SARDIS– Lena V. Stephens Baker, 72, died Saturday, August 9, 2008, at her brother’s residence near Como.

Services are today at 2 p.m. at Ray-Nowell Funeral Home Chapel. Visitation is today noon until service time at the funeral home. Pastor Robert Rawson will officiate. Burial will be in Fredonia Cemetery near Sardis. Ray-Nowell Funeral Home has charge.

Baker, born Oct. 12, 1935, to the late Lewis Stephens and the late Geneva Atwell Stephens, was a member of the Batesville Church of Christ. She was a homemaker and a sitter for the elderly.

She was preceded in death by her husband, James Alexander Baker, one son, James R. Baker and one daughter, Locketta Riggle.

Survivors include: two daughters, Lynette Varner of Grand Bay, Ala. and Debbie Jean Holmes of Pascagoula; one son, William A. Baker of Pascagoula; one sister, Inez Lipsey of Batesville; three brothers, Samuel Stephens, Wayne Stephens and Tom Stephens, all of Como; 15 grandchildren and 29 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

COURTLAND– Clara Emma B. Dees, 75, died Wednesday, August 13, 2008, at Baptist Memorial Hospital Desoto.

Services are Saturday at 10 a.m. at Wells Funeral Home. Terrell Gregory will officiate. Visitation is today 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.  at the funeral home. Burial will be in Shiloh Cemetery in Memphis. Wells Funeral Home has charge.

Dees, born Dec. 22, 1932, to the late John Aubrey Burroughs and the late Daisey Violet McLean Burroughs in Halls, Tenn., was a member of Tocowa Baptist Church and a homemaker.

Survivors include: her husband, Robert E. Dees of Courtland; one daughter, Susan Dees Messer of Courtland; two sons, Doug Dees of Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Dennis P. Dees of Arlington, Tenn.; one sister, Hazel Burroughs Brown of Fort Worth, Texas; six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

MEMPHIS– Carolyn Gilmore, 53, died Monday, August 4, 2008, at Baptist Memorial Hospital East.

Services are Saturday at 11 a.m. at Mt. Zion M.B. Church. Dr. C. Shelton Greer will officiate. Visitation is today 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. at Cooley’s Mortuary.  Burial will be in New Park Cemetery. Cooley’s Mortuary has charge.

Gilmore, born Dec. 23, 1955, to Rev. J.N. and Gertha Mobley of Memphis, was a member of Mt. Zion M.B. Church.

Survivors along with her parents include: three daughters, April Pegues, Candace Pegues and Kristine Pegues, all of Memphis; two sons, William Anthony Pegues and Reginald Gilmore, both of Memphis; one sister, Carlean Shefield of Memphis; three brothers, Archie Mobley and Rickey Mobley, both of Memphis and Joe N. Mobley Jr. of Detroit and 11 grandchildren.

COMO– William “Bill” Millard Jackson, 59, died Sunday, July 27, 2008, at Methodist University Hospital Extended Care.

Services were Wednesday, July 30 at Pate-Jones Funeral Home in Senatobia. Burial was at New Hope Cemetery east of Como. Pate-Jones Funeral Home had charge.

Jackson, born Oct. 7, 1948, to the late Charles Millard Jackson and Zola Mae Taylor Jackson, was a truck driver for MBCI Metal Building Systems, retired from the Mississippi National Guard and a member of Como Baptist Church.

He was preceded in death by one sister, Marie Jackson Carter.

Survivors include: one son, James “Bo Jack” Jackson and his wife, Kimberly “Kim” Alexander Jackson of Batesville; one sister, Sandra Jackson Williams of Como; two brothers, Charles Martin Jackson and his wife, Jane of Hot Springs, Ark. and Thomas “Tommy” Wayne Jackson and his wife, Charlotte of Sardis; one grandson,  James “Alex” Alexander Jackson and Bo-Jack’s mother, Jane.

The family requests that memorials be made to The American Heart Fund, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital or charity of the donor’s choice.

BATESVILLE- Minister Virginia Hankins Pollard, 53, died Tuesday, August 12, 2008, at Methodist University Hospital.

Services are Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Batesville Junior High Auditorium. Visitation is Saturday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. at Cooley’s Mortuary and 1 p.m. until service time at Batesville Junior High School Auditorium. Bishop E.M. Fondren will officiate. Burial will be in Macedonia Cemetery. Cooley’s Mortuary has charge.

Pollard, born June 3, 1955, in Marks, to Eugene Riley of Chicago and the late Annie Jane Ards, was a teacher for Batesville Junior High and associate pastor of Deliverance Tabernacle Pentecostal Church.

