Obituaries 10-7-11

Published 12:00 am Friday, October 7, 2011

Tommy Joe Campbell

HORN LAKE – Tommy Joe Campbell, 71, formerly of Pope, died Tuesday, October 4, 2011, at Methodist University Hospital in Memphis.

Services will be held today at 10 a.m. at Wells Funeral Home. Rev. Randy Mobley will officiate. Burial will be in Forrest Memorial Park Cemetery. Wells Funeral Home has charge.

Campbell, born Jan. 3, 1940, to the late William Lister and Lea Whitten Campbell, was a member of Church Road Baptist Church in Horn Lake. He retired after 38 years with Flink Incorporation.

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He was preceded in death by one daughter, Robyn Campbell Rone.

Survivors include: his wife of 51 years, Bobbi Anderson Campbell of Horn Lake; two daughters, Julie (Barry) Hale of Horn Lake and Penny (Sean)  Griffith of Alabama; one sister, Martha (Louis) Barrett of Hernando; three brothers, Charles Campbell of Southaven, Robert Campbell and Larry Campbell, both of Pope; seven grandchildren, Holley Hale of Southaven, Erin Griffith and Shannon Griffith of Alabama, Amanda (Chris) Nolan of Southaven, Taylor Rone and Halle Rone of Carrollton and Jordan Griffith of Alabama; one grandson Logan (Kristian) Hale of Southaven and three great-grandsons, Daemon, Jackson and Brandon of Alabama. 

Larry Melvin Clanton


    Mr. Larry Melvin Clanton, 65, farmer, died Thursday, September 22, 2011, at the Baptist Memorial Hospital Oxford, MS.  Funeral services were 2:00 p.m., Sunday, September 25 at the Walthall Baptist Church, Rev. Mike Ramage and Rev. Eddie Brock officiating, with burial in the Bradford Chapel Cemetery in Calhoun County.

    Larry is survived by his wife, Judy Lankford Clanton, Cadaretta, MS; daughter, Angela Kaye (Barry Logue) Clanton, Batesville, MS; sons, Melvin Scott (Andrea) Clanton, Grenada, MS and Benjamin Lankford Clanton, Cadaretta, MS; grandson, Jackson Chase Clanton, Grenada, MS; step-granddaughter, Chelsea Logue, Batesville, MS; step-mother, Patsy Clanton, Derma, MS.  Larry was preceded in death by his parents, Braxton E. and Ruth Clanton and sister, Cheryl Gene Clanton.

    Larry was a graduate of Eupora High School, Class of 1964, and a graduate of MSU School of Forest Resources in 1969.  He served as County Forester for Webster, Calhoun and Montgomery Counties and as MS Forestry Commission’s NW District Management Forester, 1969-1979.  He then left forestry behind to pursue his dream of farming, and so began Clanton Farms.  Clanton Farms grew from cotton crops to include crops of corn, soybeans and peanuts then was cultivated to include cows, stocked ponds and pine forests.  He was Webster County’s Young Farmer of the Year 1981, 2008 Conservationist of the Year for Webster County Development Council for his innovations in no-till cultivation and other farming practices, past president of Webster County Farm Bureau, FSA County COC Chairman and County Commissioner for NRCS. 

    Larry found great joy in family, friends, community and his church family, but, most of all he loved the Lord and served as Deacon of Walthall Baptist Church and a member of the choir.  He provided church youth with fall activities including a cotton ride and pumpkin patch.  His love of youth led him to recently serve as President of Dorroh Lake Baptist Assembly.
Larry dedicated his life to service of others , and he will be greatly missed by his family, friends and the community as a whole.

Tracy Diggs

BATESVILLE – Tracy Diggs, 36, died Sunday, October 2, 2011, at Tri-Lakes Medical Center.

Services will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at Liberty Hill M.B. Church. Pastor Larry Key will officiate. Burial will be in Shiloh Cemetery in Courtland. Visitation will be Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 to 11 a.m. at Liberty Hill M. B. Church. Cooley’s Mortuary has charge.

Diggs, born July 13, 1975, to the Grover Dorris Jr. and Shirley Diggs Kuykendall of Batesville, was a member of Liberty Hill M. B. Church.

Survivors, along with his mother, include: his stepfather Sylvester Kuykendall, his grandparents, Fannie Diggs and Mary Dorris, both of Crowder, Frances Kuykendall of Marks and Rev. Eugene Wright of Milwaukee; and two brothers, Kendall Diggs and Sylvester Kuykendall Jr., both of Batesville.

Willie Houston

COMO – Willie Houston, 52, died Thursday, September 29, 2011 at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Desoto.

Services will be held Saturday, October 8 at 11 a.m. at Ruffin Grove M. B. Church in Como. Felix Cauthen Funeral Home has charge of arrangements.

Houston was a Senatobia city employee and member of Zion Hill Barr.

Survivors include two stepdaughters Laquisha Scott of Sardis, Nakuvia Scott of Como; two stepsons Janicholas Scott and Emario Walls, both of Water Valley; three sisters Annette Bledsoe of Senatobia, Mary Ann Houston and Violet McBrayer, both of Como; four brothers Willie J. Brown of Memphis, David Johnson of Como, Robert Johnson of Senatobia and Larry Binden of Tunica.

Cagalee Wright Pough

POPE – Cagalee Wright Pough, 93, died Sunday, October 2, 2011, at her residence.

Services will be held Saturday at 2 p.m. at Pope Chapel A. M. E. Zion Church in Pope. Pastor Nehemiah Martin will officiate. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Cooley’s Mortuary has charge.

Pough, born Jan. 14, 1913, to the late Ed Wright and Zillar Fox, was a member of Pope Chapel A. M. E. Zion Church where she was an usher, deaconess, stewardess and secretary of mission.

Survivors include: four daughters, Ethel Dean Harvey of Pope, Laura A. Sanford of Courtland, Carolyn Pough of Oxford and Rose Shannon of Blue Island, Ind.; one son, Climmie Pough Jr. of Detroit, Mich.; 14 grandchildren; a host of great-grandchildren and a host of great-great-grandchildren.

Verdie Singleton Woodard

HARMONTOWN –Verdie Singleton Woodard, 88, died Friday, September 30, 2011, at Methodist University Hospital in Memphis.

Services will be held Saturday at 2 p.m. at Harmontown Baptist Church. Visitation will be held from 10 a.m. until service time. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Ray-Nowell Funeral Home has charge.

Woodard was a member of Harmontown Baptist Church, was an active supporter of Baddour Memorial Center and a member of various civic and community organizations.

She was preceded in death by her husband, James Wayne Woodard.

Survivors include: one daughter, Shelia W. Gage of Oklahoma City; one son, Jimmy Levon Cotton of Brunswick, Tenn.; six grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.