Category: 1973

William H. (“Bill”) Humbert grew up in Covington, Virginia, but became a North Carolinian in college and for the remainder of his life. Bill graduated from Davidson College in 1973 and UNC School of Law in 1976. In 1977, Bill and his college and law school classmate, Charlie Davis, moved to Mebane and lived there the rest of his life. He was a founding partner of Davis Humbert Law in Mebane and practiced laws there from April 04, 1977 until his retirement on March 31, 2020. He served on the Board of Directors of First Savings & Loan Association of Mebane. Bill loved his golden retrievers and to travel.

Bill is survived by his two brothers, Cal Humbert and Frank Humbert. While he had a number of friends he treasured sharing time with during his life, he was especially close to Charlie Davis, his best friend, and to Steve Anders and Darrin Kenyon, who were like brothers to him.

A funeral service will be conducted at the Rich & Thompson Chapel in Graham on Wednesday, November 16, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. with the family receiving friends following the service.

Ty Church, born August 4, 1951, crossed the river August 30, 2022, surrounded by family and his loving dog, Bruno. Ty is survived by his beloved wife, Patricia Jayne Coley, his siblings, and their spouses: Helen and Walt Peery, Bunny and Ed Berdick, Brad and Elisabeth Church, John and Marta Church; Jayne’s siblings and spouses: Mary Linda Coley and Walter Leach, Diane Coley, and Scott Coley. Ty is also survived by many nieces and nephews from both sides of the family. He is predeceased by his parents, Morton LeBaron Church, Jr., and Mary Alice “Me-Me” Burnside Briley.

Ty was a graduate of Myers Park High School and attended Davidson College. After careers in law enforcement and radio he moved to Wilmington to pursue his dream of working in TV and film. There he worked at Dino de Laurentiis Studios/Screen Gems. He retired as transportation coordinator to Charleston, SC in 2017. NC Film has a Facebook page dedicated to Ty. A link to his full filmography can be found here:

Ty was an avid golfer, a hopeful fisherman, a frustrated Carolina Panthers fan and an excellent cook. He was well known for his superb crab cakes, fried flounder and his annual New Year’s Day Pig Pickin’. Ty was reluctant to travel to Europe, but it only took one visit to Italy, and he caught the bug. In May he made a final trip to Italy where he enjoyed all it had to offer including a cooking class on the Amalfi coast.

Ty held a tremendous love for his dog and family (probably in that order) and was known for his dry wit and wicked sense of humor, and those along with his frequent dog walks led him to be considered the mayor of the street. Jayne called him her little curmudgeon and he wore it as a badge of honor.

The family would like to thank the stellar staff in the ICU department at Roper Mt. Pleasant Hospital.

A celebration of Ty’s life will be held at 4 p.m. on Friday, September 23, at Isle of Palms Exchange Club located at 201 Palm Boulevard, 29451. Memorials may be sent to Pet Helpers, 1447 Folly Road, Charleston, SC 29412.

A memorial message may be sent to the family by visiting our website at www.jhenrystuhr.com.

John Ware Weathers, age 70, died on February 13, 2022 at his home in Chapel Hill, NC.  

John was born on March 19, 1951 in Rutherfordton, NC to the late James Flay Weathers, Jr. and Annabel Ware Weathers. He graduated from East Rutherfordton High School in 1969 where he was Senior Class President. He received a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Davidson College in 1973, a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Georgia State University in Atlanta in 1978, and a Juris Doctor Degree from the Woodrow Wilson College of Law in 1983.

Following graduation from Davidson, John worked in banking in Atlanta for 10 years, where he met and married Janie Benson in 1981. He also worked in economic development for the state of Delaware and during John and Janie’s two-year tenure in Mexico City, was a business consultant helping local companies improve their processes and efficiency.

In 1990, they returned to NC to raise their sons. John owned Hubcap Annie, a small business in Raleigh selling hubcaps and wheels to individuals and companies throughout the US. He was well-known for an extensive inventory and friendly, attentive customer service to the many people who visited his store over almost 25 years.

John was a devoted and supportive husband to Janie, and a loving father to his sons, Andrew and Scott.  John was a member of Olin T. Binkley Baptist Church in Chapel Hill, and active as a parent leader in Cub Scouts, Rainbow Soccer, Chapel Hill Marching Band, and the NC Boys’ Choir, where he also sang with the adult chamber choir. He was an avid photographer, consumer of current events, and enthusiastic traveler in the US and internationally (United Kingdom, Spain, France, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Germany, Mexico, Costa Rica, Peru, Ethiopia). John and Janie fulfilled a retirement dream in 2019 to live in England for several months. They welcomed many individuals to their home, including a refugee family from Myanmar and a high-school exchange student from Bolivia. 

