• Subscribe
    • Franklin Living Magazine
    • Services
      • About Us
      • Subscribe
      • Policies
      • Terms of use
      • Submit a news tip
      • Submit a photo
      • Birth announcement
      • Birthday announcement
      • Engagement announcement
      • Wedding announcement
      • Submit a Classified Ad
      • Letter to the Editor
    • Classifieds
    • E-editions
    • Public Notices
      • Public Notices
      • Alabama Public Notices
    • Subscribe
    • Franklin Living Magazine
    • Services
      • About Us
      • Subscribe
      • Policies
      • Terms of use
      • Submit a news tip
      • Submit a photo
      • Birth announcement
      • Birthday announcement
      • Engagement announcement
      • Wedding announcement
      • Submit a Classified Ad
      • Letter to the Editor
    • Classifieds
    • E-editions
    • Public Notices
      • Public Notices
      • Alabama Public Notices

Franklin County Times
  • Home
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyles
  • Obituaries
  • Records
  • Subscribe
  • Services
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
  • Policies
  • Terms of use
  • Submit a news tip
  • Submit a photo
  • Birth Announcement
  • Birthday announcement
  • Engagement announcement
  • Wedding announcement
  • Submit a Classified Ad
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Classifieds
  • Public Notices
    Franklin County Times
      • Site logo
      • Home
      • News
        • Russellville
        • Red Bay
        • Phil Campbell
        • Franklin County
        • Photo Galleries
        • Sponsored Content
      • Sports
        • Belgreen Bulldogs
        • Phil Campbell Bobcats
        • Red Bay Tigers
        • Russellville Golden Tigers
        • Tharptown Wildcats
        • Vina Red Devils
        • College Sports
        • Sports Columnists
      • Opinion
        • Letters to the Editor
        • Columnists
        • Editorials
      • Lifestyles
        • Birthdays
        • Births
        • Couples
        • Food
        • Features
      • Obituaries
      • Records
        • Sheriff’s Report
        • Marriages
        • Land Transactions
        • Police Reports
      • Special Sections
      • Site logo
      • Home
      • News
        • Russellville
        • Red Bay
        • Phil Campbell
        • Franklin County
        • Photo Galleries
        • Sponsored Content
      • Sports
        • Belgreen Bulldogs
        • Phil Campbell Bobcats
        • Red Bay Tigers
        • Russellville Golden Tigers
        • Tharptown Wildcats
        • Vina Red Devils
        • College Sports
        • Sports Columnists
      • Opinion
        • Letters to the Editor
        • Columnists
        • Editorials
      • Lifestyles
        • Birthdays
        • Births
        • Couples
        • Food
        • Features
      • Obituaries
      • Records
        • Sheriff’s Report
        • Marriages
        • Land Transactions
        • Police Reports
      • Special Sections
    Archives
     By  Staff Reports Published 
    8:12 pm Thursday, December 27, 2001

