Dixie L. Abbey

SARDIS– Dixie L. Abbey, 94, died Friday, August 7, 2009, at Sardis Community Nursing Home.

Services were Sunday at Peach Creek Baptist Church. Burial was in the church cemetery. Rev. Bobby Caples officiated. Ray Nowell Funeral Home had charge.

Abbey, born Nov. 13, 1914, to the late Roger Williams Armes and Ethel Woodruff Armes, was an English teacher in Mississippi before moving to El Paso, Texas to teach. She retired from teaching in the 1970s and was a member of Peach Creek Baptist Church.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Julian Abbey.

She is survived by one brother, Don Armes of Sardis.

James W. Appleton

SARDIS— James W. Appleton, 74, died Wednesday, August 5, 2009, at Baptist East Hospital.

Services were Saturday at the First Baptist Church in Sardis with Rev. Bruce Jolly, Rev. Howard Beam and Hal Johnson officiating. Burial was in Rose Hill Cemetery in Sardis. Ray-Nowell Funeral Home had charge.

Appleton, born Sept. 3, 1934, to the late James Arnold Appleton and the late Mary Martin Appleton in Lafayette, was a member of the First Baptist Church in Sardis, where he served as Deacon, Sunday school director, Sunday school teacher, a member of the Men’s II class and the Brotherhood. He was also a Gideon.

He served as the District I Justice Court Judge for 10 consecutive terms, being first elected in 1972, and was the longest serving Justice Court Judge in the state of Mississippi. He was recently honored having the new justice court facility and Sardis Police Department building bearing his name. He also served through the years as Municipal Judge for the City of Sardis, Town of Como and Town of Crenshaw.

Prior to being a judge he was a butcher starting out as a young man at Kroger store, then working for the Piggly Wiggly and Silver Saver stores, both in Sardis. He was active with the Job Corps, volunteered and joined many community clubs and organizations.

He was a longtime volunteer fireman and former fire chief. He was a former member of the Sardis Lions Club and was active in the little league baseball program. He was a former member of the Sardis Rotary Club serving as its president in 1990.

He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Emily Price Appleton; one daughter, Sandra Sturniollo and her husband, Richard of Greenwood; one granddaughter, Amanda Sturniollo; two brothers, Richard Appleton and Winfred Appleton, both of Batesville; and two sisters, Maxine Perkins of Washington, Ill., and Patricia Segars of Batesville.

David Ludurl Daugherty

BATESVILLE­­—­­ David Ludurl Daugherty, 74, died Saturday, August 8, 2009.

Services will be held today at 2 p.m. at Wells Funeral Home. Burial will be held in Forrest Memorial Park. Rev. Charles Locke will officiate. Wells Funeral Home has charge.

Daugherty, born May 21, 1935, in Calhoun County to the late Vessie Lee and Ester Maybell Shepherd Daugherty, was a retired heavy equipment operator and member of Courtland Baptist Church. He was also a U.S. Army veteran.

Survivors include: his wife, Marcia F. Daugherty of Batesville; two sons, David Wayne Daugherty and Bobby Ludurl Daugherty, both of Batesville; two brothers, Jessie Edward Daugherty of Courtland, Jimmy Fred Daugherty of Sardis; two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Johnny C. Griffis

SARDIS­­—­­ Johnny C. Griffis, 68, died Friday, August 7, 2009.

Services were Sunday at Wells Funeral Home. Burial was in Blackjack Cemetery. Wells Funeral Home had charge.

Griffis, born Oct. 29, 1940, in Panola, to Emma Jean Sorrells Griffis and the late Leland Gayle Griffis, was a retired car salesman for Nichols Ford in Senatobia.

