Obituaries
Flora Smith
Flora N. Smith
The funeral service for Mrs. Flora N. Smith will be held on Wednesday, April 17, 2019 at Little Bahala Baptist Church at 11:00 a.m. There will be a visitation on Tuesday from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at Riverwood Family. Bro. Bendon Ginn and Bro. Douglas Clark will officiate and interment will follow in the church cemetery.
“Our sweet, precious mama had many extraordinary gifts. Gifts that could have been overlooked, but these gifts weren’t overlooked by the many souls that she touched.
Mama was a lover of people and a fixer of broken wings. Mama listened with her heart, not her ears. Mama was the best friend that a friend could have.
Our daddy and mama gave us the gift of seeing what a true life love story looked like. Theirs was a life spent honoring, supporting, cherishing, fishing, hunting, and loving one another without abandon and for all of the world to see.
Mama’s grands and great-grands were the light of her life and in turn, their “Granny” was the light of theirs. Mama’s life long desire, even into her last days, was that ALL would know the healing power of Jesus Christ and the gift of His eternal salvation. Thank you Lord for the blessing of our Mama and praise Jesus for taking her into your Kingdom.”
Flora N. Smith, age 85 and a resident of Wesson, went to be with her Lord on April 14, 2019. She was born on November 16, 1933 to J.O. and Willie Hutson in Natchez, MS. Mrs. Flo was involved in many different clubs and activities, including the Lads and Lassies H-H Club, Homemakers Club, Quilters Club, Troll Mates, and a founding member of the Magnolia Crappie Club. She was a loving, caring and dedicated wife, mother, grandmother and friend who will be dearly missed by all of those who had the privilege of knowing her.
She is preceded in death by her parents; brother, Sam Goings; sister, Patsy Gaskin; and great-grandsons, Mason and Matthew Sanders.
Those left to cherish her memory are her loving husband of 67 years, Alfred “A.E.” Smith; daughter, Jean Smith Sanders; sons, Leslie Smith and wife Lois, James Smith and wife Margaret, Larry Smith and wife Cheryl; brother, Jerry Goings. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Michael Sanders (Elisha), Mark Sanders (Misty), Courtney Boutwell (Kevin), Drew Smith (Kerri), Erin Rhoden (Garry), Cara Purdue (Matt), Trey Cathey (Rebecca), Paige Polk, BreAnna Davis, and Derrick Sebren, as well as 25 great-grandchildren; sister-in-laws, Edouida Smith and Valerie Smith, and a host of nieces, nephews, and friends.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to Little Bahala Cemetery at P.O. Box 55, Wesson, MS 39191 or to Gideons International at P.O. Box 1106, Brookhaven, MS 39602. The family would like to extend a special thanks to Kathy Boswell, Helen Woods, Deaconess Home Health, Dr. Ed Moak, Dr. Ruth Fredericks, Dr. Phillip Ley, Dr. Al Johnson, Madina Dixon, Dr. David Muholland, and Dr. Ronald Delrie.
Annie Belle Roberts
Mrs. Annie Belle Walls Roberts, 99, a resident of Brookhaven, MS went to be with the Lord April 14, 2019 at the Beehive in Brookhaven. She was born on May 19, 1919 to Archie and Ola Walls of Brookhaven.
Annie Belle was preceded in death by her parents, her beloved husband, Hollis Roberts, two brothers, Lamar Walls and William Archie Walls Jr., two sisters, Bessie Castilaw and Ruth Williams.
She is survived by her sons; Billy (Peggy) of Clinton, MS, Reggie (Mary Ann) of Gonzales, LA, Glenn (Reba)of Brookhaven, MS, eight grandchildren, eighteen great grandchildren, and seven great-great grandchildren. She is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews and other extended family members.
Annie Belle was a long-time member of Wellman Baptist Church and then Victory Baptist Church. She was an active member of the Sunday School and the WMU, until she went to live at the Beehive Assisted living facility.
Visitation will be at Riverwood Family Funeral Services on Tuesday, April 16, 2019 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., funeral service will be Wednesday, April 17, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. at Riverwood Family with burial at Wellman Baptist Church Cemetery.
Memorials may be made to Victory Baptist Church or Wellman Baptist Church Cemetery Fund.
Don Driskell
Memorial service for Donald Grady Driskell will be 11:00 a.m., Monday, April 15, 2019, First Baptist Church, Brookhaven. Memorial gathering will be from 9:00 until time of service.
