Category: 1984

Charles Emmett (Chuck) Elyea, 62, of Troy, NC who was a beloved husband, father, brother, and dear friend to many, met his Lord Jesus Christ on December 10, 2024, after a short, but intense, battle with lung cancer and its complications. 

He was born July 22, 1962, in Kingstree, SC to the late Charles Emmett Elyea Jr. & Mary Ann Snellgrove Elyea. He spent his younger years in Concord & Waxhaw, North Carolina. Chuck was a graduate of Parkwood High School, Davidson College, and Wake Forest University (MBA), and earned the construction industry certification of ICCIFP. After raising their family in Charlotte, NC, he and his wife, Donna, relocated to Lake Tillery.

Chuck was a modern “Renaissance Man” – a true entrepreneur who was continually learning, creating, practicing, and mastering new hobbies. He was a follower of Christ, servant to his church, avid outdoorsman, mentor, and a true and generous friend. He was respected for his sharp business mind and loved for his wit & wonderful laugh. Chuck was the founder of two business enterprises, The CIS Consulting Group and, most recently, ShareMyToolbox. During his career, he served as Chairman of CFMA-ICCIFP. He was cofounder of Tillery Crafts (formerly Mission of Soap), a 501(c) 3 non-profit for which he made beautiful products and sent the profits to support both local ministries and missions work in Haiti.

Chuck is survived by his wife of 37 years, Donna Gordon Elyea, four children – Joshua Elyea, Jonathan Elyea, Jennifer Elyea Ewing (Shelby), and Joseph Elyea (Audrey Kate), his sister, Emily Foppe (Larry), brother David Elyea, sister-in-law, Susan Gordon Harker (Richard), and his precious furry companion, Molly.

The family will receive friends from 2:00-5:00 pm, Saturday, January 11, 2025, at Hartsell Funeral Home, 522 N 2nd St., Albemarle, NC. A Celebration of Life will be held at 2:30 pm on Sunday, January 12, 2025, at White Crest Baptist Church, 1051 River Rd., Mt Gilead, NC.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Mission of Hope, P.O. Box 3189, Cedar Park, TX 78630 or to Uwharrie Women’s Center, 206 N. Main St., Troy, NC 27371.

Richard Paul Barber, Jr., of Santa Clara California, died peacefully June 25, 2024 from complications of a bone marrow transplant. He was 62.

Rich was born December 14, 1961 in Iredell County, North Carolina and grew up in Mooresville, North Carolina. After graduating from Mooresville High School in 1980, he attended Davidson College where he received a B.S. degree in Physics in 1984. Following that, he received a Ph.D. in 1990 at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he studied superconductivity in disordered films.

He then worked as a post-doctoral researcher at UC San Diego and then two more years as a post-doctoral fellow in oceanography studying air-sea interactions at the University of Delaware.

Rich came to Santa Clara University in 1995 and built a lab that became a hub for cross-disciplinary undergraduate research. During his career there, he mentored 48 undergraduates and three high school research students whose majors included Physics, Engineering Physics, Biochemistry, Biology, and Public Health. Thirty-six of these students were co-authors with Rich on one or more peer-reviewed publications.

On projects ranging from superconductors to solar materials to insect silk to dance, he engaged students and colleagues with kindness and a deep love for learning. In 2023, Rich received the Bernard Hubbard S.J. Creative Collaboration Award, a testament to his gift for teaching through professional research projects and creative work. Beyond the classroom and research lab, Rich served as, among other positions, Chair of the Physics Department, Director of the Center for Nanostructures, Chair of the University Rank and Tenure Committee, and advisor to Sigma Pi Sigma, the honor society for Physics and Astronomy students.

Other than his phenomenal teaching skills, Rich was known for his brightly colored ties, which he wore with equally brightly colored short-sleeved shirts. He was also known for his talkative nature, meaning if you asked him what time it was, he would tell you how to build a clock.

He had high expectations of his students, and mentored them with gentle encouragement, sometimes with a boisterous gaffaw. His colleagues also described him as authentic, loving, loyal, sacred and mildly profane. They said he was “a man of science who knew there was more.”

He met the love of his life, Letel, in high school and they married in 1985. The two enthusiastically embraced the local culture of whereever they lived, including a deep love for the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland crabs and the San Francisco Giants. His son Charlie was born in 2000.

He often cycled with Charlie and taught him how to build, weld, plumb and use any tool in the shed. He enjoyed cooking–especially Lebanese cuisine, as it was his heritage–eating and traveling. But most of all, he loved spending time with Charlie.

He additionally served as the Commissioner of Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Scouting Association and with his beautiful bass voice sang in the choir for more than 25 years at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and Trinity Cathedral in San Jose.

Rich’s health started to decline in 2021 and he overcame three various cancer diagnoses. Sadly, he was diagnosed again last November with MDS, Myelodysplastic Syndrome, a form of blood cancer. He received a stem cell tranplant at Stanford University Hopsital on June 7. After doing well for several weeks, he became critically ill from complications of the transplant June 17.

He is preceded in death by his mother, Martha Barber of Mooresville, North Carolina and then Santa Clara (2021) and his father Richard P. Barber, of Mooresville, NC who passed in 1980. He is survived by his wife Letel; his son Charlie, of Santa Clara; his uncle Richard A. May of Burlington, North Carolina; cousins in Massachusetts, Tennessee and North Carolina and many, many friends and colleagues.

