Roger Townsend, Sr.

Willow Spring, NC:  Mr. Roger Harold Townsend, Sr., age 78, of 837 Shadow Lakes Drive died Friday, September 26, 2014, at VA Hospital in Durham.  Funeral services will be 3:00PM Monday, September 29, 2014, at Rose & Graham Funeral Home Chapel in Benson.   Officiating will be Rev. R. B. Parrish and Rev. Mike Courtney.  Burial will follow in Fellowship Community Cemetery in Angier.      Mr. Townsend was born on March 17, 1936 in Georgia to the late Neal and Inez Carter Townsend.  He was also preceded in death by a daughter, Lisa Ann Murphy. Mr. Townsend retired from the U. S. Navy after 20 years of service and worked with the Employment Security Commission of North Carolina.  He was a member of Friendly Chapel Church where he was a member of the Brotherhood.      Surviving are wife, Janet Barbour Townsend; children & spouses, Tommy & Linda Townsend of Wake Forest, Mike & Beverly Townsend of Charlotte, Jeffrey & Lucy Townsend of Greenwood, SC, Shelia Townsend-Phillips of Apex, and Roger, Jr. & Carolyn Townsend of Benson; sister & brother-in-law, Pat & Michael Welch of FL; brothers & sister-in-law, Skippie Townsend of GA, and Tom & Diane Townsend of New Bern; 14 grandchildren; and 7 great grandchildren.      The family will receive friends at Rose & Graham Funeral Home in Benson from 6:00PM to 8:00PM Sunday, September 29, 2014.      Flowers are welcomed; however, memorials may be made to one's favorite charity.