    JESSIE LEE BELL

    By Staff
    Carpenter
    SEBASTOPOL Services for Jessie Lee Bell will be held Friday at 11 a.m. at Bogue Chitto Baptist Church with the Rev. Doby Henry officiating. Burial will be in the Bogue Chitto Community Cemetery with Milling Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
    Mr. Bell, 51, of Philadelphia, died Monday, Dec. 24, 2001.
    Survivors include seven sisters, Ella Mae Issac of Chicago, Ill.; Nannie Ruth Whiteman of Lame Dear, Mont., and Ruby Thomas, Velmarie Wesley, Shirley Jefferson, Gloria Hickman and Linda McMillan, all of Philadelphia; two brothers, Robert and Truman Bell, both of Philadelphia; and several nieces, nephews and friends.
    VESTRIE N. PILGRIM
    Homemaker
    PHILADELPHIA Services for Vestrie N. Pilgrim will be held Friday at 2 p.m. at McClain-Hays Chapel with the Revs. Barron Pilgrim and Dr. Wayne Hill officiating. Burial will be in Cedarlawn Cemetery in Philadelphia.
    Mrs. Pilgrim, 86, of Philadelphia, died Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2001 at The Specialty Hospital of Meridian.
    Survivors include two daughters, Nell Ryals and Margie Jayroe, both of Philadelphia; four grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, two step great-grandchildren, four great-great-grandchildren and one step-great-great-grandchild.
    She was preceded in death by her husband, Jesse Pilgrim and her daughter, Lena Mae Ellingburg.
    Visitation will be today from 4 p.m.9 p.m. at the funeral home.
    CARRIE ESTELLE SMITH
    Homemaker/store owner
    QUITMAN Services for Carrie Estelle Smith will be held Friday at 2 p.m. at East Pleasant Grove Baptist Church with the Revs. Albert Creel and Paul Childress officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery with Wright's Funeral Home of Quitman in charge of arrangements.
    Mrs. Smith, 90, of Quitman, died Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2001 at H.C. Watkins Memorial Hospital. She was a housewife and grocery store owner.
    Survivors include two sons, Lamar and Lavon Slade, both of Hattiesburg; her daughter, Frances Vanney of LaCombe, La.; a sister, Myrle Davis of Quitman; five grandchildren, Victoria McCarra of Quitman, Onel, Michael and David Ivy, all of New Orleans, and Carlo Ivy of Va.; and four great-grandchildren, Carrie Daigrepont, and Emerald, Rose Anna and Joshua Ivy.
    Visitation will be from 5 p.m.9 p.m. at the funeral home.
    STELLA S. TEUNISSON
    Homemaker
    Services for Stella S. Teunisson will be held Friday at 1 p.m. at Central United Methodist Church with the Rev. Jimmy Harrison officiating. Burial will be in Lakewood Cemetery in Jackson with James F. Webb Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
    Mrs. Teunisson, 85, of Memphis, Tenn., died Sunday, Dec. 23, 2001, in Memphis.
    She was born in Okalona and was a member of the Upper Room Sunday school class at Central United Methodist Church.
    Survivors include a daughter, Patricia Duncan of Memphis, Tenn.; a granddaughter, Amy Ray Hood and a grandson, Bryan Clell Ray.
    She was preceded in death by her husband, George Teunisson.
    Visitation is Friday from 12:30 p.m. until the service at Central United Methodist Church.
    LEROY GIBBS
    Retired from U.S. Army
    Services for Leroy Gibbs will be held Saturday at noon at Elizabeth Baptist Church in Lauderdale. Burial will be in Elizabeth Cemetery with Berry &Gardner Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
    Mr. Gibbs, 72, of Meridian, died Monday, Dec. 24, 2001, at Rush Foundation Hospital. He retired as a sergeant major with the U.S. Army.
    Survivors include his wife, Richetta Brown Gibbs of Alexandria, La.; a daughter, Brenda Gibbs of New Orleans; two brothers, the Rev. John B. Gibbs of of Lauderdale and Sylvester Gibbs of Compton, Calif.; and five sisters, Ruby Barnes, Gertrude Paylor and Charity Matthews, all of Meridian, and Charlotte Nelson of Cuba, Ala., and Polly Webb of Detroit, Mich.
    Visitation is Friday from 5:30 p.m.6:30 p.m. at the funeral home.
    ELGIN THOMAS HOUSTON
    Logger
    DEKALB Services for Elgin Thomas Houston will be held Saturday at 1 p.m. at Mt. Pisgah Misssionary Baptist Church in Preston with the Rev. Donald Bryant officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery with E.E. McDonald Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
    Mr. Houston, 53, of Preston, died Dec. 21, 2001, in Preston.
    Survivors include his wife, Naydean Creekmore; fours sons, Elgin T. Houston and his wife, Jessica, both of Preston, Malcom M. Houston and his wife, Vialisa, of Philadelphia, Donald Creekmore and his wife, Mitzi, of Union, and Keyon Chamberlin of Preston; two daughters, Angela Salazar and her husband, Albert, of Meridian, and Citina Creekmore of DeKalb; a brother, Osler Houston of Rock Island, Ill.; a sister, Dorothy Loving of Memphis, Tenn.; seven grandchildren, uncles, aunts and a host of nieces, nephews other relatives and friends.
    Visitation will be Friday from 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the funeral home.
    JEAN SNEED
    Arrangements were incomplete at Barham Funeral Home for Jean Sneed of Meridian, who died Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2001, at Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center.
    JANE KELLER WATTS FITTS
    Homemaker
    Jane Keller Watts Fitts, 75, a homemaker, died Wednesday morning, Dec. 26, 2001, at her home in Jackson. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 5, 2002, at St. Stephen's Anglican Mission in America. Visitation will begin at 10 a.m. from the church. Mark Seepe Funeral Home of Jackson is in charge of arrangements.
    Mrs. Fitts was born in Huntsville, Ala., on May 20, 1926, into one of the founding families of Madison County, Ala. She attended the University of Alabama, where she was a member of the Chi Omega Sorority and also represented the University of Alabama Million Dollar Band as its "Miss Alabama." In 1947, she married Charles Middleton Fitts Jr. of Tuscaloosa, Ala., and Meridian, her husband of 54 years.
    In addition to devoting her life to her family, she had been active in the Jackson Symphony League, Jackson Opera Guild, Briarwood Garden Club and the Brook Garden Club, where she served as vice president during 2000 and 2001. She had an unquenchable love of nature and wildlife and domestic animals.
    With her husband, she was a member of St. James Episcopal Church and was a founding member of St. Phillips Episcopal Church. She was an active communicant of St. Stephen's Anglican Mission in America in Flowood.
    Mrs. Fitts is preceded in death by her parents, Clarence Lee Watts Sr. and Inez Looney Watts of Huntsville, Ala., and her sister-in-law, Harriet Fitts Morrison of Meridian.
    She is survived by her husband, Charlie Fitts; four daughters, Harriet Fitts of Fairhope, Ala.; Kathy Fitts Howard and her husband, Bill, Martha Fitts White and her husband, Albert, of Jackson, and Susan Fitts Davis and her husband, Dennis, of Brandon; eight grandchildren, Jennifer Paige Morrison and her husband, Lane, of Brandon, Anna Howard of Baton Rouge, La., Claire Howard of New York City, Sarah Davis, Drew Davis and James Davis of Brandon, Charlie White of Oxford and Keller White of Jackson; two brothers, Capt. William P. Watts and his wife, Ellie, of Huntsville, Ala., and C. Lee Watts Jr. and his wife, Kay, of Searcy, Ark.; two sisters, Margaret Watts Rieder and Elizabeth Watts Whitten of Huntsville, Ala.; three cousins, 11 nieces and nephews and special friends Eloise Grandberry and Cdell Hendricks.
    In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial gifts be sent to St. Stephen's Church, 5049 Lakeland Drive, Flowood, MS, 39232; the Mississippi Animal Rescue League, 4395 South Drive, Jackson, MS, 39209; Hummer/Bird Study Group, Inc., P.O. Box 250, Clay, Ala., 35048-0250, or the charity of one's choice.

