Bertha M. Keith Burrell
Died: Friday, May 30, 2003
Age: 80
Bertha M. Keith Burrell, 80, of Durant died Friday, May 30, 2003 at her residence. Services were Sunday, June 1, 2003 at 2 p.m. at Southern Funeral Home Chapel in Durant with burial in Seneasha Cemetery in Goodman. Rev. Charles McBride officiated.
Mrs. Burrell was the daughter of the late William Pleasant Keith and Nannie Mae Keen. She was a homemaker. She was a member of Bowlin Baptist Church. She was proceeded in death by one grandson, Johnny Ray Donald.
Survivors include: husband, Douglas Burrell of Durant; three daughters, Mae W. Schoeber of Madison, Bettye J. Donald of Pearl; Janette Gillon of Jackson; three step-daughters, Joy Warren of Warner Robins, Georgia, Vickie Lancaster of Bentonia and Hope Nelson of Yazoo City; one step-son, Dennis Burrell of Bentonia; 13 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren; 1 great-great grandchild; 9 step-grandchildren; and 4 step-great grandchildren.
Active pallbearers were: Jim Wolverton, Mitch Wolverton, Chase Wolverton, Zach Wolverton, Greg Donald, and Scott Britt.
Agustus G. Fisher
Died: Thursday, May 29, 2003
Age: 84
Agustus G. “A.G.” Fisher, 84, of West died Thursday, May 29 at University Nursing Home in Durant. Services were Saturday, May 31 at 11:00 a.m. at Ed Roberts Chapel of Remembrance in Winona. Brother Freddie Murdock officiated.
Mr. Fisher was a retired owner/operator of Fisher’s Grocery near West. He was a member of the Martin Grove Methodist Church.
Survivors include: wife, Claudine H. Fisher of West; five sons, Edsel Fisher and Jerry Fisher both of Lexington, Woodley Fisher, Sr., of Jackson, Raymond Fisher of Houston, Texas, and Ben Roy Montgomery of Durant; five brothers, J.D. Fisher, Charlie Fisher, Henry Fisher, and Mack Fisher all of Toledo, Ohio and Joe Willie Fisher of Chicago, Illinois; one sister, Mary Louise Johnson of Columbus, Ohio; 13 grandchildren; 9 great-grandchildren; and 2 great-great grandchildren.
Betty B. Liberto
Died: Tuesday, May 27, 2003
Age: 85
Services for Bettye B. Liberto, 85, of Tchula, will be held today (Thursday, May 29) at 11:00 a.m. at Stricklin-King Funeral Home chapel in Yazoo City with Rev. Mary Lou Tickle officiating. Interment will follow in Glenwood Cemetery in Yazoo City with Stricklin-King in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Liberto, a native of Holmes County, died Tuesday, May 27, 2003 at her residence.
She is survived by one son, Vincent E. Liberto, Jr. of Ringgold, GA; one daughter, Rosemary Holloway of Mandeville, LA; one sister, Santa Easum of Mobile, AL; 2 grandchildren; and 3 great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by a daughter, Bettye Ann Liberto.
Mrs. Liberto was a retired Postmaster and member of Thornton Methodist Church.
Lewis Marvin Meeks
Died: Monday, May 26, 2003
Age: 77
Funeral services for Lewis Marvin Meeks, 77, of Lexington were held at Southern Funeral Home Chapel in Lexington at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, May 28 with Rev. Joe Hill officiating. Interment followed in Odd Fellows Cemetery in Lexington with Southern Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Meeks, a retired mechanic, died May 26, 2003 at Mississippi Baptist Medical Center in Jackson. He was a native of Holmes County and a Baptist.
He is survived by his wife, Margie D. Meeks of Lexington; one son, Curry Meeks of Vicksburg; one daughter, Jeannine Warren of Conroe, TX; one brother, Archie Meeks of Tupelo; one sister, Evelyn McBride of San Francisco, CA; 6 grandchildren; and 1 great grandchild.
Mr. Meeks served in WWII in the Asiatic Pacific Theater. He flew A-20, B-25, and B-29’s. He served as tail gunner on the B-29 Lady “Bee” Good with the 314 Bomb Wing.
After many years of estrangement, Mr. Meeks located and arranged a reunion for his crew members. The first reunion was held in Tulsa, OK in 1991 and every year since.