Survivors include: his wife, Ann Hopper Griffis of Sardis; four daughters, Angie Sewell of Greenville, Vicki Mitchell of Greenville, Felicia Steen of Olive Branch, Wendy Wheeler of Lake St. Louis; two sons, Johnny C. Griffis Jr. of Oxford, Steve Weaver of Senatobia; his mother, Emma Jean Sorrells Griffis of Sardis; one sister, Carolyn Gayle Lusk of Germantown; one brother, Mark Thomas Griffis of Southaven; 15 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Funeral services for former Panola County District Two Supervisor Bill Knox will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at First United Methodist Church in Crenshaw with burial to follow in Longtown Cemetery.

Visitation will be held Tuesday from 5-8 p.m. at C.O. Pate Funeral Home in Senatobia and prior to the funeral at 1p.m. at the church in Crenshaw.

A complete obituary can be viewed at panolian.com or in Friday’s edition of The Panolian.

SARDIS­­—­­ William E. “Bill” Mothershed, 70, died Wednesday, August 5, 2009, at Tri-Lakes Medical Center.

Services were Friday at Ray-Nowell Funeral Home Chapel in Sardis. Rev. Kenny White and Rev. Ed Spencer officiated. Burial was in Peach Creek Cemetery. Ray-Nowell Funeral Home  had charge.

Mothershed, born Jan. 17, 1939, in Sardis, to the late Henry Virgil Mothershed and Martha Luvenia Styers Mothershed, was a member of Pleasant Grove Methodist Church and a former member of the Mississippi National Guard. He was an ag pilot and crop duster.

Survivors include: his wife, Valera Ann Welch Mothershed; three sons, Kenneth Edward Mothershed, William Keith Mothershed and Shane Rose, all of Sardis; three sisters, Robbie Gooch of Hernando, Louise Harmon of Arlington, Tenn. and Mary Wright of Decatur, Ala. and three grandchildren.

SARDIS­­—­­ Annie Lee Dean Potts, 72, died Friday, August 7, 2009, at Sardis Nursing Home.

Services were Monday at Dickins Funeral Home. Burial was in Flag Lake Baptist Church Cemetery in Sarah. Dickins Funeral Home had charge.

Potts, born April 3, 1937, to the late Robert Lee Dean and the late Della King Dean, was a homemaker.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Olis Potts.

Survivors include: one daughter, Deana Gonzalez of Sardis; two sisters, Betty Boling of Sarah and Jeanette Hentz of Collinsville, Ill.; two brothers, Billy Dean of Sardis and Tommy Dean of Crenshaw; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Doyle Carlton Ridgeway

BATESVILLE—Doyle Carlton Ridgeway, 81, died Saturday, August 8, 2009, at Beverly Nursing Home in Batesville.

Services will be held at 11 a.m. today at Dickins Funeral Home with visitation at 10 a.m. Michael Bates and Robert Rawson will officiate. Dickins Funeral Home has charge.

Ridgeway, born May 14, 1928, to the late James Avery Ridgeway Sr. and the late Fannie Elizabeth Wise Ridgeway, was a mechanic and a member of the Batesville Church of Christ.

Survivors include: two sons, Donnie Ridgeway of Bristol, Conn. and Robin Linn Ridgeway of Alabama,  three brothers James Avery Ridgeway Jr. of North Carolina and Ronald Marvin Ridgeway of Batesville and Leon Ridgeway of Courtland.

ENID—Billy Ray Darby, 59, died Thursday, August 6, 2009.

Graveside services were Sunday at Bethel Cemetery in Enid. Wells Funeral Home had charge.

Darby was born Oct. 4, 1949, in Enid, to Billy Wylie and Hazel Melton Darby.

Survivors include: his wife, Sylvia Morrow Darby of Enid; one daughter, Carol Ann Ayala of Southaven; three sons, Billy Clay Darby and wife, Angela of Memphis, Chuck Darby and wife Shelley of Enid and David Darby and wife Kymberly of Horn Lake; his mother, Hazel Melton Darby; three sisters, Sue Smith of Pope, Kathleen Wilson of Alton, Mo., T.J. Darby of Alton, Mo. and four grandchildren.