Josephine Atwood Reeves

Mrs. Josephine Atwood Reeves, age 96 of Laurel Springs, passed away on Saturday, August 16, 2025 at

Forest Ridge Assisted Living.

Josephine was born on September 16, 1928 to the late Welborn and Maggie Hoppers Atwood. In addition

to her parents, she was preceded in death by two half-brothers, Hazel Atwood and Earl Atwood; a half-

sister, Laurie Atwood Pruitt; three sisters, Ruby Darnell, Marie Reeves, and Sue Sheets; and by her

husband, Talmadge Lee Reeves.

Josephine was a faithful and active member of Bellview Baptist Church as long as her health allowed. She

was widely known for her love of genealogy and spent countless hours tracing family history and

documenting records. Her interest in photography, which began with classes she took many years ago,

resulted in thousands of photographs—most taken with the purpose of preserving family and community

history.

She was instrumental in the preservation of numerous cemeteries near her home, including Cranberry

Community Cemetery, John F. Shepherd Cemetery, and John C. Church Cemetery. In an interview with

the Ashe Post and Times, she stated the importance of showing respect for our ancestors and being a good

Christian.  “The cemeteries are all being neglected now and nobody cares. It’s kind of when you look around in this area and see all the cemeteries with no fence and with the markers falling over and no one is caring for them. I do think it’s important to respect our ancestors and show them respect in that way because that’s the only way you can,” said Reeves. “I just want to stay in the center of God’s will, to do something to please God. You can’t be a fruit bearing Christian without doing something.”

Josephine was also an active member of the Ashe County Historical Society and the Museum of Ashe

County History, where her work and dedication to preserving local history left a lasting legacy. Her many

contributions were recognized with numerous awards, including Ashe County Volunteer of the Year in

2011, the Governor’s Award for Volunteer Service in 2011, and a Certificate of Merit from the Daughters

of the Confederacy in 2013.

Mrs. Reeves is survived by: her daughter, Christal Jones and husband William “Sonny” Stafford of South

Carolina, one sister, Virginia Osborne of Hickory; several nieces and nephews also survive.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, August 22, 2025 at 2:00 pm at Bellview Baptist Church by Rev.

Danny Pruitt and Rev. Larry Powers. Burial will follow in the Cranberry Community Cemetery. The

family will receive friends one hour prior to the service.

Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to the Cranberry Community Cemetery.

She will be remembered as a woman devoted to her faith, her family, and her community, whose passion

for preserving history has blessed generations to come.