Monday’s Obituaries
Published 6:00 am Monday, February 5, 2001
Johnnie “Dust” Bledsoe
Services for Johnnie “Dust” Bledsoe of Brookhaven are 3 p.m.,Wednesday, Feb. 7, at St. James M. B. Church with burial in CarverHeights Cemetery.
Visitation is Tuesday from noon until 6 p.m. with the wake from6-7 p.m. at Williams Mortuary.
Mrs. Bledsoe, 78, died Feb. 1, 2001, at Countrybrook LivingCenter. She was born in Lincoln County on May 5, 1922, to JohnWalker and Viola Henderson Walker.
She was a homemaker. She was a member of St. James M. B.Church.
Preceding her in death were her parents; her husband, Ellis”Head” Bledsoe; her sons, Charles and Freddie Bledsoe; hergrandson, Marcus Bledsoe; her brother, Thedore Jackson; and hersisters, Beanice Wilson, Beatrice Jackson, and Lorene Thadison.
Survivors are her sons, Ellis Bledsoe, Ben Bledsoe, and BillyBledsoe, all of Brookhaven; her brother, David Perkins of LosAngeles; and five grandchildren.
Gertrude M. Keyes Carpenter
Services for Gertrude M. Keyes Carpenter of Brookhaven are 3p.m., Monday, Feb. 5, at Brookhaven Funeral Home Chapel with burialin Easthaven Cemetery.
Mrs. Carpenter, 86, died Feb. 4, 2001, at Beverly HealthcareCenter. She was born in Harrisville on Feb. 26, 1914, to WilliamJeptha Keyes and Cilleta Davis Keyes Smith.
Preceding her in death were her parents; her husband, CharlesCarpenter; her son, Charles Roxford “Rocky” Carpenter; herbrothers, Luther, Edgar, Charlie, Josh, Virgil, and William “Bill”Keyes; and her sisters, Mary Bullock, Mattie Lee Keyes, and MagnusPell.
Survivors are her grandchildren, Cami Carpenter, Chaz Carpenter,and Jessica White, all of Utah; her sisters, Olvie Whittington ofStar and Ruby Bracey of Brookhaven; and a host of nieces andnephews.
Ernest W. Clinton
Services for Ernest W. Clinton of Monticello are 1 p.m.,Tuesday, Feb. 6, at Monticello Baptist Church with burial inMonticello Municipal Cemetery.
Visitation is today from 5-9 p.m. and Tuesday from 8 a.m. untilnoon at Wilson Funeral Home.
Mr. Clinton, 94, died Feb. 4, 2001, at Lawrence County Hospital.He was born in Lamar County on Nov. 19, 1906, to James “Jim” MonroeClinton and Mary Elizabeth Aultman Clinton. He graduated fromMississippi College in 1930.
He represented Lamar County in the Mississippi House ofRepresentatives from 1936-1940 and was a colonel on the staff ofGov. Fielding Wright. He moved to Monticello in 1939. He had owneda cotton gin in Bassfield, a movie theatre in Monticello which grewinto a chain of theatres throughout the state, and establishedClinton Oil Company, an independent gasoline retailer andwholesaler with operations in Mississippi and Louisiana. He alsoaccumulated and managed timberland and other investments.
He was a founding member and chairman of the board of theLawrence County Animal Rescue League and was a past president ofthe Mississippi Theatre Owners Association. He was an avid travelerand had visited 36 countries. He was a train enthusiast.
He was a member of Monticello Baptist Church.
Preceding him in death was his wife, Anita W. Clinton.
Survivors are his sons, James E. Clinton of Hattiesburg and W.Philip Clinton of New Orleans; his daughter, Anita Carroll ClintonCraig of Jackson; and four grandchildren, two step-grandchildren,and three great-grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to Lawrence County Animal Rescue League,P. O. Box 732, Monticello MS 39654 or to the A. C. Watkins MemorialFund for the Mexican Baptist Seminary at the Baptist Foundation, P.O. Box 530, Jackson MS 39205.
Jerry Wayne Coleman
Services for Jerry Wayne Coleman of Brookhaven are 11 a.m.,Tuesday, Feb. 6, at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Copiah Countywith burial in the church cemetery.
Visitation is today from 5-9 p.m. at Brookhaven FuneralHome.
Mr. Coleman, 49, died Feb. 4, 2001, at King’s Daughters MedicalCenter. He was born in Brookhaven on Sept. 12, 1951, to SherrodTowns Coleman and Joanna Ella Barksdale Coleman.
He was disabled.
Preceding him in death were his father; and his brothers,Sherrod Henry Coleman and Everette Truly Coleman.
