Funeral services for James Earl Howard Sr. ‘Black Jesus’ are Thursday, Sept. 3, 2015, at 11 a.m. at Mt. Wade M.B. Church with burial in Hillcrest Cemetery. Rev, Phillip R. Hamilton will officiate the services. R.E. Tyler Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Visitation is Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015, from 12 until 5 p.m. at the funeral home.

Mr. Howard, 63, of Brookhaven, died on Saturday, Aug. 29, 2015, at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. He was born Dec. 27, 1951.

James enlisted in the US Army on June 12, 1970 where he served a grateful nation in Vietnam.

He later moved back home and served on the police force for the City of Brookhaven for a number of years. He later worked at King’s Daughters Medical Center in Brookhaven as head of security at the hospital.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Mattie Howard; and father, Herbert Vessel.

He is survived by his wife, Barbara Bryant Howard of Brookhaven; sons, James Earl Howard Jr. of Brookhaven and Tony Howard Smith, (Vanessa) of Atlanta, Georgia; daughters, Angela Green (Sherard) of Memphis, Tennessee and Destiny Wilson of Brookhaven; nine grandchildren; and a host of other relatives and friends.

Expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.tylerfuneralhome.com.