Willie Earl Butler
BATESVILLE––Willie Earl Butler, 77, died Monday, December 29, 2014, at his residence.

Services were held Saturday at Mt. Gillion M.B. Church. Pastor Walter Newson officiated. Burial was in the church cemetery. Cooley’s Mortuary had charge.

Butler, born July 9, 1937, in Batesville, to the late Odell “Coon” Butler Sr. and Mattie Lou Adams Butler, attended Batesville High School. He was a retired technician at General Motors and a member of Mt. Gillion M.B. Church in Sardis where he was a deacon and handyman. He was a veteran of the United States Army and member of VFW #12121.

Survivors include: his wife, Margaret Johnson Butler; two sons, Darnell Butler of Dallas, Texas and Vernell Butler of Rockford, Ill.; four brothers, Edward C. Butler of Sardis, Jessie L. Butler of Batesville, Odell Butler Jr. and Arthur L. Butler, both of Chicago; three sisters, Mattie B. Spears, Juanita Emmons and Annie B. Perry, all of Sardis; seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Ethel Green Edmonds Ellis
SARDIS––Ethel Green Edmonds Ellis, 101, died Monday, December 29, 2014.

Services were held Saturday at Viney Creek Church. Burial was in the church cemetery. Henderson Funeral Home had charge.

Ellis, born Sept. 19, 1913, to the late Tony B. Edwards and Helen Pierrie, was a homemaker.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Leroy Ellis.

Survivors include: three sons, Horace Ellis, Bruce Ellis and Marshall Ellis; six daughters, Lenora Gilmore, Helen Johnson, Rubye Ellis, Frances Jerlene Jones, Barbara Ellis and Linda Bobo; one sister, Flossie Siggers of Salisbury, Md. and one brother, Edmonds of Hempstead, New York; 26 grandchildren; 46 great-grandchildren and 11 great-great-grandchildren. 

David Earl Davis
CHARLESTON–– David Earl Davis, 74, died Saturday, January 3, 2015 in Memphis.

Services will be held today at 2:00 p.m. at Kimbro Funeral Chapel with interment to follow at Magnolia Garden in Charleston.

Mr. Davis was an employee of Ray Crawford Farms in Lambert and a member of the Crowder Assembly of God Church.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Wilbert & Lucille Davis, daughter Dorothy Renee Davis.

He is survived by  his daughter Patricia Jones of Batesville; sons James Earl Davis of Batesville, Louis Davis of Oakland; brothers Marvin Davis of Water Valley and Dwight Davis of Sledge; four grandchildren and three great grandchildren. 

Jessie Mae Fletcher
SARDIS––Jessie Mae Fletcher, 96, died Tuesday, December 23, 2014, at her residence.

Services were held Saturday at Mt. Level M.B. Church in Como. Dr. Gerald Raybon officiated. Burial was in Mt. Level Cemetery. Eddie Robinson Funeral Home in Batesville had charge.

Fletcher, born June 5, 1918, in Como, to Lonnie Wilbourn and Ella Milan, was a homemaker and a member of St. Paul Spiritual Holy Temple in Memphis.

Survivors include: two daughters, Ella Harris and Rozetter Boyd, both of Memphis; two sons, Sylvester Sheare of Sardis and John Sheare of Memphis; 14 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren.

Hubert Hall
BATESVILLE––Hubert Hall, 65, died December 24, 2014, at Saint Francis Hospital in Memphis.

Services were held Friday at Cooley’s Mortuary. Pastor Harlen Harris officiated. Burial was in East Batesville Church of God in Christ Cemetery. Cooley’s Mortuary had charge.
Hall, born July 5, 1949, in Batesville, to Eddie Nero Hall and Plummber Ellis, attended Patton Lane High School and was a member of Power House Church of God.

Survivors include: five brothers, Archie Hall and Earl Hall, both of Chicago, Roger Hall of Memphis, Bruce Hall of Millington, Tenn. and Benjamin Hall of Batesville.

Krystal Eve Hodges
CLARKSDALE––Krystal Eve Hodges, 23, died Saturday, January 3, 2015 at Northwest Regional Medical Center in Clarksdale.

Funeral service will be held Thursday at 2 p.m. at Firendship East Baptist Church, located at 550 Friendship E Road near Charleston, with burial to follow in Bethel Cemetery in Enid. Visitation will be held from 5:00 -8:00 p.m. Wednesday, January 7, at Wells Funeral Home in Batesville and also one hour prior the service on Thursday at the church. The Reverend Ben Kennedy will be officiating.

She was born September 9, 1991, in Batesville.

