HORN LAKE— Dr. Willard K. “Willy” Crawley Sr., 63, died Monday, December 2, 2013, at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis.

Services were held Thursday at Gracewood Baptist Church in Southaven. Burial was in Sardis Lake Church Cemetery. Wells Funeral Home had charge.

Crawley, born Oct. 25, 1950, to Ruebenia Stroup Crawley of Batesville and the late Joe L. Crawley, in Ypsilanti, Mich., graduated from South Panola High School in 1969 and from Blue Mountain College in 1977.

He graduated from New Orleans Theological Seminary in 1980 and attained his doctorate of divinity from Luther Rice Seminary in Atlanta in 2000.

He served in the Mississippi Army National Guard.

Among the Baptist churches he pastored from 1975-2010 were Hebron Baptist Church- Pheba; Bethel Baptist-Liberty; Lascassas Baptist Church-Lascassas, Tenn.; Miles Road Baptist-Summerville, S.C.; Florence Baptist Church-Pelion, S.C.; Courtland Baptist; Twin Lakes Baptist-Horn Lake; and Dr. Crawley served as interim pastor at West Acres Baptist Church-West Helena-Helena, Ark.

Presently he and his wife, Gail, were members of Gracewood Baptist Church in Southaven, where he led several Bible studies and was also a teacher for a couples Sunday School class.
In October 2013, he retired after working for FedEx. He worked for Kelly Services as a substitute teacher in Southaven.

He was preceded in death by his father, Joe L. Crawley and one grandson, Joshua Connor May.
Survivors include: his wife of 43 years, Barbara Gail Long Crawley; two daughters, Brandy Crawley Bailey of Hernando and Elisabeth Diane Crawley May of Newellton, La.; one son, Willard Karol Crawley, Jr. of Walls; his mother, Rubenia Stroup Crawley of Batesville; sister, Janis Crawley Cathcart of Batesville; brother, Larry Crawley of Batesville and five grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to Gracewood Baptist Church, 8851 Getwell Ave., Southaven, MS 38672 or Blue Mountain College Scholarship Foundation, P.O. Box 160, Blue Mountain, MS 38610.

CHOCTAW, Okla.—William Alton Davis, 85, died  Tuesday, December 3, 2013.

 Mr. Davis was preceded in death by one daughter Mary Jane Davis McGregory of Batesville
Bill Eisenhour Funeral Home had charge.

He is survived by one son William A. Davis Jr. of Batesville; three daughters, Betty Sue Davis Tutor of Batesville, Bonnie Davis Bailey of Enid, Connie Davis Lambert of Melbourne, Fla. and 15 grandchildren, 31 great grandchildren and 3 great great grandchildren.

BATESVILLE—James Lewis Griffin, 50, died Saturday, November 30, 2013, at Tri-Lakes Medical Center.

Services will be held today at 1 p.m. at Cooley’s Mortuary. Pastor Larry Itsom will officiate. Burial will be in Salem M.B. Church Cemetery in Courtland. Cooley’s Mortuary has charge.

Griffin, born Jan. 24, 1963, in Batesville, to John Wesley King and Gracie Mae Griffin, attended South Panola High School. He was a construction worker at Panola Construction Company. He was a member of Salem M.B. Church.

Survivors include: seven brothers, Jimmy King of Milwaukee, Michael Griffin and Andrew Griffin, Robert Griffin and Johnny Griffin, all of Courtland, Bobby Earl Griffin and Willie Griffin of Sardis and two sisters, Lula Morning and Martha Thomas, both of Batesville.

SARDIS — Earl Johnson, 76, died Monday, December 2, 2013, at Tri-Lakes Medical Center.
Services will be held Monday at 2 p.m. at St. Paul U.M. Church in Batesville. Pastor Rubert Morgan will officiate. Burial will be in Batesville Cemetery. Visitation will be held 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Sunday at Cooley’s Mortuary.

