Services for Garland “Possum” Brown, of Bogue Chitto, are 2 p.m.Friday, Feb. 19, at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church in Bogue Chitto,with burial in the church cemetery. Brookhaven Funeral Home is incharge of arrangements.

Visitation is Thursday from 4 until 8 p.m. at the funeral home onNatchez Drive, and on Friday at the church from 1 p.m. until thetime of the service.

Mr. Brown, 83, died Feb. 16, 2010, at the same family home inNorfield in which he was born. He was born on July 15, 1926, toPerl Everett Brown and Lena Sasser Brown.

He completed high school at Bogue Chitto High, and was then draftedto serve in the U.S. Navy Seabees in World War II, serving in theSouth Pacific. Upon completion of service time, he continued hiseducation at Copiah-Lincoln Junior College, where he was known as”Possum” Brown, playing basketball that led to the statechampionship in 1948. He was named to the Athletic Hall of Fame atCo-Lin in 1996. Mr. Brown then went on to Mississippi StateUniversity, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree inAgriculture in 1950.

He coached football and basketball at Hazlehurst High School. Heworked for 35 years with the Mississippi Forestry Commission. Heowned and operated a farm, as well as Brown Forestry Service.

Active in his community over the years, he served as chairman ofthe Lincoln County Forestry Committee for the Farm BureauFederation, and later as state chairman of the Mississippi FarmBureau Forestry Commission. He also served on the American Boardfor Farm Bureau Federation for a two-year term. He was a member ofthe board of directors for Lincoln County Farm Bureau for more than25 years.

He was a member of Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, where he served asa deacon and the cemetery caretaker. He was a former deacon andmember of Central Baptist Church in Brookhaven, where he alsoserved as Sunday School Director.

Preceding him in death were his parents; his wife, Audrey CorinneWallace Brown; and his brothers, Benton Brown, Lebron Brown andBobby Brown.

Survivors are his sons, Joe Brown and wife Kathy, of Memphis,Tenn., and Perry Brown and wife Vasie, of Bogue Chitto; his sister,Mildred Wallace, of Bogue Chitto; his grandchildren, Meleah DawnBrown, Jordan Garland Brown, Perry Scott Brown Jr. and JoshuaGregory Brown; and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives andclose friends.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Mt. PleasantBaptist Church Cemetery Fund.