Survivors include: her parents, Pamela Hodges Dennis and Clayton Dennis of Enid; grandmother, Jerline Hodges of Enid; and brother, George Dennis of Enid.

Gerald M. Mulhall
COMO––Gerald M. Mulhall, 90, died Thursday, December 25, 2014, at his residence.

Services were held Monday, Dec. 29, at Como United Methodist Church. Burial was in Friendship Cemetery in Como. Ray-Nowell Funeral Home in Senatobia Chapel had charge.
Mulhall, born Oct. 19, 1924, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to the late William Joseph Mulhall and Mathilde Thomas Mulhall, was a member of Como United Methodist Church where he was active with the choir. He was educated in England and was a part of “The Greatest Generation,” as a member of the British Royal Navy where he served on the H.M.S. Blencathra destroyer in World War II.

Survivors include: his wife of 63 years, Mildred Taylor Mulhall of Como; one daughter, Marie Mulhall Roome (Peter) of Portland, Ore.;  two sons, William Taylor Mulhall of Stamford, Conn. and John Gerald Mulhall of Como; and two grandchildren, Ashley Roome and Courtney Roome, both of Portland, Oreg.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to Como United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 277, Como, Miss. 38619.

Kimberly George Reaves
BATESVILLE––Kimberly George Reaves, 56, died Friday, January 2, 2015 at her residence.

Services will be held today at 10:00 a.m. at Wells Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will follow at Memorial Gardens in Clarksdale. Wells Funeral Home has charge.

Reaves, born October 22, 1958, in Minnesota to the late Dale Eugene and Kathryn Slat George, was a member of the First Baptist Church in Batesville, and has worked as a registered nurse for North Mississippi Regional Medical Center in Clarksdale, for many years.

Survivors include: her husband, Jim Reaves of Batesville; two daughters, Kristen Maxcy Jenkins of Batesville, Rebecca Maxcy McCachren of South Dakota; and three grandchildren.

The family request that memorial contributions be sent to Lea’s House, P.O. Box 4, Oakland, Miss. 38948.

Edward Donald Moore
RIDGELAND–– Edward Donald “Don” Moore, 91, formerly of Sardis, died December 28, 2014, at The Arbor in Ridgeland.

Services were held Saturday at Parkway Funeral Home on Highland Colony Parkway in Ridgeland. Burial was in Parkway Memorial Cemetery.

Moore was born to the late Benjamin and Luxora Moore, graduated from Sardis High School, served as a radio operator with the U.S. Army Air Corps in Burma during World War II, flying on C-47 cargo planes. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with two oak leaf clusters and the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters.

A graduate of the Jackson School of Law he worked for 28 years with Zurich-American Insurance Companies, before forming Mississippi American Life Insurance Company.  He was a charter member of Broadmoor Baptist Church and served as trustee, deacon, and Sunday School teacher. He was preceded in death by his wife, Doris and his son Don Moore.

Survivors include: his son, Alan  and his wife Julie of Jackson; daughter-in-law, Mary Moore, Jackson; five grandchildren, nine great grandchildren.

Alice Louise Rico
CROWDER––Alice Louise Winters Rico, 88, died Wednesday, December 31, 2014 at Tallahatchie General Hospital in Charleston.

Services were held Monday at Crowder Assembly of God Church. Burial was in Crowder Cemetery. Reverend Murphy Eubanks and Reverend Clay Pritchett officiated.

Ms. Rico was born November 13, 1926 in Essex to the late Alberry and Leona Turner Winters. She was a member of the Crowder Assembly of God Church. She worked 15 years for the Hosiery Mill and then Panola Mills for 10 years. She was preceded in death by her husband, Anderson Richard Rico and son, Garland Lee Rico.

Survivors include: two daughters, Patricia Rico Keeton of Batesville; Jackie Rico Shaw of Batesville; son, Richard Anderson Rico Jr. of Pope; nine grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to Crowder Assembly of God Church, P.O. Box 187, Crowder, MS 38622.

Isaac E. Sayle
CHARLESTON––Isaac E. Sayle, 94, died Saturday, January 3, 2014.

Services were held Monday at First Presbyterian Church in Charleston. Burial was in Charleston Cemetery. Newsom Funeral Home had charge.

Sayle was a WWII veteran, was founder and president of Sayle Oil Company and a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Charleston.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 59 years, Sue Whitten Sayle and his great-grandchildren, John Wesson Sayle and Ann Whitten Sayle.

Survivors include: his daughter, Linda Allison of Charleston; sons, Ike and Elaine Sayle of Charleston and Johnny and Jennifer Sayle of Oxford; 12 grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

Memorials may be made to the Family Life Center of the First Presbyterian Church in Charleston.