Walter Summers

Walter Napoleon Summers, 72, of 501 Russell St., Statesville, died Monday, March 3, 2008, at Gordon's Hospice House, Statesville. He was born on March 25, 1935, in Iredell County, and was the son of the late Clay Summers and Beulah Mae Steele Summers. He was married to Brenda Morrison Summers, who survives. Mr. Summers was a graduate of Unity High School and attended Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory. He was a member of Christian Outreach of the Piedmont. He also owned and operated his own taxi cab in New York City. In Statesville, he was a driver for Adams Taxi. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army. Mr. Summers was preceded in death by three brothers; Roger Lee Summers, Dwight Summers and Charles Summers. Survivors include, in addition to his wife, Brenda Summers, three sons, Dewitt (Selma) Summers of Statesville, Eugene Summers of Harmony, and Sheldon Summers of Brooklyn, N.Y.; five daughters, Juanita Spencer, Phyllis Summers and Yolanda Summers Moten, all of Statesville, Adrienne Summers of Atlanta, and Loretta (Kent) Chambers of Cincinnati; a brother, Edward (Patricia) Summers of Statesville; a sister, Beulah Mae Smith of Salisbury; 21 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; and a host of uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and friends, including Roudelyne Etienne, Charles Bailey, John "Tojo" Johnson, Michelle Jackson and Max. Funeral services will be conducted at 2 p.m. Saturday at Christian Outreach of the Piedmont. Pastor Glenn Usry will officiate, and burial will follow in the Belmont Cemetery. The body will remain at the funeral home until taken to the church to lie in state at 12:30 p.m. Saturday. Members of the family will receive friends from 1-2 p.m. at the funeral home, but will assemble at the residence at other times. Notes of sympathy may be e-mailed to the Summers family at rutledgeinc@bellsouth.net. The Rutledge and Bigham Funeral Home is serving the family of Walter Summers.