    Also on Franklin County Times
    “OLD GLORY”
    Franklin Living
    “OLD GLORY”
    Jeff Johnson 
    July 2, 2025
    Most of my life I have heard the flag of the United States of America affectionately called “Old Glory.” In my imagination I associated that phrase wi...
    4 cities, towns have contested mayoral elections
    Main, News, Russellville
    4 cities, towns have contested mayoral elections
    ELECTION
    Alyssa Sutherland For the FCT 
    July 2, 2025
    RUSSELLVILLE — Four of Franklin County’s cities or towns will have contested mayoral elections in the Aug. 26 municipal elections. The most hotly cont...
    {"epopulate_editorials_prism":"epopulate_editorials_prism"}
    Participants enjoy ‘Magic of Reading,’ the color of fruits and ballon animals
    Lifestyles, Russellville
    In the Community
    Participants enjoy ‘Magic of Reading,’ the color of fruits and ballon animals
    María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
    July 2, 2025
    RUSSELLVILLE Laughter, wonder and a touch of enchantment filled the Russellville Public Library as magician Russell Davis brought his show “The Magic ...
    {"epopulate_editorials_prism":"epopulate_editorials_prism"}
    Allison tapped to lead Lady Bobcats softball
    High School Sports, Phil Campbell Bobcats, Sports
    Allison tapped to lead Lady Bobcats softball
    Bart Moss For the FCT 
    July 2, 2025
    PHIL CAMPBELL -- A familiar face will be leading the Phil Campbell High School Lady Bobcats softball program next season. Darby Allison, a 2007 gradua...
    {"epopulate_editorials_prism":"epopulate_editorials_prism"}
    FFA students bring home state convention honors
    Franklin County, News, Phil Campbell, ...
    FFA students bring home state convention honors
    María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
    July 2, 2025
    Red Bay and Phil Campbell FFA students, along with a Hackleburg member of the Franklin County Junior Cattlemen, earned state-level honors at Alabama’s...
    {"epopulate_editorials_prism":"epopulate_editorials_prism"}{"newsletter":"Newsletter"}
    Army’s future requires support, encouragement from community
    Columnists, Opinion
    Army’s future requires support, encouragement from community
    July 2, 2025
    “Thank you for your service,” are words I often hear while wearing my uniform in your community. I am grateful to hear those words, but what many peop...
    {"epopulate_editorials_prism":"epopulate_editorials_prism"}
    6 local students accepted into FAME program
    Franklin County, Sports
    6 local students accepted into FAME program
    María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
    July 2, 2025
    Northwest Shoals Community College (NWSCC) has signed 6 Franklin County students to its 2025–26 Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (FAME)...
    {"epopulate_editorials_prism":"epopulate_editorials_prism"}
    Darby is denied parole
    News
    CRIME NEWS
    Darby is denied parole
    Bernie Delinski For the FCT 
    July 2, 2025
    MONTGOMERY -- A man serving a 10-year sentence on Franklin County assault convictions was denied parole on June 25, according to records from the Alab...
    {"epopulate_editorials_prism":"epopulate_editorials_prism"}

