Ellen Elaine Overstreet, 65, of Bedford, died Sunday, August 30, 2020. She was born in Bedford, on January 24, 1955, a daughter of the late William Mack Overstreet and Hazel Johnson Overstreet. In addition to her parents she was preceded in death by her siblings, Fred Overstreet (Josephine), Floyd Overstreet (Ida), Frank Overstreet, William Overstreet, Freda Overstreet Little (Bob), Flo Overstreet Shelton (Marion), Effie Overstreet Amos, Nina Overstreet Pritchard, Katie Overstreet Lynch (Sammie), Frances Overstreet; grandson, Jaxson Dale Bennett; and great-granddaughter, Kimber Grace Brads. Ellen is survived by her husband, Roger Dale Overstreet; daughter, Tiffany Gayle Overstreet; sons, Timothy Allen Brads, Roger Dale Overstreet, Jr.; grandchildren, Ryan (Traci), Cody, D.J., Jada, Jaden, Kylen, Karmah, Alexis, Nevaeh; great-grandchildren, M’Kenzie, Ashton; special friends, Francine Johnson; niece, Melissa Amos Arney; sister-in-law, Jean Overstreet; and numerous other nieces and nephews. A graveside service will be held 1:00 p.m., Thursday, September 3, 2020 at Peaks Church Community Cemetery with Pastor Earl Ragland officiating. Arrangements by Burch-Messier Funeral Home, Bedford, 540-586-7360.

Norman “Chuck” Bowles, Jr. went to his heavenly home on Saturday, August 29, 2020. He left us here but joyously joined his beloved father, Norman “Wayne” Bowles, Sr. and his precious youngest daughter, Chelsea Faye Bowles, for a glorious homecoming reunion. He is grieved by his daughters, Carrie (J.R.) Underwood and Cheri (Keith) Bowyer; his son, Charles Bowles. He was a loving PawPaw to four grandsons, Andrew, Austin, Parker, and Kody. He also leaves behind his sweet beloved mother, Jo Anne (Steve) Martin; his two devoted sisters, Terry (Mike) Hope and Linda Bowles and his baby brother, David (Anais) Bowles. His cherished nieces, nephew, and their children; Chrissy (John) King, Jenny (Jesse) Rich, Nikki Chester, Jocelyn (Josh) Knight, Dez Bowles, and Nicole Woolwine. And although regrettably they hadn’t spent time together in many years, he was previously married for twenty years and still regarded the mother of his children, Liz, as the love of his life. Among those listed, there are many more family, friends, and loved ones who include Chuck in their best memories of life. Chuck was only here for sixty years, but none of those were boring. He lived a life full of adventure, mischief, and fun. He had a great sense of humor. He was an avid lover of the outdoors and enjoyed living in the country. He loved to fish and hunt and desired to live off of the land. He was humble and held no possession to a higher regard than his willingness to give it to someone else who wanted it. He was insanely stubborn, far from perfect, and had a mile-long list of regrets but he unconditionally loved all of us in his life, without pause. He made friends wherever he went and never met a stranger. He was deeply loved and will be greatly missed. A celebration of life may be held at a later date.  In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to a favorite charity in his honor.  Arrangements by Burch-Messier Funeral Home, Bedford, 540-586-7360.

Ronald Earl Bridgeman, 71, of Rustburg, died Monday, August 24, 2020. He was born in Little Washington, N.C. on May 28, 1949, a son of the late Cedrick Earl Bridgeman and Minnie Hayes Sharber. He is survived by his sister, Faye Archer and husband, Earl; step-father, Ray Sharber of Melborn, FL; niece, April Mathews and husband, Rick; nephews, William Earl Archer, Jr. and wife, Kim, James Ray Archer and wife, Carmen; close friends, Ray Brown of Chesapeake whom has been a friend for over 50 years, Judah Reddaway, Diana Smith; and numerous great-nieces and nephews. No services will be held. Arrangements by Burch-Messier Funeral Home, Bedford, 540-586-7360.

Allen Junior Wescoat, 83, of Forest, died Thursday, August, 20, 2020. He was born in Michigan on November 17, 1936 a son of the late William Wescoat and Grace Keyes Wescoat. In addition to his parents he was preceded in death by two sisters and three brothers. Allen was a man with a huge heart and smile to match who was a loving husband, father, brother, grandfather and great-grandfather. He proudly served his country in the United States Army and was a welder repair for General Motors. He is survived by his wife, “Sweet Rebecca” Smith Wescoat; daughters, Barbara Manier, Katelyn Wescoat, Rachel “Best Bucket” Wescoat, Sophia Guan; sons, Nathan Wescoat (Lindsey), Aaron Wescoat (Nicole); grandchildren, Justin Shepherd (Mandy), Owen, Ava, and Ellie Mae Wescoat; great-grandchildren, Liberty, Jackson, and Silas Shepherd; sister, Ruth Ann Vagts, “Mom” Kathy Smith; special family friend, Lisa Trost; numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins; and his beloved dog, Kenya. Allen had a close, personal relationship with Jesus Christ and was certain that to be absent from this body is to be present with his Lord. A private family service will be held. In lieu of flowers please consider Gideon Ministries International, P. O. Box 140800, Nashville, TN 37214. Arrangements by Burch-Messier Funeral Home, Bedford, 540-586-7360.

