Betty Jean Herbert, of Woodbine, died April 27, 2008, at her daughter's residence in Avon, Ind. She was 77.

She was born April 8, 1931, in Canton, N.C., to Frank Carroll and Zenia Mae McIntyre Surrett.

She married William Burnell Herbert in the early 1950s. He died in 1993.

Mrs. Herbert worked as a cafeteria server for the Howard County Public School System in Lisbon Elementary School and Glenwood Middle School for 35 years. She retired in the early 1990s.

She was a member of the Sharon Missionary Baptist Church in West Friendship. In addition, Mrs. Herbert taught Sunday school at Liberty Baptist Church in Lisbon for 30 years.

Mrs. Herbert was predeceased by her husband, William Burnell Herbert; two brothers, Tommy Surrett and William Alan Surrett; and two sisters, Marie Walter and Lorraine Surrett.

She is survived by a daughter, Rose Tomer, of Avon; three brothers, Frank Carroll Surrett Jr., Vernon Surrett and Everett Surrett, all of North Carolina; a sister, Ruth Meadows, of North Carolina; a great-uncle, Everett McIntyre, of West Friendship; two grandchildren, Cecil Williams Jr., of Woodbine, and Jennifer Austin, of Pittsboro, Ind.; and two great-grandchildren, Cameron James Williams, of Woodbine, and Kaylee Marie Austin, of Pittsboro.

Funeral services were held May 3. 2008, at Sharon Missionary Baptist Church in West Friendship. The Rev. Bill Phebus presided.

Interment followed at Liberty Baptist Church in Lisbon.

Helen J. Smith

Helen Jeannette Woolfenden Smith, of Sykesville, died May 9, 2008, at her residence at Fairhaven, a retirement community in Sykesville. She was 86.

Born June 5, 1921, in Baltimore, to Edmund and Estella Sleet Woolfenden, she graduated from Seton High School in 1939.

The following year, she married Kenneth Smith. He died in 2006.

Mrs. Smith worked as an operator for C&P Telephone Co. during World War II, in Baltimore. After raising her three daughters, she returned to the work force as an administrative secretary at Mount Hebron High School, where she was employed for 10 years. She retired in 1974.

Family members recall that she was an accomplished seamstress, who passed her "heirloom quality" dresses, quilts and needlework down to her children and grandchildren. In addition, she was a sports lover, who always remained a loyal and tireless fan of the Baltimore Orioles.

Mrs. Smith and her husband were residents of Ellicott City for 50 years, prior to relocating to Fairhaven in Sykesville, where they lived for six years.

She was a member of St. Paul's Church Mother's Club and Resurrection Catholic Church, both in Ellicott City.

She was predeceased by a sister, Estella O'Brien; a twin brother, Edgar Woolfenden; and her husband of 66 years, Kenneth Smith.

Mrs. Smith is survived by three daughters and two sons-in-law, Diane and Robert Bastress, of Sykesville, Susan and Robert Curtis, of Norris, Tenn., and Sally Morgan, of Elkridge; seven grandchildren, Elizabeth Ramirez, of Sykesville, Robert Bastress II, of Warfordsburg, Pa., Lee Miller, of Sykesville, Jennifer Herrick, of Columbus, Ohio, James Bastress, of Sykesville, James Curtis, of Knoxville, Tenn., and Mark Bastress, of Seven Springs, Pa.; and five great-grandchildren.

Funeral services were held May 13, 2008, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Eldersburg. The Rev. Arthur Bastress officiated.

Interment followed at Crest Lawn Memorial Gardens in Marriottsville.

Memorial donations may be made to Carroll Hospice, 292 Stoner Ave., Westminster, MD 21157.

Gladys V. Stirn

Gladys Virginia Stirn, of Ellicott City, died May 6, 2008, at her residence. She was 87.

Born Oct. 12, 1920, in Woodbine, to Rufus William and Elsie Ellen Barth Hall, she graduated from Ellicott City High School in 1937 with a commercial diploma.

She worked as an accountant, for the Doughnut Corp. of America, in Ellicott City during World War II.

She married Donald Roy Stirn in 1944. The marriage ended in divorce in 1992. Mr. Stirn died in 1998.

Mrs. Stirn and her then-husband lived on the Stirn family farm on Old Frederick Road, in what is now Hollifield Station. The third generation to farm the land, she and her former husband lived there for 25 years, prior to selling it and relocating to Sykesville.

Mrs. Stirn was a resident of Ellicott City, prior to relocating to Sykesville in 1969. Then in 1990, she moved back to Ellicott City, where she lived for the last 18 years.

She was a member of Emory Methodist Church in Ellicott City, and later, Rockland United Methodist Church, also in Ellicott City, for 63 years. In addition, she was also a member of the Patapsco Grange organization and was one of the initial organizers of the first Baby Contest at the Howard County Fair, an event that is still held. She also volunteered at the Christian Women's Thrift Shop in Ellicott City.

Family members recall that she was a soft-spoken woman and a devoted farmer's wife who loved being a homemaker, mother and grandmother. She also enjoyed working in her gardens and canning vegetables from the garden, sewing clothing for her children and households items such as curtains. She, was well-known for her baking cakes and pies, and her home-cooked meals.

In addition, she was a Sunday school teacher at Rockland United Methodist Church, helping to organize fundraisers to build the new Rockland United Methodist Church, and was a member of the pastor/parish relations committee.

She is also remembered for her bright smile, endless love and kind words.

Mrs. Stirn was predeceased by her parents, Rufus William and Elsie Ellen Barth Hall; her former husband of 48 years, Donald Roy Stirn; a son, Douglas Roy Stirn; two sisters, Eva May Hall and Mary Louise Powers; a brother, Claude Edward Hall; and a grandson, Corey Justin Oskin.

She is survived by two daughters and two sons-in-law, Donna Lynn and Richard Boswell, of Ellicott City, and Beverly Sue and Bing Oskin, of Linesville, Pa.; a daughter-in-law, Carol Stirn, of Sykesville; a sister-in-law, Thelma Stirn, of Ellicott City; six grandchildren, Teresa King, of Glenwood, Steven Boswell, of Finksburg, Troy Oskin, of Linesville, Brent Oskin, of Jamestown, Pa., Brandi Oskin, of Linesville, and Justin Stirn, of Sykesville; and five great-grandchildren, Rachel King, of Glenwood, Nicole King, of Glenwood, Megan Boswell, of Finksburg, Julian Oskin, of Linesville and Rileigh Oskin, of Linesville.

Funeral services were held May 9, 2008, at Slack Funeral Home in Ellicott City. The Rev. Wayne Chung officiated.

Interment followed at Crest Lawn Memorial Gardens in Marriottsville.

Memorial donations may be made to Rockland United Methodist Church, 8971 Chapel Ave., Ellicott City, MD 21043.

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