Johnnie Clyde Ready Sr.

Johnnie Clyde Ready Sr., 84, died Sunday, Dec. 23, 2007, atLawrence County Hospital. Visitation will be held at Wilson FuneralHome in Monticello from 5 until 9 p.m. Wednesday.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 27, atMonticello United Methodist Church with Dr. Danny Speed, pastor,and the Rev. Travis Fulton, former pastor, officiating. Burial willbe at Monticello United Methodist Cemetery.

Mr. Ready was born on Oct. 23, 1923, in Bolivar County to DanielWebster Ready and Eva Dean Ready. He moved with his family toMonticello after the 1927 flood. He graduated from Monticello HighSchool as salutatorian and attended Mississippi State College untilthe beginning of World War II. He served his country during WorldWar II from 1942 to 1946 in the European Theater. After the war, heattended Whitworth College and Mississippi Southern.

He was in the family business, Ready’s Service Station andGarage, for many years. He served as substitute mail carrier andlater retired as a full-time carrier in 1997.

Mr. Ready was a member of Monticello United Methodist Churchwhere he served faithfully in many areas. He was a member of theMonticello Lions Club, American Legion Forty and Eight, andVeterans of Foreign Wars. He served as adjutant of American Legionfor approximately 35 years. He was a member of the Monticello FireDepartment and served as fire chief for many years. The firedepartment honored him in 1995 for 50 years of service as avolunteer firefighter. He was quoted as saying the hardest day as afireman came when he saw his church burn to the ground in 1980. Hisphilosophy was “helping others” and always served othersunselfishly.

He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Damie Newsome Ready;daughter, Charlotte Carter and son-in-law, Eddie; son Johnnie CReady Jr. (Bill) and daughter-in-law, Charlotte; fivegrandchildren, Chip and Charmaine Carter, Jess and Lori Carter,Damond and Kristina Ready, Clay and Sonya Ready and Kirsten andScott Alexander; 11 great-grandchildren, Summer, Abby, Molly Grace,John Clyde, Kailey and Lily Ready, Austin, Roman, Dylan, Jacksonand London Carter.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to either theMonticello United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 57, Monticello, MS39654 or your favorite charity.

Pearl Lena Strickland