Laura L. Jenkins, 55, of Moneta, Virginia passed on Saturday, August 15, 2020. Born September 19, 1964 in Maryland to Betty Alexander. She is survived by her loving husband, Ted Jenkins. Laura graduated from Gaithersburg High School, in Gaithersburg Maryland in 1982.   She received her MBA in 2019.  She taught High School Business & Math in Loudon County before helping to start the Virtual Learning platform for the County. In addition to her husband, she is survived by 5 children, Alex Lee, Michael Lee, Megan Lee, Sara Jenkins, and Emily Jenkins; mother, Betty Alexander and husband Bob, of Aiken, SC; and three siblings, Barbara Aghamalian and husband Vahe, Tommy Neville and wife Lori, Kelly Jones and husband Darin; seven nieces/nephews, Amanda Aliff and husband Nick, David and Mathew Aghamalian, Sidney and Jacob Neville, and Katie and Brandon Jones; and four great-nieces/nephews, Mariah, Nicholas, Noah, and Lily. Due to the current pandemic, a private family only service will be held at Cool Spring Natural Cemetery at Holy Cross Abbey. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to Rails-to-Trails Conservancy via https://www.railstotrails.org/support-us/memorial-contribution Arrangements by Burch-Messier Funeral Home, Bedford, 540-586-7360.

On August 14, 2020, Harry Tyler (age 67) was called by God to be on his All-Star Softball Team.  He always looked forward to his weekly softball practices and games in Bedford.  He loved being outside whether he was playing softball, biking, golfing, restoring his project Jeep, working in the yard or just sitting on the deck enjoying the sounds of nature. He was a loving husband to Debbie for 43 years and has left a huge hole in her heart and life going forward. As an avid Washington Nationals fan, Harry was able to attend some of the All-Star events at Nationals Park in July 2019 and highlighted the weekend by attending the Home Run Derby with daughter-in-law Liz.  A big check mark on his bucket list was attending a World Series game last fall with his wife, Debbie. The month before Harry left us, he (and Debbie) spent time with a number of people who were an important part of his life; close friends and all of the kids and grandkids.  A trip to the beach (with some stops along the way), kayaking, rounds of golf and a car show all packed into a two-week period.  He never sat still for too long! He was the greatest Dad to Travis, Ryan, and Brett and many other “adopted” sons & daughters.  He was ecstatic to finally have a daughter in the family when Ryan and Nicole were married. Then Liz was welcomed into the family with open arms when she and Travis were married.  He loved spending time with his acquired daughters and planning different projects with them.  He had the biggest smile on his face as each of his grandchildren came along.  Absolutely thrilled to have two granddaughters: Dakotah and Skylar and a grandson, Luke.  They truly kept a constant smile on his face.  All of them loved being with Pops outside playing sports, doing various activities or just simply spending time together. He was a beloved mentor, role model and teacher to many through a number of youth programs, sports, and everyday life.  His three sons were taught early on by Dad to take responsibility for themselves and their actions.  They are now fine upstanding men who have a strong work ethic and are able to take care of themselves as well as family and friends who may need a helping hand.  Harry’s mechanic skills came into play on a regular basis, as many cars (owned by family and friends) were diagnosed and repaired in our garage.  There were numerous life issues solved in the garage by Harry, for his boys and his “adopted” children. He set high standards in both his career and personal life and would not take “I can’t” as an excuse or answer to any situation. He expected the same of those he came in contact with over his 67 years.  He will be missed by all for his big smile and wicked sense of humor. Burch-Messier Funeral Home, Bedford, 540-586-7360, is assisting the family.

Etta Jacobs Hamilton, 96, of Bedford, passed away Thursday, August 13, 2020. She was born in Baltimore, MD on May 2, 1924, a daughter of the late Charles Jacobs and Eva Jacobs. In addition to her parents she was preceded in death by her husband of 67 ½ years, Charles Francis Hamilton, Jr.; great-grandson, Ashton Short; and three siblings. She and her husband Charles retired to Bedford, VA in 1989. She was one of five siblings. Etta is survived by her only daughter, Pat Short and husband, Sonny of Bedford; one sister, Alice Heck of Arnold, MD; two grandchildren, Valerie Eckroth and husband, Tim of Huddleston, Vince Short and wife, Shawn of Goode; four great-grandchildren, Anevea, Alden, Jarrett, Alainey Drane and husband, Jacob; and two-great-great-grandchildren, Journey and Charlie. No services will be held. In lieu of flowers donations may be made in her name to the building fund, King of Kings Church, 12371 E. Lynchburg-Salem Turnpike, Forest, VA 24551. The family would like to send a big thank you to the doctors, nurses, and staff of Bedford Hospice. Condolences may be sent to www.burch-messier.com Arrangements by Burch-Messier Funeral Home, Bedford, 540-586-7360.