Published: October 23, 2007 12:14 am            

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Jerry L. Luke

Retired



Services for Jerry L. Luke will be held today at 11 a.m. at Chunky Baptist Church with the Revs. Wayne Campbell and Curtis Guess officiating. Burial will be in the Chunky Cemetery. Barham Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Luke, 70, of Chunky, died Saturday, Oct. 20, 2007, at University of Alabama Birmingham Medical Center. He was a member of Chunky Baptist Church. He was a retired rural route mail carrier in the Chunky area. He was president of the Pine Forest Hunting Club. He will be remembered as a loving husband, father and grandfather.

Survivors include his wife, Johnnie Jean Flake Luke of Chunky; children, Mike Luke and his wife, Christie, and Tena Gressett and her husband, Billy, and Jeremy Luke and his wife, Carrie, all of Chunky, Vonda Rowzee and her husband, Robert, of Newton; grandchildren, Hannah Gressett, Jordy Luke, Casey Rowzee, Jess Luke and Maggie Luke; a sister, Sarah Holder and her husband, Bill, of Pascagoula; several nieces and nephews and special friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Chester and Velma Luke and a brother, Wayne Luke.

Memorials may be made to Chunky Baptist Church or to the Gideon’s.

Pallbearers will be Jordy Luke, Jess Luke, Bobby Anderson, Stan Nelson, Randy Freeman, Johnny Ferguson, John Robert Williamson and Tyler Thomas.

Visitation will be today one hour prior to the service at the church.



Melba Jean Watkins

Homemaker



PHILADELPHIA — Services for Melba Jean Watkins will be held today at 2 p.m. at John E. Stephens Chapel with the Rev. John Stephens officiating. Burial will be in Mt. Bethel Cumberland Presbyterian Cemetery.

Mrs. Watkins, 85, of Philadelphia, died Sunday, Oct. 21, 2007, at Laird Hospital in Union.

Survivors include her daughters, Mildred Brewer, Brenda Fedrick, and Diane Kelley; sons, Rayford Watkins and Billy Watkins; three sisters; 15 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.



Julia Whittlesey Neuhauser

Homemaker



YORK, Ala. — Graveside services for Julia Whittlesey Neuhauser will be held today at 3 p.m. at Brewersville Cemetery with the Rev. Billy Hilliard officiating. Bumpers Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Neuhauser, 73, of Livingston, died Sunday, Oct. 21, 2007, in her home.

Survivors include her husband, Tom Neuhauser; daughters, Roberta Bailey, Carrie Sims and Marion Switzer; nine grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her son.



Blannie Mae Cooper



Graveside services for Blannie Mae Cooper will be held Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. at Kiwanee Cemetery. Barham Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Cooper, of Meridian, died Monday, Oct. 22, 2007, at Columbus, Ga.

Visitation will be Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. at the funeral home.



Nina Culpepper

Retired



UNION — Services for Nina Culpepper will be held Wednesday at 1 p.m. at Milling Funeral Home Chapel with the Revs. George Felton and Ralin Williams officiating. Burial will be in Cedar Lawn Cemetery.

Ms. Culpepper, 83, died Sunday, Oct. 21, 2007, at Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center.

Survivors include her daughters, Linda Williams and Barbara Culpepper; sons, Thomas Culpepper Jr. and Gregory Culpepper; six grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; one sister and one brother.

She was preceded in death by her husband.

Visitation will be Wednesday from 11 a.m. until service time at the funeral home.



Era I. Massey



Graveside services for Era I. Massey will be held Wednesday at 2 p.m. at Forest Lawn Cemetery with the Rev. Cory Stott officiating. Barham Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Massey, 81, of Meridian, died Monday, Oct. 22, 2007, at Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center.

Survivors include her husband, Bert Massey of Meridian; a daughter, Linda Massey Bruister and her husband, Herb, of Meridian; a granddaughter, Katie Bruister.

Visitation will be Wednesday one hour prior to the service at the funeral home.



