Obituaries 7-22-11
Published 12:00 am Sunday, July 24, 2011
BATESVILLE – Alma Doris Baker, 93, died Wednesday, July 20, 2011, at her sister’s home in Batesville.
Baker, born in Panola County, on August 28, 1917, to the late Jesse Alma Buchanan and Jeff Berlin Palmertree, was a telephone operator during WWII. She married and moved from the Mt. Olivet Community in Batesville to Sledge, where she became a member of the Sledge Methodist Church. She dedicated her life to the church and in 1963 was awarded special membership in the Woman’s Society of Christian Service by the Board of Missions of the Methodist Church. For her work with the USO, Mrs. Baker was invited to the capitol, Washington, D.C., by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to attend the reception honoring the Ambassadors of the USOs Abroad on the USO’s 30th Anniversary.
She was preceded in death by her husband, W.O. Baker.
After a photo of her won a Mid-South Photography competition, the picture was selected by one of the judges to be used as a teaching aid on his nationwide teaching tours as a photo having all the elements of the “Perfect Picture.” She also worked as a substitute teacher.
Survivors include: one daughter Mary Ellen Baker of Sledge; son, H.E. Baker of Fulton; two sisters, Donna Traywick of Batesville, and Ruby Williams of Sledge.
SARDIS – Carl Ray Butler, a retired game warden, died Tuesday, July 19, 2011 at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Oxford. He was 74.
Services were Thursday at First Baptist Church in Sardis. Burial was in Rose Hill Cemetery. Ray-Nowell Funeral Home had charge.
Butler was a member of First Baptist Church in Sardis and a U.S. Navy veteran.
Survivors include: his wife, Loretta Brewer Butler; one daughter, Sheryl Moffat of West Paducah, Ky.; one son, Carl Ray Butler Jr. of Sardis; a sister, Carol Pope of Gluckstadt; and four grandchildren.
The family requests that memorials be made to First Baptist Church of Sardis.
Billy “Bill” Gene Edwards
BATESVILLE – Billy “Bill” Gene Edwards, 69, died Monday, July 18, 2011, at Tri-Lakes Medical Center.
Services were held Wednesday at Wells Funeral Home with burial in Forrest Memorial Park. Rev. Melodie Jones Pointon officiated. Wells Funeral Home had charge.
Edwards, born June 14, 1942, in Oxford, to the late Aubrey and Idell Black Edwards. He graduated from Toccopola High School and was in the Army Reserve and Air Reserve. Mr. Edwards worked for 18 years at the Fire Department for the University of Mississippi and retired from the Mississippi Department of Transportation with 20 years of service.
Survivors include his wife Carolyn Tidwell Edwards of Batesville; two daughters, Tish Palmertree Dettor and Teresa Palmertree Herron, both of Batesville; one son, Mike Edwards of Holly Springs; his brother, Tommy Edwards of Toccopola; and five grandchildren, Holly Holland, Bailey Holland, Kason Dettor, Nathan Herron and Ainsley Herron.
The family requests memorials may be made to American Lung Association of MS, P. O. Box 2178, Ridgeland, MS 39158.
Jean Claude Filion
BATESVILLE -Jean Claude Filion, 67, died Monday, July 18, 2011, at his residence.
Services were Saturday at 2 p.m. at Wells Funeral Home with burial in Sardis Lake Baptist Church Cemetery. Rev. Kevin Crofford officiated. Wells Funeral Home had charge.
Mr. Filion was born October 4, 1943, in Quebec, Canada to the late Lion Anthime and Dorilda Lachance Filion. He was retired from Batesville Casket Company in Quality Control and as Plant Manager. He was also a member of Sardis Lake Baptist Church and a U. S. Army Veteran.
Survivors include his wife, Dorothy F. Filion of Batesville; two daughters, Danielle Filion and Janice Tiero, both of Nashua, N.H.; four sons, Kenneth Filion of Milford, N.H., Scott Filion of Cohasset, Mass., Rick Bowdoin of Pope and Bryan Bowdoin of Water Valley; two sisters, Denise Filion and Claudett Filion both of Quebec, Canada; five brothers, Jacques Filion, Armond Filion, Andre Filion, Renald Filion and Guy Filion, all of Quebec, Canada; 10 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers the family requests memorials be made to LeBonheur Children’s Medical Center Foundation, P.O. Box 41817, Memphis, TN 38174.
Patsy R. McCullar
BATESVILLE – Patsy R. McCullar, 74, of Batesville passed away Wednesday, July 20,2011.
Services were Saturday at Dickins Funeral Home with burial in Pisgah Cemetery in the Eureka Community.
McCullar was a retired from Batesville Casket Company. She is preceeded in death by her husband James B. McCullar of Batesville. She is survived by four daughters, Cindy Martin of Batesville, Kathy McCullar of Pearl, Mandy McCullar of Oxford, and Jami Seay of Batesville along with eight grandchildren.
Full obituary information was not available at press time.
Florence Lawson Morris
BATESVILLE – Florence Lawson Morris, 94, died Monday, July 18, 2011.
Services were Saturday at 11 a.m. at Macedonia M.B. Church. Pastor Zannie Leland Jr. officiated. Burial was in the church cemetery. Cooley’s Mortuary was in charge of arrangements.
Morris, born July 31, 1916, to the late Rufus Lawson and Mary L. Norwood, was a retired cook for South Panola School District. She was a member of Macedonia M.B. Church.
Survivors include: one daughter, Annie Mildred Cooper of Memphis and one son, John Clinton Morris of Memphis; 10 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren and 19 great-great-grandchildren.
Joseph Barney Pickett
POPE – Joseph Barney Pickett, 89, died Tuesday, July 19, 2011, at his residence.
Services with military honors were held at 11 a.m. on Saturday at Wells Funeral Home Chapel. Burial was in Chapel Hill Cemetery.
Pickett, born in Pope, April 27, 1922, to John Henry and Virgie Nelson Pickett, served his country in the U.S. Marine Corps for four years and of those years he served 23 months in the Pacific. He was the 73rd person to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor during peace time. He taught agriculture for several years in Itta Bena and Morgan City Schools. He was the post master of Pope Post Office, where he served for 45 years. He was a member of Pope United Methodist Church.
Survivors include: his wife, Elizabeth Jones Pickett of Pope; three sons, John Mark Pickett, Joseph Rodney Pickett of Pope and J. Stan Pickett of Greenville; one sister, Agnes Pickett Hartzell of Pope and four grandchildren.
Earlene Samuels Still
SARDIS – Earlene Samuels Still, 96, died Sunday, July 17, 2011, at Sardis Nursing Home in Sardis.
Services were held Tuesday at Dickins Funeral Home Chapel with burial in Cold Springs Cemetery near Sardis. Dickins Funeral Home had charge. Mrs. Still was formerly a supervisor for Walgreen Drug Company, and a member of Cold Springs United Methodist Church in Sardis. She enjoyed cooking, traveling and helping others,
She was preceded in death by her husband, Eddie Still.
Survivors include four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Cold Springs Cemetery, 4996 Central Academy Road, Sardis, MS 38666.
