TAYLOR– Jeffrey O’Neal Booker, 27, died Friday, August 10, 2012.

Services will be held Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at T.O.M.B. located at 20 Hwy. 334, Oxford, with visitation held today from 1 p.m. – 7 p.m. at Serenity Martin Chapel. Pastor Jamuel Johnson will officiate. Burial will be in Yocona Cemetery in Taylor. Serenity Martin Funeral Home has charge.

Survivors include: his mother, Bennette Brown Wadley and his father, Eddie L. Booker of Taylor; four children, Nariyah Booker, Chyna Morgan, Takiah Booker and Shaniah Sample; two brothers, Eddie Antonio Booker of Taylor and Eric L. Booker of Batesville.

SLEDGE- Deley Smith Bowles, 69, widow of Charles Laverne Bowles, died Monday, August 13, 2012, at her home in Sledge.

Services were held Thursday at Wells Funeral Home. Rev. Matt Hill officiated. Burial was in Peachcreek Cemetery near Sardis. Wells Funeral Home had charge.

Bowles, born April 7, 1943, in Batesville, to the late Clarence and Mattie Lee Thetford Smith, was a retired cashier for Wal-Mart in Clarksdale and a member of Immanuel Baptist Church in the Curtis Locke Station community.

She was preceded in death by one son: Richard Bowles.

Survivors include: Cynthia Bowles Stephens of Sledge, Pammie Bowles Dogan of Enid; two sisters, Linda Mae Smith Fox of Batesville, Joann Smith Allred of Oxford; one brother, Mack Smith of Batesville; six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

LAMBERT–  Sandra Kay Casey, 59, died Monday, August 13, 2012, at her residence.

Memorial services were held Wednesday at Wells Funeral Home. Rev. Murphy Eubanks officiated. Wells Funeral Home had charge.

Casey, born Feb. 7, 1953, to the late Lonnie and Dorothy Vernice Tutor Haire, was an assistant manager of Wal-Mart for 25 years.

Survivors include: one daughter, Tammie Kay Dickerson of Santa Rosa, Fla.; two sons, Ronny Gaddy of Oxford, Donny Gaddy of Clarksdale; seven sisters, Marie Whitt of Greenville, Pearl Miller of Benton, N.C., Louise Swindle of Crowler, Texas, Shirley Eads of Crowder, Linda Willis of Crowder, Paula Gilson of Crowder, Judy White of Enid; one brother, Benny Haire of Canton and nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

SARDIS – Martha Elizabeth Douglas, widow of James Douglas, died Sunday, August 12, 2012, at Golden Living Center in Batesville.  She was 88.

Services will be held Saturday, August 18, at noon at Cedar Grove M.B. Church in Como with burial in the church cemetery. Felix Cauthen Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

She was a chief usher, mother board and treasurer at Cedar Grove.  She was a custodian at North Panola High School.     

Survivors include her daughter, Dorothy Taylor of Sardis; four grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren and 20 great-great-grandchildren.

Born the second of three daughters to Marshall Ellis of Sardis,  and Birdia Ellis (deceased) of Batesville, LaShonda K. Ellis began her life in January 1972, and departed this life on August 6, 2012.

La”Shonda” grew up on Viney Creek Road, in Sardis. While attending Batesville schools from elementary to high school, she was a proud member of the South Panola Jr. High and South Panola High School bands. At R.S. Central High School in Rutherfordton, NC, LaShonda completed her high school studies and was a part of the band, color guard, and homecoming court.

LaShonda graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a degree in finance and worked professionally in the areas of accounting and finance. Talented in arts and crafts, LaShonda shared her talents through her generosity of gift giving.

 LaShonda is the granddaughter of Leroy Ellis (deceased) and Ethel Ellis both of Sardis and Will E. Robertson, Sr. (deceased) and Birdia L. Robertson both of Batesville. She has two sisters, Stephanie (Brian) Ellis-Gibbs and Monika Ellis, nieces and nephews (Briana, Hannah, Spencer, and Marshall Ellis-Gibbs), several aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends who will miss her smile and presence greatly.

LaShonda’s homegoing services were held on August 11, 2012 at Brown Missionary Baptist Church in Memphis, TN where she was a member. A repast followed at the Batesville Civic Center in Batesville.
MJ Edwards Funeral Home of Memphis had charge.

BATESVILLE – Mamie Lucille Tidwell Goforth, 93, died Sunday, August 12, 2012, at her residence.

Services were held Tuesday, August 14, in the chapel of Dickins Funeral Home in Batesville. Burial was in Mt. Olivet Cemetery. Dickins Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Goforth was a member of the Batesville First United Methodist Church for 60 years. She was a member of the Truth Seekers Sunday school class. Survivors include three daughters, Norma Jean Hudson (Walter Tubbs) of Batesville, Mary Ann Parham of Amory and Judy Goforth Mahan of Drew; two sons, Harold Lee Goforth of Jackson, Tenn. and Jimmy Horace Goforth of Sardis; one brother, Robert Milton Tidwell of Richland; nine grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.

