Elmer Americus Trantham

A memorial service for Elmer Americus Trantham, 94, will be held Wednesday, October 26, 2005, at 7 p.m., in the First Baptist Church, Washington. He died Thursday, October 6, at the home of his daughter and son-in-law, Carolyn and Jesse Northweather, in Ashland, Missouri.

Mr. Trantham had lived in Washington since 1947, before going to live in Ashland, Missouri, in December 2004. He was born near Andrews, N.C., one of three children of the late Elbert Floyd and Dora Ivalee West Trantham. In 1941 he married Isabell Bradley who preceded him in death on September 3, 2005. During the 1930s he had worked as a timber cruiser for the Tennessee Valley Authority in preparation for the building of dams across Tennessee. He served with the United States Army in the European Theater during World War II. He returned to timber cruising, working for Champion Paper and Fiber Company, which transferred him and his family to Washington in 1947. He worked for Champion for 31 years, retiring in 1976. He had been cruising timber for many individuals in Wilkes and surrounding counties for many years, and this continued after his retirement. He also continued an association with Burt Lumber Company that lasted for 25 years. He was a member of the First Baptist Church of Washington.

In addition to his daughter and son-in-law, Mr. Trantham is survived by two grandsons, Sean and his wife Joy, and Damon and his wife Dana; three great-grandsons, Grant, Eric, and Luke, all of Jefferson City, Missouri.

The funeral service was held Monday, October 10, at Memorial Funeral Home in Columbia, Missouri, with Jesse Northweather officiating. Entombment was at Memorial Park Cemetery.
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Isabell Bradley Trantham

Funeral services for Isabell Bradley Trantham, 90, of WashingtonWilkes and Ashland, Missouri, were held Wednesday, September 7, 2005, at Memorial Funeral Home in Columbia, Mo., with Jesse Northweather officiating. Entombment was in Memorial Park Cemetery. She died Saturday, September 3, in Ashland, at the home of her daughter and son-in-law, Carolyn and Jesse Northweather. Arrangements are pending for a memorial service to be held at the First Baptist Church in Washington.

Mrs. Trantham was born near Andrews, N.C., and was the daughter of the late Jeptha Wiley and Fannie Caroline Clark Bradley. She taught in the elementary school after earning her bachelor’s degree and a teaching certificate. She and her husband, Elmer Americus Trantham, and their daughter Carolyn came to Washington-Wilkes in 1947 and Mrs. Trantham began teaching at the elementary school in 1951 and later assumed the position of librarian. She became exclusively the high school librarian when became Washington-Wilkes High School and soon her titale included media specialist. She also served as librarian-media specialist for Washington Wilkes Comprehensive High School and before she retired in 1988 the library had been named in her honor. She earned her master’s in education from the University of Georgia and did post graduate work in librarianship at Emory University. She was a member of local, state, and national education and librarian organizations including lifetime membership in the National Education Association. She was a member of the First Baptist Church of Washington where she taught Sunday School for many years.

In addition to her husband, daughter, and son-in-law, she is survived by two grandsons, Sean and his wife Joy, Damon and his wife Dana, all of Jefferson City, Mo., and three great-grandsons, Grant, Eric, and Luke.
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