JACKSON, Jessie James Jr.
     SARDIS – Jessie James Jackson Jr., 85, died Thursday, March 1, 2007, at the Sardis Nursing Home.
     Services are Saturday at noon at Macedonia M.B. Church in Senatobia. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Pate-Jones Funeral Home has charge.
     Jackson was a retired butcher and a member of Macedonia M.B. Church in Senatobia.
     Survivors include: his son, Andrew Jackson of Omaha, Neb.; two step-daughters, Emma Dean of Coldwater and Jessie Bradford of Senatobia; four sisters, Lucille Westbrook and Roberta Lofton, both of Omaha, Alice Fisher of Grenada and Annie Mae Williams of Sarasota, Fla. and six grandchildren.

JEFCOAT, Chester Ralph
     MARKS – Chester Ralph Jefcoat, 63, died Thursday, February 15, 2007, at his residence.
     Graveside services were Monday at Marks Cemetery. Robert Rawson and Michael Bates officiated. Kimbro Funeral Home had charge.
     Jefcoat, born Jan. 2, 1944, served in the U.S. Army in Korea. He was also a member of the Church of Christ.
     Survivors include: two brothers, Bobby Jefcoat and Claude Jefcoat, both of Batesville; four sisters, Alma Cook and Shelia Vick, both of Clarksdale, Linda O’Brian of Witt, Ill. and Mary Thomas of Gore, Okla.

JEFFORDS, Henry Virgil
     MARKS – Henry Virgil Jeffords, 59, died Tuesday, March 6, 2007, at his residence.
     Services were Friday at Dickins Funeral Home. Brother Harold Smith officiated. Dickins Funeral Home had charge.
     Jeffords, born Dec. 4, 1947, to the late Russell and Gertrude Hodges Jeffords, in Clarksdale, was an auto mechanic.
He was preceded in death by one sister, Shirley Jeffords.
     Survivors include one son, Henry Jeffords of West Memphis, Ark.; one daughter, Jeannie Rutherford of Norco, La.; three brothers, Michael Jeffords of Marks, Joe Ingram and Ray Lander, both of Gulfport; and four grandchildren.

JOHNSON, Brian Allen
     BATESVILLE – Brian Allen Johnson, 34, died Wednesday, February 21, 2007, at Methodist Central Hospital in Memphis.
     Services are today at 10 a.m. at Wells Funeral Home. Hal Johnson and Paul Meacham will officiate. Burial will be in Forrest Memorial Park. Wells Funeral Home has charge.
     Johnson, born Dec. 15, 1972, in Batesville, to Irby H. "Sonny" and Norma Brown Johnson of Batesville, was a self-employed carpenter and a member of Central Academy Church of Christ.
     He was preceded in death by his sister, Teresa Gale Johnson.
     Survivors along with his parents include: one son, Joshua Dalton Johnson of Southaven; one sister, Anita Johnson Mitchel of Whitehaven; one brother, Jerry H. Johnson of Batesville and his grandmother Hazel L. Brown of Batesville.

JOHNSON, Kermit Stewart
     BATESVILLE – Kermit Stewart Johnson, 86, died Friday, April 6, 2007, at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Oxford.
     Services are Saturday at 11 a.m. at Concord M.B. Church in Batesville. Rev. Edward Thomas will officiate. Burial will be in Concord Cemetery. Visitation will be today 6 p.m. – 7 p.m. at Cooley’s Mortuary and also Saturday 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. at      Concord M.B. Church. Cooley’s Mortuary has charge.
     Johnson, born March 1, 1921, in Batesville, to the late William Stewart and Helen Rosebrough, was a homemaker and a member of Concord M.B. Church.
     Survivors include: six daughters, Myra C. Johnson of Batesville, Zelma Scott, Charlie Mae Gaddis, Rosetta Murphy, Mary Johnson and Doris Johnson, all of Chicago; two sons, Ira Johnson of Batesville and Climmie Johnson of Chicago; one sister, Theresa Spencer of Louisville, Ky.; two brothers, Richard Stewart of Batesville and David Stewart of Memphis; a host of grandchildren; a host of great-grandchildren and a host of great-great-grandchildren.