Survivors are his mother, Joanna Coleman of Wesson; hisbrothers, Billy Coleman of the Allen community and Starkey Colemanof Wesson; his sisters, Dorothy Tuneburg of Wesson, and JudyEdwards and Konnie Kay Speed, both of the Allen community; and ahost of nieces, nephews, and other relatives.
Ralph Wagner Peeples
Services for Ralph Wagner Peeples of Coffeeville are 3 p.m.,Monday, Feb. 5, at Coffeeville Methodist Church with burial inCoffeeville Cemetery. Garner-Harper Funeral Home is in charge ofarrangements.
Mr. Peeples, 89, died Feb. 3, 2001, at his residence. He wasborn on April 30, 1911.
He was the owner of Peeples Hardware and Furniture inCoffeeville for 65 years. He was a member of Coffeeville MethodistChurch. He was an avid sportsman.
Preceding him in death were his wife, Elma Sayle Peeples; andhis daughter, Elaine P. Boyle.
Survivors are his sons, Ralph Lawrence Peeples of Brookhaven,and Durrett B. “Deeby” Peeples and Bradley S. Peeples, both ofCoffeeville; his daughters, Patricia P. “Chip” Covington and FlaviaP. “Toots” Waddell, both of Coffeeville; his sister, Mildred P.Smith of Tucson, Ariz.; and 11 grandchildren and 11great-grandchildren.
Dorothy Leary Taylor
Graveside services for Dorothy Leary Taylor of Brookhaven are1:30 p.m., Monday, Feb. 5, at Easthaven Cemetery. BrookhavenFuneral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Taylor, 79, died Feb. 4, 2001, at Haven Hall Nursing Home.She was born in McComb on Aug. 2, 1921, to Alva Richardson andLillie Smith Richardson Lofton.
She was retired as a secretary for an insurance office in NewOrleans. She was a member of the Methodist faith.
Preceding her in death were her parents; her husband, JohnLeary; and her sister, Ethel Richardson.
Survivors are her daughter, Rebecca Sartin of Brookhaven; andtwo granddaughters, two stepgrandsons, one great-granddaughter, andfive stepgreat-grandchildren.
John Darrell Williams
Services for John Darrell Williams of Brookhaven are 11 a.m.,Tuesday, Feb. 6, at Catchings Funeral Home Chapel with burial inHollywood Cemetery.
Visitation is today from 5-8 p.m. and Tuesday from 9 a.m. untilservice time at the funeral home.
Mr. Williams, 56, died Feb. 3, 2001, of a stroke at UniversityMedical Center in Jackson. He was born in McComb on Dec. 24, 1944,to John Henry Williams and Lucille Willoughby Williams. He was agraduate of McComb High School, attended Tulane University, andreceived his Bachelor of Science degree from Mississippi StateUniversity. He received his Master of Education degree fromSoutheastern Louisiana University and his Specialist degree fromthe University of Southern Mississippi. He played football forMcComb High School and Tulane.
He was a retired teacher and principal at Magnolia ElementarySchool. He taught at South Pike Elementary from 1972-1979 andserved as principal from 1981 until his retirement in 1995.
He was a member of Jackson St. United Methodist Church, where hetaught Sunday school.
Preceding him in death were his parents; and his brother, HenryGerald Williams.
Survivors are his wife, Diana Farr Williams of Brookhaven; hisson, John David Williams of Hazlehurst; his daughter, JuliePatricia Williams Smith; his sisters, JoAnn Williams Drake ofOrlando and Carolyn Williams Deer of Baton Rouge; and fourgrandchildren.
Wetter Williams
Services for Wetter Williams of Meadville are 1 p.m., Tuesday,Feb. 6, at Mt. Sinai M. B. Church with burial in New Fork Cemeteryin Meadville.
Visitation is today from noon until 5 p.m. at Tyler FuneralHome.
Ms. Williams, 58, died Feb. 1, 2001, at Natchez RegionalHospital. She was born in Franklin County on Dec. 31, 1942, to L.C. Williams Sr. and Jessie Mae Bee Williams.
She was a homemaker. She was a member of Mt. Sinai M. B. Church,where she served on the Motherboard.
Preceding her in death were her parents; her brothers, Leroy,Claude, and Elijah Williams; and her sisters, Massie Jones, ArgreeHarris, and Margaret Williams.
Survivors are her sons, Thomas Williams of Roxie and AndrewWilliams of Meadville; her daughters, Joyce Williams, Jessie King,and Laura Nell Houston, all of Meadville; her brothers, RoyWilliams and Charlie Campbell, both of Roxie, and the Rev. L. C.Williams and Alton Covington, both of Meadville; her sisters, BettyJean Ford, Wilhelminia Harris, and Clara Starks, all of Meadville,Alice Jackson and Dorothy Campbell, both of Roxie, and BerthaSummerville of Chicago; and 18 grandchildren, fourgreat-grandchildren, and a host of nieces and nephews.