"Cotton" Ernest

MATOAKA- Dwayne "Cotton" Ernest, Sr., 73, of Matoaka died Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at his home. Born April 5, 1938 at Matoaka he was the son of the late Lacy Ernest and Annabell Snow Ernest. He served in the U. S. Navy for nine years on the USS Forrestal during the Vietnam War where he was an aviation electrician. He was a police officer for the City of Princeton for three years and a Mercer County Deputy Sheriff for twelve years. He served as Chief of Police at Matoaka for many years. While serving as a police officer he earned a degree in Criminal Justice from Bluefield State College. He retired from the Mercer County Board of Education as a bus driver after 25 years of service. Following his retirement, he enjoyed working on his farm and loved taking care of his mules. He called himself "Mule Skinner." He enjoyed fishing, hunting and restoring horse drawn equipment. In addition to his parents he was preceded in death by two sons, Mark Emory Ernest and Kenneth Lacy Ernest; one daughter, Mary Katherine Ernest and one brother, Iverson Ernest. Survivors include three sons, Dwayne Ernest, Jr. of Matoaka, Richard Ernest, Sr. and wife Brenda of Matoaka and Jimmy Ernest and wife Deborah of Matoaka; two step-sons, Lewis Johnson of Princeton and Craig Johnson of South Caroline; four brothers, Mason Ernest of Princeton, Dwight Ernest of Tennessee, Roger Ernest of Princeton and Randall Ernest of Bluefield; nine grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. Funeral services will be conducted at 2:00 p.m. Friday, November 11, 2011 at the Rowland H. Bailey Funeral Chapel of the Bailey-Kirk Funeral Home in Princeton with Rev. Jerry Heaton officiating. Interment will follow at the Ernest-Snow Family Cemetery at Matoaka. Military graveside honors will be conducted by the Mercer County Veterans Council and the West Virginia National Guard honor guard. Grandsons will serve as pallbearers. Friends may call from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, November 10 at the Bailey-Kirk Funeral Home in Princeton. Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.bailey-kirk.com.

Tributes

"Cotton" Ernest

November 8, 2011