Donations in his name can be made to Ventana Wildlife Society, which conserves native wildlife and their habitats through science, education and collaboration or the Second Harvest of Silicon Valley Food Bank.

A memorial service is pending.

Andy Miles died peacefully on June 20th in Charlotte, NC. He is survived by his wife Sabine Vellucci, his son Sebastian, his mother Barbara Benchoff Miles, sister Ann Miles (Peter Colgrove), Locust Valley New York, brother John Miles (Monica Miles) of New York City, sister-in-law Christina Vellucci (Dennis McDonald) of Charlotte North Carolina. He is also survived by his nephews and nieces, Matthew, Samantha, Andreas, Adelaide, Declan, and Lachlan.

Andy was born in Troy, New York, the youngest son of Barbara and Wesley Miles. After a short childhood in upstate New York, the family moved first to Liverpool, England, then to Athens Greece, where his father took a teaching job, and his mother became a librarian. After many years travelling around Greece and Southern Europe, the family moved back to the US to Long Island, New York in 1972. There Andy attended and graduated from Portledge School before heading south to Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina where he achieved a BA in English and was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity that meant so much to him.

After a short stint back in New York right after college, Andy moved back to North Carolina, marrying Sabine in 2008 and welcoming their son Sebastian in 2011. Andy and Sabine had just begun a new adventure to move up to Locust Valley, New York when he was stricken with Glioblastoma (a fast-growing and aggressive brain tumor), precipitating a stay in Charlotte to receive treatment. Andy spent eight months battling the disease and had many good months due to the effectiveness of the treatments during certain times.
Andy was devoted to Sabine and Sebastian, and they built a wonderful family life in Charlotte. Among Andy’s many passions were music, word games, music festivals, his work, golf, travel, barbecuing, politics, sports, and spending time with his family at Topsail Beach on the coast of North Carolina and the Great Sacandaga Lake in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York.

All will miss his quick-witted humor, keen intellect, and jovial character, especially those who worked with Andy during his almost 30 years at Donnelley Financial Solutions. Andy loved his job and had most recently moved into a new position when the diagnosis came. Andy was devastated that he was never able to go back to work and wrap up the projects he had started and be a part of the fall proxy season. Above all, Andy loved being with people, family and enjoying life.

In lieu of flowers, Sabine, and Andy request that donations be made to the Humane Society of Charlotte; https://humanesocietyofcharlotte.org/give/.

July 19th (Friday) 4-7pm, a Visitation with the family will be held at Hankins & Whittington Funeral Home, 1111 East Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28203. All are invited to visit.
July 20th (Saturday) a private Celebration of Life will be held.
July 27th (Saturday) 11am, a Memorial Service will be held at Christ Church, 61 E. Main Street, Oyster Bay, NY 11771.

Both the Celebration of Life and Memorial Service will be webcast and recorded for those not able to make the services. More details can be found on Andy Miles’ Caring Bridge website.

David Trent Westmoreland, 62, passed away on January 15, 2024, at his home in Wilmington, North Carolina. Trent was born on October 18, 1961, to parents Alvis and Marie Westmoreland, in Raleigh, North Carolina. He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Angela Blackwell Westmoreland, two daughters Cara and Sydney Westmoreland, and brother Edwin Westmoreland, all of Wilmington. Trent graduated from Davidson College in 1984 with a degree in economics. After graduation, he pursued a career in the construction industry. Trent later became a licensed general contractor, began his own business, and built many beautiful homes throughout eastern North Carolina. He enjoyed a reputation for honesty and integrity in all things, but especially his business.

While often reserved, Trent exuded kindness and generosity, allowing for his family to extend far beyond blood. He was known for his quick-witted sense of humor and his ability to show appreciation for everyone he met. He was selfless and always acted in the interest of others, while cherishing those he held close.

A small family service will be held to honor Trent’s wishes of burying his ashes with a tree.

John Nicholas Vassos, 59, a resident of Montgomery County, MD, died on Monday, January 18 at his home surrounded by his family after a hard fought two year battle with pancreatic cancer.

Born on November 27, 1961 in Washington, DC, to Elaine and the late Nicholas Vassos, John was a graduate of Salisbury University. He owned and operated BCE Corporation and CapX Solutions. John was a longtime member of St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Washington, D.C and he had a special relationship with St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Bethesda, MD.

He loved the beach, football, coaching, playing cards with his “Greek uncles” and spending time with his family and friends.

In addition to his mother, John is survived by his loving wife of 32 years, Joan Vassos; his four children, Nicholas Vassos of Washington, DC, Erica Vassos of Rockville, MD, Luke Vassos of North Bethesda, MD and Allison (Noah) Joseph of Brookeville, MD; his sister, Katina Vassos of Washington, DC and his grandson, Boomer John Joseph.

Friends are invited to celebrate John’s life at the Kalas Funeral Home & Crematory, 2973 Solomons Island Rd., Edgewater, MD on Thursday from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 pm. Due to COVID restrictions, we ask that you quickly pay your respects to allow others to enter the facility. A private funeral service will be held on Friday, January 22 at Ss. Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church in Annapolis, MD with interment at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Cemetery.