RALEIGH BAPTIST ASSOCIATION MINUTES, 1967 C206.9756/M66ra)

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1967 AJ\NUAL DEDICATED TO LEO::\ SPE~CER

Leon Spencer was born at Seaboard, 'orth Carolina. He is., graduate of Wake Forest College. For several years he taught ir. the Knightdale and Franklinton schools, and then went to work in the Bank of Seaboard.

Mr. Spencer helped in the re-opening of Chowan College and became the Business Manager. He joined the Baptist State Conver­ tion staff as Business Manager (Comptroller) in 1943.

Leon has gi,·en twelve years of faithful service as Clerk of ti Raleigh Baptist Association. He is a member of Hayes Barton Bapti Church, where he serves as a deacon.

He is married to the former Jane Brooks. The Spencers lrl\ two children: Nancy Jane and Leon, Jr., both married.

The churches of the Raleigh Baptist Association are grateful f the valued services Mr. Spencer has given to them during th« f twelve years. He will continue to be helpful in the life of <

Association.

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LEON PHARR SPENCER View;'Sign Guest Book

Leon Pharr Spencer, 102, died quietly on Wednesday, ~~~--·•June 20, 2007.

Born to John Paul Spencer and Roxie Elizabeth Ivey at a little farm the family called "the Baugham place" in Northampton County on February 9, 1905, he was the oldest of four children: a sister Gertrude and two brothers, Herman and J.P., who predeceased him. He began school in Emporia, VA, continued his schooling when the family returned to farming near Seaboard, and graduated from Seaboard High School in 1921 and Wake Forest College, cum laude, in 1927. His career began as a bank cashier, and this part-time work helped pay for his college education. He then taught for several years, first as a teacher and coach ("I always doubted my ability in this area," he once wrote) at Knightdale and then math, French and physics at Franklinton. In 1934 the Farmers Bank of Seaboard presented him with an opportunity to "go back home," which he did. Chowan College, nearby in Murfreesboro, had closed during the war, and in 1948 he became

business manager, with the task of preparing the college for re-opening. He felt immensely honored when that first year the college yearbook was dedicated to him. Leon's work at Chowan brought him to the attention of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, and after a brief stint as county accountant of Northampton County, he became comptroller for the convention, a position he held with distinction from 1953 until his retirement two decades later. He often remarked that God had led him to this work, especially since he could not accept the post when it was first offered. Despite an earned reputation for sometimes providing more information than folks really wanted to know, his annual reports to the Baptist convention were masterly in their efficiency and clarity. Early in his tenure he organized a credit union for Baptist employees, and he continued to administer it after retirement until aged 85. He also kept his ties with Northampton County, particularly by traveling to Seaboard to prepare tax returns for farmer friends there well into his 90's. His wife of 63 years, Jane Brooks, attended Chowan with his sister, Gertrude, and Leon and Jane met briefly then. They renewed their acquaintance when he returned to Seaboard in 1934, and they were married in June 1940, "one the best decisions I ever made," he wrote in a brief memoir. They had two children, Nancy Jane and Leon Jr. When in later years Jane was confined to bed in a nursing home, he faithfully visited her daily. She died in 2004. Like his father, Leon was a life- long Baptist, making his profession of faith at the age of 10 in Emporia. He remained a devoted member of Hayes Barton Baptist Church in Raleigh from 1953 until his death, and served several terms as deacon. He continued to assist each Monday in counting the offering well into his lOlst year. He was devoted, too, to the Lions Club. A charter member of the Seaboard Lions Club in 1938, he joined the Raleigh (Host) Club when the family moved to Raleigh, and almost immediately he was elected secretary, a position he held until he was elected president in 196 7. He then was chosen district governor before returning, for some years more, to the role of secretary; "they gave me another chance to do the job right," he once smilingly remarked. A variety of Lions Club honors came his way in later years. He was particularly proud to be a Melvin Jones Fellow, a "Jack" Stickley" Fellow, and an Ambassador of Good Will. Leon expressed constant gratitude to Lionism, and he was especially appreciative of the opportunity it provided for his young family to travel throughout the United States. Together with his brother J.P., his family began attending Lions International conventions in 1954, and while he attended meetings his wife and children would see the sights of New York or San Francisco or Miami or Chicago, what he called "rich experiences." Before it was over Leon had attended over 30 such conventions, not only in the U.S. but also in Europe and Asia.