Johnson, born May 6, 1937, to Ezkiel Johnson and Flora Henderson Johnson, was a retired farmer and a member of St. Paul U.M. Church.

Survivors include: two sisters, Bertha Irby of Batesville and Mimmine Byrant of Milwaukee; two brothers, Percy Johnson of Oxford and Joseph Johnson of Milwaukee; 11 sons, Herbert Mitchell of Southaven, Byron Mosley of Abbeville, James Mosley and Lyndon Mosley, both of Batesville, Earnest Mosley of San Antonio, Bruce Johnson of Enid, Thomas Earl Fondren of Memphis, Joe Mosley of Batesville, Matthew Mosley of Memphis, Lanord Carter of Louisiana and Ottowa Carter of Jackson; three daughters, Deloris Williams of Abbeville, Diane Gordon of Oxford and Jacqueline Robertson of Sardis; 43 grandchildren and 53 great-grandchildren.

CROWDER––Bobby Clyde “Bob” Little, 83, died Friday, November 29, 2013, in Southaven.
Services were held Sunday at Crowder Assembly of God Church with burial in Crowder Cemetery. Rev. Murphy Eubanks and Rev. Job Dalomba officiated. Dickins Funeral Home had charge.

Little, born Jan. 14, 1930, in Crowder, to the late Thomas Clyde Little and Floy Hamilton Little, was a retired carpenter.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Margaret Martin Little.

Survivors include: one daughter, Bobbie Lynn Little of Crowder; two sons, Gerald Little of Senatobia and Martin Steven Little of Crowder; two sisters, Nancy Renfro and Mary Stroup of Crowder; two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to  Gideons Chapter in Marks.

COURTLAND—Ressie Ford Martin, 82, died Saturday, November 30, 2013, at Tri-Lakes Medical Center.

Services will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at Johnson Chapel A.M.E.  Zion Church in Courtland. Pastor Tammy Herring will officiate. Burial will be in Johnson Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church Cemetery. Visitation will be held Friday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. at Cooley’s Mortuary.

Martin, born Sept. 7, 1931, in Courtland, to Son Holmes and Lue Ella Ford, was a retired worker from Food Fair Grocery Store and a member of Johnson Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church where she was on the Mother Board.

Survivors include: one brother, Earnest Ford of St. Louis and two sisters, Arlette Ford Robinson of Batesville and Rosie Dell Thomas of Courtland.

BRANDON––Jack Wayne Shields, 66, died Wednesday, December 4, 2013.

Memorial services will be held Sunday, December 8 at 2:30 p.m. at St. Marks United Methodist Church, Grants Ferry Road in Brandon The family will receive friends at the church prior to the memorial from 1 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. Wells Funeral Home has charge.

Jack retired from AT&T after a 47 year career.

He was a member of St. Marks United Methodist Church and active in the Ways and Means Sunday School class.

He is survived by his wife Teresa Gee Shields of 46 years, his sons Chadwick Shields and his wife Tracy of Fort Hood, Texas and Richard Shields and his wife Becka of Brandon; brothers H.M. Shields of Blair, Neb., Howard and Bobby Shields of Crowder and Elton Shields of Olive Branch and four grandchildren, Brandon Shields of Fairmont, WV and Jack, Sam and Emily Grace Shields of Brandon.

He was preceded in death by his sister Joyce Shields and his parents Edgar and Emma Shields of Crowder.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to be made to the American Heart Association P.O. Box 840692, Dallas, Texas 75284-0692. 

CLARKSDALE—Willie Mae Shields, 89, died Saturday, November 30, 2013, in Memphis.
Services were held Tuesday at National Funeral Home. Burial was in Meadow Gardens Cemetery.

Shields was a member of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Charles Lucious Shields Sr.

Survivors include: her daughter, Linda Sheilds Singletary of Batesville; one son, Charles Lucious Sheilds Jr. of Clarksdale and three grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to American Cancer Society.