James Cecil Curtis, who had worked as a cabinetmaker, died Thursday at the family residence. He was 73.

A native of Winston County, Ala., Curtis resided in Eight Mile and was a member of Trinity Bible Methodist Church.

Survivors include his wife, Dimple Giles Curtis; four children, Paulette Ruth Smith of Eight Mile, Kenny Ray Curtis of Theodore, James Anthony Curtis of Tillman's Corner and Regina Cauley of Satsuma; two sisters, Verlean Black of Navarre Beach, Fla., and Iva Dean Massey of Jasper, Ala.; two brothers, Edwin Curtis of Lewiston, Mich., and Herbert Curtis of Jasper; 17 grandchildren; and 20 great-grandchildren.

Services are set for 10 a.m. today at Radney Funeral Home in Saraland, with burial at the Wilson Annex of Wolf Ridge Cemetery.

Carlton H. Elliott 

Carlton Haley Elliott, a retiree of the U.S. Postal Service and the U.S. Navy, died Thursday at a local hospice. He was 72.

A native of Birmingham, Elliott had resided in Mobile for the past 20 years. He formerly resided in New Haven, Conn.

Elliott was a veteran of World War II and the Korean War. He spent 28 years in the armed services, retiring as a chief radioman.

He was a member of the Navy League and St. Ignatius Catholic Church. He also attended Providence Presbyterian Church.

Survivors include his wife, Miriam L. Elliott of Mobile; three daughters, Jessica M. White of Mobile, Laura L. Elliott of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Karen Tammaro of Hamden, Conn.; a son, Robert C. Elliott of Cheshire, Conn.; a sister, Frances Evelyn Elliott of Arlington, Va.; and two grandchildren.

Visitation will be at Mobile Memorial Gardens Funeral Home on Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m., with a memorial service at 5 p.m. at Providence Presbyterian Church. Burial will be at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va.

Memorials may be made to Providence Presbyterian Church.
 

Bobby Ray Bradford 

THOMASVILLE, Ala. - Bobby Ray Bradford, who had worked as a truck driver, died Thursday at his Thomasville residence. He was 68.

Bradford, a native of Fulton, Ala., was a member of Liberty Baptist Church.

Survivors include his wife, Bonnie Bradford of Thomasville; three daughters, Bobby Sue Paul of Grove Hill, Ala., Martha Jo Steadham of Thomasville and Melissa Ray Bradford of Fulton; a brother, Billy Joe Bradford of Thomasville; two sisters, Ruby Lee Powell of Grove Hill and Nell White of Chilton, Ala.; and four grandchildren.

Services are set for 11 a.m. today at Liberty Baptist Church, with burial at the church cemetery in Thomasville.

O'Bryant Chapel Funeral Home of Thomasville is handling arrangements. 
 

Michael L. Davidson 

Michael Land Davidson, a native and lifelong resident of Mobile, died Friday in a local health-care facility. 

He is survived by his wife, Michelle Powell Davidson; two sons, Michael L. Davidson Jr. and Steven L. Davidson; one daughter, Michaelle L. Davidson, all of Mobile; his father, Leroy Dickson Jr. of Wilmer; his adopted father, Arthur N. Davidson of Mobile; two brothers, Leroy Dickson III and Russell W. Dickson, both of Mobile; and three sisters, Anna C. Summersell of Semmes, Noni Davidson of Mobile and Tina L. Dickson of Wilmer. 

Services will be at noon today at Radney funeral Home, with interment in Serenity Memorial Gardens. 

Adolphe Oliver 

Adolphe Oliver, a native and resident of Mobile, died Thursday in a local hospital. He was 60. 

Mr. Oliver, a welder, resided in New York for several years, returning to Mobile two years ago. 

He is survived by one daughter, Adrian Monique Oliver; five grandchildren, nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends. 

Visitation and services will be at 11 a.m. today at Memorial Funeral Home in Prichard, with interment in Oaklawn Cemetery. 

Bill Zack Pettway Sr. 

Bill Zack Pettway Sr., a native of Boykin, Ala., and resident of Mobile, died Wednesday at his residence. He was 72. 

Pettway, a member of New Area Missionary Baptist Church, was a veteran of the U.S. Army and was retired from the Alabama State Docks, Local Union 1410. 

He is survived by three daughters, Ethel Wilson of Detroit, Mary Young and Amarey Pettway of Mobile; eight sons, Leo Pettway of Syracuse, N.Y., Jimmy Pettway and Bill Zack Pettway Jr., of Detroit, Mich., Jerry Pettway, James Pettway, Don Pettway and Michael Pettway of Mobile, and Eddie Lee Pettway of Boykin; his mother, Martha Jane Pettway of Mobile; one brother, Nathan Pettway of 

Boykin; four sisters, Mildred Carey, Ellen Pettway, Florida Pettway and Andoria Dotch of Mobile; 23 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. 

