CLARKSDALE – Mary Mae Crutcher, 65, died Monday, February 4, 2013, in Oxford.

Services were held Thursday at National Funeral Home Chapel in Clarksdale. Burial was in Memorial Gardens. National Funeral Home had charge.

Crutcher, born March 22, 1947 to the late Lewie and Lela Wood, was an LPN nurse at Clarksdale Medical Center from 1978 – 1992. She was a Baptist.

She was preceded in death by her daughter, Rhonda Renee Richardson.

Survivors include: her husband, Clarence T. Crutcher Jr. of Water Valley; two sons, Tommy Crutcher III of Water Valley, Tracy Crutcher of Senatobia; one sister, Penny Lewellen of Clarksdale; one brother, Jerry “Monk” Wood of Batesville; 10 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

SARAH–Bessie Mae Eppenger, 69, died Friday, February 1, 2013 at Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto.

Services will be held Saturday at noon at Felix Cauthen Funeral Home.  Visitation will be today from 5-7 p.m. Burial will be in Askew Grove M.B. Church Cemetery.

Eppenger, a factory worker, is survived by two daughters, Maxine E. Craig of Arlington, Tenn., and Jennette E. Jackson of Como; two sisters, Doveanna Palmer of Buffalo, N.Y. and Dorothy Holt of Memphis; four brothers, L.D. Eppenger, Howard Eppenger, Hal Eppenger and Melvin Eppenger, all of Longtown; and four grandchildren.

BATESVILLE–State Representative Dr. Joe C. Gardner, 68, died at his home Monday, February 4, 2013.

He had represented District 11 in the state legislature since 2007.

Services will be held Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Batesville Junior High School auditorium. Dr. Zannie Leland will officiate. Burial will be in Concord Church Cemetery, with military honors. Cooley’s Mortuary has charge of arrangements.

Visitation will be held at the funeral home Saturday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., with a memorial service to follow from 4-6 p.m. On Sunday visitation will be held from noon until 1 p.m. prior to the funeral in the Batesville Jr. High auditorium.

Gardner, born April 6m 1944 in Sardis, to the late Charlie Gardner and Jessie Littlejohn was president of Gardner Institute, Inc., a commercial truck driving school. He was a retired school administrator and had served as a trustee for the South Panola School District. A Vietnam-era veteran, he retired from the Mississippi National Guard in 1997.

Gardner was pastor of Greater Concord M.B. Church and commander of VFW Post 12121, was a member of Macedonia M. B. Church and a member of Masonic Panola Lodge 6A.

He is survived by his wife, Ella Ruth Gardner; daughter Chandra Thompson of Warner Robins, Ga.; two brothers, Willie Joe Gardner of Hazel Crest, Ill., and Jerry Gardner of Batesville; and one granddaughter.

BATESVILLE – Price B. Harrison, 90, died Thursday, February 7, 2013, at Baptist Memorial Hospital – North Mississippi. He was the widower of Virginia Harrison.

Services will be held at noon Saturday at First United Methodist Church in Batesville, with interment to follow in Magnolia cemetery. Visitation will be Saturday at 10 a.m. until service time at the church.

Full obituary information will be in Tuesday’s edition of The Panolian.

BATESVILLE – Beverly Ann Steele Jacobs, 74, died Wednesday, January 16, 2013, at the Bolivar Medical Center in Cleveland.

Memorial services were held in Minnesota. Dickins Funeral Home had charge.

Jacobs, born March 31, 1938, in Pipestone, Minn., to the late Edward Steele and Mildred Schmidt Steele, was a homemaker and a member of First Baptist Church.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Jerry W. Jacobs.

Survivors include: one daughter, Patricia Jacobs Duke of Cleveland; two sons, Randy Jacobs of Batesville and Robert Jacobs of Salisaw, Okla.; one sister, Sandy Lundstrom of Oakdell, Minn.; two brothers, Steve Steele of Lakeland, Minn. and Richard Steele of Rochester, Minn.; seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

YALOBUSHA – Clara Priscilla Massaro, 71, died Sunday, February 3, 2013 at her home in Yalobusha County.

Services were held Wednesday at Wells Funeral Home with Rev. Steve Pointon officiating. Wells Funeral Home had charge.

Massaro, born July 15, 1941 in Warrick, N. Y. to the late Frank and Frances Myers, was a retired nurses aid and was of the Presbyterian faith.

Besides her parents, Clara was preceded in death by two sons, William Joseph Massaro Jr. and Louis Orlando Massaro.

Survivors include: her husband, William J. Massaro of Scobey; five daughters, Debbie Ann Massaro of Charleston, S.C., Donna Lee Buck of Milford, N.J., Anna Marie Edwards of Athens, Tenn., Clara Louise Bevington of Oviedo, Fla., Kimberly Marie Massaro of Orlando; 15 grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.

