Gratia Myrick Topping, 92, of Roanoke Rapids, died Saturday, December 28, 2008, after an extended hospital stay. Mrs. Topping was the daughter of the late Della Wray Myrick of Blackstone, Virginia and Walter Myrick of Littleton. She was preceded in death by two brothers, Perry and Walter Myrick.

She is survived by her husband of 67 years, R. L. Topping, Jr.; her daughter, Elizabeth Anne Calhoun and her husband, Dennis, of the home; two grandchildren, Stephen Clifton, and Charles Calhoun and his wife, Barbi, both of Roanoke Rapids; three sisters, Violet Mitchell of Raleigh, Eula Smith of Louisburg, and Edna Small of Goldsboro; two brothers, Fred Myrick and his wife, Betty, of Roanoke Rapids, and Maynard Myrick and his wife, Bobbie, of Lake Gaston; two sisters-in-law, Josey Myrick of Littleton and Freida Myrick of Ocala, Florida.

Graveside services will be held on Tuesday, December 30, 2008, at 2:00 PM, at Cedarwood Cemetery in Roanoke Rapids with Minister Dale Morris officiating.

The family will receive friends from 7:00 PM until 8:30 PM, Monday, December 29, at Askew Funeral and Cremation Services, 731 Roanoke Ave., Roanoke Rapids.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the National Scleroses Society, Eastern North Carolina Chapter, 3101 Industrial Drive, Suite 210, Raleigh, NC 27609, or The American Heart Association, 3015 South Memorial Dr., Greenville, NC 27834.