On February 27, 2020, Liane Deere Ray ended her valiant struggle with frontotemporal dementia. She was born on February 7, 1962 to Myrna and Pete Deere in Nashville, Tennessee. She attended high school at St. Cecilia Academy in Nashville where she was a cheerleader. She continued her education at The University of Tennessee in Knoxville, where she swam for the school team, the Lady Volunteers. She finished her bachelor’s degree in government and politics at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, and acquired a master’s degree in divinity from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington D.C. After completing her master’s degree, she served as an associate pastor at Cameron United Methodist Church in Alexandria, Virginia. She then served as the pastor at Midland United Methodist Church in Midland, Virginia.
Liane was married to her husband, Rodney Ray, for 35 years. Together, they moved from Knoxville, Tennessee to Clearwater, Florida and then to Lorton, Virginia, and settled in Woodbridge, Virginia, where they raised their son and their daughter, Christopher and Alicia Ray.
She loved being a pastor, and frequently visited people in the hospital and people in prisons. After serving as the pastor at Midland United Methodist Church, she became a member of St. Paul United Methodist Church in Woodbridge, Virginia. She loved her church, and she sang in the church’s choir and performed in their hand bell choir. For many years, Liane also volunteered at a food pantry that was run by the church when she was able.
Liane enjoyed cross stitching, cooking, traveling, running, and spending time with her family. She loved animals, and spoke frequently about the pets that she had growing up, such as Snowball and Jack the cats and Patrick the Irish setter. She loved going to Sanibel Island, Florida, and collecting shells that had washed up on the beaches there. Her favorite desserts were lemon flavored. She was a lover of lilies, and her favorite color was red.
Liane is predeceased by her grandparents, Hughland and Omeria Deere, and Walter K. and Ruth Hatfield as well as her father, Pete Deere.
She will be lovingly remembered by her mother, Myrna Deere, brother, David(Kim) Deere, husband, Rodney Ray, their two children, Christopher and Alicia Ray, and her niece and nephew, Taylor and Victor Deere.
There will be a memorial service held for Liane on Wednesday, March 4 at 2:30 PM at St. Paul United Methodist Church in Woodbridge, Virginia. In lieu of flowers, her family encourages making a donation to the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration at theaftd.org.
Police filed charges after a sexual assault that was reported at Woodbridge Middle School.
A police officer assigned to the school after a 13-year-old female student told the officer she was assaulted on a school bus on the afternoon of Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020. She said another male student touched her inappropriately while they were both riding the school bus, Prince Willian police said.
The victim made the report to the police at 1:09 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020. The victim was not injured.
Following the investigation, officers arrested a 14-year-old male in connection to the case and charged him with sexual battery on February 27. He was released from police custody and is awaiting a court date, according to Prince William police.
Woodbridge Middle School is located at 2201 York Drive in Woodbridge.
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Stuart Roger Reese, 70, of Stafford, died February 27, 2020 at the University of Virginia University Hospital surrounded by his family. He was born November 20, 1949 to the late Clarence and Roberta (Reynolds) Reese. He is preceded in death by his brother, Steve and CW Reese, and his daughter-in- law; Sarah Jessica Reese.
He is survived by his wife of 47 years Mary Jane Reese, children; Stuart Reese, Jr (Sherry) and Brian Reese, grandchildren; Reese, Brianna, Savannah, Caiden, and Sadie.
Mr. Reese enjoyed fishing, and sports, mainly Washington Nationals and Capitals. In lieu of flowers, donations to a charity of your choice can be made in his name.
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Ellis was awarded the George Mason University Dept. of Communication 2019 Alumna of the Year for her achievements in providing opportunities for students, young professionals, and adult learners.
Theresa Coates Ellis and her spouse, George Ellis, raised a large family of six daughters and one son in the U. S. Air Force. They are members of All Saints Catholic Church in Manassas.
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Don’t toss it. Fix it. That’s the concept for a new “fix-it fair” that could take place this summer in Prince William County.
The idea: have residents bring their slightly damaged or unworking items to the fair, have them repaired, resulting in fewer items being tossed into the county landfill.
Deborah Campbell, with the Prince William County Solid Waste Division, says she’s seen this type of event held in other communities, mostly along the U.S. west coast. In Virginia, Campbell says a similar fair was held recently in Reston. A similar event could be replicated in Prince William County, she adds.
“We thought this was a great thing to do in this area to promote, re-use and repair,” said Campbell. When an item is fixed by one of their fixers, it can be reused by the owner or donated.
Organizers aim to fix broken jewelry, torn clothing, and repair small furniture, small electronics, umbrellas, and eyeglasses at the fair. One caveat, warns Campbell, is not everything can be fixed. “We want to set reasonable expectations,” she told Potomac Local News.
Organizers are still in the early planning stages of this event, and their primary goal right now is finding seven to 12 “fixers” with a wide variety of skills who will perform repairs. Afterward, they’ll identify the types of supplies they’ll need to fix each item at one of about eight workstations that will be set up at the fair.
“In a perfect world, we’ll be able to match a fixer’s expertise with a specific need. For example, a fixer with expertise in fixing clothing would be able to replace a zipper,” said Campbell.
Pope said the accommodations they are considering for this event can hold seven to eight workstations.
No date or venue has been announced for the potential fix-it-fair, although organizers would like to see the event take place this summer. If successful, a fix-it-fair could happen two to three times per year, said Campbell.
Organizers are also seeking sponsors for the event, hoping to net companies that market to the do-it-yourself community. Whether or not the event is free to attend will depend upon whether or not a corporate sponsor is secured.
“We are looking for companies who market to the DIY community,” says Pope, “We would like this event to be free, but that is dependent upon sponsorship.”
The Prince William County Solid Waste Division is working with the nonprofit Keep Prince William Beautiful to organize the event. The division also hosts an annual Recycles Day and paper shredding events.
Cell phones keep us connected at home, in the workplace, and on the go.
But what should their role be in the classroom? That’s the discussion leaders on the Stafford County School Board are having.
Superintendent Dr. Scott Kizner is talking to the School Board about potential updates to the division’s student cell phone use policy.