Pallbearers were Joe Martin, Ricky Griffith, Buddy Irby, David Kennedy, Jim Michael, and Eli Saxton. Honorary pallbearers were Billy Zeigler; Tommy Sykes; Tom Sherman; and surviving members of his flight crew – Gerald Caldwell, Bob Novy, Al Wilson, Hap Morrison, Walter Martin, and Ernest Harper.
Edward Tate
Died: Sunday, May 25, 2003
Age: 77
Edward Tate, Sr., 77, of Chicago, Illinois died Sunday, May 25, 2003 at his home. Services were Saturday, May 31, 2003 at 10:45 a.m. at New Galilee MB Church in Chicago Illinois. Pastor Michael J. Ross officiated.
Mr. Tate was born June 28, 1925 in Yazoo County, Mississippi. He was born to the union of the late Will and Lula Turner Tate. He was educated in Holmes County Public School System. He served in the United States Army during World War 11. He belonged to the New Galilee M.B. Church and served on the Deacon Board as Financial Secretary and Adult Sunday School teacher for many years.
Survivors include: wife, Viola Tate; one daughter, Lorraine of New Port, RI; two sons, Edward Jr. of Bellwood, IL and Michael of Chicago, IL; four brothers, Willie Allen of Berkeley, CA, Emmitt of West Warwick, RI, L.C. of Lexington, and Herbert of Chicago, IL; seven grandchildren; four great-great-grandchildren.
Active pallbearers were: Michael Weiss, Robert Tate, Andre Willis, Jonathan Tate, James Tate, Jr., and John M. Cooper.
John David Montgomery
Died: Thursday, May 22, 2003
Age: 78
John David Montgomery, 78, of Durant died Thursday, May 22, 2003 at Montfort Jones Hospital in Kosciusko. Funeral services were Saturday, May 24 at 11:00 a.m. at Southern Funeral Home Chapel in Durant with burial in West City Cemetery in West. Rev. Gene Richardson officiated.
Mr. Montgomery was a crewman for the Mississippi State Highway Department before retiring. He was a veteran of World War II. He was the son of the late David F. Montgomery and Fannie Green and a member of the West Methodist Church.
Survivors include: one son, David Montgomery of Durant; one daughter, Patricia Champion of Charleston; two sisters, Lucille Winstead of Clinton and Alice Bowen of Houston, Texas; 4 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren.
Active pallbearers were: Carlton Aldridge, Tommy Edwards, Bill Bowie, Gene Gelston, Doug Aldridge, and Phillip Dallas.
Lonzye Taylor
Died: Wednesday, May 21, 2003
The home going celebration for Elder Lonzye Taylor of Chicago, Illinois, will be Saturday, May 31, 2003 with visitation at 11:30 a.m., and home going services at 12 noon at Sweet Canaan C.O.G.I.C. on Bell Bottom Road in Lexington.
Mr. Taylor, a Holmes County native, died on May 21.
Percy Lee Stephens
Died: Saturday, May 17, 2003
Age: 58
Percy Lee Stephens, Sr., 58, of Lexington, died May 17, 2003, at the Hospice Ministries in Ridgeland, of pancreatic cancer. Services were Saturday, May 24, 2003 at St. Paul Church of God in Christ in Lexington. Burial was in the Greenlawn Cemetery in Lexington with Elder Charles Jefferson officiating.
Mr. Stephens was born in Pickens on February 22, 1945 to C.B. and Realma Stephenson. His parents and three brothers, J.B., Curtis, and Jimmy preceded him in death.
Mr. Stephens graduated from Lexington Attendance Center in 1964 and attended Mississippi Valley State University. He served in the United States Army from 1966 to 1973. He served two and one half years in Vietnam and received an honorary discharge. He worked for years as a welder, security guard, fire marshall, mechanic and was last employed for Lefluer Transportation.
On May 25, 1991, he married Ms. China Banks. To this union two children were born. A daughter, Tamara Schreese, preceded him in death.
Percy was a member of the Ever Increasing Faith Church of God in Christ in Lexington.
