Category: 1939

Harry L. Gasteiger ’39, 97, Johnson City, Tenn., died unexpectedly Feb. 25, 2012, at the Johnson City Medical Center. Gasteiger was born in Hempfield, Pa., to the late W.H. and Lillie Bell Loveless Gasteiger. Soon thereafter, he became a resident of Johnson City, where he resided the rest of his life.

Following his graduation from Davidson, he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps, where he served as a major and was a pilot and flight instructor, receiving the National Defense Ribbon. After World War II he returned to Johnson City and started the Gasteiger-Willis Construction Company, working until his retirement, and was a member of the Johnson City Home Builders Association. Gasteiger and his late wife, Margaret, were charter members of Westminster Presbyterian Church, where he served as an elder, and in 2001 was appointed elder emeritus. He spent the majority of his retirement enjoying outdoor activities, including gardening and beekeeping.

In addition to his parents, Gasteiger was preceded in death by his wife of 67 years, Margaret Erb Gasteiger, in 2010, and one sister, Mary Ward Mount. He is survived by his son, Thomas Harrison Gasteiger (Marty), 1315 Oakland Ave., Johnson City, TN 37601-2653; two daughters, Anne Hyder and Catherine Shannon; two sisters, Edith Jennings and Lena Holtzclaw; eight grandchildren, Harrison Gasteiger (Jessica), Mark Gasteiger, Joseph Gasteiger, Michael Exum Hyder, Elizabeth Hyder Andrews (Shawn), Margaret Anne Hyder, Casey Shannon (Christa), and Catherine Shannon Simerly (Travis); four great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.

Kenneth Carleton Darby of Florence died on November 19, 2011. He was born at Woodland, in western Lauderdale County, on August 19, 1918, to Andrew Johnson and Kathleen A. Darby. His family moved into Florence in 1921 and he has been a resident of the city ever since.

He went to Kilby Training School and graduated from Coffee High School in 1935. He attended Florence State Teachers College for one year and transferred to Davidson College in North Carolina where he was a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. Mr. Darby was drafted into the Army in 1942 and attended OCS in Fort Sill where he was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in June 1943. He married Josephine Harlan on August 14, 1943 and moved to Fort Bragg before he was sent to the Battle of Bougainville in the Pacific.

He was also in the battle for the recapture of the Philippines before he was made a 1st Lieutenant and Aide to Brig. General George V. Keyser. He was in Yokohama, Japan when the Peace Treaty was signed and was discharged from the Army in 1946. After six years in the mercantile business in Florence, in 1952 he entered the insurance and real estate business and was President of Darby-Hicks and Associates and K. C. Darby Realty until he retired. Mr. Darby was active in many professional and civic organizations. He was a member of both the National and Alabama Associations of Realtors, the Brokers Institute and a past President of the Muscle Shoals Board of Realtors. He was a member of the Florence Board of Education for ten years, a commissioner of the Florence Housing Authority and past Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Industrial Expansion Committee and co-chairman of the United Fund.

Mr. Darby was member and a past President of the Florence Rotary Club and was named a Paul Harris Fellow in 1994. He also served many years on the official board of the First United Methodist Church and the board of directors of the Wesley Foundation. His dedication and service to the community, as the sixth generation of his family to own land in Lauderdale County, led him to be active in many areas of the community.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Josephine Harlan Darby and is survived by his daughters, Hallie Darby Smith of Richmond, Virginia and Kathleen Darby McDonald of Florence. In addition he has four grandchildren, Harlan McDonald Terrell, David Carleton McDonald and wife Cindy all of Florence, Allison Smith Heverin and husband, Timothy of Chicago, Illinois, and Alfred L. Smith III of Richmond, Virginia; seven great grandchildren, Devin Terrell, Patrick, Katy, and Nora Heverin, Field and Harrison Smith and Andy Summers.

The family wishes to thank the wonderful caregivers of Eldercare and Hospice of Tennessee Valley. A memorial service will be at First United Methodist Church at 12PM, Tuesday.

