Obituary of Bernice Evelyn Drake Hunter BERNICE EVELYN DRAKE CUTCHINS HUNTER Virginian-Pilot, The (Norfolk, VA) - Monday, December 29, 2003 Bernice Evelyn Drake Hunter, 72, a lifelong resident of Southampton County, passed away Saturday, Dec. 27, 2003 after a brave struggle to recover from a long illness. She was a loving mother, grandmother, sister and friend who will be sorely missed by all who knew her. Bernice was known for her kindness, her honesty and her love for all Gods creatures, especially birds. A member of the Peninsula Caged Bird Society, she was known as the Bird Lady of Franklin - devoting much of her time to raising and caring for birds of all kinds. Bernice was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Franklin, working diligently with the Relief Society to help others in need. She was a retired laboratory technician from Union Camp Corporation. She is survived by her mother, Clara Bell Johnson Whitley; four daughters, Brenda Cutchins Roach and husband, Bob Hoerning, Peggy Cutchins, Teresa Cutchins Goodman and husband Ken and Susan Cutchins Grasser and husband Eddie; a son, Michael Cutchins; two beloved grandchildren, Karen Lenz Churchlill and husband Paul and Paul Rideout and wife Sheree; and five great-grandchildren, Mallory, Megan and Mackenzie Churchill and Tyler and Taylor Rideout; a sister, Marie Hornok and husband Steve and three stepchildren, Abner Benton Jr., Steve and Harry Hunter. Mrs. Hunter was predeceased by her husband, Abner B. Hunter Sr., and a brother, Elmo Drake. A service and reception celebrating her life will be held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints at 11 a.m. Friday with Bishop Brett Ehrenzeller officiating. The family will receive friends from 2 to 3 p.m. Wednesday and from 6 to 7 p.m. at Wright Funeral Home, Franklin. Edition: FINAL Page: B6 Copyright (c) 2003 The Virginian-Pilot [Bernice Evelyn Drake Hunter was buried in Poplar Spring Cemetery in Franklin, Southampton County, Virginia (Annex 3, Section B, Plot 1B).] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ––– Narrative Summary of the Obituary ––– Bernice Evelyn Drake Hunter, 72, passed away on Saturday, 27 Dec 2003 after a long illness. She was known for her kindness, honesty, and love for animals, especially birds. She was active in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and was a retired laboratory technician. A service and reception celebrating her life was held on Friday, 2 Jan 2004, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints with Bishop Brett Ehrenzeller officiating. The family received friends at Wright Funeral Home, Franklin, from 2 to 3 p.m. on Wednesday and 6 to 7 p.m. ––– Transcript ––– Bernice Evelyn Drake Hunter, 72, a lifelong resident of Southampton County, passed away Saturday, Dec. 27, 2003 after a brave struggle to recover from a long illness. She was a loving mother, grandmother, sister and friend who will be sorely missed by all who knew her. Bernice was known for her kindness, her honesty and her love for all God's creatures, especially birds. A member of the Peninsula Caged Bird Society, she was known as the Bird Lady of Franklin - devoting much of her time to raising and caring for birds of all kinds. Bernice was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Franklin, working diligently with the Relief Society to help others in need. She was a retired laboratory technician from Union Camp Corporation. She is survived by her mother, Clara Bell Johnson Whitley; four daughters, Brenda Cutchins Roach and husband, Bob Hoerning, Peggy Cutchins, Teresa Cutchins Goodman and husband Ken, and Susan Cutchins Grasser and husband Eddie; a son, Michael Cutchins; two beloved grandchildren, Karen Lenz Churchlill and husband Paul and Paul Rideout and wife Sheree; and five great-grandchildren, Mallory, Megan and Mackenzie Churchill and Tyler and Taylor Rideout; a sister, Marie Hornok and husband Steve, and three stepchildren, Abner Benton Jr., Steve and Harry Hunter. Mrs. Hunter was predeceased by her husband, Abner B. Hunter Sr., and a brother, Elmo Drake. A service and reception celebrating her life will be held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints at 11 a.m. Friday with Bishop Brett Ehrenzeller officiating. The family will receive friends from 2 to 3 p.m. Wednesday and from 6 to 7 p.m. at Wright Funeral Home, Franklin. Edition: FINAL Page: B6 Copyright (c) 2003 The Virginian-Pilot Bernice Evelyn Drake Hunter was buried in Poplar Spring Cemetery in Franklin, Southampton County, Virginia (Annex 3, Section B, Plot 1B). ––– Vital Statistics ––– |---------------------------------------------| | Field | Value | |-------|-------------------------------------| | Name | Bernice Evelyn Drake Hunter | | Age | 72 | | Birth | Unknown | | Death | 27 Dec 2003; Southampton County, VA | |---------------------------------------------| ––– Table of Relationships ––– |------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Name | Relationship | Residence | |-----------------------------|-----------------------|------------------------| | Bernice Evelyn Drake Hunter | Decedent | Southampton County, VA | | Clara Bell Johnson Whitley | Mother | Southampton County, VA | | Abner B. Hunter Sr. | Husband (Predeceased) | Southampton County, VA | | Brenda Cutchins Roach | Daughter | Unknown | | Bob Hoerning | Son-in-law | Unknown | | Peggy Cutchins | Daughter | Unknown | | Teresa Cutchins Goodman | Daughter | Unknown | | Ken Goodman | Son-in-law | Unknown | | Susan Cutchins Grasser | Daughter | Unknown | | Eddie Grasser | Son-in-law | Unknown | | Michael Cutchins | Son | Unknown | | Karen Lenz Churchlill | Granddaughter | Unknown | | Paul Churchlill | Grandson-in-law | Unknown | | Paul Rideout | Grandson | Unknown | | Sheree Rideout | Granddaughter-in-law | Unknown | | Mallory Churchill | Great-granddaughter | Unknown | | Megan Churchill | Great-granddaughter | Unknown | | Mackenzie Churchill | Great-granddaughter | Unknown | | Tyler Rideout | Great-grandson | Unknown | | Taylor Rideout | Great-granddaughter | Unknown | | Marie Hornok | Sister | Unknown | | Steve Hornok | Brother-in-law | Unknown | | Abner Benton Jr. | Stepchild | Unknown | | Steve Hunter | Stepchild | Unknown | | Harry Hunter | Stepchild | Unknown | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------| ––– Publication Details ––– |--------------------------------| | Field | Value | |----------|---------------------| | Location | Norfolk, VA | | Name | The Virginian-Pilot | | Date | 29 Dec 2003 | | Edition | FINAL | | Section | B6 | | Page | B6 | |--------------------------------| [See also: www.findagrave.com/memorial/113880513/bernice-evelyn-hunter www.findagrave.com/cemetery/51709/poplar-spring-cemetery https://sites.rootsweb.com/~vaschs/pscindex.txt ] [Contributed by Bruce Saunders, bs4403@verizon.net Formattinng and references by the Southampton Transcription Project] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may have contributed to the creation of this text. 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