He loved travel, displayed an unpretentious curiosity about everything he was seeing, and remembered places, events and people in remarkable detail. In addition to the international conventions, he visited his son in Kenya and in England, and he and Jane traveled frequently to see their children and grandchildren, for some years living in New England and Alabama, always bringing with them the requisite North Carolina country ham. Leon was a loyal alumnus of Wake Forest, both to the university today and to initiatives to preserve historical memory of the old campus. At his last reunion, last year, he expressed his hope to attend his 80th reunion in 2007. Only weeks before his death, Masons from the Seaboard Lodge visited him and presented him with a recognition of his 60 years as a Master Mason. Throughout his life Leon Spencer had a strong commitment to duty and to dealing with integrity with the tasks and people before him. Gratitude was also an important theme to him, and he often expressed his gratefulness for his family, his friends, and the opportunities that presented themselves. He took life's disappointments in stride. Toward the end he would hold forth with doctors, not about his physical condition, but about what a "good fife I have had." Surviving Leon are: his daughter, Nancy Bartlett and her husband, Paul in Apex; his son, Leon, Jr. and his wife, Karen in Greensboro; grandchildren, Alan Bartlett and his wife, Susan, Laura Bartlett, Rebecca Showalter and her husband, Jonathon, and Trevor Spencer; three great-grandchildren. The family expresses its gratitude for the ministry of Hospice of Wake County. A memorial service will be held 3:00 p.m. Sunday, June 24, 2007 at Hayes Barton Baptist Church in Raleigh. Family will receive friends 7:00- 9:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 23, 2007 at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home on St. Mary's Street in Raleigh. Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to: Hayes Barton Baptist Church, 1800 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh, NC 27608. Condolences may be sent to , .bro.,-·· 1nne.com Published in The News & Observer on 6/23/2007. Notice • Guest Book • Flowers • G'ft Shop • Charities

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VJ• ~~· More Obituaries, Page B4:; 1 2003 REID 5,,, A?,1

MAYODAN - Mr. Arthur Leo Reid, 81, of 211 N. 4th Ave., for­ merly of Sandy Ridge, died Sat­ urday, March 15, 2003, at the VA Hospital in Salisbury. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, March 17, 2003, at Oak Grove Baptist Church. Burial will follow in Bethel United Methodist Church Cemetery in Winston-Salem. Mr. Reid was born Jan. 8, 1922, in Forsyth County to the late Robert Joyce and Myrtle Fagg Reid. He at­ tended Mineral Springs Baptist Church as a boy. On Dec. 24, 1941, he was married to the for­ mer Zelmo Brewer of Winston­ Salem. He graduated from Min­ eral Springs High School in 1939, enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1944 and was discharged in 1945 due to wounds received in Germany. Mr. Reid accepted the call to pastor Oak Grove Baptist Church in 1949 and retired Dec. 31, 1982, after serving in the ministry for 331/2 years. The Rev. Reid served as pastor of Mace­ donia Baptist Church in 1951 for one year. He graduated from Fruitland Bible Institute in 1956, where he served as presi­ dent of the student body. He graduated from the school of pastoral care at Baptist Hospital in 1957 and served as trustee for Stokes Reynolds Memorial Hos­ pital for 25 years. The Rev. Reid was preceded in death by his wife, Zelmo Brewer Reid; broth­ ers, Robert Joyce Reid and Carl­ ton J. Reid; and sister, Margaret Brown. Survivors include his wife of a second marriage (Aug. 21, 1999) Gladys Nelson Hall Reid of the home and sister, Martha Hiatt of Yadkinville; stepdaughter, Amy H. Steele of Madison; stepson, Michael Hall (Nancy) of Richmond, Va.; step­ grandson, Andrew Hall; step­ granddaughters, Erin Hall of Glen Allen, Va., and Vaughn Steele of Madison; many nieces, and nephews; a special friend, Cathy Case, and a host of other friends. The family will receive friends from 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday,