Donald Grady Driskell, 86, of Brookhaven, passed from this life April 12, 2019, at University of Mississippi Medical Center, in Jackson, MS. He was born August 14, 1932, to John Grady Driskell and Annie D. Perkins Driskell. He was a Financial Advisor for Edward Jones and formerly Executive Vice President of First Federal Savings and Loan. Don served his country in the United States Army as a Captain. He was past president of the National USM Alumni Association, and elected to USM Hall of Fame and an active member of the community, serving on the Board of Trustees of the Brookhaven Separate School District as well as serving as past president of the Brookhaven/Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce, past chairman of Industrial Development Foundation, and past chairman of Mississippi Savings and Loan League Legislative Committee. Donald was a faithful member of First Baptist Church in Brookhaven, serving as deacon and Sunday School officer. He was loyal to his family whom he loved and served well as husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather. He will be greatly missed by all who loved him.
He is preceded in death by his parents.
Those left to cherish his memory are his wife of 64 years, Marilyn Roper Driskell and children, Blair Driskell and Jennifer Schoenhurst, Glenn and Vickie Driskell, Bill and Leslie Ashford, Bruce and Jill Black, and Dan and Rachel Spivey; one sister, Carreen Bolen; and brother-in-law, Bob Roper.
He is also survived by his 15 grandchildren, Ryan, Matthew, and Marielle Driskell, Hannah and Russ Butts, Caroline and Hunter Harrison, Alford Driskell, Daniel Ashford, Madeline, Harrison, and Carlisle Porter, Lydia and Barnabas Spivey, Mary Liz Black, Emily and Tye Warren, John Clay and Cerissa Ashford; and five great grandchildren, Kaylee and Jordan Ashford, Noah and Elle Warren, and Chloe Mathews.
Memorials may be made to Blair Batson Children’s Hospital, 2500 N State St. Jackson, MS 39216; First Baptist Church, Brookhaven, 200 E Monticello St, Brookhaven, MS 39601, or The Cornerstone Foundation, 9032 Woolmarket Rd, Biloxi, MS 39523
Eunice Marie Roth Persick
Brookhaven, MS. She was Born August 2l, 1923 to Agnes Greely Roth and Louis Boissac Roth Sr.
She is Survived by her daughters Evelyn Efferson (Carroll), Julie Persick McCulloch, Patti
Alderman {Tommy}. Nine grandchildren Rusty Efferson (Charmaine}, Leslie Yellott {Robbie},
Steve Efferson {Katie}, Jamie Berthelot {Steve}, Matt McCulloch (Sagan}, Cameron Alderman,
Chelsea Alderman Chaves {Guillermo}, Cartianne Alderman, Cory J Alderman {Kayla}. Ten
Riley and Blake Efferson, Tre and Brock Berthelot, Mia McCulloch, and Tomas Chaves. Three
great-great-grandchildren: lrene and Brand Efferson, and Parker Simon. Brothers: Louis Roth
(Margaret|, Jimmy Roth (Myrtle).Sisters: Rita McKee {Robert}, Rosemary Lawless, and Bunny
Roth, along with numerous nieces and nephews.
She is preceded in death by her husband Julius John Persick Jr., her parents Louis and Agnes
Roth, sisters Melanie Roth, Sally Delatte and her dear friend and sister-in-law Edith Morgan.
Noonie or Aunt Eunice. At her request she was lovingly called "Maw Maw Faf by her
grandchildren and the majority of others who knew and loved her.
17,2019 from 9AM to 1O AM, service at 1O:OOAM, at Baker Funeral Home. Burial to
follow at Hillcrest MemorialGardens, Baker, Louisiana.
Cory Alderman
Glenda Montgomery Tarver
Visitation will be held at Riverwood Family Funeral Service in Brookhaven, MS. Sunday, April 14th, 2019 from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m.
Funeral services will be held at New Prospect Baptist Church Brookhaven, MS on Monday, April 15th, 2019
with visitation beginning at 1 p.m. and services starting at 2 p.m. followed by burial at Alderman Cemetery in Brookhaven, MS.
Glenda Montgomery Tarver, 82, a resident of Brookhaven, MS passed away Thursday, April 11th, 2019
at Baptist Hospital in Jackson, MS. Born on August 6th, 1936 in Meadville, MS.
She was the daughter of W.O. Montgomery and Floy Parsons Montgomery.
A 1954 graduate of Bogue Chitto High School. She served as a Unit Secretary for several years at KDMC in Brookhaven, MS.
She was a member of New Prospect Baptist Church and taught Sunday School and served Christ in many different ministries
throughout her years. She deeply loved her church family. Mrs. Tarver enjoyed farm life, gardening, Bible study and visiting
with many friends over a cup of coffee. Her greatest joy was spending time with her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
She recently resided at the Bee Hive Assisted Living Home in Brookhaven, MS and dearly loved the staff and residents.
