Willie Randy Brooks

Mr. Willie Randy Brooks, of Ridge Spring, died Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009.

Funeral services were held Friday, Dec. 4, at 2 p.m. at Ridge Hill Baptist Church in Ridge Spring. Burial was in the church cemetery.

Davis Funeral Home, Inc. of Ridge Spring was in charge of arrangements.

Herman O. Drummond

Funeral services for Mr. Herman O. Drummond, 89, of North Augusta, who died Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009, were conducted Tuesday, Dec. 8, at 3 p.m. at Posey Funeral Home Chapel. Dr. Paul W. Noe officiated. Burial was in Hillcrest Memorial Park.

Mr. Drummond was a lifelong resident of North Augusta and was a member of Sweetwater Baptist Church. He was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II and retired from E.I. DuPont at the Savannah River Site.

Survivors include his wife of 67 years, iris Hendrix Drummond; two sons and a daughter-in-law, Larry O. Drummond , Monette, Ark., and Andy and Debi Drummond, North Augusta; a daughter and son-in-law, Marcia and Mark Grego, Johns Island; a sister, Dorothy “Dot” Lewis, Aiken; three grandchildren, Bryan (Ann) Drummond, Keli (Brad) Hopkins, Kim (Gerry) Saggus; eight great-grandchildren; many nieces and nephews.

Posey Funeral Directors of North Augusta was in charge of arrangements. Visit the online registry at www.poseyfuneralhome.com.

Lucy Frances Lanham Duford

Mrs. Lucy Frances Lanham Duford, 87, of Edgefield, wife of the late Raymond Duford Sr., died Thursday, Dec. 3, 2009 at Trinity Mission Health and Rehab.

Funeral services were held Saturday, Dec. 5, at 2 p.m. at Republican Baptist Church. Burial was in the church cemetery.

Mrs. Duford was born in Augusta, Ga. and was a member of Republican Baptist Church where she served as the organist for a number of years. She was a graduate of Edgefield High School and attended Winthrop College. She was a retired secretary for the head of the Radiology Department at the Medical College of Georgia.

Survivors include a son, Raymond (Eva Loretha) Duford Jr., Edgefield; a sister, Mary Anne (Sam) Hair, Johnston; three grandchildren, Tony M. Duford, Angela Edwards and Susan Kneece; and five great-grandchildren.

Edgefield Mercantile Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Ruth G. Hyler

Mrs. Ruth G. Hyler, 85, of Saluda, died Monday, Nov. 30, 2009 at Saluda Nursing Center.

Funeral services were held Wednesday, Dec. 2, at 11 a.m. at Bethany United Methodist Church.

Born Jan. 29, 1924, Mrs. Hyler was the daughter of the late Gene and Eunice Griffin Goodman. She was retired from the manufacturing industry and was a member of Behany United Methodist Church.

She is survived by her daughter, Raye Hyler Parrish, Johnston; her son, Carroll Lee Hyler, Augusta, Ga.; five grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Oris Hyler, and her son, Charles E. Hyler.

Ramey Funeral Home, Saluda, was in charge of arrangements.

Jerry T. Merriweather

Mr. Jerry T. Merriweather, 91, of Bransford Road in North Augusta, died Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2009.

Funeral services were held Monday, Dec. 7, at 11 a.m. at Tabernacle Baptist Church, with the Rev. Charles E. Goodman Jr. officiating. Burial was in Mt. Olive Memorial Gardens.

Mr. Merriweather, a native of Edgefield County, was a member of Tabernacle Baptist Church where he served on the deacons ministry and male chorus ministry. He was a World War II Army veteran and a retiree of the Veterans Administration Hospital.

Survivors include his wife, Thelma Cook Merriweather; a son, Daryl Q. Merriweather and daughter-in-law, Yvette Fuller Merriweather; three grandchildren, Danica Meriweather, Daryl Q. Merriweather II, and Davina Merriweather; two great-grandchildren, Alexis and Eustace Merriweather; two sisters, Georgia Pugh (James) and Estelle Dixon; three brothers, Frank Merriweather (Barbara), Lawrence Merriweather (Ella), and Joe Merriweather (Jeanette); and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and other relatives.

G.L. Brightharp & Sons Mortuary, North Augusta, was in charge of arrangements.

Thelma Reedy

Funeral services for Thelma Reedy, of Ward, were held Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009 at 3 p.m. at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, with the Rev. Ernest Gordon, pastor, officiating.

Survivors include nieces, Lula B. Stevens, Johnston, Ella M. Morris, Florine Andrews, Lorie Andrews, and Dorothy Nelson, all of Rochester, N.Y., Race Mitchell and Yvonne Brunson, both of Atlanta, Ga., and Barbara Dandy, Beech Island; and nephews, Eddie West, Rochester, N.Y., and John Butler, Washington, D.C.

Amos & Sons Funeral Home, Johnston, was in charge of arrangements.

Ethel James Wiley

Mrs. Ethel James Wiley, 92, of Kitson Street in Ninety Six and formerly of Durst Avenue in Greenwood, widow of Fred Wiley, died Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2009.

Funeral services were held Thursday, Dec. 3, at 3 p.m. at Greenwood Memorial Gardens Mausoleum, with the Revs. G. Thomas Cartledge and Richard W. Waldrep officiating.

Born in Abbeville, she was a daughter of the late John and Paughnee Grant James. She was a graduate of Ninety Six High School and was employed by Town & Country Real Estate. She was a member of Lowell Street United Methodist Church in Greenwood.

Surviving are two grandchildren, Wiley Free, Greenwood, and Dana Free Kaltz and her husband Kurt, Edgefield; two great-grandchildren, Kenneth James Kaltz and Kay Wiley Kaltz; a sister, Hazel Porter, Ninety Six; and her son-in-law, George “Bubber” Free, Greer.

She was preceded in death by her daughter, Kay Wiley Free, and a sister, Thelma Knox.

 Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 1741, Greenwood, SC 29648 (www.cancer.org.) or to the Susan G. Komen of the Cure, Attn: Donor Services, P.O. Box 650309, Dallas, TX 75265-0309 (www.komen.org).

Harley Funeral Home and Crematory was in charge of arrangements. Messages may be sent to the family by visiting www.harleyrfuneralhome.com.