Obituaries for Thursday, December 13, 2007
Published 6:00 am Thursday, December 13, 2007
Willie Lee ‘Lee Bee’ Adams
Services for Willie Lee “Lee Bee” Adams, of Meadville, will beheld at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 15, at New Bethel MissionaryBaptist Church in the Monroe community of Franklin County withburial in Nelson Cemetery in McCall Creek. Marshall Funeral Home isin charge of arrangements.
Visitation is Friday from noon until 5 p.m. at the funeral homein Bude, and on Saturday at the church from 11 a.m. until the timeof the service.
Mr. Adams, 74, died Dec. 7, 2007, at St. Dominic – JacksonMemorial Hospital in Jackson. He was born in Franklin County onMarch 15, 1933, to Martha Bee (Mart Bee) Williams and WillieAdams.
Preceding him in death were his parents; his common law wife,Elouise Nelson; his sisters, Willie Mae Smith and Ruby Harris; hisbrothers, Percy Bee and R.J. Smith; his nephew, Charles E. Harris;and his great-niece, Rebecca Harris.
Survivors are his two children; one grandchild; one aunt, SylviaRylas, of Hermanville; two brothers-in-law, Robert Smith and SonnyBoy Price, of Bude; and a host of nieces, nephews, great-nieces andnephews, other relatives and friends.
Geneva Wilson Byrd
Services for Geneva Wilson Byrd, of Chicago, Ill., will be heldat 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 15, at Alexander Junior High SchoolAuditorium in Brookhaven with burial in Hillcrest Cemetery.Williams Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
Visitation is Friday from 1 until 5 p.m. at the funeral home,with family hour from 7:30 until 8:30 p.m.
Mrs. Byrd, 82, died Dec. 6, 2007, in Chicago. She was born inBrookhaven on Oct. 19, 1925, to Dave Wilson and Ella Wilson.
She was retired. She attended Alexander High School. She was amember of Mt. Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago, whereshe was a member of the gospel choir, as well as a singer in theHappyland Singers gospel quartet. She was a voice trainer and alsoserved on the mother’s ministry.
Preceding her in death were her parents; her husband, WillieByrd Sr.; her son, Johnny B. Byrd; her daughter, Lee Edna Jones;her sisters, Kate Bell Gale, Celeste Johnson and Ruthie Mae Dixon;her brothers, R.J. Wilson, Jessie Wilson, Luther Wilson and FrankWilson.
Survivors are her children, Mae Bell Fells, Willie Byrd Jr. andwife, Flossie, all of Brookhaven, Jeanette Slater, David Byrd andwife Cora, Edward Byrd, Wilma Jean Byrd and Phillip Byrd, all ofChicago, Diane Jordan and husband Raymond, of Atlanta, Ga., andJewel Curry and wife Blondie, of Milwaukee, Wis.; her sisters,Almeta Levy, of Chicago, Corean Martin and husband, Elijah, ofCompton, Calif.; her brothers, Lonnie Wilson and wife Catherine, ofLos Angeles, Calif., Prentiss Wilson and Fred Wilson and wifeShirley, all of Brookhaven; her 28 grandchildren, 56great-grandchildren and six great-great-grandchildren.
Sarah Juanita King
Services for Sarah Juanita King, of Meadville, will be held at 5p.m. on Friday, Dec. 14, at Praise Cathedral Church of God inMeadville. Riverwood Family Funeral Service is in charge ofarrangements.
Mrs. King, 77, died Dec. 12, 2007, at the University ofMississippi Medical Center in Jackson. She was born on Aug. 15,1930, to the Rev. Grady Clifton Hamby and Annie Adell Hamby.
She was a wife and mother. She was a member of Praise CathedralChurch of God.
Preceding her in death were her parents; her husband of over 50years, Oscar King; and her sisters, Rebeca Ball and JeanetteRoberts.
Survivors are her daughters, Judy White and husband, James, ofNew Ellenton, S.C., Rhonda Holland and husband, Kenneth, of Aiken,S.C., and Jana Broome and husband, Bryan, of Meadville; hersisters, Bobbie Parrish, Rachel Beard and Anne Coleman, all ofTampa, Fla., and Gladys Barker, of Baton Rouge, La.; and hergrandchildren, James White and wife, Rachel, of Clinton, Tenn.,Jason White, of Harriman, Tenn., Joel Holland, of Aiken, JenniferWhite, of New Ellenton, Jonathan Holland of Aiken, and Hannah GraceBroome of Meadville.
Pallbearers are sons-in-law, James White, Kenneth Holland andBryan Broome; and her grandsons, James White Jr., Joel Holland andJonathan Holland.
Memorials may be made to the Church of God World Missions.
Ruby Monell Smith Lofton
Services for Ruby Monell Smith Lofton, of Bogue Chitto, will beheld at 11 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 14, at Brookhaven Funeral HomeChapel on North Jackson Street with burial in Friendship BaptistChurch Cemetery. The Revs. Trent Bilbo and Wiley Reid willofficiate.