Mary Ruth Dallis Walters

Retired Social Security Administration employee



Services for Mary Ruth Dallis Walters will be held Thursday at 10 a.m. at Barham Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Paul Roller officiating. Burial will be in Pine Grove Baptist Church Cemetery in the House Community.

Mrs. Walters, 75, of Meridian, died Monday, Oct. 22, 2007, at Poplar Springs Nursing Center.

Visitation will be Wednesday from 5 p.m.- 7 p.m. at the funeral home.



Albert Love

Laborer



Services for Albert “Toby” Love will be held Thursday at 2 p.m. at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in DeKalb with the Rev. Jesse Townsel officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery. E.E. McDonald Community Chapel is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Love, 68, of Meridian, died Saturday, Oct. 20, 2007, in his home.

He was preceded in death by his parents and four siblings.

Visitation will be Wednesday from 6 p.m.- 7 p.m. at the community chapel and Thursday one hour prior to the service at the church.



Margaret A. Wagner



Services for Margaret A. “Peggy” Wagner will be held Saturday at 11:30 a.m. at Barham Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will be in Forest Lawn Cemetery.

Ms. Wagner, 58, of Meridian, died Saturday, Oct. 20, 2007, at Rush Foundation Hospital.

Visitation will be Friday from 5 p.m.- 8 p.m. at the funeral home.



Mary Ann Elizabeth Moore Ethridge



Services for Mary Ann Elizabeth Moore Ethridge were held Saturday at Barham Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Greg Massey officiating. Burial was in Forest Lawn Cemetery.

Mrs. Ethridge, 98, of Meridian, died Thursday, Oct. 18, 2007, at Poplar Springs Nursing Center. She was born in Neshoba County to William Ellis and Clarinda Sikes Moore. She attended elementary school at both Laurel Hill and Edinburg and finished the 10th grade at Laurel Hill and the 11th and 12th grades at Leake County Agricultural High School in Carthage in 1929.

Mrs. Ethridge moved to Meridian in 1931, and worked at different manufacturing plants until 1942. After World War II began, she took a course in airplane repair at Nashville, Tenn. from the fall of 1942 through March 1943. She repaired airplanes at Key Field during the war and earned awards for inventing a tool box and other items which were beneficial to the government and saved money by their usage.

After the war ended, she worked as a cashier at a business in Meridian. She worked in a bakery, decorating party and wedding cakes. She would decorate cakes in the design of a ship, a plane or whatever was requested for Meridian Naval Air Station. She retired in 1972 but still received calls for her cake decorating artistry for many years.

She owned and operated an apartment house and lived in one of the apartments since the 1940’s.

Survivors include her sisters, Opal Moore Mitchell of Meridian, Masie Moore Winstead of Gulfport, Mazine Moore Winstead and her husband, Elmo, of Philadelphia; brothers, Windell H. Moore of Cedar Grove N.C. and Mason T. Moore of Philadelphia; nieces and nephews, Keith Tingle, Susan Moore, Patricia Clay, Virginia Wadsworth, Carolyn Moore, Thomas Moore, Gerald Mitchell, Tommy Moore, Grant Moore, Susan Murray, Robbin Moore, Mason Moore Jr., Jane Grubbs, Jeanette Mullinax, Allen Winstead, Helen Juneau, David Winstead, Claire Kovac, James Winstead, Tim Winstead and Ann Nadine Tingle Lila; and a sister-in-law, Frances Hardage Moore.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Walter E. Ethridge; parents, William Ellis and Clarinda Sikes Moore; sister, Fannie Lee Moore Tingle; brothers, Cornelius N. Moore and Jimmy W. Moore; brothers-in-law, Tom Ben Tingle, Ellis Mitchell and Bert Winstead; sisters-in-law, Evelyn Houlk Moore, Margaret Chaney Moore and Sybil Moore; nephews, Tom Kermit Tingle, John Mark Winstead and Jimmy Francis Moore.

Pallbearers were Keith Tingle, Thomas Moore, Gerald Mitchell, Allen Winstead, David Winstead and Elmo Winstead.

        

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