Obituaries

Jacoba (Coe) Adriana Payne of Manassas, Virginia passed away on September 4, 2015. She was born in Homoet, Holland on February 1, 1922 and immigrated with her family to the US in early 1923. The Family settled in Minnesota and stayed there until the early 1930’s when they moved back to Holland. In October of 1938 they left Holland for the United States and settled in Virginia. She worked for Safeway for 30+ years before she retired in the late 1980’s. She remained active with her catering and was well known in the community for her generosity and business of wedding receptions and other types gatherings well into the late 1990’s. She was married to Thurston Royston Payne. She was the proud mother of four sons Harlen (Pete) Edward Veenendaal , Gerrit Thurston Payne, James Carroll Payne and Richard Lee Payne. She was a proud and lifelong member of the Rebekah Assembly of Virginia and the Women of the Moose lodge 1392.

She was preceded in death by her husband Thurston and two of her sons, Gerrit and James. She was also preceded in death by her parents, Gerrit Johannes and Johanna Jacoba Slothouber, her sister Hendrika Gezina (Slothouber) Hawkins, brother Derk Slothouber and sister Gerda Johanna (Slothouber) Fletcher, and two nephews, sons of sister Hendrika and husband Irving Hawkins, Raymond and Robbie Hawkins. She was the proud grandmother of beloved grandsons Christopher Payne, son of Richard and Sharon Payne of Flint Hill, VA and Gerrit Payne, son of James Payne and Kelly McDermott and the great-grandmother of Amelia Payne, daughter of Gerritt and Geneva Payne of Culpepper, VA. She was the proud Aunt of beloved nephews Richard Hawkins of Frederick, MD and Thomas Hawkins of Nokesville, whom were sons of sister Hendrika and husband Irving Hawkins and beloved nephews Roy Glenn, William Gerritt and Steven Allen Fletcher of Manassas whom were sons of sister Gerda and husband Joseph Henry Fletcher. She was the beloved Great Aunt to nephew Joseph Allen Fletcher, son of Steven and Vivian Fletcher of Manassas. She will be forever and greatly missed by many in our community.

Alice Mae Hensley Clegg of Haymarket, Va passed away Friday, August 28th at Haymarket hospital. She was born September 23rd 1939 to the late Nathan and Irene Hensley of Haymarket, Va. She leaves to cherish her memory, her son Vance Clegg and his wife, Tanya, grandson Conrad, brother Harry Hensely from Haymarket, Va., sisters Christine […]

Vanessa Darden Boone, 61, passed away on Monday afternoon, August 10, 2015, at her home in Leesburg, VA with family and friends at her bedside. Vanessa was born on October 11, 1953 in Newport News, VA to the late Kelly M. Darden, Sr. and Nessa Faltz Darden.

Vanessa retired at the rank of Major from the U.S. Air Force in 1995 after 20 years of honorable service. After retiring from the Air Force, Vanessa was employed as a Systems and Project Engineer for Lockheed Martin Corp thru 2010, and the SI Organization from 2010 thru 2013. She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mathematics in 1975 from the University of Virginia (UVA), in Charlottesville, VA; a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Information Systems from Strayer University in 1997; and two Master of Arts Degrees from Webster University in Management and Public Administration (1981) and in Computer Resources and Information Management (1995 – Distinguished Graduate). Vanessa graduated from George Washington Carver High School in Newport News, VA as Valedictorian of her class in 1971.

Olga Mary Halushack Hatchel, originally from Shenandoah, PA, and formerly of Woodbridge, VA, passed away peacefully at age 88 on August 11, 2015.

She is survived by her sons Jospeh and Edward, Joseph’s wife Beth, and their children and children’s spouses; Ashley and her husband Ryan, Rebecca and her husband David, Rory and his wife Rebecah, Nicholas, and her great grandson Judah. She is also survived by her sister Christine and her husband Norman.

Leonardo Macarse Rivera, Jr., 62, passed away on July 13, 2015 in his hometown of Iloilo City, Philippines.

Leonardo, more familiarly known as “Leo” or “Boy” to his Filipino family and friends, moved to the United States in 1977, settling in Houston, Texas where he worked as a Respiratory Therapist at St. Luke’s and Texas Children’s Hospital. Highly respected in his profession, Leo enjoyed being able to work with people and especially the children. Outside of work, Leo displayed his athleticism, playing on basketball and softball leagues in the Filipino community.

Kevin Hardin 47, of Fredericksburg passed away on Monday June 8th 2015.

He leaves to grieve, his wife and soulmate Judy of 23 years, his mother Diane, several nieces, nephews, extended family members and many lifelong friends. Kevin grew up in Woodbridge, Va. and he and his wife moved to Fredericksburg in 1996.

Shelley Lynn Basham, 56, of Seven Lakes, West End, North Carolina, went home to be with The Lord, Monday morning, June 22, 2015.

Shelley was born in Bristol, Connecticut, on September 25, 1958 and lived the majority of her younger life in California where she graduated from Norco High School in 1976. Relocating to Virginia with her family in 1977, Shelley met and married the love of her life, John Wesley Basham, jr. on June 22, 1985. Shelley and John resided in Nokesville, Virginia until 2014 when they moved to their retirement home in Seven Lakes. Shelley was diagnosed with lung cancer a year ago. She passed away on her and John’s 30th wedding anniversary.

On May 21, 2015, in Statesboro, Georgia, Elsie Dale Allshouse answered God’s call and she peacefully returned the gift of life that He had joyfully provided her on April 12, 1926. Elsie had worked, nurtured, cherished and celebrated that gift for 89 years. Most of those years were grand ones but she grew weary and God must have thought it was time for her to rest.

Elsie Dale Hamilton and her twin brother Edward H. Hamilton were born to Victoria Robinson Hamilton and Charlie Hamilton in Atlantic, NC on April 12, 1926. They were baptized in Core Sound and they were raised by genuine salt-of-the-earth coastal North Carolinians. A little sister, Nellie, came along a few years hence. Elsie often proudly repeated the boast that she was: “A Tar Heel born and a Tar Heel bred and, when I die, I’ll be a Tar Heel…” Well, you get the picture. Victoria, Charlie, Edward and Nellie were all called home before Elsie. She carried the torch for her immediate family as long as she could and as long as she was asked to. The U.S. Navy relocated Elsie and her family many times but, at her core, Atlantic was always home.

Larry Blanchard, Jr., 44, of Pearland, TX passed peacefully at home following a battle with cancer on Thursday April 9, 2015.

He was born to Larry, Sr. and Elnora Blanchard on March 22, 1971 in Portsmouth, VA. He graduated with honors from Osbourn Park High School located in Manassas, VA in 1989 and studied at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. He went on to receive a BA in Finance from the University of Phoenix in 2005. Larry moved to Houston, TX in 1999 and married Kathryn Searle on January 1, 2000. In 2002 they moved to Pearland, TX and were blessed with two daughters: Lauren in 2005 and Evelyn in 2010.