June D. Mellen



DAVIDSON – June D. Mellen, 80, died April 12, 2011, at The Pines of Davidson.



Born June 14, 1929, in Cressona, Pa., Mrs. Mellen was the daughter of the late Earl Claude and Sylvia Pinker Diehl.



She earned a nursing degree from Philadelphia Episcopal Hospital and served in the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps at the Navy Hospital in Portsmouth, Va., and on the USS Repose in Inchon Harbor, South Korea.



She married John Keller Mellen on Valentine’s Day in 1954 and accompanied him on foreign assignments for Mobil Oil for nearly 20 years. The family lived in Venezuela, Paris, Indonesia and Egypt, as well as 10 years of assignments in New York and Dallas. In retirement, the couple enjoyed traveling the U.S. in a motor home.



Survivors, in addition to her husband of 57 years, include daughters Teri Lynne Mellen, Cornelius, Vicki Kay Thorp and husband, Paul, Carrollton, Texas, Julie Ann Smith, Huntersville, and Kristi Sue Munson, Coral Springs, Fla.; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.



A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. May 14 at Huntersville United Methodist Church. Samuel S. James, Funeral Service Licensee, Huntersville, is assisting the family.



Memorials: The Pines Residence Assistance Fund, 400 Avinger Lane, Davidson, NC 28036; Hospice and Palliative Care at Lake Norman, 705 Griffith St., suite 203, Davidson, NC 28036; or Huntersville United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 378, Huntersville, NC 28070.



Margaret ‘Belle’ Banks



HUNTERSVILLE – Margaret “Belle” Pierce Banks, 92, of Huntersville, a community activist who helped found the Mecklenburg Community Chorus and establish the North Campus of Central Piedmont Community College, died April 12, 2011, at her residence after a brief illness.



Born Aug. 1, 1918, in Coatesville, Pa., Mrs. Banks was the daughter of the late Mary Donaldson and Leslie Sherman Pierce.



Richard Torrance “Dick” Banks, her husband of 56 years, three sisters and two brothers preceded her in death.



Survivors include her daughter, Margaret Banks Basinger, and husband, Dale, Rockwell; son, Richard Torrance Banks, Huntersville; five grandchildren; and a great-grandchild. She served two terms as president of the Huntersville Elementary School Parent-Teacher Association and was active in women’s groups at Huntersville Presbyterian Church, including Bible moderator and circle chairman. She was a member of the Democratic Woman’s Club and the Mecklenburg Historical Association and served 12 years on the Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation Board, earning the Order of the Hornet.



She chaired the board of Central Piedmont Community College, when the college initiated its plans to build the North Campus in Huntersville. She also held several offices in the Huntersville Woman’s Club and served several years on the board of the Hugh Torrance House and Store restoration project. She and her husband devoted their lives to restoring Cedar Grove, the 1831 Torrance home place.



She worked eight years as news editor for the Mecklenburg Gazette, winning prizes for her columns, and then worked 14 years for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg public library system. She participated for 12 years in the annual storytelling festival sponsored by the library and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, led book review programs at several library branches and moderated quarterly book review programs for the Davidson Parks and Recreation Department.



Mrs. Banks and her husband also founded the North Mecklenburg Community Chorus more than 30 years ago, and in recent years she enjoyed escapades with her Red Hat group and her Wednesday Bridge game at Jetton Park.



A memorial service was held Saturday, April 16, at Huntersville Presbyterian Church. Raymen Kepner Funeral Home was in charge.



Memorials: Hospice & Palliative Care Lake Norman, 705 Griffith St., suite 203, Davidson, NC 28036.



Earl Berry



TROUTMAN –Lenwood Earl Berry, 78, of Troutman, died April 11, 2011. He was a regular with the Huntersville Hardee’s bunch.



Born Oct. 5, 1932, in Graniteville, S.C. Mr. Berry was the son of the late Ruby Hancock and Theron O’Bryant Berry. His wife, Doris Butler Berry, died in 1981.



He served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. He worked for Johnson Motor Lines until it closed in 1980 and retired from Consolidated Freight in 1987. He volunteered with the Masons and the Shriners, serving as captain of the Statesville Two-Wheelers.



Survivors include sons Michael A. Berry and wife, Sandy, Aiken, S.C., and Brian K. Berry and wife, Kimberly, Denver; daughter, Karen B. Clodfelter, and husband, Gerald, Troutman; seven grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.



A memorial service was held April 13 at Mountain Road Baptist Church, Statesville, and a graveside service was conducted April 14 at Graniteville Memorial Cemetery, Graniteville, S.C., with Masonic graveside rites. Troutman Funeral Home was in charge.



Memorials: Alzheimer’s Association, Mountain Road Baptist Church, Shriners Hospitals for Children or Gordon Hospice House.



Online condolences: http://troutmanfuneralhome.com.