Elden Sylvester Brooks Jr.

Services for Elden Sylvester Brooks Jr., of Liberty, were noonWednesday, Feb. 18, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter DaySaints in Liberty with burial in the Liberty City Cemetery.Marshall Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Brooks, 40, died Feb. 13, 2009, in Liberty. He was born inFlorissant, Mo., on Dec. 8, 1968, to Elden Sylvester Brooks Sr. andMary Johnson Brooks.

Preceding him in death were his father; his grandparents, JamesH. Marler, Billy and Ella Mae Johnson and Henry and MaryBrooks.

Survivors are his mother, Mary Ann Brooks, of Liberty; his wife,Brandy Hollis Brooks, of Liberty; his five children, Ashley,Monica, Elden III, Amy and Dakota Brooks, all of Liberty; hisgrandmother, Zella Marler, of St. Louis, Mo.; his sisters, CrystalWalton, of Clinton, La., Anita Murray, of Liberty, and LauraBrooks, of Monticello; a grandson, a mother-in-law andfather-in-law; and a host of aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, otherrelatives and friends.

Faye Lofton Bullock

Services for Faye Lofton Bullock, originally from McCall Creek,are 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, at Ramah Baptist Church with burialin the church cemetery. Brookhaven Funeral Home on North JacksonStreet is in charge of arrangements.

Visitation is Saturday from 9 until 11 a.m. at the church.

Mrs. Bullock, 81, died Feb. 14, 2009, after a long battleAlzheimer’s. She was born on Dec. 29, 1927, to George W. and AllieElizabeth Lofton.

She married George W. Bullock on May 1, 1946, and moved toHouston, Texas. She was a member of Glendale Baptist Church and wasa school bus driver for 18 years with the Houston IndependentSchool District.

Preceding her in death were her parents; her husband, George W.Bullock; a sister, Hilda Ray Smith; and her brothers, RussellLofton and Doug Lofton.

Survivors are her daughters, Dee Kittinger and husband, Mike, ofFriendswood, Texas, and Georgeane Crow and husband, David, ofPearland, Texas; a sister, Bobbie Porter, of Brookhaven; a brother,Olen Lofton, of Brookhaven; her 11 grandchildren; and 13great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Bascombe Hayden ‘Van’ Evans

Graveside services for Bascombe Hayden “Van” Evans, of St.Charles, Mo., are 1 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19, at Rosehill Cemetery.Harrigill Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Evans, 83, died Feb. 12, 2009, at his residence. He was bornon July 19, 1925, to Roy Bascombe Evans and Wray Wyse.

He served in the Army Air Forces during World War II. He was amember of Trinity Episcopal Church in Missouri.

Preceding him in death were his parents; his first wife, Ann M.Evans; and his second wife, Marie A. Evans.

Survivors are his wife, Betty Evans, of St. Charles; hisdaughters, Kathy Ryan and Vanessa Kuhnert; his sisters, MargaretHolloway and Ann Milburn; his 12 grandchildren; his eightgreat-grandchildren; and his eight great-great-grandchildren.

Sister Mary Matthew McCloskey, R.S.M.

Graveside services for Sister Mary Matthew McCloskey, R.S.M., ofCatherine McAuley Retirement Convent, are 11 a.m. Thursday, Feb.19, at St. Ann’s Cemetery in Carthage. Funeral Mass was 10 a.m.Wednesday, Feb. 18, at Catherine McAuley Retirement Convent Chapelwith Rosary at 9 a.m. Fentress Mortuary in Fort Smith, Ark., is incharge of arrangements.

Sister McCloskey, 97, died Feb. 15, 2009, in Barling, Ark. Shewas born in Carthage on Nov. 22, 1911, to Joseph and Rose AgnesMcCloskey.

She entered the Sisters of Mercy community on Sept. 3, 1932, andmade her final vows in 1938. She received both a bachelor’s andmaster’s degree in secondary education and administration from OurLady of the Lake in San Antonio, Texas. Sister McCloskey alsofurthered her studies at Catholic University in Washington, D.C.,Notre Dame University, Temple University, Georgetown and New YorkUniversity in New York. She taught in several Mississippi schoolsincluding Biloxi, Greenville, Gulfport, Jackson and Vicksburg. In1990, she began pastoral care at St. Francis of Assisi inBrookhaven. She retired to Catherine McAuley Retirement Convent inBarling in October 2004.

