Archives
 By  Staff Reports Published 
8:01 am Thursday, November 15, 2001

OBITUARIES FOR THURSDAY, NOV. 15, 2001

By Staff
PAUL STEPHEN COMPTON
Services for Paul Stephen Compton will be held Friday at 11 a.m. at Barham Funeral Home Chapel with the Revs. Kenneth Owen and Russell Luquire officiating. Burial will be in Oak Grove Community Cemetery.
Mr. Compton, 38, of Meridian, died Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2001, at Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center. He was a member of Oak Grove United Methodist Church and a 1981 graduate of Clarkdale High School.
Survivors include his wife, Christal Compton a son, Jacob Paul Compton, a sister, Katrina Compton Brown and her husband, Grant, and a niece, ReaAnna Brown, all of Meridian; his mother, Sylvia Compton, a brother, Henry Ray Compton, his grandmother, Rosalie Stephens and his grandfather, William A. Tucker, all of the Clarkdale Community; and several aunts, uncles and cousins.
He was preceded in death by his father, Omer Ray Compton.
The family requests memorials be made to Oak Grove Untied Methodist Church Building Fund, 6084 Valley Rd., Meridian, MS 39307.
Pallbearers will be Johnny Robinson, John Smith, William Compton, John Compton, Robert Compton, David Compton, Sam Kelley and Jason Mingo.
Honorary pallbearers will be Tommy Hunter and Raymond Charles Compton.
Visitation will be today from 5 p.m.-8 p.m. at the funeral home.
RUTH ELLEN BALDRIDGE
Customer service representative
FOREST Services for Ruth Ellen Baldridge were to be held today at 10 a.m. at Magnolia Heights Baptist Church. Burial was to be in Carr Methodist Cemetery with Ott and Lee Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Baldridge, 51, died Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2001, at St. Dominic Jackson Memorial Hospital. She was a native of Newton and had lived in Forest for the last 28 years. She formerly lived in Smith County. Mrs. Baldridge was a member of Magnolia Heights Baptist Church BMA in Forest, where she was the church organist, assistant piano player and sang in the choir. She was employed as a customer service representative with Wal-Mart in Forest.
Survivors include her husband, John B. Baldridge and two daughters, Amy Lynn McCoy and April Elizabeth Baldridge, all of Forest; two brothers, Robert Nelson Carr of Forest and Thomas Frederick Carr of Jackson; a half sister, Bonnie Ruth Kelly of Walnut Grove; and a granddaughter, Ashley Nicole McCoy of Forest.
She was preceded in death by her father, Robert Franklin Carr Jr. in 1983 and her mother, Lola Alyeen Carr in 2000.
The family requests memorials be made to Magnolia Heights Baptist Church BMA, Highway 80 East, Forest, MS 39074.
WILLIE L. THOMAS
GILBERTOWN, Ala. Services for Willie L. Thomas will be held today at 11 a.m. at Springbank Baptist Church with the Rev. Jim Wallace officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery with Phillips Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Thomas, 98, of Silas, died Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2001, in his home.
Survivors include his wife, Mae Thomas of Silas; five sons, James Thomas of Columbus, Norman Thomas of Huntsville, Bob Thomas of Miami, Billy Walker of Silas and Tracy Walker of Gilbertown; three daughters, Louise Sahlbom of Tarpon Springs, Fla., Andora Driver of Daphne and Shirley Nix of Silas; two brothers, Clarence "Buck" Thomas and Ganus "Dock" Thomas, both of Demopolis; three sisters, Beatrice Maughan of Leeds, Mert Toxey of Tuscaloosa and Clara Cantrell of Carrollton; 16 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by two sons, Wallace Thomas and Cecil Thomas.
JOSEPH WOODROW WAITE
GILBERTOWN, Ala. Services for Joseph Woodrow Waite will be held today at 2 p.m. at Cullomburg Baptist Church with the Rev. Sonny Hoven officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery with Phillips Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Waite, 89, of Cullomburg, died Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2001, in his home.
Survivors include his wife, Lizzie Roberts Waite, two stepsons, Joseph Frost and Timothy Frost, all of Cullomburg; a stepdaughter, Edith "Boots" Misrok of Yarbo; and several nieces, nephews and step-grandchildren.
LUNA MAHAN SWOOPE
Owner of Newton Florist
NEWTON Graveside services for Luna Mahan Swoope will be held Friday at 11 a.m. at the Masonic Cemetery with the Rev. Dr. Charles Douglas officiating. James F. Webb Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Also on Franklin County Times
$5M is secured for I-22 connector studies
Main, News, Phil Campbell, ...
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
June 3, 2026
PHIL CAMPBELL — A $5 million federal earmark has been secured for engineering and environmental studies tied to the long-discussed Haleyville bypass p...
Ayers hired as RCS assistant superintendent
Main, News, Russellville, ...
By Brady Petree For the FCT 
June 3, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — The city schools board of education has hired Nate Ayers as the system’s next assistant superintendent. Ayers’ hiring was approved by b...
Reserve deputies provide manpower where needed
Main, News, Russellville, ...
By Addi Broadfoot Staff Writer 
June 3, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — A group of volunteers dedicating their time to help local law enforcement is playing crucial roles ranging from courthouse security to ...
Search for executive director begins soon
Franklin County, News
Bernie Delinski For the FCT 
June 3, 2026
TUSCUMBIA — The board overseeing the Alabama Music Hall of Fame has established procedures for selecting a new executive director. The position has be...
Cultura Garden Club celebrates America 250
Editorials, News, Opinion
HERE AND NOW
June 3, 2026
Cultura Garden Club members gathered in red, white and blue for their May meeting at the scenic home of Ann Marie Bucholtz in Phil Campbell, and welco...
The world needs some family values
Columnists, Opinion
June 3, 2026
Far out in Colbert County in an area near Cherokee called Freedom Hills, my parents, Dewey and Lillie Mae Denton, scratched out a life from a small cr...
Tharptown names Burkett baseball coach
High School Sports, Russellville Golden Tigers, Sports
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
June 3, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — Becoming Tharptown High’s head baseball coach is the culmination of a goal that was years in the making for Michael Burkett. Burkett jo...

Leave a Reply

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