She is preceded in death by her parents, W.O. Montgomery and Floy Parsons Montgomery; Husband, Earl Tarver; brothers,
Parsons Demille Montgomery, Wendell Montgomery, Ronnie Montgomery, Woody Montgomery and a sister Melba M. O’Brian.
She is survived by her children; Tammy Tarver Barnes { Joe }, Sonda Tarver Johnson { John } and Wally Tarver. Grandchildren;
Marshall Tarver West { Kendra }, Joseph Barnes Jr. { Laurel } , Jonathan Barnes { Kayton }, Jana Johnson Hewitt { Justin } and Kara Beth Johnson Power { Brady }.
Great Grandchildren; Chloe Grace West, Ellie Kate West, Joseph Barnes III, Ann Magnolia Barnes, Russell Lane Hewitt and soon to be Beckham Tarver West.
Her brother Reggie Montgomery { Nancy }, Sister-In-Law Jeri Montgomery, and brother in law, Clark Barber
Pall Bearers will be Marshall Tarver West, Jonathan Barnes, Justin Hewitt, Brady Power, James Tarver and Tim McDowell.
Honorary Pall Bearer Joseph Barnes Jr.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to New Prospect Baptist Church
or The Mississippi Alzheimer’s Association in memory of Glenda Tarver.
Rev. Billy Frank Gerald
Visitation will be this Sunday, April 14th, from 2PM to 5PM at Riverwood Family Funeral Service on Hwy 51 just south of Hwy 84.
A funeral service will be held here in Brookhaven at Riverwood on Monday at 10AM. The graveside service will be held at Clear Creek Church near Brooklyn, Mississippi, at 3PM.
The Reverend Dr. Billy Frank Gerald, long time resident of Brookhaven, MS, passed away peacefully in his home on April 11th at the age of 87. He leaves behind his wife of 66 years,
Fay Ivey Gerald, and their six children: Judy Ratcliff (Scott), Larry Gerald (Delores Myers), Cindy Smith (Oscar), Keith Gerald (Aimee), James Gerald (Emily Dabney), and Sharon Gerald.
The family also includes 14 grandchildren, and 21 great-grandchildren.
Born August 19th, 1931, in Greene County, MS, to Claude Frank and Rosa Holder Gerald, Dr. Gerald was the third of eleven children. He joins his parents in the Promised Land,
along with his siblings Gayle, Nell, Sam, and Ben. His surviving siblings are John, Ralph, Patricia, Paul, Sandra, and Darlene.
Ordained as a minister on December 4th, 1949 by the Methodist Protestant Conference of Mississippi, Dr. Gerald attended Kletzing College at University Park, Iowa,
Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky, and graduate school at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Additionally, he held a lifetime
teaching certification in secondary education from the State of Mississippi.
As a minister, he pastored 18 different churches during his career, planted 4 Methodist Protestant churches, and founded several independent Methodist congregations.
His ministry included 3 years as President of the Methodist Protestant Conference of Mississippi, 8 years on the Board of Religious Education for the General Conference
as well as 6 years on the Board of Missions. He served for 10 years on the Board of the World Gospel Mission from 2000 to 2010.
As an educator, he taught and served as an administrator in several high schools around the state, but he is most remembered for his years at Whitworth College in Brookhaven, MS.
There, from 1960 to 1976 as first Dean and then President, he helped mold the next generation of both preachers and teachers, raised children,
and become a member of the community he loved. Many in Brookhaven will also remember him as the owner of the WCHJ and WBKN radio stations.
Most importantly, as a husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, he showered everyone with love, lived the example we were to follow, and shared his deep devotion to God.
We followed him as he whistled gospel tunes, walked in his footsteps in the fresh tilled soil of his garden, and counted pine trees with him in the woods of south Mississippi.
His love of growing things was so great that the Lincoln County and Southwest Districts of the Mississippi Forestry Association both recognized him as the 2013
Tree Farmer of the Year. In their words, there were planters with more trees, but he was the only one that knew them all by name.
The family asks that, in lieu of flowers or other gifts, you donate to one of Dr. Gerald’s two favorite charities:
the World Gospel Mission (www.wgm.org) headquartered in Marion, Indiana, or the Wesley Biblical Seminary
(www.wbs.edu) in Ridgeland, Mississippi.
Betty Joyce Tarver Sisco
Services for Betty Joyce Tarver Sisco will be held on Saturday, April 13, 2019, at 12:00pm
at Riverwood Family with visitation on Friday, April 12, 2019, from 5:00-8:00pm also at Riverwood Family.
