Services for the Rev. D. L. Callender, of Natchitoches, La. andformerly of McComb, are 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17, at CatchingsFuneral Home in McComb with burial in Macedonia Baptist ChurchCemetery. The Rev. Thomas Rush will officiate.

Visitation is Monday from 3 until 6 p.m. at the funeralhome.

The Rev. Callender, 89, died Feb. 13, 2009, at NatchitochesRegional Medical Center after a short illness. He was born inLincoln County and lived most of his life in McComb. He lived thelast three years of his life in the Natchitoches Nursing andRehabilitation Center.

Although he lived for many years in Louisiana, he longed toreturn to his native McComb area. He was a World War II veteran,serving as a crew chief in the Army Air Corps. He served in Englandworking on P-47 Thunderbolts that flew over occupied Europe. Heworked for a few years for the ICC Railroad before being calledinto the ministry in 1952.

The Rev. Callender served as a full-time pastor from 1953 untilhis retirement in 2005, when he was interim pastor at ImmanuelBaptist Church in Magnolia. He pastored 12 Baptist churches inLouisiana and Mississippi.

Preceding him in death were his wife of 67 years, Mavis SmithCallender; his parents, Ira and Amy Callender; his brothers, A. C.,James and Ailyus E. Callender; and his sister, Lou Mae Britt.

Survivors are his son, Thomas Ray Callender and wife, Celeste,of Baton Rouge, La.; his daughters, Linda Cummings and husband,Charlie, of Lafayette, La., and Peggy Cedars and husband, Bobby, ofNatchitoches, La.; his grandchildren, Todd Callender, of NewOrleans, La., Bert Callender and wife, Karen, of Denham Springs,La., Jennifer Milner and husband, Derick, of Brandon, and SamWells, of Clinton; and his great-grandchildren, Sarah, Emily andCaleb Callender, of Denham Springs, La., and Lily Mavis Milner, ofBrandon.

Pallbearers will be Bert Callender, Todd Callender, KirkHaskins, Derick Milner, Kenneth Smith and Sam Wells.

The family would like to extend a special thanks to NatchitochesNursing and Rehabilitation Center, Natchitoches Regional MedicalCenter, Dr. Mary Long and Brenda Scott.

The Rev. Callender was a dedicated husband, loving father, agreat patriot, a beloved pastor and friend.