Archives
 By  Staff Reports Published 
10:56 pm Monday, July 23, 2001

OBITUARIES FOR MONDAY, JULY 23, 2001

By Staff
EDWIN RUSSELL DIAL SR.
Retired farmer
YORK, Ala. Services for Edwin Russell Dial Sr. were held Sunday at Bumpers Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Julian Stennis officiating. Burial was in York Cemetery.
Mr. Dial, 85, of Cuba, died Friday, July 20, 2001, at Rush Foundation Hospital.
Survivors include his wife, Nell Wedgworth Dial and a son, Edwin Russell Dial Jr., both of Cuba; two daughters, Martha Jane Smith of Shreveport, La. and Carolyn Stapleton of Meridian; a sister, Louise Crawford of Burlington, N.J.; a brother, J.C. Dial Jr. of York; four grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, James Coleman and Lillian Wilder Dial.
The family requests memorials be made to The Palmer Home for Children in Columbus.
Pallbearers were Larry Stapleton, Russ Smith, Buddy Smith, William Stallings, Charlie Goodman, Mike Dial, Ronnie Shaw and Harvey Swearingen.
Honorary pallbearers were friends of the family.
MARK C. FIELDS
Civil aeronautics administration
YORK, Ala. Graveside services for Mark C. Fields were to be held today at 10 a.m. at Odd Fellows Cemetery in Gainesville with the Rev. Arthur Thomas officiating. Bumpers Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Fields, 90, of Gainesville, died Sunday, July 22, 2001, in his home.
Survivors include his wife, Juanita N. Fields and a son, William C. Fields and his wife, Eleanor, of Gainesville; two daughters, Marydean F. Fuller and her husband, Burton, of Emelle and Maxine McClusky of Gainesville; and six grandchildren.
MARGARET FISHER VAUGHAN
Retired registered nurse
YORK, Ala. Graveside services for Margaret Fisher Vaughan were to be held today at 10 a.m. at Clay Memorial Cemetery in Cuba with the Rev. Reid Vaughan officiating. Bumpers Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Vaughan, 74, of Cuba, died Saturday, July 21, 2001, in her home. She was a registered nurse for Sumter County Health Department.
Survivors include her husband, Carlton E. "Tot" Vaughan of Cuba; two sons, Chris Vaughan of Cuba and Frank Vaughan of Demopolis; a daughter, Anne Lynch of Tuscaloosa; and three grandchildren.
JOHN SHELBY GATLIN SR.
WAYNESBORO Services for John Shelby Gatlin Sr. will be held today at 11 a.m. at Freeman Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Phillip A. Gandy officiating. Burial will be in Serenity Gardens.
Mr. Gatlin, 72, of Foley, Ala., died Saturday, July 21, 2001, at Baptist Medial Center in Pensacola, Fla.
Survivors include his wife, Mildred Gatlin, four sons, John S. Gatlin Jr., Otis Gatlin, David Gatlin and James Gatlin, all of Foley; a daughter, Victoria Gatlin Young of Alberta; a brother, Talmadge Gatlin, five sisters, Dot Miller, Kay Tuttle, Carolyn Palmer, Martha Walley and Linda Clark, all of Waynesboro; 12 grandchildren and a great-grandchild.
JAMES A. EDWARDS
Retired
Services for James A. Edwards will be held Tuesday at 10 a.m. at Barham Funeral Home Chapel with the Revs. A.M. Mansfield and S.J. White officiating. Burial will be in Forest Lawn Cemetery.
Mr. Edwards, 86, of Meridian, died Sunday, July 22, 2001, in his home. He was a charter member of Abundant Life Tabernacle.
Survivors include his wife, Walterine McFarland Edwards of Meridian; four children, James L. Edwards and his wife, Sandra, of Collinsville, Earlmon Edwards of Canton, Janell Spence and her husband, Everett, of Boonesville and Bobbie Harrison and her husband, Tommy, of Meridian; six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Pallbearers will be Darron Dodd, Jody Hurst, Kenny Jackson, Gene Miles, Davis Spence and Jimmy Spence.
Honorary pallbearer will be Buddy Cooksey.
Visitation will be today from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. at the funeral home.
ERNEST CANNON
Retired from Deemer Lumber Company in 1972
PHILADELPHIA Services for Ernest Cannon will be held Tuesday at 11 a.m. at McClain-Hays Funeral Service Chapel with the Revs. Carey Smith and Norman Arthur officiating. Burial will be in Linwood Cemetery.
Mr. Cannon, 97, of Union, died Sunday, July 22, 2001, in Meridian.
Survivors include two sons, Eurial Cannon of Union and M.P. Cannon of Lauderdale; a sister, Eschel Lewis of Philadelphia; six grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and 14 great-great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be today from 4 p.m.-9 p.m. at the funeral home.
TECARL QUASHUN WALLACE
Graveside services for TeCarl Quashun Wallace will be held Tuesday at 11 a.m. at Sunset Memorial Gardens Cemetery with the Rev. Richard Parker officiating. Clark's Memorial Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Infant Wallace, of Meridian, died Saturday, July 21, 2001, at University Medical Center in Jackson.
Survivors include his mother, Talasha Cole; his father, Carl Wallace and two brothers, Antiono Finley and Quardragus Cole, all of Meridian.
Visitation will be today from 6 p.m.-7 p.m. at the funeral home.
ROBERT B. FERGUSON SR.
Songwriter and tribal historian
UNION Services for Robert B. Ferguson Sr. will be held Wednesday at 10 a.m. at Pearl River Baptist Church with the Revs. Calvin Gibson and Calvin Isaac officiating. Burial will be in Phillips Cemetery with Milling Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Ferguson, 73, of Philadelphia, died Sunday, July 22, 2001, at the University Medical Center.
Survivors include his wife, Martha Ferguson, two sons, John Ferguson and Robert Bruce Ferguson, all of Philadelphia; two daughters, Mary Lewis of Philadelphia and Missouri Brown of Hugo, Okla.; two brothers, Claude Ferguson of Indiana and Paul Ferguson of Amarillo, Texas; and six grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by a brother, Durpe Ferguson; his mother, Mary Ferguson; and his father, John Carl Ferguson.
Visitation will be held at the home of Lorena Lewis, 153 Goat Ranch Rd., Philadelphia, beginning at 9 a.m. today.

