BATESVILLE–Cather Marie Baker, 51, died Monday, Jan. 4 at Baptist Memorial Hospital North Mississippi in Oxford.

Services were Friday at New Bethlehem M.B. Church in Batesville. Rev. Theodore Sutton officiated. Internment was  in the church cemetery. Cooley’s Mortuary had charge.

Baker was born Sept. 18, 1958, to the late Selmer Milton and the late Callie Moore Milton in Sardis. She was a medical billing clerk for North Oak Medical Center and a member of New Bethlehem MB Church.

Survivors include her husband Lannie Baker of Batesville; three daughters, Erical Baker, Rachel McKinney and Alana Baker, all of Batesville; one brother Dennis Milton of Batesville; and two sisters, Doris Ford of Batesville and Linda Baker of Brimingham, Ala. and six grandchildren.

COURTLAND–Jerry L. Daniel, 81, died Thursday, January 7, 2010.

Services were Saturday at Wells Funeral Home. Richard Mills officiated. Burial was in Forrest Memorial Cemetery. Wells Funeral Home had charge.

Daniel, born April 3, 1928 to the late Samuel Vester and Minnie Pearl Millsap Daniel, was a Baptist and retired from the U.S. Army having served 20 years. He received a Purple Heart during his service. He was also a maintenance worker.

Survivors include: his wife, Geneva S. Daniel of Courtland; two sons, Robert Samuel Lee Daniel of Longview, Texas and Jimmy Howard of Coldwater; three daughters, Jennifer D. Stanton of Kilgore, Texas, Teresa H. McCarver of Senatobia and Sherry A. Graham of Independence; two sisters, Sarah Ford of Coldwater and Betty Brown of Grenada and 13 grandchildren.

Melissa Hope Darby

COURTLAND–Melissa Hope Darby, 48, died Saturday, January 9, 2010, at her residence after a battle with cancer.

Services were Monday at Wells Funeral Home Chapel. Her brother, Rev. James Nolan Darby officiated. Burial was in Center Hill Cemetery in Courtland. Wells Funeral Home had charge.

Darby, born Jan. 5, 1962, in Batesville, to Jesse Philip and Jessie Vee Stafford Darby Sr. was a member of Tocowa Baptist Church. She was a school bus driver for the South Panola School District.

Survivors include: three sons, Michael Jason Forbes, Daniel Phillip Forbes and Jeremy Wayne Forbes, all of Courtland; nine sisters, Sandra Darby Wood of Walnut, Linda Darby Mills, Susan Darby Cook, both of Courtland, Reba Darby Polson, Nancy Darby Ginn, Helen Darby Pitcock and Tina Darby Woodard, all of Batesville, Kathy Darby Tribble and Betty Darby Perry, both of Sardis; three brothers, Jesse Phillip Darby Jr. and Rev. James Nolan Darby, both of Courtland and Robert Casey Darby of Batesville; her aunt, Merle Darby of Courtland and one grandchild, Heaven Grace Dunn.

Memorials may be made to: Robert Casey Darby, 1431 Sullivant Rd., Batesville, 38606 or to the Center Hill Cemetery Fund c/o Joe Sanders 5539 Hwy. 35 South, Batesville, 38606.

MEMPHIS–Arthur Lee Fondren Sr., 75, died Sunday, Jan. 3 at his residence.

Services were Saturday at Mt. Gillion M.B. Church in Sardis. Rev. Odell Draper Jr. officiated. Internment was in  Orwood Cemetery in Batesville. Cooley’s Mortuary had charge.

Fondren was born in Batesville on Aug. 27, 1934 to the late Walter Fondren and the late Eva Brown Fondren was a retired truck driver with JB Hunt and a member of Breath of Life Christian Center.

Survivors include three daughters, Denise Fondren Brown of Sardis; Brenda Fondren Nash and Annie Jones of Memphis; four sons, Joe Ballentine, Wayne D. Fondren and Arthur Lee Fondren, all of Sardis; and Bruce Fondren of Batesville; two brothers, Joseph Fondren of Oxford, and Casey B. Fondren of Memphis; 21 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.

BATESVILLE–James Merrell Johnson, 71, died Tuesday, January 5, 2010, at Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi.

Services were Thursday at Dickins Funeral Home. Burial was in McIvor Cemetery.

Johnson was born March 16, 1938, to the late Alex Benjamin Johnson and the late Thelma Cobb Johnson.

Survivors include: one son, William Young Johnson of Batesville; one daughter, Stacie Kendrick of Picayune and five grandchildren.

SARDIS–Lida McKibben, 85, died Wednesday, January 6, 2010, at Tri-Lakes Medical Center.

Graveside services will be held today at 2 p.m. at Pleasant Grove Cemetery in Sardis. Hal Johnson will officiate. Ray-Nowell Funeral Home has charge.

McKibben, born Oct. 28, 1924, was a homemaker and a Methodist.

She was preceded in death by her husband, James McKibben and one son, Greg Venable.

MARKS–Lillian Bounds Moore, 100, widow of Mr. Mose C. Moore, retired owner of Moore Grocery Store of Crowder, died Saturday, January 9, 2010.

Services will be held today at 11 a.m. at Dickins Funeral Home. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until service time at Dickins Funeral Home.

Moore, born to the late Edgar Leonard Bounds and Frankie Alice Whittle Bounds, was a member of Crowder Baptist Church.

Survivors include: two daughters, Doris Burton of Eads, Tenn. and Martha Smith of Crowder; four grandchildren, nine great grandchildren and four great great grandchildren.

Memorials may be sent to Crowder Baptist Church, P.O. Box 56, Crowder, MS 38622

SARDIS–Isaac Perry, 60, died Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2010 at his residence.

