Marline Brassell Lantern

SARDIS–Marline Brassell Lantern, 65, died Monday, September 20, 2010, at Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi.

Services will be held Saturday at 2 p.m. at St. Peter M.B. Church in Sardis. Rev. Odell Draper Jr. will officiate. Visitation will be held today from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. at Cooley’s Mortuary and Saturday from 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. at St. Peter M.B. Church in Sardis with burial in the church cemetery.

Lantern, born March 31, 1945, in Batesville, to the late Geno Jackson and Lillie B. Brassell, was a retired factory worker and a member of St. Peter M.B. Church.

Survivors include: one daughter, LaShaunta Lantern of Sardis; four sons, Anthony Lantern, Reginald Lantern of and Leslie Lantern of Batesville, and John Lantern of Sardis; one step-son, Paul Henderson of Batesville; five sisters, Mattie Draper and Margaret Fox, both of Batesville, Virginia Ellis, Brenda Jackson and Glenda Draper, all of Sardis; four brothers, Mark Jackson of Batesville, James Jackson of Sardis, Larry Jackson of Memphis and John Hines of Barstow, Calif.; 18 grandchildren and 30 great-grandchildren.

BATESVILLE–Stanley Melton, 67, died Tuesday, September 21, 2010, at his residence.

Services will be held today at 2 p.m. at Wells Funeral Home with Rev. Dale Beaver officiating. Burial will follow in Brazil Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 10 a.m. until service time at Wells Funeral Home.

Melton, born March 31, 1943, in Sledge, to Billy Robert and Audrey Mae Norris Melton of Batesville, was a truck driver and served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He was a Baptist.

Survivors along with his mother include: his wife, Clara Melton of Batesville; one daughter, Anita Melton Hollingsworth of Batesville; three sons, Stanley Melton Jr. and Billy Joe Melton, both of Batesville and David Melton of Hernando; three sisters, Carol Scheile of Lambert, Jennie Patton of England, Ark. and Sue Iris of Houston, Texas; two brothers, James Robert Melton of Cleveland, Texas and Roy Melton of Lambert; three half-sisters, Martha Chrestman and Betty Chrestman, both of Batesville and Carrol Jean Conner of Carrollton; one half-brother, James W. Hughes of Kansas and 13 grandchildren.

Jimmie C. Smith

 SUMTER, S.C.– Jimmie C. Smith, 54, died Friday, September 17, 2010. He was the father of Jimmy Smith Jr. of Crowder and Deanna Ware of Enid.

Memorial services were held Wednesday at Concord Baptist Church in Sumter. Funeral services were also held at Wells Funeral Home on Thursday. Burial was in Lambert Cemetery. Wells Funeral Home had charge.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Wiley and Marie Smith.

Survivors along with his son and daughter include: his wife, Janet of Sumter; three brothers, Lester Smith of Nesbit, Boyd Smith of Murray, Ky. and Floyd Smith of Pensacola, Fla.; one sister, Margaret Carney of Virginia Beach, Va.

Any memorials may be sent to Building Fund, Concord Baptist Church, 1885 Myrtle Beach Hwy., Sumter, S.C., 29153.

Mark Davidson Willey II

OXFORD–Mark Davidson Willey II, 42, died in Wayne County, Tenn., Monday, September 20, 2010 on the Buffalo River while fishing.

Funeral services were Thursday, September 23, 2010 at First Faith Baptist Church in Batesville.

Mark was born March 24, 1968 in Morgantown, West Virginia to Mark Davidson and Kathleen A. Holmes Willey. He graduated in 1987 from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Dover, N.H. where he was a member of the Key Club and participated in cross country, baseball and football. Upon graduating high school Mark went on to graduate from Keene State College in 1992 in Keene, NH. He earned his Bachelor Arts of History. While in college he was a member of Phi Alpha Theta Honorary History Society and went on to receive an English Certification as a second language in Boston, Mass . He then taught English as a second language in Dubai.

Following graduation he served in the United States Army. With tours of duty in Germany, Panama, Lebanon and Iraq. Units of service included the 101st Airborne Division and the 10th Mountain Division. His final tour of duty was in Ft. Polk, Louisana in 2007.

In Mark’s spare time he enjoyed bass fishing, fly fishing, fly tying and a love for the outdoors. He was an avid reader and history “buff” as well as sight-seeing, traveling, watching movies and gardening.

Mark was an Eagle Scout and earned the Order of Arrow. He was a strong advocate, and active participant for Project Healing Waters of the Memphis Chapter, VFW of Batesville, and Oxford Bass Fishing Club.

Mark was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, Henry A. and Gertrude D. Willey and his maternal grandfather, Robert E. Holmes.

Survivors include his twins sons, Aidan Mark and Ethan Davidson Willey of Pope; parents, Mark and Kathleen Willey of South Berwick, ME; brother Jonathan Brent Willey of South Berwick, ME; sister, Melinda Amari Willey Eichen of Manchester, NH; maternal grandmother, Mary C. Holmes; three nephews, Dominick, Kyle and Patrick; special grandparents, Red and Granny Hudson of Batesville; and several aunts, uncles and cousins.

In lieu of flowers, the family request memorial be sent to: Mark D. Willey, II Memorial Fund Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing P.O. Box 695 Lapata, MD. 20646 For additional information please see: www.projecthealingwaters.org