JOHNSON, Otis T.
     MANHATTAN, N.Y. – Otis T. Johnson, 82, died Thursday, February 1, 2007, at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan, N.Y. after a lengthy illness. He was the brother of Margaret Middleton of Batesville.
     Services were Tuesday, February 13, 2007, at West Grand Boulevard in Detroit, Mich. Mary E. Prewitt officiated. James Cole Funeral Home had charge.
     Johnson, born April 2, 1925, to the late Jake and Jennie B. Jonson, served in the United States Army during World War II for 2 1/2 years. After his honorable discharge from the military, his love of music led him to New York where he met and managed Recording Artis Blues Singer, Big Mabell.
     He then became self-employed owning and operating his own restaurant. He co-owned Elite Fashions Clothing store with his brother, Lloyd Johnson for several years.
     He was preceded in death by his son, Otis Johnson Jr.; one brother, Willie Ed Johnson; one sister, Linda Faye Wright and his step-mother, Willie Eva Johnson.
     Survivors along with his sister include: one son, Jerry Johnson of New York; one daughter, Olissa Johnson of New York; eight sisters, Maggie Hoskins, Essie Wilmer, Patsy Holmes, Lillie Hines, all of Detroit, Hazel Miles of West Palm Beach, Fla., Sarah Tillman of Tallahassee, Fla. and Essie McKee of Calumet City, Ill. and four brothers, Wesley Johnson, Jackwood Johnson, Grant Johnson, all of Detroit and Lloyd Johnson of Kissimmee, Fla.

JONES, Peresa J. "Ree" White
     WATER VALLEY – Peresa J. "Ree" White Jones, 44, died Monday, January 22, 2007, at Baptist Memorial Hospital.
     Services are today at 1 p.m. at Mt. Gillion M.B. Church. Rev. Walter Newsom will officiate. Hodges Funeral Home has charge.
     White, was a former employee for the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation as a facility instructor.
     She was preceded in death by one brother Sylvester White.
     Survivors include: her husband, Clifton Jones of Water Valley; one brother, Charles White of Water Valley and one sister, Annie Scott of Memphis.

JONES, Sam Wade Jr.
     COLUMBUS – Sam Wade Jones Jr., 54, died Tuesday, January 2, 2007, at his residence. He was the husband of Betty Kay McArthur Jones, formerly of Sardis.
     Services are today at 3 p.m. at First United Methodist Church in Columbus. Dr. Sam Morris will officiate. Burial will be in Friendship Cemetery in Columbus. Gunter and Peel Funeral Home has charge.
     Jones, born April 10, 1952, to Sam Jones and the late Lucille Parson Jones, was a graduate of Mississippi State University where he was a Sigma Chi. He took over Mississippi Industrial Waste Disposal at the age of 22 and formerly served on the Columbus Lowndes Economic Development Association Board. He was also a member of the Columbus Kiwanis Club and served as the president of Sertoma of Columbus. He had served on the Cadence Bank Advisory Board since 2002 and on the Pushmataha Area Council Boy Scouts Executive Board. He was also a member of the First United Methodist Church.
     Survivors along with his father and wife include: two sons, Sam Wade Jones III and William Hayden Crume of Columbus; one daughter, Kathyrn Carlisle Jones of Columbus and one sister, Susan Lee Jones of Columbus.
     Memorials may be made to the Scouts of America, 420 31st Ave. North, Columbus, 39705.