Survivors along with her father include:  her husband, Albert Pollard of Batesville; one daughter, Mashonda Hankins of Batesville; two sons, Johnathan Hankins and Quinton Hankins, both of Batesville; two step-daughters, Alberlean Pollard of Davie, Fla. and LaTisha Clarke of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; two god-sons, D’Vante Ford of Batesville and Billy Sartin of Tylertown; two god-daughters, Ashton Sartin and Katrina Sartin, both of Tylertown; two sisters, Patricia Jackson of Enid and Shirley Morgan of Crowder; four brothers, James Guest of Crowder, Lawrence “Monkey Joe” Guest and Roger Clark, both of Memphis and Ruben Ards of Texas and 10 grandchildren.

DECATUR, Ga.- Sarah Nelson Rasdale, 91, formerly of Batesville, died Monday, August 11, 2008.

Services are Saturday at 3 p.m. at Clark Funeral Home in Hiram, Ga. Dr. Curtis Turner will officiate. Burial will be in Poplar Springs Baptist Church Cemetery. The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Saturday 1 p.m. until service time. Clark Funeral Home has charge.

Ragsdale, born April 15, 1917, to the late John Gillion Nelson and Annie Little Nelson, was retired from Firestone Tire and Rubber Company where she was a secretary for over 20 years.

Survivors include: her husband of 65 years, J.W. Ragsdale; her son and daughter-in-law, John Warner Ragsdale Jr. and wife, Nancy of Rome, Ga.; daughters and sons-in-law, Patricia and James F. Causey of Marietta, Ga. and Sandra R. and Lee A. Cook of Tuskegee, Ala.; sister-in-law, Helen Nelson of Batesville; seven grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; her niece, Rosemary Howell of New Orleans and her nephew, John G. Nelson III of Batesville.

MERIDIAN- Ruby R. Rhodes, 92, formerly of Batesville, died Sunday, August 10, 2008, at Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center in Meridian.

Services were Wednesday at Wells Funeral Home. Rev. Paul Middleton officiated. Burial was in Magnolia Cemetery. Wells Funeral Home had charge.

Rhodes born Feb. 15, 1916, to the late Jim F. Reese and the late Vennie Fielder in Calhoun County, was a member of First Baptist Church. She was a homemaker and a retiree of South Panola School District.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Allen Lavon “Jack” Rhodes.

Survivors include: one daughter, Janet Rhodes Heggie and husband, Wallace of Meridian; one son, Hugh Rhodes of Meridian; two grandchildren, Allen Wade Heggie and wife, Erica of Meridian and Jennifer Clair Heggie of Brandon and one great-grandchild, Megan Elizabeth Heggie.

BATESVILLE- Sellie E. Street, 74, died Saturday, August 9, 2008, at his residence.

Services are Saturday at 2 p.m. at Shiloh M.B. Church in Courtland. Visitation is today 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. at Cooley’s Mortuary. Rev. Carl Brown will officiate. Burial will be in Shiloh Cemetery. Cooley’s Mortuary has charge.

Street, born April 16, 1934, in Batesville, to the late Sainty J. Street and the late Eva C. Benson, was a member of Shiloh M.B. Church and a retired laborer.

He is survived by one sister, Mazzie Street of Memphis.

CRENSHAW- Phillip G. Stuart, 69, died Monday, August 11, 2008, at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Desoto.

Services are today at 1 p.m. at Wells Funeral Home. Rev. Derrick Simmons and Rev. Kevin Franklin will officiate. Burial will be in Pleasant Grove Cemetery in Crenshaw. Wells Funeral Home has charge.

Stuart, born Jan. 8, 1939, to the late Leo R. and Amanda Phillips Stuart in Coahoma County, was a retired river boat captain and a Baptist.

Survivors include: his wife, Bobbie Thacker Stuart of Crenshaw; four sons, David Carlisle Stuart, Phillip L. Stuart, Terry O. Stuart and Terry O. Stuart Jr. all of Crenshaw; three sisters, Linda Youngblood of Clarksdale, Jeanette Fuller of Horn Lake and Carol Corr of Nashville; one brother, Jimmy Lewellyn of Sommerville, Tenn.; seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

POPE- Shannon Henry Ware, 65, died Wednesday, August 13, 2008, at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Desoto.

Services are Saturday at 1 p.m. at Wells Funeral Home. Visitation is today 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. at the funeral home. Rev. Mike Dutton will officiate. Burial will be in Forrest Memorial Park. Wells Funeral Home has charge.

Ware, born May 24, 1943, to the late Andrew and Minnie Mae Mcahan Ware, was a grain elevator operator and a farmer. He was a Baptist.

Survivors include: his wife, Lois Jenkins Ware of Oakland; three daughters, Misty Nicole Ware, Pamela Gale Ware Grant and Cindy Lavelle Ware Sparks, all of Pope; two sons, Ron Ferrell Ware of Oakland and Andrew Walker “Andy” Ware of Pope; two sisters, Melva Ware Bray of Southaven and Carol Anne Bryant of Marks; two brothers, Monty Carl Ware and Harold Dean Ware, both of Batesville and 10 grandchildren.