Obituary of Gladys Lankford Wills GLADYS LANKFORD WILLS Virginian-Pilot, The (Norfolk, VA) - November 10, 2002 FRANKLIN - Gladys Lankford Wills, 77, of the 100 block of Southampton Road, left her earthly home and went home to be with the Lord Nov. 9, 2002. She had been at Autumn Care in Suffolk for the past year due to Alzheimer's disease. A lifelong resident of Southampton County, she was the daughter of the late Harvey A. Lankford Sr. and Bertha Blythe Lankford and was also predeceased by a brother, Harvey A. Lankford Jr. She is survived by her loving husband of 53 years, Wesley F. Wills; her son, Ellis and wife Patty of Smithfield and their three children, Lauren, Caroline and Kaitlyn; her son, Allen of Franklin; her daughter, Connie Wills Reed and husband Roger of Chesapeake and their three children, Kelly, Tracy and Michelle. She is also survived by her brother, Burnley H. "Pete" Lankford and wife Voncille of Titus, Ala.; her sister, Audrey J. Lankford of Richmond, Va.; her sister-in-law, Mary Alice Lankford of Franklin; and several nieces and nephews. She was first and foremost a loving wife, mother, grandmother and homemaker. She attended Farmville State Teacher's College and was an active member of Franklin Congregational Christian Church for more than 50 years. She was a member and past president of the Franklin Women's Club, a past member of Southampton Memorial Hospital Auxiliary, Christian Women's Club and a Scout leader. A funeral will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday in the chapel of Wright Funeral Home by the Rev. Dr. Ira D. Hudgins and the Rev. Dr. Donald Rhoton. Burial will be in Poplar Spring Cemetery , Franklin. Friends may visit the family at the home and a visitation will be held today from 6 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home. You may send donations to The Alzheimer's Association, 100 W. Fourth Ave., Franklin, VA 23851 or the Franklin Congregational Christian Church, 412 N. High St., Franklin, VA 23851. Edition: FINAL Section: LOCAL Page: B7 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ––– Narrative Summary of the Obituary ––– Gladys Lankford Wills, 77, of Franklin, died 9 Nov 2002. A lifelong Southampton County resident, she was a homemaker, church member, and community volunteer, survived by her husband, children, grandchildren, and siblings. A funeral was held at 2 p.m. Tuesday 12 Nov 2002 at Wright Funeral Home by Rev. Dr. Ira D. Hudgins and Rev. Dr. Donald Rhoton. Burial followed in Poplar Spring Cemetery, Franklin. ––– Transcript ––– GLADYS LANKFORD WILLS Virginian-Pilot, The (Norfolk, VA) - November 10, 2002 FRANKLIN - Gladys Lankford Wills, 77, of the 100 block of Southampton Road, left her earthly home and went home to be with the Lord Nov. 9, 2002. She had been at Autumn Care in Suffolk for the past year due to Alzheimer's disease. A lifelong resident of Southampton County, she was the daughter of the late Harvey A. Lankford Sr. and Bertha Blythe Lankford and was also predeceased by a brother, Harvey A. Lankford Jr. She is survived by her loving husband of 53 years, Wesley F. Wills; her son, Ellis and wife Patty of Smithfield and their three children, Lauren, Caroline and Kaitlyn; her son, Allen of Franklin; her daughter, Connie Wills Reed and husband Roger of Chesapeake and their three children, Kelly, Tracy and Michelle. She is also survived by her brother, Burnley H. "Pete" Lankford and wife Voncille of Titus, Ala.; her sister, Audrey J. Lankford of Richmond, Va.; her sister-in-law, Mary Alice Lankford of Franklin; and several nieces and nephews. She was first and foremost a loving wife, mother, grandmother and homemaker. She attended Farmville State Teacher's College and was an active member of Franklin Congregational Christian Church for more than 50 years. She was a member and past president of the Franklin Women's Club, a past member of Southampton Memorial Hospital Auxiliary, Christian Women's Club and a Scout leader. A funeral will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday [12 Nov 2002] in the chapel of Wright Funeral Home by the Rev. Dr. Ira D. Hudgins and the Rev. Dr. Donald Rhoton. Burial will be in Poplar Spring Cemetery, Franklin. Friends may visit the family at the home and a visitation will be held today from 6 to 8 p.m. [10 Nov 2002] at the funeral home. You may send donations to The Alzheimer's Association, 100 W. Fourth Ave., Franklin, VA 23851 or the Franklin Congregational Christian Church, 412 N. High St., Franklin, VA 23851. ––– Vital Statistics ––– |--------------------------------------------------------| | Name | Gladys Lankford Wills | | Age | 77 | | Birth | 1925 (estimated); Southampton County, Virginia | | Death | 9 Nov 2002; Suffolk, Virginia | |--------------------------------------------------------| ––– Table of Relationships ––– |---------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Name | Relationship | Residence | |----------------------------|-----------------------|----------------------| | Gladys Lankford Wills | Decedent | Franklin, Virginia | | Wesley F. Wills | Husband | Not stated | | Harvey A. Lankford Sr. | Father (predeceased) | Not stated | | Bertha Blythe Lankford | Mother (predeceased) | Not stated | | Ellis Wills | Son | Smithfield, Virginia | | Patty Wills | Daughter-in-law | Smithfield, Virginia | | Allen Wills | Son | Franklin, Virginia | | Connie Wills Reed | Daughter | Chesapeake, Virginia | | Roger Reed | Son-in-law | Chesapeake, Virginia | | Lauren Wills | Grandchild | Not stated | | Caroline Wills | Grandchild | Not stated | | Kaitlyn Wills | Grandchild | Not stated | | Kelly Reed | Grandchild | Not stated | | Tracy Reed | Grandchild | Not stated | | Michelle Reed | Grandchild | Not stated | | Burnley H. "Pete" Lankford | Brother | Titus, Alabama | | Voncille Lankford | Sister-in-law | Titus, Alabama | | Audrey J. Lankford | Sister | Richmond, Virginia | | Mary Alice Lankford | Sister-in-law | Franklin, Virginia | | Harvey A. Lankford Jr. | Brother (predeceased) | Not stated | |---------------------------------------------------------------------------| ––– Publication Details ––– |---------------------------------| | Field | Value | |----------|----------------------| | Location | Norfolk, Virginia | | Name | Virginian-Pilot, The | | Date | 10 Nov 2002 | | Edition | FINAL | | Section | LOCAL | | Page | B7 | |---------------------------------| ––– Other Relevant Information ––– • Lifelong resident of Southampton County • Homemaker • Attended Farmville State Teacher's College • Member of Franklin Congregational Christian Church for more than 50 years • Past president of Franklin Women's Club • Member of Southampton Memorial Hospital Auxiliary • Member of Christian Women's Club • Scout leader • Birth name was Gladys Lankford [See also: www.findagrave.com/memorial/114098628/gladys-virginia-wills www.findagrave.com/memorial/176693960/wesley_franklin-wills (spouse) www.findagrave.com/cemetery/51709/poplar-spring-cemetery https://sites.rootsweb.com/~vaschs/pscindex.txt ] [Contributed by Bruce Saunders, bs4403@verizon.net] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may have contributed to the creation of this text. 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