. March 16, 2003, at Oak Grove Baptist Church and all other times at the residence. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Oak Grove Baptist Church Building Fund, cl o Mrs. Janet Roberts, 2336 N.C. 722, Madison, NC 27025 or to Sandy Ridge United Methodist Church, cl o Mrs. Helen Amos, P.O. Box 5, Sandy Ridge, NC 27046. The family would like to acknowledge two special people, Liz McBride and Carolyn Bar­ low, for all their care, support and especially their love. Colo­ nial Funeral Home of Madison is serving the family.

WORLEY LEXINGTON Emma Mae Kimberlin Worley, 87, died Sat­ urday, Nov. 18, 2006. The funeral will be 2 p.m. Tuesday at Pied­ mont Funeral Home Chapel.

YEARNS GREENSBORO - Dr. Wilfred Buck Yearns Jr., 88, formerly of 2152 Faculty Drive in Winston­ Salem, died Thursday, Nov. 16, 2006, at his home in Greensboro. Buck was born June 21, 1918, in Louisville, Ga., the son of Dr. Wilfred Buck Yearns and Julia War- DR. YEARNS ren Yearns. He graduated from Duke University with a bache­ lor's degree, earned a master's degree at the University of Georgia and then his doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Upon receiving his Ph.D., he was of­ fered a teaching position at Wake Forest College in 1949, where he happily remained until his retirement in 1988. He was a Demon Deacon through and through. His area of expert­ ise was the Civil War and Recon­ struction of the South. He au­ thored and collaborated on nu­ merous books, Confederate Congress, North Carolina Civil War Documentary and The Pa­ pers of Thomas Jordan Jarvis, to name a few. During his tenure at Wake Forest, he was awarded two Fulbright grants to teach history in Calcutta, India. The first such trip was'with the en­ tire family for a year. Buck also taught at the Wake Forest cam­ puses in London, England, and Venice, Italy, on several occa­ sions. His wife of 44 years, the former Marguerite Ward of Hertford, was his companion, his co-explorer and important­ ly, his social director. They trav­ eled the globe in tandem, as tourists and teachers, while being members of the Friend­ ship Force, the English Speaking Union and the International Foundation for Education and Self-Help. Whether as parents with four children in tow or as empty nesters, they had an in­ satiable appetite for learning about the cultures and people they encountered. Unfortunate­ ly, their travels together ended tragically in 1994 when Mar­ guerite died of malaria while they were in Nigeria. Buck is survived by three sons, Bill Yearns and his wife Nora Rabil Yearns of Greensboro and their children, Will and Meredith; Ward Yearns; and Warren Yearns of Atlanta and his wife Robin Hawie Yearns and their chil­ dren, Marguerite and Liliana; and a daughter, Margaret Yearns Lucas of Charlotte and her hus­ band Scott Lucas and their chil­ dren, Julia, Alex and Karl. He was preceded in death by his sister, Juliet Yearns Gillespie of Savannah, Ga. The family wish­ es to thank Drs. Michael Norris, foe LeBauer and Bob Sevier for the exemplary care and compas­ sion they provided. The family will receive visitors from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 21, at Forbis and Dick Funeral Home at 1118 N. Elm St. in Greensboro, and there will be a memorial service at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 22, in Davis Chapel on the campus of Wake Forest University. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the History Depart­ ment of Wake Forest University, P.O. Box 7806, Winston-Salem, NC27109.

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