The family will speak to visitors in the church Atrium 30 minutes prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the charity of your choice.

David Brainard Woodward ’39, 93, went home to be with the Lord on Aug. 23 at Atherton Baptist Homes in Alhambra, Calif., from complications following surgery.

Born to missionary parents on June 11, 1918, in the Philippines, Woodward spent his life in ministry as a pastor and missionary.

He is survived by his devoted wife of 66 years, Elizabeth Woodward, 801 W Commonwealth Ave., Apt. 10, Alhambra, CA 91801-3656; son, Ted Woodward (Omi); daughters, Marion Shay (Ken), Edie Nelson (Randy), Susan Bonilla (John); 11 grandchildren, Christy, Omi, and Timothy Shay, Nick and Brian Woodward, Rob and David Nelson, and Theresa (Landon), Andrea, Julia, and Caroline Bonilla; and two great-grandchildren, Jane and Joshua Landon.

Woodward returned from the Philippines to complete studies, earning a B.A. from Davidson in 1939, earning a Th.M. from Princeton Seminary in 1942, ordination by the Presbyterian Church in 1942, earning an M.A. from Seattle Pacific University in 1968, and earning a D.Min from Fuller Theological Seminary in 1979.

In March of 1945, Woodward and wife Betty embarked on a lifetime of ministry around the world from India, China, Tibet, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. In 1983 he returned to become pastor of community outreach and then missions pastor at Lake Avenue Church in Pasadena, Calif.

Frank Mallary Willingham ’39, 94, of Macon, Ga., died July 5. Willingham was born on Clisby Street in Macon on Aug. 14, 1916. His parents were the late Broadus Estes Willingham, Jr. and the late Rosalie Mallary Willingham of Macon, Ga.

Willingham attended Davidson for two years and transferred to University of Georgia, where he met his wife, Mary Eugenia Watson. Frank served in WWII as a Navy lieutenant. At the war’s conclusion, he was vice president and later president of Willingham Cotton Mills.

Willingham was one part of the founding families of Highland Hills Baptist Church. He was also a member of the choir and the chairman of the deacons. He also served on the Bibb County Board of Education. He was a founding member of the Macon Touchdown Club, and he loved his Georgia Bulldogs football. Willingham was an avid hunter and fisherman.

He was preceded in death by his three siblings, Broadus E. Willingham III, Rose Willingham, and Thomas Slade Willingham. Survivors include his wife of 71 years, Mary Willingham, 1139 Oakcliff Rd., Macon, GA 31211; sons, Broadus E. Willingham IV ’65 (Melinda), Frank M. Willingham, Jr. (Patricia), and Lloyd Watson Willingham (Carol); and seven grandchildren, Amy, Kassandra, Bo, Michelle, Frankie, Thomas, and Brandon.

Robert G Rosser, Jr. ’39, of Cocoa, Fla., died Jan. 26 at Wuesthoff Medical Center Rockledge, Fla. Rosser was born in Saint Pauls, N.C., Sept. 9, 1918, the eldest child of Dr. Robert G. Rosser, Sr. and Maude Harrington Rosser. He grew up in Vass, N.C., was a graduate of Davidson, the Medical School of UNC, and the Medical College of South Carolina.

He was a diplomat of the American Board of Urology and a member of the American Urological Association. He practiced urology in Durham, N.C., Jacksonville, Fla., the U.S. Army at Fort Dix, N.J., at his office in Cocoa, and at Wuesthoff Hospital in Rockledge from 1957 to his retirement in 1983.

Rosser is survived by his wife of 66 years, Clara Holcombe Rosser, 4640 Brentwood Dr., Cocoa, FL 32927-6053; his sister-in-law, Irene Bryant Rosser; his sister, Janet R. Berman; and several nieces and nephews. Rosser was a convinced Christian who affirmed the Solas of the Protestant Reformation.