BATESVILLE – William P. “Bill” (Beefy) McNamee, 57, husband of Robbie Lawrence McNamee, died Monday, February 4, 2013, at his residence.

Service were held Thursday at Wells Funeral Home Chapel. Burial was in Forrest Memorial Park. Rev. Fish Robinson officiated.  Wells Funeral Home had charge.

McNamee, born August 15, 1955, in Forrest City, Ark. to Pat and Mary Hale McNamee of Forrest City, played football during high school at Forrest City High School in Arkansas, where he graduated in 1973.

He went on to attend Ole Miss where he was a student manager from 1973-1974. He went on to the University of Missouri and to S.M.U. as the equipment manager for 13 years from 1982 – 1995. He and his wife, Robbie are owners of R and B Tobacco Store.

Survivors include: his wife, Robbie Lawrence McNamee; step-daughter, Erica Renee McNamee of Batesville; step-son, Joseph Lawrence Kaufman of Batesville; one sister, Judy “Terry” Belcher of Walnut Ridge, Ark. and three grandchildren.

Hoyle McCain, age 83, passed away Sunday evening, February 3, 2013 at Baptist Memorial Hospital of North Mississippi.

Funeral services are incomplete at this time and will be announced later.

OXFORD  – William “Neg” Pettis, 89, died Friday, February 1, 2013, at his residence in Oxford.

A native of Lafayette County, he was the son of Henry Odis Terrell and Mary Frances Pettis Terrell. He was a member of Buford Chapel U.M. Church. He was employed with the University of Mississippi as a plumber for 33 and a half years.

Services will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday at Buford Chapel U.M. Church. Rev. Bobby Dailey will officiate. Burial will be in Oxford Memorial Cemetery. Kenneth I. Roberson Funeral home of Pontotoc has charge.

Survivors include: his wife, Swaydie Pettis of Oxford; two daughters. Elizabeth Pettis and Sandra Pettis both of Oxford; four sons, Harold Pettis of Batesville, Dwight Pryor of Houston, Texas, William Burnett and Paul Pettis both of Oxford; three sisters, Ida Moss of Indianapolis, Ind., Mary Mitchell and Christine Benford both of Milwaukee; four brothers, William Terrell and Charlie Terrell both of Oxford, E.L. Terrell and Eddie Terrell both of Davenport, IA; 18 grandchildren and a host of great grandchildren.

BATESVILLE–Mary O. Turner, 72, died February 4, 2013 at St. Dominic Hospital in Jackson. Services will be held Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at the Armstrong Street Church of God, with the Rev. Terry Townsend officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery.

Visitation will be Friday from 10 a.m. to 5  p.m. at the funeral home.

Turner was born July 29, 1940 in Panola County to Frank Oliver and Lula Mae Carr. She was a retired employee of Panola Mills.

Survivors include her son, Morrie Turner of Batesville; two daughters, Cathy Turner of Jackson and Sandra Turner of Batesville; two brothers, Sydney Bruce Oliver and O.C. Oliver, both of St. Louis.

BATESVILLE  – Melvin Rockett, 65, died Monday, February 4, 2013, at his residence.

Services will be held today at 1 p.m. at Rock Hill M.B. Church in Sardis. Rev. Maurice Hunt will officiate. Burial will be in Rock Hill M.B. Church Cemetery. Cooley’s Mortuary has charge.

Rockett, born Feb. 6, 1947, in Memphis, to John Frank Rockett and Julia Idell Norwood, was retired from General Motors.

He is survived by one brother, Jim Rockett of Moreno Valley, Calif.

COMO– Bettie Jean Walton, 68, died Saturday, February 2, 2013 at Tri-Lakes Medical Center.
Services will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at Cistern Hill M.B. Church, with Pastor Cedric Richardson officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery.

Cooley’s Mortuary has charge.

Visitation will be at the funeral home Friday from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. and at the church on Saturday from 10-11 a.m.

Walton was born June 2, 1944 in Como to R.B. Rogers and Bettie Jean Strickland. She was retired.She was a member of Cistern Hill M.B. Church.

Survivors include two daughters, Shawana Osborn of Como and Sonya Walton of Hernando; six sons, Terald Strickland and Tecory Walton, both of Como; Derrick Walton of Southaven; Myron Walton of Batesville, Mark Walton and Terrance Walton, both of Hernando; two brothers, Sid Strickland of Como and Jimmy Rogers of Memphis; four sisters, Dorothy Birge of Como, Mattie Wooten of Batesville, Estella Wooten of Coldwater and Ruby Rogers of Memphis.