Archives
 By  Staff Reports Published 
5:08 pm Tuesday, March 5, 2002

LAZYRIAH IVORY ALLEN

By Staff
Services for Lazyriah Ivory Allen will be held Wednesday at noon at Berry and Gardner Funeral Home with the Rev. Craig Tucker officiating. Burial will be in New Hope Blackwater Cemetery.
Infant Allen, 3 months-old, of Meridian, died Saturday, March 2, 2002, at the University Medical Center in Jackson.
Survivors include her mother, Shelia Allen, her father, Elvis Rush, two sisters, Toya Trussell and Jakyriah Allen, all of Meridian; and her maternal grandparents.
Visitation will be today 7:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. at the funeral home.
BEATRICE KEMP LANG
Homemaker
Services for Beatrice Kemp Lang will be held Wednesday at 1 p.m. at Barham Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. J.C. Burkes officiating. Burial will be in Pine Crest Cemetery in DeKalb.
Mrs. Lang, 95, of Meridian, died Sunday, March 3, 2002, at Queen City Nursing Home. She was a member of Pine Forest Baptist Church in Collinsville.
Survivors include her children, Raymond Odell Lang of DeKalb, Loraine Mosley of Collinsville, Louise Smith of New Hope, Ark., Leona Smith of Meridian, A.C. Lang of Horsecity, Texas, Willie Frank Lang of Moss Point, La., and Gilbert Ray Lang of Decatur, Ala.; two sisters, Willie Maude Morgan of Greenville and Juanita Turner of Hueytown, Ala.; 25 grandchildren, 37 great-grandchildren, 24 great-great-grandchildren and four great-great-great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Clarence Lang; two sons, James Lange and C.J. Lang; two daughters, Ruby Mae Weaver and Mary Alice Stewart.
Pallbearers will be her grandsons.
Visitation will be today 5 p.m.-8 p.m. at the funeral home.
MORGAN MURRAY POWELL
Retired Illinois Central Railroad engineer
Services for Morgan Murray Powell will be held Wednesday at 2 p.m. at Pine Grove Baptist Church in the Martin Community with the Revs. Howard McKee and Shane Freeman officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery with Stephens Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Powell, 92, of Collinsville, died Monday, March 4, 2002, in his home. He was a member of Pine Grove Baptist Church, Suqualena Masonic Lodge, Scottish Rite, York Rite and a Shriner.
Survivors include two daughters, Mary Lou Hutchinson and Amanda Lee Stewart, both of Collinsville; a brother, Horace Webb and his wife, Sarah, of Jackson; grandchildren, Marcy Stewart and her husband, Oliver Joyner, Lisa Stewart and her husband, Dewayne Todd, Karen Stewart and her husband, Danny Todd, Bill Hutchinson, Ralph Hutchinson and Kristi Hutchinson and her husband, Justin Alexander; great-grandchildren, Brad Joyner, Brooke Joyner, Josh Todd and his wife, Leah, Tiffany Todd and her husband, Bryan Griffith, Kerri Todd, Danny Todd Jr., Beverly Hutchinson and Brian Hutchinson; and a great-great-granddaughter, Kayela Griffith.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Willie Lou McKee Powell; two granddaughters, Pamela Kaye Stewart Carter and Deborah Lynn Hutchinson.
Pallbearers will be Oliver Joyner, Danny Todd, Bill Hutchinson, Ralph Hutchinson, Danny Todd Jr., Brian Hutchinson, Bryan Griffith and Justin Alexander.
Honorary pallbearers will be Peaches Laird, Virgil Snowden, Ezra Harrison, J.C. Richardson, Horace Webb and Brad Joyner.
Visitation will be today 5 p.m.-9 p.m. and 30 minutes prior to the service at the church.
DIANNA A. WILSON
Private duty nurse
Services for Dianna A. Wilson will be held Thursday at 11 a.m. at Berry and Gardner Funeral Home with the Rev. Herbert Robinson officiating. Burial will be in Meridian Memorial Park Cemetery.
Mrs. Wilson, 52, of Meridian, died Saturday, March 2, 2002, at Riley Hospital.
Survivors include two sons, Alex Wilson, Durand Lyles and his wife, Shelia, and her mother, Betty Young, all of Meridian; and two grandchildren.
Visitation will be Wednesday 5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. at the funeral home.
PAULINE GRESSETT
Arrangements were incomplete at Barham Funeral Home for Pauline Gressett, 85, of Tuscaloosa, Ala., who died Sunday, March 3, 2002, in Tuscaloosa.

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 *