JONES, Thomas Shelton
     Thomas Shelton Jones, died Monday, January 22, 2007.
     A memorial service will be held at Trinity Presbyterian Church of Starkville, Mississippi today at 1:00 p.m. Welch Funeral Home has charge.
     Jones, born May 23, 1913 in Corinth, Mississippi, was the second son of Sarah Shelton Jones and Paul Tudor Jones III.
He graduated from Corinth High School in 1931; attended Southwestern at Memphis (Rhodes College), graduating in 1935 and completed his education at Columbia University, New York, with a Masters of Architecture degree in 1940.
     He worked with the Nolen Van Powell Firm of Memphis and Roberts & Long of Mobile before joining the U.S. Army in 1942. During WW II he served in the European Theatre (England, France, Belgium and Germany) as a Master Sergeant attached to the 332 Engineering Regiment and was discharged in November, 1945. While serving in England, he met his future wife, Kitty Atkinson.
     Upon his return to the United States in 1946, he moved to Starkville and joined the architectural firm of Johnson & Jones (later Johnson, Jones & Reynolds), where he remained until 1955. In 1956 he established Thomas Shelton Jones & Associates, AIA, Architects & Engineers.
     A Presbyterian, Mr. Jones served as an Elder and Sunday School teacher at First Presbyterian Church. He was an active member of Trinity Presbyterian Church of Starkville. He served on the Presbyterian Board of World Missions.
     He served as President of the Starkville Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club. He worked with the Boy Scouts of America and was recognized with the Silver Beaver Award for his service. He was treasurer of the Mississippi Economic Council from 1973-74 and a director for a number of years.
     Tom was preceded in death by his wife, Kitty Atkinson Jones and his brother, Paul Tudor Jones. He is survived by his brother, Jameson Miller Jones of Memphis; and his family, Kit and Barry McDonald, Ginger and Shelton Jones, Maria and Bryan Prather; seven grandchildren and their spouses; Michelle and Briar Jones, Quinlan and John Miller, Catherine Jones, Holly McDonald, Carey Prather, Whitney Prather and Katie Prather; and three great-grandchildren; Paul McDonald, Hensley Miller and Giles Jones.
     You can go online and sign the guest register at: .

JOSHLIN, Sherry Lane Melton
     ENID – Sherry Lane Melton Joshlin, 61, died Monday, February 19, 2007, at her residence.
     Memorial services are at 2 p.m. Saturday at Newsom Funeral Home. There will be no burial, the remains were cremated. Newsom Funeral Home has charge.
     Joshlin was a homemaker.
     Survivors include: one daughter, Vette Wofford of West Point; one son, Jeff Cobb of Oakland; four sisters, Abertine Taylor of Batesville, Darlene Moorman of Tillatoba, Maudine Melton of Holcomb and Jean Slark of Memphis; three brothers, Frank Melton and Dillard Melton of Brazil and Bobby Melton of Charleston; five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
     All donations will go to the Panola County Cancer Relief Fund, P.O. Box 591, Batesville.
     The family requests no flowers.

JOYNER, Daisy Bell Thompson
     BATESVILLE – Daisy Bell Thompson Joyner, 88, died Friday, February 23, 2007, at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Oxford.
     Services were Sunday at Wells Funeral Home. Burial was in Forrest Memorial Park Cemetery. Wells Funeral Home had charge.
     Joyner, born July 7, 1918, in Grenada, to the late Joseph Oyt and the late Virginia Anthony Thompson, was a member of Water Valley Church of Christ in Water Valley and a homemaker. She was preceded in death by her brother Joseph Thompson.
     Survivors include: one daughter, Marie Joyner Cosby of Courtland; nine sisters, Draper Mae Thompson Odom of Charleston, Dotsy Thompson Joyner of Crenshaw, Hilda Thompson Russell of Memphis, Mildred Thompson Gordon of Minnesota, Joan Thompson Sharp of Grenada, Nina Thompson Hays of Greenwood, Faye Thompson Clark of Batesville, Jetty Thompson Whitsell of Courtland and Mavis Thompson King of Washington State; one brother, Corley Thompson of Casilla; three grandchildren, Tammy Cosby Darby, Sandra Cosby Darby and Sherry Cosby Bratcher and five great-grandchildren.