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

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

    ❮ ❯
    Latest Local News
    4 cities, towns have contested mayoral elections
    4 cities, towns have contested mayoral elections
    RUSSELLVILLE — Four of Franklin County’s cities or towns will have contested mayoral elections in the Aug. 26 municipal elections.The most hotly conte...
    July 2, 2025
    Red Bay Police can use electronic signatures
    RED BAY – Police can now use electronic signatures for their reports. City council members approved the policy after learning it was a requirement to ...
    July 2, 2025
    Participants enjoy ‘Magic of Reading,’ the color of fruits and ballon animals
    Participants enjoy ‘Magic of Reading,’ the color of fruits and ballon animals
    RUSSELLVILLE Laughter, wonder and a touch of enchantment filled the Russellville Public Library as magician Russell Davis brought his show “The Magic ...
    July 2, 2025
    Rain delays repair projects
    RED BAY – Persistent rainfall has delayed drainage and road repair projects in the city. “You can’t dig when it’s mud,” Mayor Charlene Fancher said re...
    July 2, 2025
    Jars of drugs lead to a local trafficking arrest
    RUSSELLVILLE — A Russellville man is facing multiple drug-related charges, including two counts of drug trafficking after law enforcement located and ...
    July 2, 2025

    More Local News

    Latest Stories
    Jars of drugs lead to a local trafficking arrest
    RUSSELLVILLE — A Russellville man is facing multiple drug-related charges, including two counts of drug trafficking after law enforcement located and ...
    July 2, 2025
    Rain delays repair projects
    RED BAY – Persistent rainfall has delayed drainage and road repair projects in the city. “You can’t dig when it’s mud,” Mayor Charlene Fancher said re...
    July 2, 2025
    Red Bay Police can use electronic signatures
    RED BAY – Police can now use electronic signatures for their reports. City council members approved the policy after learning it was a requirement to ...
    July 2, 2025
    Land Transactions
    May 30 • Tim Horton and Charles Moudy to Kimberly Shay Horton and Timothy Chad Horton, survivorship • Mario Cifuentes Tello to Edilsar Noe Edcobedo Ro...
    July 2, 2025
    Teenager struck by lighting
    RUSSELLVILLE -- A 19-year-old woman is recovering after being struck by lightning while talking on a cellphone Saturday. Emergency personnel responded...
    July 2, 2025
    Latest Sports
    Allison tapped to lead Lady Bobcats softball
    Allison tapped to lead Lady Bobcats softball
    PHIL CAMPBELL -- A familiar face will be leading the Phil Campbell High School Lady Bobcats softball program next season. Darby Allison, a 2007 gradua...
    July 2, 2025
    6 local students accepted into FAME program
    6 local students accepted into FAME program
    Northwest Shoals Community College (NWSCC) has signed 6 Franklin County students to its 2025–26 Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (FAME)...
    July 2, 2025
    Junior golfers hone skills through summer program
    Junior golfers hone skills through summer program
    RUSSELLVILLE -- A young generation of golfers teed off this summer at Twin Pines Country Club, thanks to a local effort to create opportunities for ch...
    July 2, 2025
    Belgreen’s Moore earns First Team All-State honors
    Belgreen’s Moore earns First Team All-State honors
    BELGREEN -- Jemma Moore has been named to the AHSAA First Team All-State for softball, becoming just the ninth player in school history to earn the di...
    June 18, 2025
    Maddox retires after 26 years of shaping young minds at RMS
    Maddox retires after 26 years of shaping young minds at RMS
    R U S S E L L V I L L E -- Teaching for Diane Maddox has never been just about grammar rules or reading comprehension, but rather about connection, cr...
    June 18, 2025

    More Sports Stories

    x

    Sections

    • Home
    • News
    • Sports
    • Opinion
    • Lifestyles
    • Obits
    • Special Sections
    • Sponsored Content
      • Home
      • News
      • Sports
      • Opinion
      • Lifestyles
      • Obits
      • Special Sections
      • Sponsored Content

    Services

    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Advertise With Us
    • Policies
    • Terms of use
    • Submit a news tip
    • Submit a photo
    • Birth announcement
    • Birthday announcement
    • Engagement announcement
    • Wedding announcement
    • Submit a Classified Ad
    • Letter to the Editor
    • Sign Up For Our Free Newsletter
      • About Us
      • Subscribe
      • Advertise With Us
      • Policies
      • Terms of use
      • Submit a news tip
      • Submit a photo
      • Birth announcement
      • Birthday announcement
      • Engagement announcement
      • Wedding announcement
      • Submit a Classified Ad
      • Letter to the Editor
      • Sign Up For Our Free Newsletter

    Follow Us

    Copyright

    © , Franklin County Times