Sudie K. Harper

Sudie K. Harper

ROANOKE, Va. - Sudie K. Harper, 88, of Roanoke, passed away Thursday, Oct. 16, 2008, following a short illness.

She was born May 29, 1920, in Rowan County, N.C., the daughter of the late Jessie Calvin Kluttz and Beulah Wyatt Kluttz. She was preceded in death by her husband, Matthew G. Harper, and a sister, Billie Daniel.

In her immediate family, she is survived by two sisters, Vera Dalton of Nokesville, Va., and Blanch Joseph of El Paso, Tex.; her children and their spouses, Ann Fender and husband Roy of Fairfield, Pa., Jim Harper and wife Janie of Roanoke and Amy Williamson and husband Ethan of Wilmington, N.C.; grandchildren Meredith Coffey of Bethesda, Md., Nicole Dandridge of Roanoke, Rachel Barham of Roanoke, Matthew Gordon of Cambridge, Mass., and Jonathan Harper of Morrisville, N.C.; and great-grandchildren Anna and Harrison Dandridge of Roanoke.

She is also survived by her aunt, Oneida Wyatt of Badin, N.C.; cousins Dewey Carroll of Duluth, Ga., and Tommy Carroll of Denton, N.C.; and nieces and nephews Mary Ellen Garduno of Nokesville, William Daniel of Palm Bay, Fla., Martha Stox of Williamston, N.C., Mary Wilson of Thomasville, N.C., John Joseph of Friends Word, Tex., Michael Joseph of El Paso, Becky Watt of El Paso, Gordon Charlton of Bradenton, Fla., and Linda Boyd of Seminole, Fla.

Special thanks to her neighbors who were so kind and helpful to her during her final years, Dee and Jack Thompson, Wanda and Gordon Hamilton and Ellen and Travis Griffith.

Mrs. Harper became a registered nurse after attending nursing school in Nashville, Tenn., and served as a nurse in the Army during World War II. Following the war and after she raised her children, she returned to nursing at Roanoke Memorial Hospital, where she worked until she retired. For many years she was the head nurse on the OB-GYN Ward.

She was an avid reader and loved learning all her life, which she was able to continue up to two weeks before she died. She especially enjoyed reading history and liked to listen to "The Great Courses" series. Some of the courses she listened to in the past few years were on religion, philosophy, history and science. She also enjoyed doing the New York Times Sunday crossword puzzles.

She will be greatly missed by her family.

Visitation: The family will receive visitors at Simpson Funeral Home in Roanoke from 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25.

A private funeral will be held in North Carolina.

Memorials: In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Good Samaritan Hospice, which helped her greatly when her husband died, 3825 Electric Road, No. A, Roanoke, VA 24018.

Arrangements are by Simpson Funeral Home & Crematory in Roanoke.