BATESVILLE–-Mary Holmes Bishop, 77, died Thursday, May 10, 2007, at her residence.
Services were Saturday at Sardis Lake Baptist Church. Burial was in Sardis Lake Cemetery. Wells Funeral Home had charge.
Bishop, born April 27, 1930, in Delay, to the late Charlie J. and Viola Sandland Holmes, was a member of Sardis Lake Baptist Church. She was a retired nurse for St. Dominic Hospital in Jackson.
Survivors include: one daughter, Edna Burgos Galbreath of Millington, Tenn.; four sons, Tony Ray Burgos of Byhalia, Joel Burgos Jr. of Marion, Ark., Mark Burgos of Pine Bluff, Ark. and Jason A. Bishop of New York City; one sister, Christine Holmes Martin of Sardis; one brother, Jack L. Holmes of Jackson; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
 

ENID–Arthur Benford Dees, 85, died Sunday, May 13, 2007, at The Veteran Hospital in Memphis.
Services will be today  at  3:00 p.m. at Bethel Methodist Church in Enid. Visitation will be today  1 – 3 p.m. at Bethel Methodist Church. Burial will be in Bethel Cemetery. Rev. Larry Kilgore and Rev. Michael Evans will officiate. Dickins Funeral Home has charge.
Dees, born May 7, 1922,  to the late James Arthur Dees and Bonnie Bradley Dees in Enid, was a retired machinist. He was a member of Paralyzed Veterans of  America,  Tennessee and Mississippi Law Enforcement Association, Sheriff and Peace Officers Association, Veterans of Foreign Wars post No. 4488, The American Legion post no. 35, The Commanders Club and a Veteran of WWII and Member of Bethel Church.
Survivors include: his wife, Martha Brewer Dees of Enid;  three daughters, Bennie Jean Donaldson of Yazoo City, Teresa Boxx and Pamela Hemphill, both of Clinton; one brother, Bevelyn Dees of Eupora; seven grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to Bethel Methodist Church of Enid.

BATESVILLE–-Wesley C. Butler, 61, died Wednesday, May 9, 2007, at Baptist Memorial Hospital.
Services are Wednesday at noon at Concord M.B. Church. Rev. Herbert Wallace Jr. will officiate. Visitation will be today 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. at Cooley’s Mortuary. Burial will be in Concord Cemetery. Cooley’s Mortuary has charge.
Butler, born Dec. 23, 1945, in Batesville, to the late Turner Stock and the late Everlena Norwood Fondren, was a retired factory worker and a member of Concord M.B. Church.
Survivors include: his wife, Mary Butler of Batesville; eight daughters, Sturlene Morris of Natchez, Tersa Burt of Batesville, Priscilla Wallace and Shannon Butler, both of Charlotte, N.C., Peggy Turner of Sardis, Angela Farmer, Victoria Conner and Jessica Conner, all of Batesville; two sons, C.B. Harris of Batesville and Taplis Butler of Charlotte, N.C.; 11 sisters, Mary Fondren, Samella Lawson and Junita Stock, all of Batesville, Barbara Parham of Greenville, Ermie Lee Sullivan of Lakewell, Fla., Linda Faye Stock of Milwaukee, Fannie Stock of Atlanta, Jennifer Stock of Memphis, Kimberly Stock Blackwell of Katy, Texas, Sandra Johnson of Memphis and Elaine Lawson Neal of Beliot, Ill.; 15 brothers, Charles Stewart of St. Louis, Turner Stock Jr. of Detroit, Thomas Stock, Amos Stock, Ed Stock, Michael Stock, George Fondren and Russell Fondren, all of Batesville, Barry Stock of Jackson, John Stock of Enid, Tyrone Stock, David Fondren and Jack Fondren, all of Memphis, Michael Fondren of Clarksdale and Patrick Stock of Tallahassie, Fla.; four step-daughters, Martha Flowers and Debra Fondren, both of Sardis, Sharon Byers and Margaret Flowers, both of Batesville; 27 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

BATESVILLE–-Daisy Fondren, 89, died Wednesday, May 9, 2007, at Tri-Lakes Medical Center.
Services were Sunday at Macedonia M.B. Church. Rev. Zannie Leland Jr. officiated. Burial was in Macedonia Cemetery. Cooley’s Mortuary had charge.
Fondren, born Jan. 13, 1918, in Batesville, to the late Coleman Ballentine and the late Alice Laird Ballentine, was a homemaker and a member of Macedonia M.B. Church where she was an usher.
Survivors include: four daughters, Lessie Webb and Ethel Ware, both of Batesville, Argie Nell Fondren and Maxine Williams, both of Ashdown, Ark.; three sons, Carl Edward Fondren of Ashdown, Calvin Lewis Fondren of Chicago and Clendell Fondren of Flint, Mich.; 22 grandchildren; 32 great-grandchildren; nine great-great-grandchildren and 18 great-great-great-grandchildren.
 
Ketrick Kendell Ford
DETROIT, Mich.–-Ketrick Kendell Ford, 23, died Monday, May 7, 2007, at Sinai Grace Hospital in Detroit.
Services were Monday at Salem M.B. Church in Courtland. Rev. Larry Itsom officiated. Burial was in Eureka Cemetery. Cooley’s Mortuary had charge;.
Ford, born Oct. 2, 1983, in Sardis, to Kevin Cooper of Detroit and Diana Ford Rudd of Batesville, was a member of Salem M.B. Church.
Survivors along with his mother and father include: his step-father, Jimmy Rudd of Batesville; one sister, Jimberly Rudd of Batesville; one brother, Tracy Scurlock Jr. of Batesville; his two grandmothers, Alice Ford of Courtland and Charlene Rogers of Detroit.

SARDIS–-Thelma Cline Smith, 75, died Thursday, May 10, 2007, at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Oxford.
Services were Monday at First Baptist Church in Sardis. Jerry Sanford officiated. Burial was in Rose Hill Cemetery. Moore-Nowell Funeral Home had charge.
Smith, born April 9, 1932, to the late William and Ollie Mae Arnold Cline, attended First Baptist Church in Sardis. She was an active member of Young at Heart Club and the Rook Club.
She was preceded in death by two sons, Dr. Robert E. Smith and Gary Dean Smith; two brothers, William and David Cline and one sister, Christine Tutor.
Survivors include: her husband of 55 years, Dee Smith; two sisters, Corrine Pegram of Sardis and Barbara Mason of Brownsville, Tenn.; three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

CRENSHAW–-T.J. Tanksley, 66, died Sunday, May 6, 2007.
Services were Saturday at St. Joseph M.B. Church. Burial was in St. Joseph Church cemetery. Felix Cauthen Funeral Home had charge.
Tanksley was a painter and a member of Independent Tyro M.B. Church.
Survivors include: five daughters, Lora Harris, Gloria Petties, Lula Cox, Tammy Murphy and Bertha Fleming, all of Memphis; one son, T.J. Tanksley of Memphis; three sisters, Sarah Lee of Hernando, Gearline Jones of Como and Velma Smith of Senatobia and 15 grandchildren.