During the last years of his life, John faced a progressively debilitating illness with patience, grace, and kindness, maintaining his characteristic positive outlook and sense of humor. He is survived by his wife, Janie of Chapel Hill, his sons, Andrew Weathers (Gretchen Korsmo) of Littlefield, Texas, and Scott Weathers (Mikaela Saccoccio) of Stowe, Vermont. He is also survived by his step-mother, Ruth S. Weathers of Forest City, NC, brother, James F. Weathers III and sister, Elizabeth W. Harrill, both of Forest City, and six nieces and nephews.  In addition to his parents, John was preceded in death by a foster son, Thant Sin. 

A memorial service will be announced at a later date.  The family is in the care of Walker’s Funeral Home in Chapel Hill.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to the Thant Sin Scholarship Fund at Alamance Community College, using one of the three options:

Mail a contribution to:

Thant Sin Scholarship Fund

c/o The ACC Foundation

Post Office Box 8000

Graham, NC 27253.  

Please indicate Memorial for John Weathers in the memo line.

Click on the following link: 

https://givebutter.com/Thant-Sin

Text “WEATHERS” to 53-555 on a mobile phone.

Dr. William David Varner, Junior, MD, 70, of Columbus, Georgia died on January 20, 2022 peacefully alongside his wife and five daughters. Funeral services will be held Tuesday, January 25, 2022 at 2:30PM at St. Paul United Methodist Church. Visitation prior to the service at St. Paul at 1:00PM.

David was born on July 24, 1951 in Franklin, Virginia, the son of Dr. William David Varner, Senior and Mrs. Ruth Hungerford Varner. He graduated from Hardaway High School, went to Davidson College for undergraduate school where he was a Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and received his Doctor of Medicine from Medical College of Georgia. David then completed his internship at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and his residency at the University of Texas and Hermann Hospital, Houston Texas.

After completing his surgical training in 1985, David returned to his hometown to fulfill his life’s ambition by joining a passionate and exceptional group of surgeons to form Columbus Surgical Associates, made up of his dear friends Chuck Scarborough, MD, the late Luther Wolff, MD and the late William Wolff, MD. A highly respected general surgeon, David poured his heart and soul into his practice and patients.

His passion for helping people extended into his community where he served on various boards including Boy’s and Girl’s Club, Springer Opera House, Columbus Symphony, LOCHAWABA, Leadership Georgia, Chattahoochee Valley Community Foundation, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, The Columbus Ballet, Synovus, St. Paul United Methodist Church, and St. Francis Hospital. He is past president of both the Muscogee County Medical Society and The Columbus Ballet Board of Trustees.

When a tragic accident in 2000 left him quadriplegic and unable to practice surgery, David used his vast medical knowledge consulting for St. Francis Hospital and AFLAC. He also filled his time with efforts to better this community through philanthropy. Particularly dear to his heart was Easter Seals of West Georgia where he served as chairman of a 6-year long capital campaign.

While David will be remembered for the work he did in his beloved community, according to him, his greatest source of pride was his family. David was happiest when surrounded by his wife, their five daughters, his five sons-in-law, and his 12 grandchildren. He is survived by his wife, Mary Robinson Varner, his daughters, Helen Manderson (Coate), Mary Lovett Beck (Jeff), Caroline Fields (Brandon), Sally Watkins (Tommy), and Anna Garcia (Nick) and his grandchildren: Sally, Wynne, Lovett, Gardner, Julianna, Bennett, Mims, Eliza Chance, Mary Helen, Eli, David, and Will, as well as his siblings Ann Viamonte (Luis), Caroline Coburn (Charles), John Varner (Kathy) and Rob Varner (Sista) and a host of nieces and nephews.

The family is grateful to his caregiver, Matthew Tyner, for the loving, compassionate care that he gave him.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations may be made to Easter Seals West Georgia, 2515 Double Churches Rd, Columbus, Georgia 31909 and St. Paul United Methodist Church, 2101 Wildwood Avenue, Columbus, Georgia 31906.

To sign the online guest registry, please visit www.shcolumbus.com.