The Rev. C.J. Alexander

Services for the Rev. C.J. Alexander of Sontag are 2 p.m.,Saturday, Aug. 16, at Mt. Zion M.B. Church with burial in thechurch cemetery. Williams Mortuary is in charge ofarrangements.

Visitation is Friday, from noon to 5 p.m., at the funeral home.Family hour is Friday, 6-8 p.m., at the church.

The Rev. Alexander, 65, died Aug. 8, 2003, at CentralMississippi Medical Center. He was born in Sontag on April 11,1938, to McKinley Alexander Sr. and Mandy Tillman Alexander.

He was retired. He was a member of Mt. Zion M.B. Church.

Preceding him in death were his parents.

Survivors are his wife, Shirley Alexander of Sontag; hisdaughters, Rhonda Lang and Veronica Johnson, both of Huntsville,Ala., and Kawana Alexander of Sontag; his sons, Roland Chess ofOklahoma, Tyrone Swan of Country Club Hills, Ill., ChristopherAlexander and Cedric Alexander, both of Sontag; his sisters,Mildred Thompson of Sontag, Victoria Reed of Hazlehurst, LucilleJones of Greensboro, N.C., Betty Jean Lassetter of Savannah, Ga.,and Angelene Brand of Dallas, Texas; his brothers, JohnnyAlexander, James Alexander, Willie Fred Alexander and CurtisAlexander, all of Sontag, McKinley Alexander of Jackson, EffortAlexander of Memphis, Tenn., Jimmy Alexander of Manhattan, N.Y.,Anthony Alexander of Tinley Park, Ill., and Johnny “BoBo” Alexanderof Bronx, N.Y.; his nine grandchildren; and a host of nieces,nephews, other relatives and friends.

Gladys C. Blackmon

Services for Gladys C. Blackmon of Silver Creek were 10 a.m.,Thursday, Aug. 14, at Wilson Funeral Home Chapel with burial inCliburn Cemetery in New Hebron.

Blackmon, 94, died Aug. 12, 2003, at Country Brook Nursing Home.She was born in New Hebron on June 24, 1909, to J.B. Blackmon andDora Newsom.

She was a homemaker. She was a member of Crooked Creek BaptistChurch.

Preceding her in death were her parents, two brothers and onesister.

Survivors are her daughters and sons-in-law, Nora Rea Thompsonof Brookhaven, William B. and Mary J. Lucy of Byram, and James andFrances Litton of Byhila, Tenn.; her sons and daughters-in-law,Jimmie D. and Jennifer Blackmon of Monticello, and Walton E. andBetty Blackmon of Madison; her 11 grandchildren, 14great-grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild.

Ethel Markham

Services for Ethel Markham of Brookhaven, are 11 a.m., Friday,Aug. 15, at St. Mark M.B. Church in Brookhaven with burial inHillcrest Cemetery in Brookhaven. Tyler Funeral Home is in chargeof arrangements.

Visitation is Thursday from 12-5 p.m. at the funeral home.Family hour is from 5-6 p.m.

Mrs. Markham, 80, died Aug. 11, 2003, at Baptist Hospital inMontgomery, Ala. She was born in Hazlehurst on Dec. 3, 1922, toEugene “Buck” Tanner and Zyphia Tanner.

She was a former Headstart instructor. She was a member of St.Mark M.B. Church where she was a Sunday school teacher for a numberof years. She was also a member of the choir.

Preceding her in death were her parents; her husband, HoustonMarkham Sr.; and her sons, Johnnie and Larry Markham.

Survivors are her daughters, Brenda Davis of Bloomington,Calif.; her sons, Houston Markham Jr. of Montgomery, Robert Markhamof Meridian, Garland Markham of Atlanta, Ga., and Bruce Markham ofRialto, Calif.; her sisters, Thelma Boone of Benton Harbor, Mich.,and Marie Jones of New Orleans; her 14 grandchildren, twogreat-grandchildren; and a host of nieces and nephews.

Janice Steele

Services for Janice Steele of Washington, Miss., are 2 p.m.,Thursday, Aug. 14, at Franklin Funeral Home Chapel with burial inMiddleton Creek Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery. Franklin FuneralHome in Meadville is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Steele, 66, died Aug. 12, 2003, at University MedicalCenter in Jackson. She was born in St. Martinville, La., on March5, 1937, to Lee S. Ferguson and Ella Prather Ferguson.

She was retired from Canal Barge Co. She was a member ofPilgrims Rest Primitive Baptist Church.

Preceding her in death were her parents.

Survivors are her son, Rickey Steele of Meadville; her sister,Jeri Sue Holmes of Pearl; her brothers, Donald Ferguson ofMeadville and Kenneth Ferguson of Vidalia, La., and her twograndchildren.

Anna Lee Sterling

Services for Anna Lee Sterling of Brookhaven are noon, Saturday,Aug. 16, at New Hope M.B. Church in Brookhaven with burial in thechurch cemetery. Tyler Funeral Home is in charge ofarrangements.

Visitation is Friday, from 12-6 p.m., at the funeral home.Family hour is 6-7 p.m.

Mrs. Sterling, 69, died Aug. 11, 2003, at her residence. She wasborn in Brookhaven on Nov. 8, 1933, to Johnny Coleman and SarahReed Coleman.

She was a homemaker. She was a member of New Hope M.B. Churchwhere she was a member of the Mother Board, choir, mission society,kitchen committee chair and former president of the UsherBoard.

Preceding her in death were her parents; her husband, VictorSterling Sr.; and her brother, Ira Coleman.

Survivors are her daughters, Phyllis Watkins of Brookhaven, andSarah Sterling Willis of Las Vegas, Nev.; her sons, Victor SterlingJr., the Rev. Phillip Sterling, Donald Sterling and EarnestSterling, all of Brookhaven; her brothers, William Coleman ofJackson, and C.L. Coleman of St. Louis, Mo.; her 16 grandchildren,six great-grandchildren; and a host of nieces and nephews.