Dixie Pig Owner Adelaide 'Addie' Arthur Dies At 73

Del. Scott Surovell paid tribute to Addie in his 'The Dixie Pig' blog named after a favorite restaurant of his grandmother's.

Hayfield Farms resident and entrepreneur Adelaide 'Addie' Arthur died on Thursday, March 22, 2012. She was 73. Addie's family was the owner and operator of many businesses, opening the Dixie Pig BBQ restaurants, according to the Legacy obituary in The Washington Post. "People from all across the country have raved about the Dixie Pig, including weatherman Willard Scott," the Legacy obituary reads. "The restaurant was also featured on an episode of CSI." According to The Washington Post, the first Dixie Pig opened in 1924 on Powhatan Street in Alexandria. Now it's Vaso's Kitchen, but the old Dixie Pig signage still sits atop the restaurant. The second Dixie Pig location opened on Route 1 in 1946. Although the location at Beacon Hill Road …

• Photos (4)

FCPD Officer Ed Bowling Remembered

Bowling passed away from cancer last Tuesday.

Fairfax County Police Officer Edward Bowling patrolled Franconia District for 14 years, and he was respectful and humble for every single one of them, said Officer Steve Kaganowich, Bowling’s coworker and close personal friend. Bowling, who died last Tuesday, Feb. 7, from colorectal cancer, was a quiet man, but was always friendly and fair. “He didn’t have much to say, but when he said it, you listened to it,” Kaganowich said. “He was extremely respectful of the citizens.” Bowling’s soft-spoken nature made him an excellent listener, said Kaganowich, who worked with him for 10 years. “Because he was a man of few words, he had a knack that is very rare these days – the ability to just listen to people. “He was the kind of officer you always …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Franconia District Station Officer Bowling Dies, Funeral Friday

Officer Edward Bowling lost his battle with cancer.

Fairfax County Police Officer Edward Bowling died from cancer on Tuesday, Feb. 7. Bowling, who spent his 14 years in the FCPD at the Franconia District Station, graduated first in his class from the Fairfax County Criminal Justice Academy in 1998. Before becoming a police officer, Bowling served as a sergeant in the United States Marine Corps.  According to the FCPD, he is survived by his wife and a 4-year-old son.  "If you knew PFC Bowling, you know that he worked hard, and always treated people fairly and with respect," the release says.  A funeral mass will be held at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 18825 Fuller Heights Rd., Triangle, VA on Friday, Feb. 10, at noon. Bowling will be interred at Marine Corps Base Quantico.

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Cathy Belter, Former Springfield District Representative to School Board, Died Saturday

Long time PTA leader, education advocate died at her home.

Catherine Belter, a long time Fairfax County education advocate, died at her home Saturday.  "I am deeply saddened by the loss of a great friend and mentor," said Ramona Morrow, president of the Fairfax County Council of PTAs.  "Cathy's efforts on behalf of all children will be remembered here in Fairfax, in Virginia and nationally for years to come." Cathy served as president of the Virginia PTA from 1985 - 87, then served 10 years on the board of the National PTA, before her election to the Fairfax County School Board.  She served two terms, 2000 to 2008, as Springfield District representative. She'd also worked part time for Fairfax County Public Library. Morrow said her association and eventual friendship with Cathy began in 1987.  "…

•  2 Comments
• Photos (1)

Gymboree Instructor's Death Fuels Debate

Parents' discussion on how to break news to children gets heated in D.C.-area parenting forum.

When Newington resident Casey Noriega, 29, passed away Saturday after her car hit a tree in Kingstowne, she left behind a family, a group of friends and work colleagues, and some pint-sized toddlers who knew her simply as "Miss Casey." As an instructor at Gymboree Play and Music of Alexandria, she worked closely on a regular basis with a group of area children. How do you go about telling a young child that a teacher or instructor has died? That topic is being debated now on DC Urban Moms and Dads, an online water cooler for area parents. One parent was concerned about how the news about Noriega's death was broken to children, according to this post in a forum on the site: "Given son's age, I would have preferred to tell him that Ms. X was…

•  2 Comments
• Photos (1)

