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- [S113] Manes Funeral Home, (http://www.manesfuneralhome.com), 13 Jan 2008.
Bonnie F. LeVan obituary
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 8 Feb 2009.
The winds cry for spring Mr. Groundhog says it so
STAFF PHOTO
This is a recent photo of our friend, Ralph Wade Giles. I knew him to be a kind and responsible person interested in law enforcement and providing transportation services to others, young and old.
Author: David Popiel
The first week in February brought the coldest days of the winter and three days later the temperature rises above 60s degrees in our hometown, no doubt providing some sunbathing weather ahead.
Last week we talked with Charles Brooks, of Edwina, and continue his story today and later will add some notes from his schoolmate Elaine Kelly and others I bumped into during the ice and snow. Brooks served in the Navy during the Korean War. The most harrowing incident of his several cross-Pacific tours happened when the destroyer was cruising for a week to outrun an approaching typhoon. They were running out of fuel and eventually had to hit the storm head-on and try to find the aircraft carrier the USS Lexington to refuel. Heavy waves made refueling treacherous and ripped six-inch fuel lines apart but the sailors survived. About the only Newport friend he recalled seeing when his ship and another were refueling at a tanker was Harold Brooks, who was on the other ship. After military service, Charles had an interest in teaching school. This he did for three years at Copper Hill. He found his true calling later working with large companies such as Dupont as a procurement agent and contact for subcontractors. Charles' job was to get supplies and workers for giant projects including paper mills and nuclear power plants. You have to remember that this time period was a far different age than our Internet, cellphone, digital era. When he was growing up, he never got a chance to use a rotary dial telephone until he was in high school. During the 1960s and 1970s, the US was building many nuclear power plants. It was in Missouri and Kansas that he worked for about 10 years on such plants in those states. By 1984, he returned to Newport to help take care of Cad Fox's widow, Fannie, who was an Edgemont teacher and his aunt. But by the 1990s, he was ready to leave the state and continue working. One place he used his skills was the construction of the Toyota Plant near Lexington, Ky. The biggest project he worked at was about 1996 in the Washington/Oregon area. A $3 billion computer chip plant was constructed. He finally retired for good in 1997, but stays involved in church work at Pleasant Grove. He likes to help the outreach program of Southern Baptists to construct ramps for elderly and handicapped. Charles married Mary Frances, of Asheville, and they live in his homeplace off Lark Road. His son, Paul Brooks, is manager of the Brevard, NC, Sagebrush, and son, Clinton, works at the Newport Sagebrush. We often talk about leaving our marks during life. Charles said he has left a few. As a teenager, he recalled working with Boggan Baxter and Charles Seehorn, who were noted bridge builders. Charles, at 17, was driving a tool truck for them and was pulling into the former Walt Large Store at Cosby. The truck hit the front overhang and knocked off a small bit of the corner. This mark remained for decades.
Tuesday morning proved the weather forecast correct, being cold enough to keep all the snow and ice from Monday in firm place. My car was iced over and the doors impossible to open so I took my truck. The emergency brakes seemed to be frozen in place and it rolled with regret. As it warmed up the problem did not melt away so I stopped at Newport Car Care Center. At least it was warm inside where Don Ball and Glenn Cameron were waiting for another broken car. When Don heard my complaint he picked up a hammer and long pry bar, went outside, crawled under and pecked on the emergency brake cable on both sides. That fixed the problem. He said water had frozen in the cable housing not allowing the shoe brakes to release. As I've always said, it's good to have a smart mechanic friend. Carolyn Helms also was among the many who encountered ice ills. The doors on her Honda were frozen. Her solution so she could get to the Kiwanis Club meeting was to get out her hair dryer and thaw the door. She was at the club meeting so it must have worked.
I had intended to tell you more about Elaine, but death takes precedence, as we lost many friends this week, including my friend. Many of you were as surprised as I was to learn of the death of Ralph Wade Giles. This cold and icy weather reminds me of the time years ago when he removed ice and snow from our driveway. This helped newspaper carriers be able to pull in and pick up their papers for delivery. The reason I got to know him rather well was his interest in law enforcement and my work in the 1970s reporting on crime. My memory is, for what it's worth, that he was a deputy during the time Bobby Stinson was sheriff. He made a lot of friends and eventually was able to get elected constable in the sixth district. Ralph was never one to sit around, and his sister, Linda Valentine, confirmed that when I talked with her last week. She explained that there were three sets of children whose mother was the former Maggie McGaha. Ralph grew up in "Giles Corner" of Newport the oldest of the Giles set. He served in the Air Force and seemed to always take jobs driving. For many years he was a city taxi driver, a job that disappeared in recent decades. Linda said he worked for John Phillips driving his taxi. Later Ralph put his skills to work as a school bus driver, and he owned a bus and provided transportation to workers going to Gatlinburg. If he wasn't driving, he could paint houses and did. In later years he developed heart problems and required stents, but it wasn't because he was overweight. He was always trim and active. Shortly before he died, he was driving home and lost control of his car. Perhaps he suffered an attack, crashing into a utility pole. That was Jan. 28 and he was sent to Knoxville via ambulance. I don't believe they got too far from Newport when he suffered another attack and died. From all I know, he served his community well and will be missed.
In plain talk, winter can be the cruelest month when it separates us from both those we know and all the things we enjoy on warmer days like today. Let the sun shine in.
- [S113] Manes Funeral Home, (http://www.manesfuneralhome.com), 28 Jan 2009.
(July 11, 1934 - January 28, 2009)
U.S. Veteran Ralph Wade Giles, age 74, of Newport, passed away, Wednesday, January 28, 2009. He was a veteran having served in the United States Air Force. He is survived by his sons, Charles Ball, Newport, Ralph Giles, Jr, Montana; daughter, Ralphene Ball, Newport; brothers, Wayne Giles, Boaz, Donald Turner, Newport, Johnny Webb, Eugene Webb, James Lee Webb, Charles F. Webb, all of Newport; sisters, Linda Valentine, Newport, Brenda Wise, Jefferson County; several grandchildren, Nieces, Nephews; and other family and friends.
The family will receive friends from 6-8 pm Friday, January 30, 2009 at Manes Funeral Home.
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