Johnnie Melvin Ellis Jr., 50, of Carrboro, died Aug. 2, 2009, at his residence.

He was a graduate of East Carolina University and worked for UNC Health Care. Johnnie was a kind and gentle person who will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

Johnnie is survived by his wife, Ellen Thomas Ellis of the home; his mother, Patricia Dean Ellis of Ocean Isle, N.C.; brother Scott Ellis and his wife, Ruth Ann, of North Myrtle Beach, S.C.; sister Wendy Oleson and her husband, Alan, of North Myrtle Beach, S.C.; niece Sydney Oleson; nephew Ty Bellamy and his wife, Harmony; great-nephew Ethan Bellamy; maternal grandmother Pearl Duncan Dean of Raleigh. He was preceded in death by his father, Johnnie Melvin Ellis Sr.

Funeral services were conducted August 5, 2009, at Walker's Funeral Home Chapel by the Rev. Jim Greenlee. Interment followed in the Westwood Cemetery in Carrboro.

Online condolences may be sent to www.walkersfuneralservice.com

Rita Fussman

Rita Fussman, 76, died Aug. 4, 2009, at the Hack Family Pavilion in Durham after a 23-year battle with cancer. She will be remembered for her love and devotion to family.

She was the cherished wife of Herbert Fussman. The romance began at a social in Brooklyn, N.Y., when she was 14. The two stepped out at the Copa, settled in Long Island and raised two sons, Cal Fussman of Santa Monica, Cal., and Chet Fussman of Jacksonville, Fla.

The couple retired to Chapel Hill in 1989 and appeared in Money magazine as an example of how the Triangle had become the best place to live in America. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at The Siena Hotel in 2003.

She was known for playing a mean game of mahjong, her love of North Carolina spring and knitting.

Her battle against cancer was fought alongside a support group called Pathfinders. Contributions made to Pathfinders, at Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27710, will keep her battle alive.

Mary Gertrude Regan

Mary Gertrude Regan (Howe), 89, of Drexel Hill, died July 9, 2009.

Beloved wife for 55 years of the late William L. Regan, she is survived by nine children, Mary P. of Philadelphia; Kathleen Winfield of Fort Collins, Col.; William (Marilou) of Springfield, Pa.; Margaret (Kevin Gosner) of Tucson, Ariz.; Anne Marie (Doug Magee) of Louisville, Ky.; Eileen (Tim Smith) of Chapel Hill; Michael (Mark Brack) of Lansdowne, Pa.; Paul (Patricia) of Chadds Ford, Pa.; and James (Sandra Riley) of Chevy Chase, Md.

She was a loving Nana and Babushka to 14 grandchildren: Keith, Brian, Beth, Linda Mary, Will, Andrew, Jessie, Emily, Clare, Alona, Brendan, Caitlin, Timothy and Sveta. Also survived by siblings Dorothy Morgan, Madeleine O'Hara, Bill (Mary) Howe and Gertrude Zagiba; sister-in-law Eleanor Howe; many nieces and nephews; family friend Janet Cadogan; and caregiver Pinkey Johnson.

Funeral Mass was celebrated at the Church of St. Andrew the Apostle, Drexel Hill, Pa., followed by interment in St. Denis Cemetery.

Contributions in her memory may be made to The Philadelphia Museum of Art, P.O. Box 7646 Philadelphia, PA 19101 or to Orange County DSS/foster care music lessons, c/o Crystal Mitchell 2501 Homestead Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27516.

Buford Hall

Buford Hall, 88, died Aug. 2, 2009, at the DuBose Center at the Cedars of Chapel Hill.

He was born in Georgetown, Ky., on Nov. 19, 1920, the son of the late Buford and Lora Forwood Hall. Buford was a graduate of Woodberry Forest School, the University of Kentucky and Harvard Medical School, and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

Esteemed by both colleagues and patients, Buford was a devoted, respected and published physician and teacher of cardiology with a longstanding practice in Hinsdale, Ill.

He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Margaret (Peg); his three children, Richard, Lora (Chris) and Michael; three granddaughters and his brother, Marion. Buford was predeceased by his other brother, Joseph Hall.

Expressions of sympathy may be made to the Alzheimer's Association of Eastern North Carolina, 400 Oberlin Road, Suite 220, Raleigh, NC 27605.

Online condolences may be left at www.cremnc.com.

Robert Hoogstoel

Born in Troy, N.Y., Robert Hoogstoel, 73, died August 5, 2009.

Bob was a 1952 graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire and a 1957 graduate of the College of Engineering at Cornell University. A member of Sphinx Head Society and Tau Beta Pi National Engineering Honor Society, Bob sang with Cayuga's Waiters, an a cappella triple quartet.

Bob earned a master's degree in nuclear engineering in 1962 at the University of California, Berkeley. He worked for General Electric in Schenectady, N.Y., where he met and married Jewel Beauford, a native of Burlington, N.C.

Bob is survived by his wife, Jewel; sister, Jane Farrar, of Rexford, N.Y.; and nephews and nieces. He will be sadly missed by friends and relatives throughout the world, a testament to the life-long travels of he and his wife. A celebration of life will be scheduled at a later date.

Memorial contributions may be sent to Jewel and Bob Hoogstoel International Scholarship Fund, UNCG. ATTN: Advancement Services, 1100 W. Market St., P.O. Box 26170, Greensboro, NC 27402

Gayle Whitley Gordon

Gayle Whitley Gordon, 64, died July 11, 2009, in Chapel Hill following a long term affliction with multiple sclerosis.

Born on Aug. 2, 1944, in Como, N.C., she was the daughter of the late Linwood and Mildred (Barrett) Whitley.

She graduated from Chowan College. As a medical transcriptionist she worked in North Carolina and Virginia, the last at Children's Hospital of the Kings Daughters in Norfolk, Va. In 1984 she left the work force and was lovingly cared for by her mother.

A Celebration of Life service was held July 22, 2009, at Buckhorn Baptist Church. The Rev. John Hackney officiated. Her ashes will be scattered along the Virginia shoreline, as she requested.

Left to cherish her memory are sister Ruth Whitley Nagle and her husband David of Chapel Hill; nephew Michael D. Nagle and his wife, Linda, of Salt Lake City, Utah; nieces Julie Maranto and her husband, Tony, of Lake Bluff, Ill., and Amy Nagle of Mundelein, Ill.; great nieces Melissa Maranto, Madeline Maranto and great nephew Anthony Maranto, all of Lake Bluff, Ill.; and several cousins.

Memorials may be made to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, P.O. Box 4527, New York, NY 10163 or local chapters of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals; or to Buckhorn Baptist Church or to Duke HomeCare & Hospice 4321 Medical Park Drive, Suite 101, Durham, NC 27704.

Friends and family may sign the online register at www.garrettjonesfh.com.