Visitation is Thursday from 5 until 9 p.m. at the funeral home,and on Friday from 8 a.m. until service time.
Mrs. Lofton, 88, died Dec. 11, 2007, at King’s Daughters MedicalCenter. She was born in Lincoln County on Aug. 29, 1919, to PearlieSmith and Louella Smith Smith.
She was a homemaker and worked at Stahl-Urban. She was a memberof Friendship Baptist Church.
Preceding her in death were her parents; her husband, Robert J.Lofton; her grandson, Clifton Richard Crosby; her granddaughter,Dawn Michelle Lofton; her brothers, Hughlon Smith and Hollis Smith;and her sisters, Ruthie Dunn Smith and Ava Watts.
Survivors are her son, Jimmy Lofton and wife, Kay, of BogueChitto; her daughter, Delores Crosby and husband, Clifton, of BogueChitto; her five grandchildren; her eight great-grandchildren andseven great-great-grandchildren; and a number of nieces andnephews.
Pallbearers are Steve Crosby, Brad Crosby, Matthew Magee, JohnnyMagee, Vince Graces, Jamie Hart and Danny Watts.
Ethel ‘Maxine’ Robinson
Services for Ethel “Maxine” Robinson, of Brookhaven, will beheld at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 15, at Zion Chapel A.M.E. Churchin Caseyville with burial in Zion Chapel Church Cemetery inCaseyville. Williams Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
Visitation is Friday from 1 until 7 p.m. at the funeral home,with family hour from 6 until 7 p.m.
Mrs. Robinson, 62, died Dec. 8, 2007, at King’s DaughtersMedical Center. She was born in Brookhaven on Aug. 15, 1945, toMonroe Smith and Pearlie Scott Smith Tillman.
She was a 1963 graduate of Eva H. Harris High School, and a 1965graduate of Prentiss Institute. She was retired from her job withthe Milwaukee Public School System. After retirement, she workedwith Brookhaven Nursery for a short time. She was a member ofSiloam Lutheran Church in Milwaukee.
Her parents preceded her in death.
Survivors are her husband, Fred Robinson Jr., of Brookhaven; herson, R. Scott Gray and wife, Latisha of Milwaukee; her grandchild,Isaiah Gray, of Milwaukee; her stepchildren, Gerard Robinson andwife, Ivette, Demetrious Robinson and Derrick Robinson and wife,Nea, all of Milwaukee; and Sabrina Triplett and husband, J.T., ofLouisville, and their children; her sisters, Evalene Coleman, ofMilwaukee, and Burnie Smith, of Bogue Chitto; her brothers, JoeLouis Smith, of Union Church, James Smith, Monroe Smith and MelvinSmith, all of Milwaukee; and a host of aunts, nieces, nephews,relatives and friends, whom she loved very much.
Dr. Alice Brown Smith
Services for Dr. Alice Brown Smith, of Grambling, La., will beheld at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 15, at Kynett-Pilgrim U.M. Churchin Brookhaven with burial in Rose Hill Cemetery. R.E. Tyler FuneralHome is in charge of arrangements.
Visitation is Saturday from 9 a.m. until the time of the serviceat the church.
Dr. Smith, 91, died Dec. 8, 2007, in Grambling. She was born onSept. 7, 1916, to Lemuel M. Brown and Cecile Brown.
She was a retired professor from Grambling State University inGrambling.
She was a graduate of McDonogh 35 High School in New Orleans.She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Educationfrom Jackson College in Jackson, and a master’s degree inelementary supervision and administration in 1950 from TuskegeeUniversity in Tuskegee, Ala. She received a Doctor in Educationdegree in Elementary Education through Walden University in Naples,Fla. She was a loyal member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. She wasa lifetime member of Kynett-Pilgrim U.M. Church.
Preceding her in death were her parents; her son, Jimmy Smith;and three brothers and two sisters.
Survivors are her daughters, Phyllis Miller, of Grambling, andPauline Buckhalter, of Jackson; and her two grandchildren.
John P. ‘Sonny’ Wilson
A memorial service for John P. “Sonny” Wilson, of Ruth, will beheld at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 16, at the home of Robert Earl Wilsonin Ruth. Riverwood Family Funeral Service is in charge ofarrangements.
Mr. Wilson, 52, died Dec. 11, 2007, at his residence. He wasborn on July 26, 1955, to Preston Earl Wilson and Jane CunninghamWilson.
He was disabled. He was a member of the Methodist faith.
Preceding him in death were his parents, and his sister, BarbaraAnn Robertson.
Survivors are his special friend, Kay Smith; his sons, SteveWilson and wife Janet, of Brandon, and Johnny Wilson, of Meridian;his daughter, Tonya Wilson; his brothers, Robert Earl Wilson, RalphWilson and wife, Melinda; his sister, Bobbie McKenzie, of FortWalton; and his grandchildren, Blake Wilson, Ruston Wilson, RyanWilson, Kinsley Wilson, Tyler Martin, Brooklyn Martin, Robert BlakeMartin and Zack Earley.
Memorials may be made to Hospice of Brookhaven.