park, Boiling Springs.
A guest register is available at www.harrisfuner-
als.com.
Harris Funeral Home was in charge of arrange-
by
or
ments.
JOSEPH LLOYD COLVIN :
CHERRYVILLE - Joseph Lloyd Colvin, 26, 481
Mozzelle Road, died May 19, 2007.
He was born in Oneida, NY. He was a wonderful
person and everyone loved him. He was employed
with Harris-Teeter, Cherryville. He was a 1999
graduate of Kings Mountain High School.
He is survived by his father and step-mother,
Charles E. Colvin and Evelyn
Truett Colvin of Cherryville;
mother Bernadine Moore of
Kings Mountain; brothers
Charles E. “Junior” Colvin of
Canastota, NY, Robert Walker
of Kings Mountain, John Walker
of Gastonia, and Charles Shane
- Walker of Blacksburg, SC; sister
Linda George of Canastota, NY;
step-sisters Teresa Utt of Kings
Mountain, Patricia Hooper of
Dallas, Pamela Lail of Gastonia, Crystal Byers of
Grover and Connie Noland of Kings Mountain.
A graveside service was conducted by the Rev.
Robert Walker at 2 p.m. Wednesday, May 23, 2007
at Mountain Rest Cemetery.
A guest register is available at www.harrisfuner-
als.com.
Harris Funeral Home ‘was in in charge of arranges
; ments.
RAYMOND O. GREGORY
DALLAS - Raymond O. Gregory, 83, 1524 Silver
Court, died May 21, 2007 at home. = *
He was born June 11, 1923 in Cleveland County,
to the late Thomas Lester and Essie Jackson
Gregory. He was also preceded in death by his wife
of 65 years, Geraldine Holcomb Gregory, who died
March 14, 2007; brothers Rev.
John L. Gregory and Jennings
Gregory, and sisters Betty Cash
and Eloise Clary.
He was a charter member of
First Church of the Nazarene in
Kings Mountain, where he was
a former Sunday School supet-
intendent and teacher as well as
song leader. He was retired
from Burlington Industries in
Kings Mountain. He served in the U.S. Army dur-
ing World War II and was awarded two Bronze
Battle Stars, two Silver Star Medals, a Purple Heart,
and others. He was also the first living inductee
into the Army Hego Hall of Bravery in Gaffney, SC.
He jg
wife Janet of Blacksburg, SC, Donald O. Gregory
and wife Linda of Augusta, GA, and Randy K.
Gregory and wife Janiece of Midway, GA; daugh-
ters Gloria. Hardee and husband Alfred of the
home, Wanda Butler and husband Lonnie of Hope
Mills, and Regina Deaton of Bessemer City; sister
Nellie K. Moore of Kings Mountain; 15 grandchil-
dren, and 23 great-grandchildren.
The funeral will be conducted by the Revs.
Michael Daughrity and Tim Hendricks at 11 a.m.
Thursday at Patterson Grove Baptist Church,
Kings Mountain. Interment will be in Mountain
Rest Cemetery, Kings Mountain, with full military
rites by the Bessemer City American Legion Post
243 Honor Guard.
Memorials may be made to First Church of the
Nazarene, 121 Countryside Road, Kings Mountain,
NC 28086.
To offer condolences visit www.siskbutler.com.
Sisk-Butler Funeral Home was is in charge of
arrangements.
Memorial Day ceremony in Shelby
Cleveland County Veterans Council will be hold
its annual Memorial Day ceremony May 27 at 2
p.m. at Cleveland Memorial Park. In case of
inclement weather it will e in the Mausoleum
Chapel.
Richard McSwain will be master of ceremonies.
Guest speaker will be Captain Brian Luti, Assistant
Professor of Military Science at Gardner Webb
University.
Members of service auxiliary organizations will
place wreaths.
Vived by sons Ronald W. Gregory and:
The Kings Mountain Herald
May 24, 2007
Nelson Roper was a real hero
To the editor:
On May 16 Kings Mountain lost an authentic
“hero.” Unknown to most citizens of Kings
Mountain, Nelson Roper, one of the most highly
decorated veterans to return home alive from
Vietnam, quietly lived out his life in our city.
Like most true warriors he never mentioned his
exploits in Vietnam, you couldn't pick the infor-
mation out of him. He may have shared some of
his experiences with Billie Jo, his wife and mother
of his three sons, but if so, she took the knowledge
with her when she passed away three years ago.
Nelson's helicopter was shot from the skies on
two different occasions and he along with it. He
survived to fight another day, but some of his crew
didn’t. On one occasion his helicopter flew directly
into an intense firefight to rescue several wounded
and stranded infantrymen who were about to be
overrun by advancing North Vietnamese Regulars.
Had it not been for Nelson and his crew, their
names would be inscribed on the “wall;” instead,
they celebrated Mother's Day at home with their
mothers this past Sunday.
