Hamrick

On March 2, 2003; ESTHER E. Visitation Tuesday 2 to 8 P.M., 2140 N. Fulton Ave. The family will receive friends on Wednesday at 9:30 A.M. at the Emmanuel CC Church, 1210 W. Lanvale ST., with Funeral to follow at 10 A.M.

LEAH GAY BYORICK, 86, formerly of Middle River, ended her earthly journey on Tuesday, February 25, 2003, at the home of her daughter and son-in-law, Nancy and Ken Christians, of Fredericksburg, VA. One of thirteen children, she was born July 31, 1916, in Swandale, WV. She was a homemaker and preceded in death by her husband of 52 years, Clem B. Byorick, in 1996. She was a member of Middle River Baptist Church for 45 years. Besides her daughter, she is survived by a granddaughter Donna Michelle Stevens and her husband Thomas of Wilmington, DE; A grandson Scott Alan Weinberger and his wife Kelly of Morrisville, NC; one great-grandson, Greyden Thomas Stevens; three sisters, Velma (Vee)

Ben Hamrick went to work at 3 a.m. yesterday, as usual. He used a tractor to scrape manure from the feed lots. He checked the herd for cows in heat. He mixed silage, corn, barley, roasted soybeans, cottonseed and alfalfa.He dumped the concoction into feed troughs for the Holsteins of the U.S. Naval Academy, possibly the most controversial, most photographed, most written-about bovines in American history.And he did his best to ignore the latest news -- that after 86 years, the Naval Academy is going to ask the permission of Congress to close its dairy farm next year.

THURMONT -- On a night before Christmas, fog shrouds the valley, and sharp air chills the bone.But still people come -- down the narrow dirt road deeper into the mountains -- until there, around a bend, they see hazy specks of light and the outline of a small building.This is their Bethlehem, their hallowed destination during the holidays: Eyler's Valley Chapel, perhaps the loveliest, most unusual church in America.It is one room. It has no electricity and is lighted by 79 candles. It's nestled in the mountains, a split-rail fence in front, a rushing brook in back.