WALL
WALL, Ervin D. STANFORD - Services for Ervin D. Wall, who operated a country store in Kings Mountain for many years and was active in Lincoln County politics, will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at Fox Funeral Home by Greg Powell.
Burial will be in Buffalo Springs Cemetery. Wall, who was 74, died Wednesday in Walltown. He was a staunch Democrat who often helped candidates by taking them around to meet people and stump for votes. Wall knew many people and was influential in local politics. ``Anytime you were running for office, especially if you were a Democrat, he was the first person you talked to in the Kings Mountain area,'' said David Gambrel, Lincoln County's property valuation administrator.``He epitomized what is the best about politics - a love for people.'' When Gambrel ran for PVA and earlier when he made a bid for the county clerk's office, it was Wall who took him around to campaign. Candidates seeking state or Congressional offices also knew of Wall's influence. Former governors Bert Combs, Louie Nunn, Wendell Ford and Julian Carroll all stopped by the store at one time or another. ``As much as he loved politics, children were really what made him click,'' said Gambrel. ``Kids who didn't know him immediately took a liking to him.'' Wall loved his own children and grandchildren and made friends of other kids he encountered. If he was out with a candidate on the campaign trail, he would take along a bag of candy so he could give treats to the children. Every year when Kings Mountain United Methodist Church would have Vacation Bible School, Wall would bring ice cream for the children. He also gave the church part of his property on which to build a parsonage. Wall also served as the community's unofficial utility superintendent. Kings Mountain had a Ruritan Club at one time that formed a Light Association and put in street lights. After the club became inactive, Wall would go around and collect money to pay the utility bill. People who got sick in the middle of the night could count on Wall to open his store on Ky. 501 at any hour if they needed medicine. Wall lived across from the store, which closed when he retired eight or nine years ago. T.J. Hill IV of Stanford says people who needed help reading or filling out important documents also turned to Wall. ``He just loved people and he loved kids. I think a lot of his interest in politics was that he loved being out and seeing people, '' said Hill, who sought Wall's help when he ran for sheriff last year. Born Oct. 31, 1924, in Lincoln County, Wall was a son of the late Charles E. and Lillie Sims Wall. He was a former owner and operator of Wall's General Store in Kings Mountain for 36 years and a farmer. He was a World War II Army veteran and a member and ordained elder at Kings Mountain Christian Church. He attended Mount Olive Christian Church.
Survivors include his wife, Marcella Dunaway Wall; two daughters, Janet Perry of Walltown and Bertha Whitaker of Danville; two brothers, Noel K. Wall of Florence and Earl L. Wall of Kings Mountain; two grandchildren; and three great-granddaughters. He was preceded in death by a son, Ervin ``Kyle'' Wall.
Pallbearers will be David Gambrel, T.J. Hill, John Hackley, Buckwheat Gilbert, Robert Wall and Billy Wall. Honorary pallbearers are Ernest Williams, Bobby Wall, Donna Carman, Tom Austin, Ed Worley, Jimmy Jones, Robert Damron and Robert Ratliff. Visitation will be 5-9 p.m. Saturday. Jan. 29, 1999 – Friday