Obituaries for Friday, January 8, 2010

Published 6:00 am Friday, January 8, 2010

Belissa Johnson Church DeCoteau

Services for Belissa Johnson Church DeCoteau, of Brookhaven, are3 p.m. Friday, Jan. 8, at New Life Apostolic Church in Summit withburial in the church cemetery. Community Funeral Services is incharge of arrangements.

Visitation is Friday from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. at thechurch.

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Mrs. DeCoteau, 37, died Jan. 5, 2010, at Southwest MississippiRegional Medical Center in McComb. She was born in Brookhaven onOct. 8, 1972, to Bliss Johnson and Carol Cavilee Johnson.

Preceding her in death were a son, Tyler Church; her paternalgrandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Leon Johnson; her maternal grandfather,Jack Cavilee; and a stepfather, Charles Floyd.

Survivors are her parents; her husband, Gene DeCoteau, of NorthDakota; her sons, Matthew Church, Conner Church and Kaleb DeCoteau;a daughter, Tayleah DeCoteau; her brothers, Justin Johnson andByron Floyd; her sisters, Charla Granger and Denise Avery; and hermaternal grandmother, Birttie Head.

Eddie Barnette Floyd

Services for Eddie Barnette Floyd, of Brookhaven, are 2 p.m.Saturday, Jan. 9, at Riverwood Family Funeral Service Chapel inBrookhaven with burial in Riverwood Memorial Park.

Visitation is Friday from 5 until 9 p.m. at the funeralhome.

Mr. Floyd, 70, died Jan. 6, 2010, at Mississippi Baptist MedicalCenter in Jackson. He was born on May 18, 1939, to Sam Floyd andJohnny Pearl Ables Sanchez.

He was a retired restaurant owner. Mr. Floyd was previous ownerof the Half Shell and the Oak Tree restaurants. He was a member ofSolid Rock Pentecostal Church.

Preceding him in death were his father, Sam Floyd; his mother,Johnny Pearl Sanchez; and a brother, Charles Floyd.

Survivors are his wife, Hilda Ray Floyd; his sons, Eddie FloydJr. and wife, Jamie, of West Monroe, La., and Troy Floyd, ofBrookhaven; his daughters, Terry Hedgepeth, of Monticello, MissyBessonnette and husband, Steve, of Brookhaven, and CristiMontgomery and husband, Mike, of Union; his sisters, BarbaraBrister, Peggy McBee and Charlene Lambert; his 16 grandchildren,Wyatt, Will and John Wesley Floyd, Kelsey Ray Hedgepeth, AmandaJordan, Meagan and Steven Bessonette, Cody, Caden and Cayman RaneLeMieux, Megan, Ryan, Heather and Alex Montgomery, Raiden and CarlyAnna Floyd; a great-grandchild, Auston Jordan.

To express your thoughts to the family, you may visitriverwoodfamily.com and click on their name to leave a comment.

Viviana Natalia Hightower

Graveside services for Viviana Natalia Hightower, are 11 a.m.Saturday, Jan. 9, at Riverwood Memorial Park.

Visitation is Saturday from 9:30 until 11 a.m. at RiverwoodFamily Funeral Service in Brookhaven.

Services were noon Wednesday, Dec. 30, at First PresbyterianChurch in Chattanooga, Tenn.

The infant died Dec. 25, 2010. She was born to the Rev. Russelland Amanda Hightower.

The Rev. Hightower is the new pastor at Faith PresbyterianChurch in Brookhaven.

Survivors are her parents; a brother, Hayes Hightower; herpaternal grandparents, Joe and Cindy Simpler, of Simpsonville,S.C., and Harry and Wanda Hightower, of Greer, S.C.; her maternalgrandparents, Jose and Susan Alcantara, of Princeton, N.J.; herpaternal great-grandparents, Jo Ella Hightower, of Greenville,S.C., Maurice Cox, of Easley, S.C., and Andy Simpler, of Pensacola,Fla.; and her many aunts and uncles.

Memorials may be made to help fund neuroblastoma research at”CURE – Childhood Cancer,” The Press Fund, 1835 Savoy Drive, Suite102, Atlanta, Ga. 30341.

We rejoice in knowing that, because He came into our brokenworld, our little girl is whole with Jesus. Isaiah 65:17-20a.

Emma Charles Foster Holmes

Emma Charles Foster Holmes was buried yesterday in a privategraveside service at Riverwood Memorial Park.

Mrs. Holmes was born in 1923 to the late Mr. and Mrs. Charles S.Foster, of Elkin, N.C.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Warren M. Holmes, ofBrookhaven; and their daughter, Suzanne Foster Holmes Ainsworth, ofJackson.