Visitation will be held Wednesday from 9 a.m. until the 1 p.m. funeral service at New Area Missionary Baptist Church. Interment will follow in Gethsemane Cemetery. 

Arrangements are by Hodges Funeral Home. 

Beulah M. Tiller 

Beulah M. Tiller, a native of Chatom, Ala., and longtime resident of Mobile, died Saturday in a Marion, Ala., health care facility. 

Mrs. Tiller was a member of Sage Avenue Baptist Church. 

She is survived by one stepson, William Tiller of Montgomery; one stepdaughter, Earline Jones of Marion; six stepgrandchildren and 12 stepgreat-grandchildren. 

Graveside services will be a 1 p.m. today in Pine Crest Cemetery. Arrangements are by Radney Funeral Home. 

The family requests that memorials be made to Sage Avenue Baptist Church. 
 

Inez Ross Gates 

Inez Ross Gates, a native of Sweet Water, Ala., and resident of Grove Hill, died Sunday in a Mobile hospital. She was 81. 

Mrs. Gates was a member of Liberty Baptist Church in Fulton, Ala. She was a retired seamstress from Vanity Fair Mills in Jackson. 

She is survived by her husband, Bobby lee Gates of Grove Hill; four daughters, Opal McVay, Maxine Haskew, Linda Deavers, all of Mobile, and Ernestine Reeves of Jackson; one brother, James Miller Ross of Sweet Water; two sisters, Lois Davis of Fulton, Ala., and Eunia Morrow of Selma; five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. 

Visitation will be from 1:30 until 2 p.m. today at Liberty Baptist Church. Services will begin at 2 p.m., with interment in the church cemetery. Arrangements are by Lathan Funeral Home. 
 

Thomas H. Bell 

Thomas H. Bell, a retiree of Monsanto Chemical Co., died Monday in a local nursing facility. He was 85.

A native of Lineville, Ala., Bell resided in Mobile for the past 21 years. He had worked as an operator at the plant and retired after 40 years.

Survivors include his wife, Abita Bell of Mobile; two daughters, Jane Vinyard of Mobile and Joan Adrian of San Francisco; three stepdaughters, Mary L. Gibson of Mobile, Joy Ward of Hattiesburg, Miss., and Eloise Jones of Pensacola; and one brother, Paul Bell of Anniston, Ala.

Visitation will be take place at Serenity Funeral Home from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Thursday. Graveside services are set for noon Thursday in Mobile Memorial Gardens.

Elaine Wilson Jasinski 

Elaine Wilson Jasinski, a volunteer with the Mobile Public Library, died Monday in a local hospice at the age of 68.

Mrs. Jasinski was a native of Laurel, Del., and had worked as a newspaper reporter in California years ago.

The longtime resident of Mobile was a lover of books, her family said, and helped the librarians by sorting and shelving books and whatever else needed to be done.

She was also a supporter of Mobile AIDS Support Services.

Survivors include her husband, William Stanley Jasinski of Mobile; one daughter, Judith Jasinski McDonald of Mobile; and one son, John Michael Jasinski of Mobile.

No services are planned.

Memorials may be made to Mobile Aids Support Services.
 

Rannie Emaline Smith 

TIBBIE — Rannie Emaline Smith, who worked for the state as a fire tower watchman, died Tuesday in an area hospital at the age of 77.

Mrs. Smith was a native and resident of Tibbie. She was a member of Tibbie Baptist Church.

Survivors include her son, Ronald R. Smith Sr. of Tibbie; two daughters, Wanda Inez Sullivan of Wagarville, Ala., and Dianne Delores Hutto of Colorado Springs, Colo., one stepdaughter, Mary Clements of Lynn Haven, Fla.; two brothers, Lawrence Howard and Charlie Howard, both of Tibbie; three sisters, Clyde Causey of Robertsdale, Leassie Busby and Winnie Randall, both of Tibbie; 10 grandchildren; and 16 great-grandchildren.

Visitation will be from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday at Lathan Funeral Home in Chatom, Ala., where services are set for 10 a.m. Friday. Interment will take place in Tibbie Baptist Church Cemetery.
 

George Stephenson Jr. 

CRESTVIEW, Fla. — George Stephenson Jr. , a World War II veteran, died Sunday in a health-care facility in Crestview. He was 80.

A native of Carney, Ala., Stephenson was reared in Robertsdale.

During World War II, he served with the U.S. Marine Corps in the South Pacific. He retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1963.

Survivors include his wife of 44 years, Dorothy B. Stephenson: one daughter, Helen Ruth Pemberton of Forest Park, Ga.; one son, John Stephenson of Piedmont, S.C.; one brother, John W. Stephenson of Mobile; four grandchildren; and one great-grandson.

