Ann Kelly Etheridge
Dorothy “Ann” Angela Kelly married Richard Winston Etheridge on Jue 24, 1967 in Wilson, North Carolina
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| Ann's child with Richard Etheridge |
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| Dana Taylor Ruth Etheridge |
Dorothy “Ann” Angela Kelly, the third child and oldest daughter of Jerome and Mildred Stancil Kelly, was born Aug. 25, 1940, in Wilson, North Carolina.
Ann grew up in Wilson, attending Winstead Elementary and Charles L. (Lee) Coon High School. Some of her favorite childhood pastimes were playing hide and seek and softball, where she often took on the role of pitcher. One memorable, and painful, incident occurred when she was about 10 years old while playing catcher – a hit to the head, a stark reminder of a time before protective masks. Ann continued to play softball in junior high.
Life at home presented challenges for Ann, leading her to move in with her Aunt Dot and Uncle L.P. Stancil during her high school years.
Courtesy of Stancil Reunion Archive |
Although Ann and Richard Winston Etheridge both attended the same high school, their paths didn't cross there. Instead, their meeting took place at the Wilson bowling alley. Ann was a skilled bowler and part of a league. Richard was the son of Jasper Thomas Etheridge, a Bailey pharmacist, and Lillian Taylor Etheridge. He had grown up in Oxford, North Carolina, and after high school, served four years in the United States Coast Guard.
Ann graduated from Charles L. Coon High School in 1958. She then carpooled with other students from Wilson to attend beauty school in Greenville, NC, for a year-long course. Throughout this time, she and Richard stayed in touch. Richard was pursuing his education to become an optometrist. In 1959, he graduated with an A.B. degree in science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, followed by bachelor’s and doctorate degrees from the Illinois College of Optometry in 1962. After completing her studies, Ann worked as a beautician at Your Beauty Shop in Wilson for about a year.
Their connection deepened, and Ann and Richard became engaged.
Source: Raleigh News and Observer |
On June 24, 1967, they were married at the Five Points Missionary Baptist Church in Wilson. Ann looked radiant in a long white gown, attended by three bridesmaids. Among Ann’s relatives present were L.P. and Dot Stancil, Bill and Pat Whitfield, and Ray and Muriel Stancil. Following a honeymoon to the beach, they established their home in Burlington, NC, where Richard had opened his optometry practice in 1966. Years later, they enjoyed a second honeymoon in the Bahamas. They were married for 44 years.
Ann and Richard welcomed their daughter, Dana Taylor Ruth Etheridge, in 1973.
Richard was actively involved in his community, holding memberships in the Alamance Civitan Club, the Burlington Lions Club, the American Optometric Association, and was also a York Rite Mason. He was honored with membership in two honorary fraternities, Tomb and Key and Beta Sigma Kappa, and served as the past education chairman for the District American Cancer Society.
In his leisure time, Richard enjoyed playing golf at Arrowhead Golf Club near Mebane. Ann found relaxation in watching television, with soap operas being a particular favorite.
The family were members of the Grove Park Baptist Church. A unique insight into Richard's observant nature was captured by the Mother Earth News editors in their January/February 1985 edition, where he offered a solution to the problem of chickens pecking each other in the winter by suggesting the use of red light bulbs to alter their aggressive behavior.
Dr. Etheridge passed away at 79 on April 30, 2011, at home. A funeral service, officiated by Dr. Gene Hunsinger, was held on May 3 at Rich and Thompson Chapel in Burlington, followed by a graveside service and burial in the Bailey Cemetery in Bailey, NC. He was a devoted father to Dana Taylor Etheridge and a loving grandfather to John Wilson Overman III.
Dr. Etheridge will be remembered as a conscientious doctor and a devoted family man.