Obituaries -

July 3, 2024 No Responses

Goldsboro loses a giant

Family. In places like Wayne County, that word means so much more than blood ties and a last name. Here, it’s about bonds. And Tuesday evening, thousands of people in this community lost a brother. I feel fortunate to count...

September 6, 2022 No Responses

Rest easy, Legend … and thank you.

I didn’t meet him until 2017, but I had come to know Elvin James years earlier. I wasn’t, all those years ago, a sports reporter, but the local newspaper was down a man, and I found myself prepping for a...

April 20, 2021 No Responses

In death, local historian teaches us a powerful final lesson

A really striking thing happened at the Wayne County Board of Commissioners meeting Tuesday. It was sad, heartwarming and, more importantly, emblematic of something we have to remember as we watch what is transpiring around the country. Wayne County took...

March 22, 2021 2 Responses

Goldsboro loses a giant. Ernie Haskins made his community better.

It was one week before my wedding when my dad passed away. I now had to plan a funeral. Many people would feel lost in that moment, but there was not a question as to who to go to for...

December 30, 2020 one Response

A new way to honor your loved ones is coming in 2021

As many of you know, my mother, Jane Lavoie, passed away in September. As we began to put together the service to honor her life, I started to create what was a very important part of that tribute — her...

October 2, 2020 No Responses

From simple beginnings to the chairman’s gavel, Ray Mayo never forgot his faith or his values

Ray Mayo was someone whose roots ran deep. He was the son of farmers — a mother and father who worked hard and taught their son to do the same. Salt of the earth. That’s what they called them. It...

September 13, 2020 No Responses

Where I’ve been … since many of you have been there

I have been out of the loop for a couple of weeks, and many of you have noticed. And since we are now friends, I’d like to tell you why. I said goodbye to my mom last Thursday. Many of...

February 7, 2020 2 Responses

Our children’s champion is called home

Rick Pridgen didn’t serve on the Wayne County School Board for show or notoriety. And if you knew him, you understood that he didn’t do it to get rich, enjoy perks or dangle his power over people’s heads. He was...

January 12, 2020 one Response

A tribute … and a thank you

There was a time when Hal Tanner Jr. was the most powerful man in Wayne County — military brass included. As publisher of the Goldsboro News-Argus during the paper’s golden years, he managed the premier news outlet in eastern North...