A memorial service is scheduled for 11 a.m. today at McLaughlin-Aultman Funeral Home in Crestview. Burial will take place at a later date in Barrancas National Cemetery in Pensacola.

Memorials may be made to a favorite charity. 
 

Douglas R. Bickerstaff Jr. 

Douglas Ross "Doug" Bickerstaff Jr., who had worked as a hairdresser, died Sept. 3 at a local hospital. He was 38.

Bickerstaff, a native of Chickasaw, lived in Mobile. He was a member of Wilson Avenue Baptist Church.

Survivors include his parents, Minnie and Douglas Ross Bickerstaff Sr. of Chickasaw; one brother, Kenneth Bickerstaff of Chickasaw; and five sisters, Pat Bolton of Fairhope, Sandi Pierce of Mobile, Jo McMillian of Daphne, Barbara Freil of Chickasaw and Gale Barber of Irvington.

A private memorial service was held Saturday at Azalea City Christian Church. Serenity Funeral Home handled arrangements.

Lucie Jane McDonald 

Lucie Jane McDonald, a former occupational therapist, died Tuesday in Mobile at the age of 84.

Ms. McDonald, a native of Fairfield, Ala., graduated from the University of Montevallo. She had worked with the Veterans Administration Hospital in Birmingham. She had also worked at hospitals in Augusta, Ga., and St. Petersburg, Fla. She retired in 1979.

During her career, she had invented a number of devices that helped patients in their daily living, according to the family.

Among her survivors is her brother, Malcolm B. McDonald of Birmingham.

Visitation will be at South Highland Presbyterian Church in Birmingham on Friday from 10 a.m. until the 11 a.m. memorial services. Interment will be in Elmwood Cemetery. Ridout's Valley Chapel in Birmingham is in charge of arrangements.

The family suggests that memorials may be made to the Mathes Scholarship or the Presbyterian Home for Children, c/o South Highland Presbyterian Church, 2035 Highland Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35205.

Estelle Bee Means 

Estelle Bee Means, a homemaker and member of Christ Temple Apostolic Church, died Friday at the age of 94.

Mrs. Means was a native of Linden, Ala., and a resident of Mobile.

Survivors include her son, Briscoe Poellnitz of Mobile; and five grandchildren.

Visitation will be at Christ Temple Apostolic Church on Saturday from 9 a.m. until the 11 a.m. services. Interment will be in Whispering Pines Cemetery. Reese Funeral Home of Prichard is handling arrangements.

Kathleen Page 

Kathleen Page, a member of Dauphin Way United Methodist Church, died Tuesday at her home.

Mrs. Page, 83, was a native of Nashville, Tenn. She lived in Mobile for 45 years.

She was a member of PEO Sisterhood, a scholarship organization. At church, she had been a circle leader for many years.

Survivors include her husband of 64 years, Harvey Page of Mobile; one daughter, Nancy Pearson of Valdosta, Ga.; three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

A graveside service is scheduled for 11 a.m. today in Mobile Memorial Gardens, with visitation at Mobile Memorial Gardens Funeral Home from 10 a.m. until the service time.

Lillie Mae Roberson 

Lillie Mae "Bay Bay" Roberson, a member of Nazaree Baptist Church No. 1, died Thursday in a local health-care facility. She was 70.

At church, Mrs. Roberson, a native Mobilian, served as a nurse's aide and a member of the prayer band.

Survivors include nine children, Darrell Allen of New Orleans, and Linda Adams, Minnie Roberson, Clarence Roberson, Bennie Roberson, Jameit Roberson, James Roberson, Carlos Roberson and Howard Roberson, all of Mobile; one sister, Verna Roberson of New Orleans; 24 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

Viewing will be from noon to 5 p.m. Friday at Christian Benevolent Funeral Home. Viewing is also set after 9 a.m. Saturday at Nazaree Baptist Church No. 1, with the family receiving friends from noon until the 1 p.m. services. Burial will be in Gethsemane Cemetery.

Willie T. Thornton 

Willie Towner Thornton, a member of New Home Baptist Church, died Friday at a local hospital. He was 77.

Mrs. Thornton, known affectionately as "Mama Willie," was a native of Choctaw County who lived in Prichard for a number of years.

Survivors include five sons, Preston Thornton, Leon Thornton and Cyrus L. Thornton, all of Mobile, and Robert Thornton and Carlos "Patrick" Thornton of Prichard.; two daughters, Geraldine Peoples and Lubertha Welch, both of Prichard; an adopted son, Ferdinand Pugh; one sister, Ruby Harrison of Mobile; two brothers, J.C. Pace of Waynesboro, Miss., and T.C. Pace of Pine Bluff, Ark.; 14 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren.

Visitation will be at New Home Baptist Church on Saturday from 9 a.m. until the 11 a.m. services. Burial will be in Whispering Pines Cemetery. Lovett's Funeral Chapel is handling arrangements.

