BATESVILLE––Ernestine Houser Drake, 86, died Friday, February 8, 2008, at Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi. She moved to Batesville over 60 years ago.

Services were Sunday at First Baptist Church. Dr. Greg Johnston officiated. Burial was in Magnolia Cemetery. Dickins Funeral Home had charge.

Drake, born July 10, 1921, in Blevins, Ark., to the late Ernest and Inez Houser, was a member of First Baptist Church and Fellowship Life Sunday School Class. Prior to retirement, she was a long time employee at the Panola County Courthouse.

She was preceded in death by her husband, John T. Drake.

Survivors include: three sons, John and wife, Debbie of Ocean Springs, Bill and wife Joy of Batesville and Lee and wife, Barbara of Hattiesburg; two sisters, June Milstead of Sacramento, Calif. and Joella Leggins of Woodland, Calif.; and seven grandchildren, Thurston, Anna Katherine and Meredith of Ocean Springs, Woody and Haley of Batesville and Hayden and Hannah of Hattiesburg.

The family requests that memorials be made to First Baptist Church in Batesville.

SARDIS––David Allen Dunnigan, 60, died Thursday, February 7, 2008, at Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi.

Services are today at 1 p.m. at St. Matthew M.B. Church in Sardis. Rev. Clifton Ward will officiate. Visitation will be today noon – 1 p.m. at St. Matthew M.B. Church. Burial will be in Rose Hill Cemetery in Sardis. Cooley’s Mortuary has charge.

Dunnigan, born June 11, 1947, in Sardis, to the late Eugene Dunnigan II and Mahila Lee Dunnigan, was a member of St. Matthew M.B. Church. He was also a veteran of the U.S. Army.

Survivors include: his wife, Bernice Dunnigan of Sardis; three daughters, Kayla Dunnigan and Courtney Dunnigan, both of Sardis and Erika Stanford of Batesville; two sons, Nicholas Dunnigan of Memphis and Johnathan Dunnigan of Sardis; two sisters, Edna Bruce of Batesville and Joann Fayne of Memphis; five brothers, Harry Dunnigan , Samuel Dunnigan, and Willie Harris, all of Sardis, Donald Dunnigan of Chicago, Ill. and Benard Garrett of Como and three grandchildren.

OAKLAND, Tenn.––Mary Margaret Wright Trotter, 99, died Wednesday, February 6, 2008, at the home of her son, Thomas R. Trotter and wife, Robbie of Batesville.

Services were Saturday at Peebles West Funeral Chapel in Oakland, Tenn. Rev. John Stewart of Oxford officiated. Burial was in the Oakland Cemetery. Peebles Funeral Home had charge.

Trotter, born Nov. 2, 1908, in Memphis, to the late Robert Wright and Ethel Tucker Wright, was educated in the Shelby County public school system and was married Jan. 27, 1927, to Thomas Howard Trotter of Oakland, who preceded her in death in 1986.

She was a homemaker and a member of the Lambert Community Church and the Fayette County Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star. Mrs. Trotter was one of the oldest members of her community at the time of her death and remained independent living on her own home until recently moving to Batesville to reside with her son and daughter-in-law.

She was preceded in death by her sons, John H. Trotter and Robert K. Trotter.

Survivors along with her son and daughter-in-law include: her children, Linelle Huddin of Chiloquin, Oreg. and T.H. Trotter of Marion, Texas; 19 grandchildren; 28 great-grandchildren and 34 great-great-grandchildren.

The family requests that memorials be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.

BATESVILLE––Ludie Ray Breazeale Wardlaw, 89, died Thursday, February 7, 2008, at Tri-Lakes Medical Center.

Services were Saturday at First United Methodist Church. Jerry Parker, John Howell Jr. and Ed Woodall officiated. Burial was in Magnolia Cemetery. Wells Funeral Home had charge.

Mrs. Wardlaw, born Feb. 1, 1919, to the late Lula Lucinda Burchfield and Charles Milton Breazeale in Attala County, was a member of First United Methodist Church and was the former owner of Piggly Wiggly.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Milton C. Wardlaw.

Survivors include: two daughters, Janice Faye Dulany and husband, Charlie of Batesville and Olive Ruth Parker and husband, Jerry, of Jonesboro, Ark.; one son, Buz Wardlaw and wife, Judy, of Batesville; three sisters, Beatrice Breazeale Bailey of Kosciusko; Jewell Breazeale Brown of Jackson and Clara Breazeale Childress of Roswell, Ga.; six grandchildren, Chuck Johnson and wife, Kay; Paige Aleman and husband, Roy; Jeff Parker, Mitt Wardlaw and wife, Kerri; Jenny Bailey and husband, Brad and Woodman Berry and husband, Scott; nine great-grandchildren, Calin Taffer, Noe Aleman, Jack Aleman, Joseph Aleman, Gabi Aleman, Rebekah Bailey, Matthew Johnson, Karis Wardlaw and Ansley Wardlaw and three special friends and caregivers, Mary Market, Minnie Freeman and Alice Smith.

Memorials may be sent to First United Methodist Church, French Camp Academy, or Gideons International.