BATESVILLE– Bobby Ray Jones Sr., 61, died Sunday, August 12, 2012. Services were held Wednesday at Dickins Funeral Home. Burial was in Eureka Cemetery. Ray Nowell Funeral Home had charge.

Jones, born to the late L.D. Jones and Mary Alice Burt Jones, was was a member of Camp Ground Baptist Church.

He was preceded in death by one son, Bobby Ray Jones Jr.

Survivors include: his wife, Cheryl Darlene Cosby Jones of Courtland; three sons, Brandon Jared “BJ” Jones of Courtland, Cody Channing Jones of Batesville and Joshua Ray Jones of Courtland; three brothers, Billy Jones, Jerry Jones and Ricky Jones, all of Water Valley and five grandchildren.

OXFORD – Mr. Francis Gerard McGirr died Wednesday, August 8, 2012, at his residence. He was 75.

Graveside services were held Tuesday, August 14, at Rose Hill Cemetery in Sardis.  Rev. Danya Goff officiated. Ray-Nowell Funeral Home in Sardis was in charge of arrangements.

McGirr was born September 21, 1936 in Belfast, Northern Ireland to Francis McGirr and Mary Devlin McGirr. He was plant manager for Toro Manufacturing.

He was preceded in death by his son, Terence McGirr. Survivors include his wife, Betty McGirr of Oxford; one daughter, Brenda Davis of VanCleave and one granddaughter, Katrian Davis of Atlanta, Ga.
The family requests memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis.
Survivors include his wife, Ginger Faye Rogers Smith of Marks, one daughter, Cheryl Smith Steele of Estill Springs, Tenn.; one stepdaughter, Michelle Hawkins Biggers of Millington, Tenn.; three sons, A.C. Smith, Jr. of Marks, Glenn Smith of Yorkville, Ill., and Marty Smith of Oswego, Ill.; one stepson, Ken Hawkins of Houston, Texas; one sister, Betty Smith Thompson of Adamsville, Tenn.; 14 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.

INDIANA –  James Ronald “Ron” Mills, 48, formerly of Batesville, died Sunday, August 5, 2012, in Spearfish, S.D.

Services were held Tuesday at Erlewein Mortuary in Greenfield, Ind. Burial was at New Palestine Cemetery.

Mills, born July 2, 1964, in Batesville, was a carpenter and superintendent for MaDougal Pierce for five years. He attended Brookville Road Community Church. He enjoyed riding his motorcycle and watching Nascar.

Survivors include: his father and step-mother, James and Shirley Mills of Batesville; mother and step-father, Martha and Robert Morita of Beaver Creek, Ohio; one daughter, Candace Mills of Las Vegas; brothers, Mike Mills of New Palestine, Ind. Tony Wright and Jason Mills and sisters, Lisa C. Petty of Indianapolis, Crystal Keating of Atlanta, Clara Wright, Tammy Griffin and Vanessa Mill.

BATESVILLE – Mary Ellen Nelson, widow of Willie Ray Nelson, died Friday, August 10, 2012, at her residence. She was 82.

Services were held Monday, at Independence Presbyterian Church with burial in Batesville Magnolia Cemetery.

Dr. Douglas Sullivan-Gonzalez officiated. Dickins Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Pallbearers were Jim Hannaford, Chris Hannaford, Steve Hannaford, Drew Martin, Jerry Joyner, Blane Joyner and Kaleb Joyner. Honorary pallbearer was W.J. Hannaford.

Mrs. Nelson was born August 11, 1929, in Batesville to the late Henry Ellen Covington and Eunice Christine Waldrup Covington. She was a member of the Independence Presbyterian Church and lifelong member of the Presbyterian Women’s Group. She enjoyed sewing, painting and working in her flowers.  Mrs. Nelson had been a member of the Independence Homemakers Club and was owner of the Humpty Dumpty Daycare where the children called her “Nanny.” She graduated from Pope School and was also a homemaker.

Survivors include two daughters, Judy Nelson Martin and Jan Nelson Hannaford (James), both of Batesville; one brother, James Covington (Maxine) of Batesville; five grandchildren, Tina Martin Joyner (Jerry), Drew Martin, Chris Hannaford (Tracy), Jim Hannaford (Tracy) and Steve Hannaford (Angela); eight great-grandchildren, Blane Joyner, Kaleb Joyner, Sydney Claire Hannaford, Chaney Beth Hannaford, Sara Henri Hannaford, Katlyn Hannaford, W.J. Hannaford and Brittany Jones (Cody) and two great-great-grandchildren, Layton Jones and Rileigh Jones.

The family requests memorial contributions may be made to Independence Presbyterian Church Scholarship Fund, 10700 Hwy 35 South, Batesville, MS 38606 or the National Parkinson’s Foundation.