BATESVILLE–Jean Cauthen Benson, 88, died Friday, March 25, 2011, at Fairfield Assisted Living.

Services were held Sunday at Wells Funeral Home. Dr. Tommy Snyder and Rev. Dennis Jacobs officiated. Burial was in Antioch Cemetery in Courtland. Wells Funeral Home had charge.

Benson, born Oct. 23, 1922, in Camden, to William Anderson and Lizzie Ann Greenwalt Cauthen, graduated from Mississippi School for Women with her degree in education. She started her teaching in central Mississippi, then moved to Pope to teach at Pope School. After teaching at Pope she transferred to South Panola School to teach Home Economics. There she started Future Homemakers of America Club. She retired with 37 years of teaching school. She was active in missions group, Eva Lee WMU group and Explorers Bible Study where she was a group leader. She was a member of the First Baptist Church.

She was preceded in death by her husband, William E. “Willie” Benson.

Survivors include: one daughter, Lynn Benson McGregor of Courtland; two sons, William E. “Billy” Benson and Robert Newton “Bobby” Benson, of Courtland; four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering at First Baptist Church, 104 Panola Ave., Batesville.

Billy Wayne Gordon Sr.

POPE– Billy Wayne Gordon Sr., 72, died Friday, March 25, at his residence.

Services were Monday at Boone Funeral Home in Greenville. Burial was in Greenlawn Memorial Gardens.

Gordon, was born in Hamilton and moved to the Mississippi Delta in 1947. He attended school in the Delta and married Patricia Webb in 1965, and they made their home in Greenville where they owned and operated Billy Gordon Heating and Air Conditioning. Retiring in 2003 he and his wife moved to Pope. He sang and played the bass guitar with his family gospel group. He attended Trinity Holiness Church in Grenada.

Survivors include: his wife, Patricia Webb Gordon of Pope; one daughter, Kimberly Anne Clolinger of Brandon; two sons, Billy W. Gordon Jr. and his wife, Pam, of Grenada and Joey Gordon and his wife, Christy, of Pope; three sisters, Christine Crowley of Greenville, Ernestine Lonneberg of Oxford and Fay Hitt of Wayside; one brother, Bobby Gordon of Greenville and seven grandchildren, Jarded, David Jr., Halla, Elizabeth, AllyBeck, Peyton and Landon.

Mary June Melton Long

LAMBERT– Mary June Melton Long, 76, died Monday, March 21, 2011, at Golden Living Center in Batesville.

Services were held Wednesday at Kimbro Funeral Home in Marks. Burial was in Lambert Cemtery.

Long, born June 10, 1934, to the late Robert Ray and Ollie Mae Reid Melton, was a retired machine operator for Barth Manufacturing.

She was preceded in death by one son, Jimmy Dale Long.

Survivors include: two daughters, Catherine Coker of Lambert and Joyce Giddens of Strayhorn; three sisters, Hazel Darby, Sarah Echols and Glenda Wiggs; six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to Operation Christmas at Walthal Baptist Church, P.O. Box 366, Walthal, Miss. 39771.

Rev. John Henry Parker

MEMPHIS– Rev. John Henry Parker, 95, died Saturday, March 26, 2011, at Harbor View Nursing and Rehab. He formerly served as pastor of Armstrong Street Church of God for over 52 years in Batesville.

Services will be held Wednesday at noon at Armstrong Street Church of God, 400 Armstrong Street in Batesville. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Rev. Ella M. Flowers will officiate. Visitation will be held from noon – 3 p.m. on Tuesday at R.S. Lewis and Sons Funeral Home and from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. at Armstrong Street Church of God. R.S. Lewis and Sons Funeral Home have charge.

Survivors include: his wife of 36 years, Juanita Parker; three daughters, Ora Lee Davis of Whitsfields, Ind., Flossie Russ of Minneapolis, Minn. and Virginia Ann Harper of Marlboro, NJ; three sons, Norris Batts of Oshkosh, Wis., Howard Batts of Minneapolis, Minn. and W.H. Batts Jr. of Panorama City, Calif. and eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Misty LaTanya Weaver

POPE–Misty LaTanya Weaver, 38, died Tuesday, March 22, 2011, at The Med in Memphis.

Memorial services were held Thursday at Wells Funeral Home. Rev. Larry Kilgore officiated.

Weaver was born Aug. 12, 1972, to Earl Anderson of Water Valley and Janie Haley Anderson Taylor of  Clarksdale, in Colorado Springs, Colo.

She was a homemaker and attended Hosanna Family Worship Center.

Survivors along with her parents, include: her husband, Scotty Weaver of Pope; one daughter, Anna Weaver of Pope; one son, Eric Weaver of Pope; her step-father, Earl Taylor of Clarksdale; one sister, Stacy Williamson of Marks and her grandparents, Kathleen Ray of Water Valley and Imogene Taylor of Clarksdale.

Memorials can be made to the Misty Weaver Memorial Fund Citizens Bank 239 East Main St., Marks, Miss. 38646.