Funeral Services for Stephen Eugene Calcote are 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2014, at Benson Pentecostal Holiness Church in Benson, North Carolina with burial in the Dixon Family Cemetery in Benson, North Carolina. Rose and Graham Funeral Home in Benson, North Carolina is in charge of arrangements.

Visitation is Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2014, from 6 until 8 p.m. at Bradford O’Keefe Funeral Home, 1726 15th Street in Gulfport. This visitation will be followed by a celebration of his life at the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Biloxi from 8 until 11 p.m. arranged by his karaoke family.

Visitation at Benson Pentecostal Holiness Church is Saturday, Dec. 6, 2014, from 9:45 a.m. until time of service.

Mr. Calcote, 73, died Nov. 21, 2014.

Mr. Calcote was born in Lucien and worked hard to earn everything he called his own, took care of what he had and knew the value of a dollar. He graduated in the class of 1961 from Gulfport High School, and then he scraped by to pay for each semester of college on his own. He graduated in the class of 1965 from Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College and the class of 1967 from the University of Southern Mississippi where he was initiated into the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity, Mississippi Sigma Chapter in 1966.

In 1968, Mr. Calcote was a commissioned deputy sheriff for Harrison County. He also worked at the VA hospital in Gulfport before being hired by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, which relocated him to Raleigh, North Carolina. Mr. Calcote worked as a federal agent out of Raleigh, Fayetteville and Dunn offices during his tenure, and he retired in 1988. He also served proudly and retired as a major from the Department of the United States Air Force Reserve in 1991.

His family was to learn many valuable lessons from Mr. Calcote during his 73 years, among them: Work hard for what you want and need; no one is just going to hand it to you. You make your own luck. A college education is invaluable. There’s always a dollar to be made. There’s always a dollar to be saved. If it’s too good to be true, then it usually is. Never throw away anything that can be fixed with 3M emblem glue. Believe in the healing power of jokes. Spend your time doing things that you enjoy. Surround yourself with people who make you happy. Wait patiently to sing your favorite songs on karaoke night. See the beauty in nature. Plant a garden. Feed the birds and squirrels. Have lunch with your friends. The best coach in football is Bill Belichick (even though he didn’t pull for the New England Patriots). Most importantly, love your family unconditionally no matter how hard it hurts.

Preceding him in death were his parents, Thomas Edward Calcote and Katherine (Ratcliff) Calcote Bulkley; and his brother, Charles Calcote of New Waverly, Texas.

Survivors are his dear friend, Dura Faye (Barbour) Calcote, their children and grandchildren, whose accomplishments he would share with anyone who would listen, Brad Calcote of Benson and wife, Rachel, children, Christian and Savanna; Natasha Jackson of Benson and husband, Marty, and child, Jacob, and Bryant Calcote of Destin, Florida, and wife, Auraya and step-children, Cameron and Dustin; siblings, Sylvia Stanley of Biloxi and Kathy Theriot of Vancleave; and many in-laws, family and friends too numerous to list but not forgotten.

In lieu of flowers, Gene’s family requests that you do an unsolicited and unexpected act of kindness in his name.

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