OBITUARIES – JULY 2013

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Royliene C. Griffin

BATESVILLE – Royliene C. Griffin, 70, died Thursday, June 27, 2013, at Tri-Lakes Medical Center.
Services were held Saturday at Wells Funeral Home. Rev. Harvy Sewell officiated. Burial was in Crowder Cemetery. Wells Funeral Home had charge.

Griffin, born March 12, 1943, in Clarksdale, to James Roy and Thressea Kathleen Patterson Cofer, was a member of Enon Baptist Church. She worked as an accountant assistant for Veazey and Clayton Certified Public Accountants in Marks.

Survivors include: one son, Todd Owen Griffin and his wife, Jerri of Crowder; three grandchildren, Bryce, Leigh Taylor and Jessi.

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She was preceded in death by her husband, Jesse Owen “Red” Griffin and one daughter, Gidget Lynn Griffin.

The family asks anyone wishing to send memorials to forward to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, Tenn., 38105.


James Oliver Hardy

SENATOBIA – James Oliver Hardy, 65, died Friday, June 19, 2013. He was the brother of Michael Hardy of Como.

Services were held Sunday at West Looxahoma Church of Christ. Burial was in West Looxahoma Cemetery. Pate-Jones Funeral Home had charge.

Hardy was a veteran of the Army.

Survivors along with his brother include: his daughter, Patricia Clifton of Chicago; mother, Elva Jean Jones of Senatobia; sisters, Velma Reed of Detroit, Bemistene Rossell of Canton, Ruth Ella Newsom of Indianapolis, Ind., Johnnie C. Wilbourn of Senatobia and Dolly Burnside of Senatobia; brothers, Larry Hardy of Senatobia, Abe Hardy of Arkabutla, Johnny Hardy of Harthorne, Calif.; step-sisters, Georgia Dean, Jerline Jones, Bessie Jones, Louise Bobo, Ann Jones and Ola Jones; step-brothers, Benjamin Jones, Johnny Jones and Charles Jones and one grandchild.


Kathy Dianne Millican

MEMPHIS – Kathy Dianne Millican, 63, died Friday, June 26, 2013. She was the sister-in-law of Treta Dover of Batesville.

Services were held Monday, July 1 at Covington Funeral Home. Burial was in Magnolia Gardens Cemetery. Covington Funeral Home had charge.

Survivors include: her husband of 44 years, John Kenneth Millican, two sons, Shane Millican and Travis Millican and four grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be sent to:  Kathy Diane Millican Funeral Memorial Fund, Citizen State Bank, Attn:  Jill Carter, P.O. Box 7020, Tyler, Texas, 75711.


Morris “Ray” Rayburn Rhyne

WATER VALLEY – Morris “Ray” Rayburn Rhyne, 66, died Saturday, July 27, at his brother’s home in Batesville.

Services were held Sunday at Wells Funeral Home. Rev. Al Mullan officiated. Burial was in Cold Springs Cemetery near Sardis. Wells Funeral Home had charge.

Rhyne, born July 30, 1946, in Batesville, to the late Eligy Rayburn and Myrtle Ruth Taylor Rhyne, was a Baptist and worked as a machine operator for Borg-Warner in Water Valley. He served in the U.S. Army reaching the rank of E-5 and was a member of the Water Valley VFW.

Survivors include: one sister, Rita Rhyne Mottz of Paris; two brothers, Albert “Bubba” Gray of Batesville and Dwight Rhyne of Houston.


Terry Lynn Tatum

OXFORD – Terry Lynn Tatum, 57, passed away Wednesday, June 26, 2013 at his home. He was a heating and air conditioning repairman who worked in Batesville.

Services were held Saturday in the Chapel of Waller Funeral Home. Rev. Randy Hope officiated. Burial was in Midway Cemetery in Oxford. Waller Funeral Home had charge.

Tatum was born in Oxford, to the late Ira Edward and Evelyn Alice Tatum. He was a member of Union West Baptist Church in Oxford.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Judy Waller Tatum and a brother, Larry Tatum.

Survivors include: two sisters, Nancy Tatum Stiles of Carrolton, and Pamela Tatum Morgan of Oxford; his  Memorial contributions in Mr. Tatum’s memory may be made to Oxford-Lafayette County Humane Society, 413 McElroy Drive, Oxford, MS  38655.