Funeral services for Ira Lee Bland Jr. of Hazlehurst are 2 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 23, at New Providence Baptist Church in Hazlehurst, with burial in the church cemetery. Riverwood Family Funeral Service is in charge of arrangements.

Visitation is Thursday from 5 until 8 p.m. and Friday from noon until 2 p.m., both at the church.

Mr. Bland, 70, died Aug. 19, 2013 at Mississippi Baptist Medical Center in Jackson. He was born in Mississippi on Aug. 22, 1942 to Ira Lee Bland Sr. and Virgie Mae Freeman Bland.

He attended Wesson High School. He worked for National Plastics in Port Gibson and retired from offshore drilling. Mr. Bland was a member of New Providence Baptist Church and served in the U.S. Army and Army National Guard.

Preceding him in death were his wife, Lela Faye-Maher Bland; parents; brother, Everett Bland; and brother-in-law, Hasker Davis.

Survivors are his sons, Michael Bland, Jay Bland and wife, Sabrina, and Brad Bland and wife, Michelle; daughter, Brenda Ahrend Cranfield and husband, Tom; brothers, Benny Bland and wife, Betty, Ruben Bland, Henry Bland and wife, Elaine, Leon Bland and Frank Bland; sisters, Virgie Bland Davis and Betty Ruth Bland Higgs and husband, Bobby; and six grandchildren, Matthew Cranfield and wife, Shelby Wells Cranfield, Tyler Cranfield, Hannah Cranfield, Joseph Cranfield and Kayla Bland.

To express your thoughts to the family, you may visit riverwoodfamily.com and click on his name to leave a comment.