Gallery: Family, Friends say Goodbye to Firefighter Horace "Teddy" Pendergrass

Services were held Thursday morning at Zion Baptist Church in Fairfax

Family and friends said goodbye to fallen firefighter Horace Christopher “Teddy” Pendergrass at the Zion Baptist Church on Thursday morning. Hundreds of Fairfax County Firefighters and firefighters from as far as New York came to pay their respects. Pendergrass, 49, was a 21-year veteran of the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department. Pendergrass passed away on Saturday at the Crosspointe Fire Station in Fairfax Station. The cause of his death is under investigation, though he is believed to have died of natural causes. Pendergrass leaves behind his two daughters, Christian Adams and Tierra Pendergrass, and his son, Horace Christopher Junior, according to his obituary published for his funeral service. Pendergrass grew up in Norfolk, …

• Photos (29)

Franconia Residents Remember Local Homeless Woman

Saniye White, 55, was known and loved by a number of locals.

“Humble,” “smart,” and “sweet” are how Franconia residents described Saniye Tetik White, a local homeless woman who was found dead outside Franconia Government Center early Sunday morning. White, 55, frequented Franconia Road around the government center, the Koinonia foundation and the 7-Eleven. Around 4:10 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 7, a police officer leaving Franconia District Station discovered her body. The news saddened many local residents, who had reached out to White over the last few years. “Two weeks ago I talked to her and it was when it was really, really hot and I took her some water and some food,” said one local who wished to remain anonymous. Residents who got to know White in the years she lived in the Franconia area said she had…

•  24 Comments
• Photos (1)

Daddy's Way

Back to School: Backpacks

School backpacks, every bit as much as hair style and clothing choices, can be an essential part of a student’s self-identification kit, together with lunch boxes and school supplies.

When my daughter is picking her new school backpack, the globe burps. The sheer number of internet searches, store visits, and friend pow-wows, coupled with that last minute angst-riddled choice, is enough to churn all 6.8 billion stomachs simultaneously. Daughter: Suzy is getting the North Face mauve with the green zipper, but Jane is getting the red Roxy with the yellow tassel zip, and then Mindy is split between the JanSport black animal frenzy and the Dakine Erika floral. You know? Me:_________. I can crease my forehead, open my eyes wide and scrunch my eyebrows with the best of them. Daughter: Really, Daaddy (it’s Daddy when all’s ok, Dad when she’s angry at me, and Daaddy when she wants something—like for me to agree to purchase some…

• Photos (2)

Hundreds Gather Friday to Remember Jeff Todd at Funeral Service

Friends, family and colleagues gathered at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Mount Vernon for the Friday morning service, followed by burial at Mount Comfort Cemetery in Alexandria.

Hundreds of mourners gathered Friday to say goodbye to Jeff Todd at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Mount Vernon. Todd, the former chair of the Mt. Vernon-Lee Chamber of Commerce and owner of three area Roy Rogers restaurants, was a larger-than-life figure for many in Fairfax County. The 90-minute service, which began just after 11 a.m., was at times light-hearted, and celebrated a life that ended too soon. The community was shocked to learn of Todd’s sudden death Sunday in a car accident on the way to a family beach vacation in Nags Head, North Carolina. “Jeff’s life cut short is difficult to explain at this time,” said Father Luis Quinones, who presided over the service. “He was, to us, a man who reflected his love of God in the way he …

•  7 Comments
• Photos (9)

Mount Vernon Community Grieves, Praises Jeff Todd, 49

Funeral services are scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday, with viewing at 10 a.m. Family, friends and colleagues shocked and saddened by sudden death.

The reaction from the Mount Vernon community on Monday to the sudden death of Jeff Todd, 49, one of the area’s most beloved sons, has been one of shock, sadness and an outpouring of love for a man who lived life to the fullest. A father, husband, business owner, and community leader, Todd was on his way to Nag’s Head, N.C. for a beach vacation with his family just after midnight on Sunday morning when a fatal car accident took his life, according to his sister-in-law, Susan Todd, who is married to Jeff’s brother, James Todd. Jeff Todd was thrown from one of two family vehicles traveling south on North Carolina 168, when the car in which he was riding swerved to avoid an oncoming car. The car flipped over and Jeff Todd was thrown from the …

•  3 Comments
• Photos (4)