Stephen was killed in action in Viet Nam.
988. Bernard Eugene (Pegg) Parsons
Source: Sonnie Grimes
Gene was born at Deadfall, near Smithfield, WV, at his Grandparents home.
Bernard Eugene "Gene" Parsons was adopted by his aunt and uncle Emma Mae Pegg
and Zealous Jay Parsons shortly after the death of his natural father, John Ira
Pegg, Sr. The adoption papers of Bernard Eugene (Pegg) Parsons states that Iva
Ratliff was married at the time of Gene's adoption. The papers were signed 21
June 1928. His father died in Feb, 1926. Jay was 39 years old and Emma M. was
33 years old at the time of the adoption. Iva was remarried and living at Ida
Mae P.O. in Marion County, WV. The date of B.E. Parsons birth was given as 29
Sep 1924. He was 3 years ond upwards at the time of the adoption. Jay and
Emma's names were given and signed as Z. Jay Parsons and Emma M. Parsons. The
papers also state that Emma was a sister to John Ira Pegg, father of the child.
In Nov 1959 Gene's home on the farm left to him by Jay and Emma burned to the
ground. Jay, Emma, and Gene lived at Reader, WV until Gene was about 10 years
old. They then moved to Rt. 7, 13 miles from New Martinsville, WV. In 1943 he
joined the Navy, but only stayed a few months, with six months spent in the
hospital with problems with his legs. This problem plagued him the rest of his
life with no doctors ever finding the source of the problem. Oral: In 1944 he
got his first union book out of Ohio. Then he went to work on the Pipe Line
and learned to run the dozer on his own. He would go get on any piece of
equipment they had and fool with it until he had learned to operate it.
Source: Sonnie Grimes
She was called Betty by her family and friends from out Little Creek where she
was reared, and Wanda by her friends and co-workers in New Martinsville, WV.
She was employed as head cashier at the new, at that time, A & P Supermarket in
New Martinsville, WV. She was 33 years old at the time of her death. Her
obituary and brother said she died from a ruptured gallbladder, while the
doctor told her ex-husband she had cancer. I would from personal observation
and conversations with her. She made two comments which could have been
regarded as complaints concerning her illness. The first was to her mother,
Girlie Wade, when she said she wished she could live to see me (Sonnie/Sondra
Parsons Grimes grow up. Her mother said she really had no idea of what Betty
was talking about and didn't want to pry as to her meaning. The second was a
request to her ex-husband that he help her scoot up in her hospital bed. He
said that was the nearest he had ever heard her complain. According to a
letter written by her brother, Bill (Gerald), to a Mrs Dopler (probably Ethel
(Pegg) Dopler), the following events occurred prior to her death. Betty passed
away on December 27. She worked on Monday the 22nd. She went to the Dr. on
Monday evening he sent her directly to the hospital for an operation. They
gave her blood on Tuesday (I guess to prepare her for the operation) and
operated on Wednesday morning. They gave her seven pints of blood before they
moved her from the operating table. She was placed in an oxygen tent then.
Her gall bladder was removed but it had already ruptured. The doctor said on
Christmas Day, Thursday, that the operation was a success and he had hopes of
her pulling through. Gene (her ex-husband) called me on Christmas eve and Bill
and I went down on Thursday morning. She was unconscious and of course no
visitors were allowed in.