Margaret J. Cifarelli

DAVIDSON – Margaret Ann Judkins Cifarelli, 72, of Davidson, died Nov. 22, 2011, at Levine & Dickson Hospice House, Huntersville, of lung cancer.

Born June 16, 1939, in Lima, Ohio, Mrs. Cifarelli was a daughter of the late Russell and Margaret Dolt Judkins.

Her family moved to California in 1947 and she graduated from San Jose State University in 1961 and later earned a masters degree from the College of St. Thomas in Minnesota. She taught for years in the Torrance Unified School District in Southern California. In 1995, she moved with her husband to North Carolina and taught eight years in the Iredell-Statesville school district, retiring in 2003.

She developed a passion for tai chi and volunteered with Meals on Wheels, the Davidson chapter of Loaves and Fishes and Presbyterian Hospital Huntersville, where fellow volunteers supported her after she was diagnosed with cancer.

Survivors include her husband of 28 years, Victor V. Cifarelli; son, James Cramton, San Pedro, Calif.; and sister, Carla Jean Harter, Delphos, Ohio.

A memorial service was held Sunday, Nov. 27, at Raymer-Kepner Funeral Home, Huntersville. A private burial will take place later at Mimosa Cemetery.

Online condolences: www.raymerfh.com.

Memorials: American Cancer Society, 6000 Fairview Road, suite 200, Charlotte, NC 28210 or Davidson Loaves and Fishes, c/o Ada Jenkins Center, 212 Gamble St., Davidson, NC 28036.

Frances A. Davis

MOORESVILLE – Frances A. “Fran” Davis, 85, died Nov. 22, 2011, at the Churchill Senior Living community. Survivors include son Stephen Davis and wife, Elizabeth, of Cornelius.

Born Oct. 27, 1926, in Rockford, Ill., Mrs. Davis was a daughter of the late Lloyd S. and Etta B. Empie Anderson.

A graduate of Cornell College of Iowa, she earned a master of science degree from the University of Missouri, St. Louis, and an Ed.D. in early childhood education from Rutgers University. She taught preschool through graduate school, served as a consultant for Head Start centers and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf and conducted workshops for teachers at Department of Defense schools in Germany as well as schools in Japan, Thailand, England, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. She wrote three books and served for years as regional advisor for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Carolinas.

Other survivors include her husband of 62 years, Earl; son Philip Davis, Shanghai, China; daughter, Elizabeth Rossi, and husband, Gilbert, Lawrenceville, N.J.; nine grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, Dec. 3, at 11 a.m. at University Presbyterian Church in Chapel Hill.

Online condolences: www.cavin-cook.com.

Memorials: WDAV, Classical Public Radio 89.9, Box 8990, Davidson, NC 28035-8990.

Barbara N. Cone

HUNTERSVILLE – Barbara Napier Cone, 78, of Huntersville, died Nov. 23, 2011, at the Levine & Dickson Hospice House.

Born April 5, 1933, in Los Angeles County, Calif., Mrs. Cone was a daughter of the late Ernest and Marion Napier.

Chuck Cone, her high-school sweetheart and husband of 57 years, preceded her in death.

Survivors include sons C. Robert Cone and wife, Kristy, Mt. Sidney, Va., and Steven Cone and wife, Nancy, Orlando, Fla.; daughters Jennifer Humbert and husband, Philip, Leawood, Kan., and Stacey Barnet, Cornelius; eight grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

A memorial service was held Sunday, Nov. 27, at Davidson College Presbyterian Church, conducted by the Rev. Bill Tiemann. Samuel S. James, Funeral Service Licensee, was in charge.

Memorials: Davidson College Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 337, Davidson, NC 28036 or Hospice of Lake Norman, 705 Griffith St., suite 203, Davidson, NC 28036.

Helen K. Cwalinski

CORNELIUS – Helen Kiesel Cwalinski, 83 of Cornelius, died Nov.  23, 2011, at Lake Norman Regional Medical Center, Mooresville.

Born March 4, 1928, in Troop, Pa., Mrs. Cwalinski was a daughter of the late John and Stella Szymanski Kiesel.

She lived in Middlesex, N.J. for 37 years before moving to Cornelius with her husband, Stanley, in 1992.

Her husband and sisters Stella Rowley, Bertha Cwalinski and Sophie McKenna preceded her in death.

