Category: 1984

Anderson Butler Scott, age 58, died on January 11, 2020, at his home in Atlanta, Georgia, following a two-year battle with lung cancer. His final days were spent quietly with his family.

He is survived by his wife, Amy Miller, his children, Mary Amanda Scott and Anderson Baytop Scott, and their mother, Amanda Barber Scott all of Atlanta, his father, James Marks Scott, his sister, Fairlie Scott Herron, and his brother James Marks Scott, Jr., all of Montgomery, Alabama. Anderson was predeceased by his mother, Vivian Butler Scott, of Montgomery.

Anderson was born in September 1961, in Montgomery, Alabama. He attended the Montgomery Academy, Jefferson Davis High School, the Millbrook School of Millbrook, New York (Valedictorian), Davidson College (B.A., English Literature, 1984), Yale University (Master of Fine Art, 1987, Albers Scholar and Departmental Prize for Excellence), and Emory University (J.D., 1993).

Both attorney and artist, Anderson was a partner at the law firm of Fisher Phillips as well as a published and exhibited photographer. He lived a happy life full of long runs, weekend photographic jaunts to find the odd and interesting, and family trips to distant lands. He had great pride in his law practice and much love for those dear to him – children, wife, family, and large concentric and eccentric circles of friends.

Anderson’s photographic works are held in numerous private, corporate, and museum collections both great and small including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the National Museum of American History, The Smithsonian, the High Museum, and The Museum of Modern Art. A monograph of his photographic work was published by the University of Chicago Press.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to The Sarah Cannon Fund at the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 23197, Oklahoma City, OK 73123, or at www.sarahcannonfund.org.

His funeral service and burial will be held at Grace Episcopal Church, 906 Pike Road, Pike Road, AL 36064 on Wednesday, January 15 at 2:00 p.m. Visitation to follow at the home of Jim Scott, 1704 Hillwood Drive, Montgomery, Alabama.

Published in the Montgomery Advertiser from Jan. 12 to Jan. 15, 2020

Husband, Father, Son, Friend, Sailor, & Adventurer After a long battle fighting cancer, Thomas Edward Hissam of Dallas, Texas and Wilmington, N.C. passed away on October 22nd at the age of 57. His strong will carried him through his last months, just as it carried him around the world throughout his lifetime.

Thomas was born on November 17th, 1961 in Cleveland, Ohio and grew up in Chagrin Falls, OH. He was the captain of his football team and a star wrestler at Kenston High School. He earned his Eagle Scout at the age of 16. Tom attended Davidson College where he was president of his fraternity and graduated with a BA in psychology.

At Davidson, he also played football and wrestled. Tom went on to attend the University of South Carolina earning a Master’s in International Business at the esteemed Darla Moore School of Business. Thomas spent a large majority of his adult life in Wilmington, NC however that never stopped him from traveling to multiple continents.

Fluent in five languages, he lived and worked in Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, Moscow, Provence, and Oslo. Tom was an accomplished offshore sailor, racer, and licensed captain who enjoyed spending time on the sea alongside his wife and fellow sailors. For anyone who knew him, he was happiest on the water – whether racing or cruising.

During his life, Tom sailed on the coasts of more than fifteen countries. One of his last adventures took him halfway across the Atlantic from South Africa to St. Helena (this, during a brief pause from chemotherapy.) Tom loved gardening and tended to use manual tools rather than power ones to create the beautiful spaces at his homes. Tom appreciated living life with others, hosting many dinners and parties with his wife, eating good food, and drinking even better wine. But no matter how busy he was, he put his family, who he loved deeply, first.

Tom was the owner of several Sam’s Hot Dog Stands in Wilmington, NC, and Salem, VA. He started his business with no prior experience yet no concerns! He was involved in running his business up until just a few days before he passed, still exhibiting the fighter he was throughout his illness.

Tom is survived by his wife Mary Piepenbrink of Dallas, TX and Wilmington, NC; his daughters Belle of Boone, NC and Rhett of Raleigh NC; his parents Margaret and Harold Hissam of Solon, OH; his stepsons Chanse Harrison of Asheville, NC and Clark Harrison, of Wilmington, NC; his sister Jennifer Jones and his brother-in-law David Jones of Bainbridge OH; his brother Tim Hissam and his sister-in-law Lucille Hissam of Pflugerville, Texas.

Tom had two nieces and a nephew: Lauren Jones King, Lydia Jones, and Phillip Hissam, and scores of loving cousins, aunts and uncles. And finally, he leaves behind his beloved dog Henry, who was his constant companion and best buddy.

One of Tom’s final feats was to swim in the Dallas Swim Across America event on September 14, 2019, raising awareness and funding for the fight against cancer.

Team Thomas Hissam is still accepting donations for next year’s event, in honor of Tom’s amazing life and amazing fight. https://www.swimacrossamerica.org/site/TR/OpenWater/Dallas?team_id=21267&pg=team&fr_id=5100

A celebration of Tom’s life will be held on November 16th with family and friends in Wilmington, NC, and he will be buried at sea.

Copyright, 2019, StarNews, All Rights Reserved.

Father. Husband. Brother. Son. Cyclist. Bassist. Uncle. Administrator. Friend.

Thomas Pafford, son of Tom and Barbara Pafford of Huntington, West Virginia, and longtime resident of Durham, North Carolina, was, above all, a Gentle Man.

Thomas moved slowly and deliberately in the world, and yet in his 56 years, managed to cover a lot of ground, and deeply touch many, many people across all walks of life.  He had a rare and carefully-developed capacity for creating space for people around him to just be themselves, and he leaves behind a large community of people who love and miss him.

