John W. Gaines, Sr 1841 VA - 2/28/1910 PA

Altoona Mirror, Tuesday, 1 March 1910:

"John Gaines, Sr. died at 4:40 yesterday afternoon at his home, 231 Willow avenue, after an illness of one week, from pneumonia. The deceased was aged 68 years, 11 months and 2 days, and was born in Page county, Va. The deceased served for four years in the Confederate army. For a number of years he had been a resident of this city, and is survived by his wife and ten children, as follows: John W., Altoona; L.N., Hagerstown, Md.; Mrs. Elizabeth France Beahm of Virginia; Mrs. Carrie V. Miller, Altoona; Mrs. Matilda C. Evans, Wilmore; Mrs. Hattie F. Minor, Mrs. Mary E. Plubell, Thomas M., Charles E. and Robert L., all of this city. He was a member of the Walnut Avenue Methodist church."

Altoona Mirror, Wednesday Evening, 1 June 1910:

"PLACED WREATH ON REBEL GRAVE

"Local Grand Army Men Decorate the Last Resting Place of a Confederate Soldier

"That time heals all wounds and that the boys who carried the Stars and Stripes in '61 have long since ceased to regard as enemies those who carried the Stars and Bars, was very beautifully illustrated on Memorial Day afternoon when a committee of Grand Army men from Post 62 visited Rose Hill cemetery, for the purpose of decorating the graves of the veterans of the Union army and navy buried there.

Sleeping beneath a simply stone in that cemetery is John Gaines, for many years a prominent resident of this city and, who, during the great rebellion, wore the grey, he being one of Lee's men.

When the committee of the Grand Army men made the rounds of the graves there on Monday, Comrade D.E. Edwards, while the rest stood at attention about the little grave, stooped and reverently place a marker and a wreath of flowers on the mound, remembering only that the body interred there was that of a soldier, who fought for what he thought was right, and not that he had fought against the cause they had fought to uphold.

Mr. Gaines, who died February 28 this year was the only Confederate soldier buried here whose grave the Grand Army men knew, though there was another who died many years ago, a former milk dealer in the city."

Leonard Franklin Smith 7/27/34 - 12/20/14

Leonard Franklin Smith, 80, beloved husband and father, was called home to be with the Lord on Saturday, December 20, 2014. He was born on July 27, 1934, in Madison County, Virginia. He was preceded in death by his parents, Bane Beauregard and Lizzie Frances Weakley Smith; and four brothers, Charles (wife, Ruth, resides in Virginia Beach, Virginia), James "Jimmy," Ruben, and Delma.

He is survived by his adoring wife of 58 years, Lucille; two children, Donna Farrar and her husband, James, and Timothy Raynor, all of Orange, Virginia. He was "Papa" to his two grandchildren on whom he doted and was dedicated to, Jason S. Farrar of Ruckersville, Virginia, and Kayli Raynor of Orange, Virginia. His surviving brother, Robert Smith and his wife, Barbara, reside in Manassas, Virginia. He is also survived by a host of in-laws, nieces, and nephews about whom he cared deeply.

Leonard was a hardworking soul. He served two years with the United States Army in Germany and Lebanon from 1957 until 1959. He worked for numerous years at Virginia Metal Industries in Orange, Virginia. He was also a paint contractor and he devoted 23 years to Orange County High School, where he took great pride in the building he cared for and the people in it. Over the years, he loved planting his garden in an effort to satisfy his love of tomatoes until he ran out of strategies to keep the deer away. In his retirement, he was a genius at lawnmower repair; he spent his time fixing mowers for friends and those others said could not be fixed.

Leonard was also a social man and McDonald's in Orange was his meeting place. He leaves behind dear and treasured friends with whom he spent many hours laughing, talking, and solving the world's problems. Those relationships cultivated over milkshakes and coffees brought him great joy. His friends, men he knew he could call and count on, are Alan Johnson, Vernon Holmes, his brother-in-law, David Raynor, Dallas "Tex" Smithson, and Thomas Woolfolk.

Leonard will be sorely and deeply missed as a husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and friend. Those who knew him will not forget his mischievous grin, twinkling blue eyes, and hardworking hands.

A memorial funeral service was held on Tuesday, December 23, 2014, at 2 p.m. at the Orange Community Baptist Church, Old Gordonsville Road, Orange. The family received friends on Monday, December 22, 2014, from 6 until 7 p.m. at the church.In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to either the Orange County Rescue Squad or the Orange Fire and EMS. Preddy Funeral Home of Orange, assisted the family.