Obituaries for Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Published 6:00 am Tuesday, November 10, 2009

James Ellis ‘Sonny’ Smith

Services for James Ellis “Sonny” Smith, of Sontag, are 2 p.m.Thursday, Nov. 12, at Mt. Zion M.B. Church in Sontag with burial inthe church cemetery.

Visitation is Wednesday from 1 until 7 p.m. at Williams Mortuarywith family present from 6 until 7 p.m.

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Mr. Smith, 74, died Nov. 5, 2009, at Fort Walton Beach MedicalCenter in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. He was born in Wesson on Dec. 19,1934, to J.L. Smith and Eula Mae Alexander Smith Black.

He attended Mt. Zion Community School and Friendship HighSchool. Mr. Smith retired from the Lawrence County SupervisorsDistrict III in road construction. He was also self-employed formany years as a logger. Mr. Smith was also a U.S. Army veteran. Hewas a member of Mt. Zion M.B. Church and served on the financecommittee.

Preceding him in death were his parents; his wife, Marvia DavisSmith; and a set of twins.

Survivors are his sons, James Ellis Smith Jr. and wife, Darlene,of Navarre, Fla., and James Lenyoun, of Atlanta, Ga.; hisdaughters, Ethel M. Smith, of Fort Walton Beach, and ChristineCraig and husband, Melvin, of Atlanta; a brother, Jerry Black andwife, Terry Elaine, of Wesson; his sisters, Ether Rene Moore, ofSan Antonio, Texas, and Alma Mitchell, of Hammond, La.; his eightgrandchildren; his four great-grandchildren; a godchild; his twoaunts; and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives andfriends.

Sarah Nell Sasser Spencer

Services for Sarah Nell Sasser Spencer, of Bogue Chitto, are 10a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, at Brookhaven Funeral Home Chapel onNatchez Drive with burial in the Bogue Chitto Cemetery.

Visitation is Tuesday from 5 until 8 p.m. at the funeralhome.

Mrs. Spencer, 79, died Nov. 9, 2009, at Camellia Estates inMcComb. She was born in Brookhaven on May 19, 1930, to ThomasHollis Sasser and Laura Elizabeth Hedglin Sasser.

She retired as a comptroller at Mississippi College after 30years. She is a member of the Bogue Chitto Methodist Church. Mrs.Spencer was also a member of the Daughters of the AmericanRevolution, the Colonial Dames, 17th Century, First Families ofMississippi, Magna Carta and the Order of the Eastern Star BogueChitto Chapter No. 263.

Preceding her in death were her parents.

Survivors are her husband of 59 years, William Calvin Spencer,of Bogue Chitto; her sons, Richard Calvin Spencer, of Pineville,La., and Robert Hollis Spencer M.D., and wife, Linda, of GulfBreeze, Fla.; a sister, Mary Frances Sasser Phillips, of BogueChitto; her two grandsons, Alex Spencer and Zach Spencer; and ahost of nieces, nephews and other relatives.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the MississippiCollege Scholarship Funds, Hospice Compassus, 140 N. Fifth St.,McComb, MS, or the Baptist Children’s Village.

Reesie Luttrell Timmons

Services for Reesie Luttrell Timmons, of the Friendshipcommunity in McComb, are 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, atHartman-Sharkey Funeral Home Chapel in McComb with burial in BacotCemetery in McComb. The Rev. Troy Bankston will officiate.

Visitation is Tuesday from 5 until 8 p.m. and Wednesday fromnoon until 2 p.m. at the funeral home.

Mr. Timmons, 83, died Nov. 8, 2009, at his residence surroundedby his loving family. He was born on Sept. 11, 1926, to Hines HenryTimmons and Ora Luttrell Timmons, of Shiloh, DeSota Parish, La.

He was a veteran of World War II serving in the Asiatic PacificTheatre, Okinawa and Korea. He was one of only 23 survivors of hiscompany. Mr. Timmons graduated from Centenary Methodist College in1950 and received his appointment as an agent of the Federal Bureauof Investigations also in 1950. He served 14.5 years in New YorkCity on the hijacking squad until his transfer to McComb in 1964.He was responsible for the eight counties in the southwest cornerof Mississippi until his retirement in 1979. He joined the HomeliteJacobsen Division of Textron in Brookhaven as the safety/securityand personnel director until his second retirement in 1990. Mr.Timmons was of Presbyterian faith. He was an avid golfer, and had apassion for fishing and quail hunting. He was also an adventurerand a wonderful storyteller. He loved his family, his life and hisanimals.

Preceding him in death were his parents; his brothers, Robert H.Timmons and Donald E. Timmons; and a sister, June T. Magee.

Survivors are his wife, Estelle Hamilton Timmons; his eightchildren, April Timmons, of Charlotte, N.C., Dr. Karen Rogers andhusband, Dr. Lowell Rogers, of Hattiesburg, Connie and ClaytonHodges, of Brookhaven, James Bowen Speed Jr., of McComb, Michael B.Timmons and wife, Rene, of McComb, Lisa Moody, of Covington, LaurieAllen, of McComb, and Dr. Lauren Lee Timmons and wife, Heidi, ofOcean Springs; his 14 grandchildren, Cal Hodges, of Columbus, ColeHodges, of Jackson, Lillian Rogers, of Oxford, and Lincoln Rogers,of Hattiesburg, Joshua Roberts, of Ocean Springs, Jon Lee Roberts,of Bristol, Tenn., Rebekah Jane Hollywood, of McComb, ChristinaHollywood, of Covington, La., Cody Timmons, of McComb, HaylieAlysabeth Allen and James Andrew Allen, of McComb, Elle JolieTimmons, of Ocean Springs, Summer Lister and husband, Steve, andGraham Smith, all of Charlotte; and a great-grandchild, TannerLister, of Charlotte.

Pallbearers are Donald Butler, Cyrus Hoaglund, Nick Firgerald,Billy Hughes, Duane Dillon and Lee Barkdull.

Honorary pallbearer is Elmo Busby.

To share sympathies, condolences and memories, go toHartman-Sharkeyfuneralhome.com.