Following several months of rehabilitation in.an
army hospital in Japan, he came home with rela-
tively minor scars after being awarded’ his first
Purple Heart. Then he went back for a seéond tour
and was assigned to the 1st Air Calvary Division.
Soon he was in the thick of it again, only to be
severely wounded again. But not beforé he had
been awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star,
Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with “V”
device for valor, Vietnam Service Medal with “V”
device and oak leaf cluster, Valorous Unit Award,
Meritorious Unit Commendation, Republic of
Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm, Unit Citation
Badge, Vietnam Civil Actions Honor Medal,
National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam
Campaign Medal, Army Commendation Medal
with two oak leaf clusters, and his second Purple
RS «
EMILY WEAVER
eweaver@kingsmountainherald.com
+ Grover Town
night voted to keep the tax rate
the same in next year’s budget.
The property tax rate was set
to remain at 29 cents per $100
assessed value. Water and sewer
utility rates are set to remain at 9
cents/$100 for a grand total of 38
cents/$100. Last year the town's
tax rate was listed as the third
(out of the 12 towns and cities)
highest in the county. But com-
pared to other municipalities of
the same size and population, it
is still one of the cheapest places
Heart.
The term “hero” has been badly misused by
sportswriters who use the word to describe
achievements by an athlete on a football field or
basketball court. How could anyone possibly com-
pare the courageous efforts required by just one of
the awards listed above to that of catching a pass in
a football game? To do so is a mockery and is
absolutely ridiculous.
Memorial Day will be observed shortly, and
there is no better time to remind all of Kings
Mountain that we have just lost a “real hero.” One
who deserves more than to be simply called a
“hero,” because Nelson was much more than that.
I watched him grow from a little “cotton mill cow-
boy” to the larger than life man that he was. He
was a wonderful husband, grandfather, and broth-
er; he was, and will always be, my buddy.
He wasn’t a “wannabe” or a rear echelon soldier,
but a true patriot who saw his duty and performed
that duty with honor. When he returned home
after his second tour in the war zone, he was
picked up at the Charlotte airport. On the way out
of the terminal he commented “just look at all
those people walking around as if nothing is hap-
pening.” His thoughts were back in Vietnam with
his buddies who were fighting for their lives - and
your freedom.
Memorial Day would be a good time for the citi-
zens of Kings Mountain to think about Nelson and
the sacrifices he made for each of us. And to also
remember the sacrifices currently being made by
his son, who is serving as a Navy Corpsman on his
third tour of duty in Iraq and the Middle East; and
all the other “heroes” who, on a daily basis, lay
their lives on the altar of freedom.
It is also a good time to reflect on the fact that
“Freedom is not Free.”
Tom Shytle
Total expenditures = $239,200
Cemetery Fund:
Total: revenues = Sh 500% -
=Total’ expendit £69,500
Powell Fund:
Total revenues = $28,000
Plant Operations = $28,000
Total expenditures = $28,000
Water & Sewer Fund:
Total revenue = $333,350
Administration = $95,222
Maintenance = $62,635
Operations = $175,493
Total expenditures = $333,350.
Also at the meeting, Sides sur-
prised the council with a gift 200
to live.
Mayor Robert Sides said that
he has worked hard on the pro-
posed budget for the 2007-08 fis-
cal year over the past three
weeks. He was happy to
announce that the tax rate will
not change on July 1.
Councilwoman Jackie Bennett
was also pleased to announce
that rates for cemetery plots
would also stay the same.
The conservative budget pro-
poses cuts where needed and
provides opportunities where
possible. It allocates more money
to the Community Improvement
section of the General Fund,
allowing more beautification
projects within the town or the
possibility of a 4th of July event.
On the ball field at Mid Pines
Nightly 6 PM Singing * 7 PM Preaching
May 27th thru June 8th
Sunrise Baptist Church » 704.692.3007
Pathway Baptist Church 704.739.3728
West Over Baptist Church ° Solid Rock Baptist Church
Harvest Baptist Church * Tabernacle Baptist Church
The final budget, which is also
on display at Town Hall, is bro-
ken down below.
General Fund:
Total revenues = $239,200
Office Operations = $43,240
Town Hall Oper. = $37,960
Maintenance Oper. = $15,470
Police Operations = $68,489
Fire Department = $14,400
Environmental Oper. = $42,620
Street Operations = $7,000
Community Improvement =
$10,021
years in the making. “I've been
trying to get this for a year and a
half now and I finally got the call
today,” he told the council, pass-
ing around the town’s first offi-
cial seal in 200 years.
The insignia reads: “Town of
Grover, North Carolina, 1885.
‘Where the Carolinas begin.”
The seal printed on metal signs
will be displayed throughout the
town. It will be printed on the
town’s letterhead and may even
appear on city vehicles.
> Herald
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