Funeral services were at Walton Chapel C.M.E. Church in Sardis on Saturday. Interment followed in the church cemetery. Cooley’s Mortuary had charge.

Perry was born Feb. 17, 1949 in Como to the late Hosie Perry and the late Josephine Taylor. He was a member of Mt. Level M.B. Church in Como.

Survivors include his wife Elsa Perry of Sardis; six sons, Isaac Perry II, Cedric Perry, Kedrick Perry, Eric Hammond, Taylor Hammond and Marco Hammond, all of Sardis; four sisters, Bertha Davis, Mattie Spann, Josie Rosenburg and Rosie Bishop, all of Sardis; four brothers, Hosea Perry and Alchester Perry, both of Sardis; and Henry Perry and Calvin Perry both of Memphis; and 20 grandchildren.

OXFORD–Alvin Smith, 72, died Friday, January 1, 2009, at his residence. He was the step-father of Ronnie Childs of Batesville.

Services were Saturday at Clear Creek M.B. Church. Rev. Eddie Goliday officiated. Burial was in the church Cemetery. Hodges Serenity Funeral Home had charge.

Smith was retired as a grounds keeper from The University of Mississippi.

Survivors along with his step-son, include: his wife, Dorothy Smith of Oxford; two daughters, Deaddrea Smith of Milwaukee, Wis., Alisha Smith of Ft. Worth, Texas; one step-son, Ernest Vassar Jr. of Oxford; three sisters, Annie Robertson, Jennie Hickenbottom and Rosie Norphlet, all of Oxford; six brothers, Ernest Norphlet Jr., Roy Norphlet and John Norphlet, all of Oxford, Robert Norphlet of Water Valley, James Norphlet of Duncan, Leroy Fondren of St. Louis, Mo. and two step-grandchildren.

COMO–Judy M. Sumner, 58, died Saturday, January 9, 2010, at her residence in Como. She was the wife of Mike Sumner, and served as Mayor of Como.

Services will be held Wednesday at 11 a.m. at Como Baptist Church. Burial will be in Friendship Cemetery. Ray-Nowell Funeral Home of Senatobia has charge.

Sumner, born Jan. 27, 1951, to Horace Mathews and Jerlean Mathews, was a member of Como Baptist Church, served in the Como Garden Club, Rotary Club, Mississippi Municipal League, Job Corps Committee–State of Mississippi and was the Como Baptist Church organist for 35 years.

Survivors along with her husband and parents include: three daughters, Courtney Collins of Como, Wendy C. Bailey of Memphis and Sassene S. Dyer of Jackson; one son, Nick Sumner of Memphis; one brother, Eric Mathews of Sardis and four grandchildren.

Ami Elizabeth Yoder

COLLIERVILLE, Tenn.–Ami Yoder, 39, died January 9, 2010, after a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, in Collierville, Tenn. She graduated from South Panola High School in 1988.

A memorial service will be held today at 10 a.m. at the Collierville United Methodist Church Sanctuary on the Square in Collierville, Tenn.

She was born July 31, 1970, in San Francisco to Carol DeBoe and Michael Butts. She completed a registered nursing degree from Shelby State Community College in 1997. She grew up in San Antonio and Houston, Texas, and moved to Batesville  in 1985.

In her career, she was a registered nurse, a paralegal, and a computer system specialist, working most recently at Millington Naval Air Station before she was diagnosed with ALS. She was a member of Collierville United Methodist Church.

She was preceded in death by her father, Michael Butts, and her stepfather, Col. William DeBoe.

Survivors include: her husband, Darrin Yoder, of Collierville, Tenn.; children, Chase and Deke Yoder, of Collierville, Tenn.; stepdaughter, Delyssia Atkinson, of Killeen, Texas; her mother, Carol DeBoe of Austin, Texas; stepfather, Lewis Stimson, of Austin, Texas; brother, Mickey Butts, of Berkeley, Calif.; and sister, Missie Housewright, of Austin, Texas.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in honor of Ami Yoder to ALS TDI or the ALS Association, Tennessee Chapter: ALS TDI, 215 First Street, 2nd Floor, Cambridge, Mass. 02142 or ALS Association, Tennessee Chapter, P.O. Box 40244, Nashville, Tenn. 37204-0244.

Christie A. Taylor

ENID– Christie A. Taylor, 55, died Wednesday, January 6, 2010, at her residence.

Memorial services were Monday at Newsom Funeral Home in Charleston. Joe Young and Ben Kennedy officiated.

Taylor, born Sept. 22, 1954, in San Diego, Calif., to Otto and Beatrice Rieger, worked at East Tallahatchie School District for 12 years, most of them being the Charleston High School secretary.

Survivors include: her husband, Robert Taylor of Enid and two daughters, Rebecca Taylor Wells of Holly Springs and Stacy Mae Taylor of Starkville.

Carolyn Ann Whitehead

LAMBERT– Carolyn Ann Whitehead, 49, died January 7, 2010, from injuries received in an automobile accident in Panola County.

Services will be held Saturday at 1 p.m. at Quitman County Elementary School. Rev. James L. Jones will officiate. Burial will be in Booker Cemetery. Delta Burial has charge.

Whitehead, born Sept. 30, 1960, to the late Josie and Roosevelt Whitehead, was a member of New Mt. Caramel M.B. Church. She was secretary of Sunday school. She graduated from Quitman County High School and Northwest Mississippi Community College. She received a degree in medical billing and coding.

Survivors include: two sons, Lekedrick Whitehead of Marks and Rashaun Whitehead of Lambert; one brother, Karl Whitehead of Lambert and one sister, Deborah Smith of Lambert.