Survivors include her daughter, Lydia Diaco, and husband, Ronald, Cornelius; son, Stanley Cwalinski, and wife, Karen, Alpharetta, Ga.; and five grandchildren.

A memorial service was held Saturday, Nov. 26, at Raymer-Kepner Funeral Home, Huntersville.

Online condolences: www.raymerfh.com.

Memorials: Levine Children’s Hospital, 1000 Blythe Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28203 or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.

Hiram ‘Archie’ Costner Jr.

HUNTERSVILLE – Hiram “Archie” Costner Jr., 97, of Huntersville, died Friday, Nov. 25, 2011.

Born Oct. 26, 1914, in Greenville, S.C., Mr. Costner was a son of the late Hiram Archie and Mary Lorick Costner.

He was a state high-school champion in the 400-meter relay and lived in Greensboro from 1933 to 1947. During World War II, he worked as a civilian at the Army Exchange base in Greenville, N.C. He owned several businesses, including Costner’s Cleaners and Laundry in Charlotte for 25 years.

He retired early in 1975 to care for his first wife, Helen White Costner, during her long illness. She died in February 1984, at age 68. He later married childhood friend Florine Ellis Costner, and they were together 17 years before she died in December 2003, at age 87.

Archie was the oldest member of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Charlotte, a 32-degree Mason and a 50-year Shriner.

Survivors include children Mary Costner Inman, Waxhaw, Hiram Archie Costner III and wife, Harriett, Huntersville; Catherine Helen Costner and partner, Regina Ann Eagle, Huntersville; and Kenneth White Costner, Greencastle, Pa; five grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

A private family gathering will be held at Raymer-Kepner Funeral Home & Cremation Service.

Online condolences: www.raymerfh.com.

Myrtle S. Ferguson

CORNELIUS – Myrtle Schrader Ferguson, 86, of Cornelius, died Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011, at Genesis Eldercare in Mooresville.

Born April 25, 1925, in Plymouth, Mich., Mrs. Ferguson was the daughter of the late Owen and Maude Place Schrader.

Her husband, Charles D. Ferguson, preceded her in death.

Survivors include sons Gary Charles Ferguson and wife, Patricia, Mooresville, and Randy Joseph Ferguson and wife, Patricia, Rio Rancho, N.M.; four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

A graveside service will be held later in Alma Cemetery, Alma, Mich.

Online condolences: www.cavin-cook.com.

Memorials: American Cancer Society, 6000 Fairview Road, suite 200, Charlotte, NC 28210.

Mary M. Milton

DAVIDSON – Mary Sue Mock Milton, 82, of Davidson, formerly of Charlotte and Montreat, died Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011.

Born in Washington, D.C., Mrs. Milton was a daughter of the late Joseph Edgar and Marguerite Cloud Mock.

She grew up in Richmond, Va., where she earned a degree in psychology from Westhampton College.

She served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 13 years, stationed in Quantico, Va.; Parris Island, S.C.; Honolulu, Hawaii; New Orleans, La.; Camp LeJeune; and Washington, D.C. She directed her base’s Recruit Barracks, traveling extensively to recruit women, and was a platoon leader, instructor and commanding officer in the Women Officer’s Training Company. At 32, she became the youngest person promoted to major and returned to Parris Island as executive officer of the Women’s Recruitment Training Battalion.

She married Dr. Cecil Jerome Milton on Dec. 1, 1962, and was honorably discharged the following year when she became pregnant. The Miltons moved to Charlotte in 1963. She was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and served on the board of directors of the Charlotte History Museum. She served as a deacon and president of the Women of the Church at Myers Park Presbyterian Church.

Survivors, in addition to her husband, of The Pines at Davidson, include her son, Tom Milton, and wife, Stuart; daughters Susan Moriceau and husband, Laurent, and Julia Corley and husband, Kent, Hillsborough; sister, Peggy Dobyns, Fairfax, Va.; and six grandchildren.

A memorial gathering was held Monday, Nov. 28, at The Pines of Davidson. Her ashes will be interred at Montreat Memorial Garden in a private ceremony. Samuel S. James, Funeral Service Licensee, Huntersville was in charge.

Memorials: Alzheimer’s Association, P.O. Box 96011, Washington, DC 20090-6011 or The Pines at Davidson’s Residents Support Fund, 400 Avinger Lane, Davidson, NC 28036.