Survivors include: wife, China; his son, Percy, Jr.; two brothers, Ollie of Memphis, TN and A.D. of Chicago, IL; five sisters, Mae Frances Rice and Alma Pipkin of Memphis, TN, Christine McGrone, Juanita Scott and Velma Brady of Chicago, IL.
Pallbearers were: J.B. Stephenson, Jr., Melvin Johnson, Elder Henry Lee Johnson, III, Darion McGrone, Johnny Barksdale and Willie Bentley.
Zeta Mae Ray Pollan
Died: Saturday, May 17, 2003
Age: 87
Graveside services for Zeta Mae Ray Pollan, 87, of Lexington were held at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 17, 2003 at Drew City Cemetery in Drew. Officiating minister was Rev. William Osborn. Southern Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Pollan died Tuesday, May 13, 2003.
Mrs. Pollan was a homemaker and a member of Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church.
Survivors include: three son, James B. Pollan of Newport News, Virginia, Travis Rae Pollan of Antioch, California, and Charles H. Pollan of Charleston; two daughters, Mary Y. Lane of Scobey and Patsy Ellis of Lexington; one sister, Inez Osborn of Jackson; thirteen grandchildren and sixteen great-grandchildren.
Walter Henry Johnson
Died: Saturday, May 17, 2003
Age: 60
Walter Henry Johnson, 60, of Lexington died Sunday, May 11, 2003 at River Oaks Hospital in Jackson. Services were Saturday, May 17, 2003 at Mount Sinai M.B. Church in Lexington with Rev. L.J. Johnson officiating. He was buried in Johnson’s Cemetery.
Mr. Johnson attended Pine Grove Public School and later Mt. Olive High School where he graduated. Some of his places of employment were: Independent Linen of Jackson, Lexington Concrete and Block Co., Western Auto of Lexington and J.J. Ferguson of Greenwood. He was a member of Mt. Sinai M.B. Church where he served as an usher and treasurer until his illness.
He was the son of Clara Mae Williams Johnson and the late Henry Hooker Johnson. One son, Alex Johnson, preceded him in death.
Survivors include: his mother, Clara Mae Johnson of Lexington; one son, Walter H. Johnson, Jr. of Atlanta, Georgia; one daughter, Millene Johnson of Southaven; one step-daughter, Connie Mabry of Atlanta, Georgia; one step-son Cedric Landfair of Lexington; one sister, Doris Melton; six brothers, Ezell Johnson, Joe Louis Johnson, Clay C. Johnson all of Lexington, Lee Jessie Johnson of Aberdeen, Teotha Lacy, Roosevelt Travis of Detroit, MI; 5 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Active pallbearers were all of his classmates.
Honorary pallbearers were deacons of Mount Sinai M.B. Church.
Faye Truitt Massey
Died: Friday, May 16, 2003
Age: 72
Faye T. Massey, 72, of Covington Georgia died Friday, May 16, 2003 at Riverside Health Care. Services were Sunday, May 18, at Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church at 3 p.m. with burial in Pleasant Ridge Cemetery in Lexington. Rev. Wildon Greer officiated.
Mrs. Massey was the daughter of the late Rob Ray Truitt and Ida Mae Kyzer. She was the school secretary for Cruger Tchula Academy and a member of Cruger Independent Methodist Church.
Survivors include: children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren; two brothers, Charles Lee Truitt of Lexington and Wayne Truitt of Columbus; one sister, Martha Bailey of Winona.
Active pallbearers were: Charles Lee Truitt, Jr., Hugh Lee Bailey, Jr., Hal Truitt, Tripp Bailey, Louie Thompson, and Bobby Jerrigan
Alice Grantham Nabers
Died: Wednesday, May 14, 2003
Age: 101
Alice G. Nabers, 101, a homemaker of West died Wednesday, May 14, 2003 at the Greenwood Leflore Hospital in Greenwood. Services were Friday, May 16, 2003 at 2:00 p.m. at Southern Funeral Home Chapel in Durant with burial in Old Wheeling Cemetery in West. Rev. Jerry Tate officiated.
She was a member of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church. She was the daughter of the late Joe Grantham and Mary Kyzer.
Survivors include: one sister Allene McBride of Vaiden.
Active pallbearers were: Bob Grantham, Carlton Aldridge, Melvin Farmer, Joe McClellan, Billy Brock, and Sonny McCrory.