An English major at Davidson College, Thomas was known by his friends to be a young man of considerable “existential angst,” and he continued both his love of grappling with great questions and his love of grappling with great literature throughout his life.  Moby Dick was his favorite novel, but his most constant source of reading material was the Book of Psalms, and many of his friends were exhorted to spend time with those same pages.

After several years experimenting with various jobs and careers, Thomas eventually found his niche as a Program Coordinator and Manager in the Anesthesiology Departments of Duke and the University of Miami, and — both in his work, as well as the rest of his life —  stood firmly and visibly for the creation of community across all potential dividing lines: race, gender, class, age, education.  Even the most casual glimpse of the friends and communities that gathered around him would show his success at forming and sustaining relationships that defied such potential divisions, and he leaves behind a community of colleagues who miss both his talents and his heart.

While working at Duke, Thomas met and fell in love with his life partner, Laura Collins, and their friendship and marriage transformed him.  Together they danced, camped, served as core community and committee members of their church, and — as foster parents  — dedicated themselves to providing a home to those who otherwise had none. They eventually wholeheartedly adopted four children: Robert, Liam, Lassha and Kieran, and inspired all who knew them with their simple, every-day brand of loving and living.

Thomas threw himself unreservedly into play with his children, a trait that was also enjoyed by his nieces, Sara and Alyssa — daughters of his sister Kathy — and all the other children (of all ages) who had the pleasure of knowing him.  He threw himself into other endeavors as well, always with an irresistible sense of delight and curiosity.  Both in Durham and in Miami — where the family lived for five years — Thomas dedicated himself to cycling teams, sharing in the mutual drive to support each other and push each other’s physical limits while playing full out on the long (and often hilly) roads with their cycles.  He was also a beloved local musician, playing with friends and worship community bands, singalongs, Boy Scout campfires, and most notably the Chapel Hill band Other Bright Colors in the late 1980s. All who heard him or played with him were clear that Bob Dylan was his most central influence.

Thomas passed away on October 26th, nine months after lung cancer was detected, but his heart, dedication and gentle spirit live on.

Todd Grant Kimsey was born June 6, 1962 in Athens, Georgia and died September 16,2016 in Westwood, Ca.

Todd fought double hit lymphoma and it’s effects valiantly for three and a half years. He was strong and courageous until the very end and he never lost faith in his God that he loved so much.

Todd was an honor graduate of Clarke Central High School in 1980. He attended Davidson College in North Carolina for two years and then transferred to Florida State to pursue his true passion of acting. After graduation he was accepted for a year’s internship at Bert Reynold’s Dinner Theater in Jupiter, Florida.

After this training Todd went to New York and immediately began booking several commercials and a few off Broadway productions.

Following a year long tour of Biloxi Blues, Todd decided to move on to Hollywood. This is where he began his TV and film career. He had guest shots in Doogie Howser, M.D., Growing Pains and over forty televisions shows as well as films such as The Perfect Storm, Planet of the Apes and Hildago.

As much work as Todd did, he will always be recognized for playing “The Communist” in a popular episode of Seinfield and was named in Rolling Stone Magazine’s top 100 characters of all time. In 2010 Todd began what would be the greatest roll of his life.

He married into a ready made family including 2 young sons and then they added a son of his own.

Todd is survived by his wife Lisa(Andizzoni)Kimsey and sons Jack, Judah and Kellen of Los Angeles, Ca.; his parents Linda and Bill Kimsey of Athens, Ga.;sister, Terri Langford and husband, Jon of St. Simons, Ga.; sister, Tracey Evans and husband Rick of Colbert, Ga.; and brother Dr. Troy Kimsey and wife Bethany of Knoxville, Tenn.; Todd is also survived by his thirteen nieces and nephews, many cousins and several aunts and uncles including his beloved Aunt Jane of Athens, Ga.

There will be a celebration of life in honor of Todd on Friday, October 14, 2016 at 6:00p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of the First Baptist Church of Athens.

Please join us in remembering the love, joy and exuberance that was Todd. 1962 – 2016

Published in Athens Banner-Herald on Sept. 23, 2016

James Dewey Rumley III, 54, of New York City, died on Thursday, June 23, 2016.

A native of Maiden, NC, Mr. Rumley was a graduate of Gulf High School in New Port Richey, FL, and of Davidson College, where he majored in philosophy. He also earned an MFA in Sculpture at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and was working on an MFA in Poetry at The New School in Manhattan at the time of his death.

Mr. Rumley’s creative talent also made itself manifest in music; he was a talented percussionist, playing over the years with such Southern pop bands as The Popes, Stumble, Discord, and The Lovely Lads.

Survivors include his sister, Caroline Rumley, her husband Hiram Maxim, and their daughter Audrey Pearl of Atlanta and his aunt, Helen Cleek, of Elon and his uncle, Joe Bridewell, of Fort Worth, TX. He was preceded in death by his parents, Rev. James D. Rumley, Jr. and Charlotte Bridewell Rumley Swain.

The service will be conducted in the chapel at St. Mark’s Church at 1230 St. Mark’s Church Road in Burlington, NC on Saturday, July 9th at 2 P.M. by Rev. Ben Bishop. The family will receive friends at St. Mark’s in the Parlor immediately after the service.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Art Department at Davidson College. Davidson College, Box 7170, Davidson, NC 28035, Designation is the Davidson College Art Department.
Rich & Thompson Funeral and Cremation Service in Burlington is assisting the family.

Condolences may be offered at www.richandthompson.com.

Published in TheTimesNews.com from July 6 to July 7, 2016