Margaret A. Tillman 

Margaret A. Tillman, a native and lifelong resident of Mobile, died Tuesday.

She was a member of Cedar Street Baptist Church.

She is survived by two children, Sequoya Talbert of Mobile and PFC Shanetta Franklin, U.S. Army, of Fort Lee, Va.; her father, Al Porter of Mobile; her mother, Dessie Talbert of Whistler; her maternal grandfather, Fred Towner of Saraland; one sister, Joanie Daniels of Saraland; and four grandchildren.

Viewing will be from noon until 5 p.m. Friday at Christian Benevolent Funeral Home and after 9 a.m. Saturday at Cedar Street Baptist Church in Saraland. The family will receive friends from 10 a.m. until the 11 a.m. funeral Saturday at the church. Burial will be in Bailey Cemetery in Saraland.

Annie Webb 

Annie M. Sheppard Webb, a homemaker and longtime resident of Mobile, died Sunday at a local hospital at the age of 83.

Mrs. Sheppard, known affectionately as "Mama Dookie," was a native of Bay Minette.

Survivors include five daughters, Margaret Cox, Roxie Barnes, Anna Robinson and Fannie Washam, all of Mobile, and Callie Graham of Letohatchie, Ala.; two sons, James Webb of Montgomery and Adam Webb of Mobile; two sisters, Leona Stevens and Velma Moseley of Bay Minette; many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Viewing will begin at 9 a.m. Friday in the C.T. McKinnis Memorial Chapel at Johnson-Allen Mortuary, with visitation from 10 a.m. until an 11 a.m. service. Burial will be in Plateau Cemetery.
 

Edith Ikner 

FRISCO CITY — Edith Ikner, a retired nurse and lifelong resident of Monroe County, died Wednesday at her residence. She was 91.

She is survived by numerous nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be 2 p.m. Thursday at Johnson Funeral Home in Monroeville. Burial will be in Union Cemetery in Frisco City. Johnson Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Laura E. Gregg

ROBERTSDALE — Laura E. Gregg, a native of Marengo County, and a resident of Robertsdale, died Tuesday, Sept. 8, 1998.

She was 90 years old.

Mrs. Gregg is survived by a daughter, Virginia Ray of Robertsdale; a son, Walter Gregg of

Robertsdale; a sister, Audrey Nichols of Prattville; eight grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.

Visitation will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. today at Mack Funeral Home. Funeral services will be

held at 10 a.m. Friday at Robertsdale First Baptist Church with the Rev. John Long officiating. Burial will be in the Silverhill Cemetery.

Funeral arrangements are by Mack Funeral Home, Robertsdale. 

Melvin Christopher Wagner 

PICAYUNE, Miss. — Melvin Christopher Wagner, a retired member of the Sewage and Water Board of the city of New Orleans, died Tuesday.

Wagner, a native of Mobile, resided in Picayune.

Survivors include his wife, Henrietta B. Wagner of Picayune; three sons, Jack Thomas Wagner of Mayport, Fla., Herbert Joseph Wagner and Ron Christopher Wagner, both of New Orleans; three brothers, Frederick Joseph Wagner and Herbert Austin Wagner, both of Mobile, and William Carl Wagner of New Orleans; three sisters, Amy Loretta Bower, Mandy L. Wagner and Mary Elaine Wagner, all of Mobile; and one granddaughter.

Arrangements will be announced. Jacob Shoen & Son Funeral Home in New Orleans will be handling arrangements.

Bessie Mae Wells 

MOSS POINT, Miss. — Bessie Mae Wells, a member of Midway Baptist Church in Dawes, Ala., died Saturday in a Pascagoula hospital at the age of 81.

Mrs. Wells, a native of Buena Vista, Ala., was a longtime resident of Moss Point.

She was a former member of Providence Baptist Church in Grand Bay and First Baptist Church in Moss Point.

Survivors include her husband of 54 years, Herbert Wells of Moss Point; one son, Norris Wells of Moss Point; one daughter, Nealie Rudolph of Moss Point; six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Visitation will be from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday at Robinson's Friendly Funeral Home, 4301 Main St. in Moss Point. The funeral is set for 2 p.m. Saturday at Midway Baptist Church, with burial in Providence Cemetery in Dawes.

Wilbur Lee Willis Jr

ELBERTA — Wilbur Lee Willis Jr., a resident of Elberta, died Tuesday, Sept. 8, 1998, at West Florida Hospital in Pensacola.

He was 40 years old.Willis enjoyed bull riding and rodeos.

He is survived by his father, Wilbur Willis Sr., of Elberta; and a brother, Jack Brown of Elberta.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Friday at St. Mark's Lutheran Church of Elberta, with burial to follow in Elberta Public Cemetery.

Funeral arrangements are by Bayview Funeral Home, Foley.