Also on Franklin County Times
Oliver wants 5% pay hike for his staff
Main, News, Russellville
Kevin Taylor For the FCT 
August 12, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE – Franklin County Sheriff Shannon Oliver hasn’t seen much turnover within his department lately and he wants to keep it that way. Oliver ...
Flock council policy faces vote Monday
Main, News, Red Bay, ...
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
August 12, 2026
RED BAY —A second Flock Safety automated license plate reader has been installed as the city prepares for a special meeting Monday on a proposed polic...
Local water systems have security measures in place
Main, News, Russellville, ...
By Brady Petree For the FCT 
August 12, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — As cyberattacks on U.S. water systems climb nationwide, local officials say a combination of rigorous safety protocols and old-fashione...
Alabama must champion spirit of civics education
Columnists, News, Opinion
August 12, 2026
Alabama has earned some well-deserved credit for taking steps to combat civic amnesia. State law mandates that students pass a 100-question citizenshi...
AERA holds annual district meeting
Columnists, Opinion
HERE AND NOW
August 12, 2026
Retired educators may have left the classroom, but they certainly have not stopped serving their communities. That was evident at the Alabama Educatio...
Forever Wild to acquire 120 acres in Colbert
News
By Addi Broadfoot For the FCT 
August 12, 2026
CHEROKEE — The Forever Wild Land Trust is moving forward with plans to acquire additional property in Colbert County that would expand public hunting ...
30 years of caring for Little Tigers
News, Russellville
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
August 12, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — When Rhonda Miller opened Little Tigers Daycare in 1996, about 15 children attended during the first two weeks. Thirty years later, the...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *