Services for Melba Lee Smith Sykes, of Brookhaven, are 11 a.m.Wednesday, Feb. 8 at Central Baptist Church with burial in UnionBaptist Church Cemetery in the East Lincoln community.

Visitation is Tuesday from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Brookhaven FuneralHome and again Wednesday from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the funeral homeand 10 to 11 a.m. at the church.

Mrs. Sykes, 79, died Feb. 4, 2006, at King’s Daughters MedicalCenter. She was born in Lincoln County on Nov. 24, 1926, to HenryL. Smith and Mary Ann Smith Scott.

She was a homemaker and lifelong resident of Lincoln County. Shewas a member of Central Baptist Church.

Preceding her in death were her parents; her sister, MildredSmith Sykes, of Brookhaven; and a brother, Whitney Smith, ofWoodward, Okla.

Survivors are her husband of 61 years, Paul Milton Sykes, ofBrookhaven; her sons and daughters-in-law, Henry and Gloria Sykes,of Kenner, La., Gary and Joyce Sykes, of Bogue Chitto, Frankie andTina Sykes, of Brookhaven, Johnny and Donna Sykes, of Wynne, Ark.,Paul Michael and Donnie Sykes, of Bogue Chitto, and Randy Sykes andMelody, of Brookhaven; her daughters and sons-in-law, Frances andJohnny Newell, of Brookhaven, Dorothy Taylor, of Gainesville, Ga.,Patsy Thornton, of Marietta, Ga., and Mary and Mike Guess, of BatonRouge, La.; her brother, Henry “Junior” Smith, of Stilwell, Okla.;her sister, Cleo Smith Case, of Brookhaven; her sisters-in-law,Johnnie Smith, Maggi Smith, Evone Hewitt, Martha Ann Sykes andDorothy Sykes; her brother-in-law, Leroy Hewitt; 21 grandchildren;14 great-grandchildren; and one stepgreat-grandchild.