Survivors are a sister, Agnes Petrie, of Grapevine, Texas; andseveral nieces and nephews.

Deston Blade Rayburn

Deston Blade Rayburn, 6, of Ruth, passed away Feb. 13, 2009, inHouma, La., due to injuries suffered in an automobile accident.

Visitation will be Friday from 5 until 9 p.m. at Jones FamilyFuneral Services in McComb with visitation again Saturday from 9a.m. until services at New Life Apostolic Church in Summit at 11a.m. The Revs. Marc Rutland and Kenneth Patten and Bro. StaceyRayburn will officiate. Burial will be in Providence Cemetery.

Deston was born Dec. 26, 2002, in Brookhaven. He was the son ofJoseph R. Rayburn and Tiffany Champagne.

Deston was homecoming king this year for his school, EnterpriseAttendance Center, in Ruth. His family said he loved to fish andloved to go to the camp with his “Nanna and PaPa.” He also loved togo to Sunday school. He will be sadly missed by his family andfriends.

Deston is preceded in death by his father; hisgreat-grandfathers, Jose Illescas and Prentiss Hall; agreat-grandmother, Maria Luiss Peineds; his three uncles, CarlRayburn Jr., Richard and Ronnie Hall; one aunt, Yvonne Hall; andone cousin, Jessilyn Rayburn.

Survivors include his mother, Tiffany Champagne; hisgrandparents, Herbert and Vickie Turner, Freddy and Vickie Busby,all of Ruth, and Allen and Diana Champagne, of Laplace, La.; hisgreat-grandparents, Carl and Marion Rayburn Sr., of Ruth, MayBatard and Dorothy Upton, both of Reserve, La.; his aunts anduncles, Torrie and Marc Rutland, of Larto, La., Tracy Billiot, ofJayess, Jeremy Rayburn, of Ruth, Stacey Rayburn and Misty, of Ruth,Nicole and Frankie Cannon, of Ruth, Bubba Reeves, T.J. Reeves,Justin Scherer, Jessica Scherer, Elizabeth Champagne, NicoleWhittington, Candy Rayburn and Jennifer House and numerouscousins.

Pallbearers will be Tracy Billiot, Jeremy Rayburn, StaceyRayburn, Marc Rutland, T.J. Reeves and Hebert Turner.

Honorary pallbearers will be Dylan Rutland, Lane Rutland, DaltonBilliot, Kelly Rayburn, Kaylee Rayburn, Andrez Falgout and BubbaReeves.

Mary Kathryn Furr Arnold Walker

Services for Mary Kathryn Furr Arnold Walker, of Ocean Springs,are 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18, at Riverwood Family Funeral ServiceChapel with burial in Macedonia Baptist Church Cemetery inBrookhaven.

Mrs. Walker, 72, died Feb. 14, 2009, in Ocean Springs. She wasborn on June 2, 1936, to Robert Wayne Furr and Ruby Selma MillerFurr.

She was a homemaker. She was a member of McClellan Road BaptistChurch in Ocean Springs. She was also a member of the Order of theEastern Star. Most knew Mrs. Walker as “Gi-Gi,” which she becameknown as when she had grandchildren. She had a passion forchildren. Her husband, Paul, was in the U.S. Air Force for 20 yearsand wherever they lived she taught Sunday school and worked inVacation Bible School. She was a woman of high character andintegrity. She truly had a servant’s heart and would voluntarilyhelp anyone in need. She often worked “in the background” as shecalled it, without recognition and she preferred it that way. Shewill be dearly missed by all who knew her; especially herfamily.

Preceding her in death were her parents; her husband of 46years, U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Paul Walker; her sister, Etta FayeFurr Norton and husband, Paul; a great uncle and aunt, Andrew andLizzie Miller, who reared both her and her sister.

Survivors are her daughters, Debra Ann Arnold Walker; and RamonaFay Walker Lynd Carroll and her husband, Leon, all of OceanSprings; her three grandchildren, Libby Danielle Walker Sandoz andhusband, Stephen, Kathryn Lynette Lynd Hardin and husband, Brad,Michelle Renee Lynd Smith and husband, Mark; and a great-grandson,Paul Weslie Smith.