Survivors are son, Martin Samuel Holmes and wife, Sharon, ofBrookhaven; three granddaughters, Emma Charles Downey and husband,Scott, of Jackson, Virginia Jane Henning and husband, John, of LakeCharles, La., and Samantha Katherine Daniel and husband, Chris, ofHendersonville, Tenn.; and one grandson, James Larry Ainsworth Jr.,of Brandon; four great-granddaughters and four great-grandsons.

Private graveside was given by the Rev. Bendon Ginn, LarryAinsworth Jr., Sharon Holmes and John Henning.

Burial was beside her husband and daughter.

To express your thoughts to the family, you may visitriverwoodfamily.com and click on their name to leave a comment.

Robert J. ‘R.J.’ Redd

Services for Robert J. “R.J.” Redd, of Bogue Chitto, are 2 p.m.Saturday, Jan. 9, at Johnson Grove Church of Christ with burial inthe Johnson Grove Cemetery. Harrigill Funeral Home in Brookhaven isin charge of arrangements.

Visitation is Friday from 3:30 until 9 p.m. at the church.

Mr. Redd, 91, died Jan. 6, 2010, at his residence. He was bornin Lincoln County on Feb. 20, 1919, to William M. Redd Sr. andAnnie E. Price Redd.

He was a self-employed painter and paperhanger contractor. Hewas a member of Johnson Grove Church of Christ. R.J. became aChristian in his early teens and was a faithful member of theChurch of Christ all his life. He served as an elder at JohnsonGrove Church of Christ for many years. He loved the children andyoung people of the church and was instrumental in promoting manyactivities for them. He was especially proud of the youth rallythat was held each summer.

He was active in the Tuesday morning Bible study and wasresponsible for sending get-well cards, sympathy cards and birthdayand anniversary cards to all the church members and others in thecommunity. He prepared the Wednesday night meals for thecongregation for many years, even passed his 91st birthday, and healso cooked the breakfast for the men of the church on the firstSunday of each month.

He enjoyed singing and led singing for the church for a numberof years. He was a member of the Tuesday night singers and kept anumber of singers on call when the “R.J. Redd Singers” wererequested to sing at funerals. He planted and tended a rose gardenat the church building. He served as a poll worker for elections atthe Johnson Grove polling place for more than 30 years. He alsohosted community watch meetings and neighborhood fish fries atJohnson Grove. He was once of Lincoln County’s “Unsung Heroes” in2005.

R.J. loved his Savior, his church and his family with all hisheart. He also had a love for all people and desired to minister totheir needs. He will be truly missed.

Preceding him in death were his parents; his wife, Dorothy SaxonRedd; and his sisters, Bobbie Johnson and Pauline King.

Survivors are his sons, Wendell R. Redd and wife, Judine, ofBogue Chitto, and Anthony L. Redd and wife, Brenda, of Zachary,La.; his daughters, Linda R. Wallace and husband, Valmond, ofZachary, and Diane R. Dunaway and husband, Larry, of Columbia; abrother, W.M. Redd Jr. and wife, Karen, of Bogue Chitto; a sister,Opal R. Blaise and husband, Robert Earl, of Brookhaven; his 12grandchildren; and his 19 great-grandchildren.

Pallbearers are Dlayne Moak, Todd Hall, Andrew Redd, Byron Redd,Daniel Redd and Roger D. King.

Honorary pallbearers are Blaine Moak, Johnathon Wallace, TimDunaway, Todd Dunaway, Wayne Redd and DeJon Redd.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Johnson GroveYouth Group or the Johnson Grove Building Fund.

Janie Pearl Smith

Services for Janie Pearl Smith, of Meridian, are at 11 a.m.Saturday, Jan. 9 at Riverwood Family Funeral Service Chapel inBrookhaven with burial to follow at Friendship Baptist Church inBrookhaven.

Miss Smith, 84, died Jan. 6, 2010, at Rush Memorial Hospital inMeridian.

She was born in Lincoln County on April 5, 1925, to RobertEugene Smith and Katie Lou Calcote Smith.

She was a graduate of West Lincoln Attendance Center inBrookhaven and went on to graduate from Mississippi StateUniversity as the first female to graduate with a degree inlaboratory technology.

She served as director of laboratory services at Rush MemorialHospital in Meridian for 30 years. Upon retirement, the lab wasnamed in her honor – Janie Pearl Smith Lab of Rush MemorialHospital.

She was a member of Friendship Baptist Church.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Robert Eugene SmithSr. and Katie Lou Calcote Smith.

She is survived by two sisters, Dorothy Allene Smith Hunsuckerand Katie Ruth Smith Alford and husband, Hollis Alford; and onebrother, Robert Eugene Smith Jr. and wife, Elaine Smith; and a hostof nieces, nephews, family and friends.

She is also survived by Mary Kate Everett, a very special,beloved and lifelong friend.

To express your thoughts to the family, you may visitriverwoodfamily.com and click on their name to leave a comment.