Betty Joyce Tarver Sisco, 69, went to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on April 8, 2019.
She was born to J.C. Tarver and Betty Jewel Purifoy Tarver on December 16, 1949.
Betty loved spending time with her grandchildren and singing as well as caring for her elderly patients.
She was an active member of Brookway Church of Christ.
Preceding her in death was her husband, Madison MacArthur Sisco and parents, J.C. and Jewel Tarver.
Those left to cherish her memory are her children, John Madison Sisco and wife, Lauren,
and Cindy Diane Sisco Allen and husband, Warren;
one sister, Sharon Kay Tarver Ellis and husband, Zeke, along with three grandchildren;
William Dwayne Rutland, Hanna Grace Allen and Anna Loflin Sisco.
She is also survived by one niece, Tiffani Bessonette and a great niece, Addie Bessonette.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in her memory to the
Berean Children’s Home,
P.O. Box 1009, Brookhaven, MS 39602
or Brookway Church of Christ, 716 Brookway Blvd, Brookhaven, MS 39601.
Rudolph "Rudy" Smith III
Memorial service for Mr. Rudolph “Rudy” Smith, III, will be 1:00 p.m., Friday, April 12, 2019,
at Riverwood Family. Visitation will be from 5:00-8:00 p.m., Thursday, April 11, at Riverwood.
Mr. Rudolph “Rudy” Smith, III, 64, of Brookhaven, passed from this life April 7, 2019. He was born
in Jacksonville, Florida, July 5, 1954, to Rudolph Smith, Jr. and Tommie Lou Smith. Mr. Smith worked
as a Log Truck Driver, where he retired from. He was a member of ABATE and he loved riding his Harley.
In his free time he enjoyed fishing, especially with his son Toby.
He is preceded in death by his parents; son, Rudolph Toby Smith; and brother, Joel Smith.
Those who are left to cherish his memory are his wife, Amy M. Smith; son, Ben McDavid; and daughters,
Diane Michelle Cammerata, Catherine Carlisle, and Dawn Robbins and husband, Jeremy. He is also survived
by 11 grandchildren and five great grandchildren as well as a host of other family members and friends.
William Lee Rayborn
Services for Mr. William Lee Rayborn will be held on Tuesday, April 9, 2019, at 12:00 pm at Riverwood Family with interment at Riverwood Memorial Park. Visitation will be prior to the service from 10:00-12:00.
William Lee “WL” Rayborn, 83, of Brookhaven, passed from this life on April 5, 2019 at his residence. He was born on May 15, 1936 to Harvey Lee Rayborn and Minnie Jones Rayborn.
William, known by many simply as “Dub”, was a retired State Senator. He was also a mason, member of the Moose Lodge. He loved to hunt and fishas well as make dentures. He was a member of Easthaven Baptist Church.
Preceding him in death are his parents,his wife, Doris Nettles; brothers, Harvey Lee Rayborn and Bobby Jean Rayborn; grandsons, Shannon William Lee Peavy, Rex Daniel Weathersby, Jr., and Joey Howington.
Those left to cherish his memory are son, John William Rayborn; daughters, Cathy Phillips, Judy French, and Debi Hambright; and brother, Stanley Rayborn. He is also survived by 11 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.
Ora Mae Franklin
Funeral service for Mrs. Ora Mae Franklin will be 11:00 a.m., Saturday, April 6, 2019, at
Riverwood Family, with interment at Riverwood Memorial Park. Friends may visit the
family from 5:00-7:00 p.m., Friday, April 5, at Riverwood.
Mrs. Ora Mae Franklin, 79, of Brookhaven, passed from this life, April 3, 2019, at
King’s Daughters Medical Center. She was born in Union Mississippi, May 20, 1939,
to her parents, Albert Arthur Tune and Ollie Everett Tune. She was the Owner/Operator
of Hickman’s Used Furniture. Mrs. Franklin was truly a treasure, teaching Sunday School
and singing in the choir at Central Baptist Church, where she was a long-time member and
servant of the Lord. She was a loving wife, mother, and grandmother, and will be greatly
missed by all who loved her.
She is preceded in death by her parents and brother, William Tune and sister, Eunice Dickerson.
Those left to cherish her memory are, her husband, Charles Franklin; son, Philip Hickman; daughters,
Patricia Elkins, Rhonda White and husband, Keith; step-sons, Eugene Franklin, Royce Hickman;
step daughter, Joyce Gilbert; brother, W.T. Tune; and sister, Mecia McKee. She also leaves behind
eight grandchildren and ten great grandchildren that she loved dearly as well as a host of nieces,
nephews, and other family members and friends.
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