Obituaries for Sunday, March 24, 2002

By Staff
GEORGE LAVELLE TEMPLE JR.
Retired business owner
Services for George Lavelle Temple Jr. were held Saturday at 2 p.m. at Barham Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Jason Bird officiating. Burial will be in Forest Lawn Cemetery.
Mr. Temple, 74, of Meridian, died Friday, March 22, 2002, at Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center. He was a member and deacon of Fifteenth Avenue Baptist Church, where he was a former Sunday school teacher and served on various committees. He was a veteran of World War II, a Gideon, mason and shriner. He was also a member of the Mississippi Medical Equipment Association. Mr. Temple was the founder and owner of Meridian Orthopedic Appliances, Temple Medical and Uniforms &Things.
Survivors include his wife, Juanita Temple, a son, Kyle Temple and his wife, Kathy, stepsons, Billy Burnham and his wife, Diane, and Cliff Burnham, all of Meridian; sisters, Merle Albritton of Madison, Imogene Riley of Pearl, Walterene Wilson and her husband, Pete, of Jackson, Tenn., and Grace Pace of Tallahassee, Fla.; granddaughter, Claire Temple; and step-grandchildren, Hannah Burnham, Lance Burnham and Jason Brown; and a brother-in-law, Delbert Coker and his wife, Ann, of Meridian.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Lavelle and Ethel Temple; two brothers, Glen Temple and Dewayne Temple; a stepdaughter, Maria Brown; and a step-grandson, Barry Brown.
The family requests memorials be made to the Leukemia Society, Cancer Society, a favorite charity or Fifteenth Avenue Baptist Church Building Fund.
Pallbearers will be O.C. Barham, Jeff Luke, Bobby Smith, Randy Ethridge, Philip Price, Billy Blaine, Bill Jones, Sid Yates, John Perry and Don Sheehan.
Honorary pallbearers will be Andrew Blaine, Tyler Yates, Dr. John Clay, Dr. Dwight Keady and member of his Sunday school class.
RICKEY T. TOWNSEND
Owner, operator of Townsend Electronics
PHILADELPHIA Services for Rickey T. Townsend will be held today at 1:30 p.m. at McClain-Hays Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will be in Coy Methodist Cemetery in Preston.
Mr. Townsend, 46, of Philadelphia, died Thursday, March 21, 2002, at Neshoba County General Hospital.
Survivors include a son, Richard Townsend of Philadelphia; two step sons, Christopher Hatcher of Philadelphia and Robert Hatcher of Omaha, Neb.; four grandchildren; his parents, Truman and Dorothy Townsend of Philadelphia; a sister, Vickey Smith of Philadelphia; and three brothers, Mickey Townsend, Nickey Townsend and Dickey Townsend all of Philadelphia.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Patricia Dianne Townsend.
BEATRICE BLACKWELL SMITH
Nurse's aide
UNION Services for Beatrice Blackwell Smith will be held today at 2 p.m. at Milling Funeral Home Chapel with the Revs. Stan Buckley and Macus Finch officiating. Burial will be in Union City Cemetery.
Mrs. Smith, 85, of Union, died Friday, March 22, 2002, at Hilltop Manor Nursing Home.
Survivors include her husband, Luther E. Smith of Union; two daughters, Bonnie S. Boswell of Decatur and Paula S. Boyd of Collinsville; three granddaughters, Jessica Boswell and Julie Boswell, both of Union, and Jenna L. Boyd of Collinsville; and two grandsons, Richard W. Boswell of Union and David E. Boyd of Collinsville.
She was preceded in death by her mother and father, five brothers and a sister.
KATHLEEN TOWNSEND
Homemaker
Services for Kathleen Townsend will be held today at 3 p.m. at Stephens Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Hal Bates officiating. Burial will be in Pine Forest Cemetery.
Mrs. Townsend, 87, of Collinsville, died Friday, March 22, 2002, at R.P. White Nursing Home.
Survivors include her husband, Cecil Townsend of Collinsville; a daughter, Kathy Karrh of Collinsville; two sons, Thoris Cecil Townsend of Etowah, Tenn., and Jerrell Townsend of Pensacola, Fla.; two sisters, Margie Kinard Miles of the Center Hill Community and Mary Kinard Cobb of Bailey; six grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be held today from 1 p.m.-3 p.m. at the funeral home.
MATILDA JEAN WOLVERTON
Homemaker
SEBASTOPOL Services for Matilda Jean Wolverton will be held today at Rocky Hill Church of God at 4 p.m. with the Revs. Gut McGuarity and Brett Cooper officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Milling Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Wolverton, 96, of Union, died Friday, March 22, 2002.
Survivors include two daughters, Lynda Moorehead of Union and Audell Dodson of Utica; four sons, Melvin Wolverton of Jackson, Charles Wolverton of Madison, Gerald Wolverton of Clinton and Larry Wolverton of Union; 14 grandchildren; and 20 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Charlie Wolverton; and a son, Junior Wolverton.
DAVID SPEARS
Retired machine mechanic
PHILADELPHIA Services for David Spears will be held Monday at 10 a.m. at McClain-Hays Funeral Home Chapel with the Revs. Charles Rhodes and Jay Murphy officiating. Burial will be in Mt. Olive Cemetery in the Stephenstown Community.
Mr. Spears, 69, of Philadelphia, died Friday, March 22, 2002, at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Jackson. He was a U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War and was a prisoner of war for two years.
Survivors include his wife, Emma Louise Spears of Philadelphia; a daughter, Alicia Wooldridge of Union; 10 grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; a sister, Mavis Marshall of Philadelphia; and three brothers, Jimmie Spears of Biloxi and Robert Spears and Marion Spears, both of Philadelphia.
He was preceded in death by a daughter, Delnita Stephens.
Visitation will be held today from 4 p.m.-9 p.m. at the funeral home.
JAMES CROWELL JAQUA
Retired U.S. postal worker
JACKSON Services for James Crowell Jaqua will be held Monday at 11 a.m. at the High Street Chapel of Wright and Ferguson Funeral Home. Graveside services will be held at 2:30 p.m. at Magnolia Cemetery in Meridian.
Mr. Jaqua, 91, of Jackson, died Saturday, March 23, 2002, at Hospice Ministries in Ridgeland. A native of Hamond, Ind., he lived in Meridian most of his life before moving to Jackson in 1997. He retired from the U.S. Postal Service after 33 years. He was a member of Colonial Heights Baptist Church and a former member of Poplar Springs Drive Baptist Church in Meridian. He was also a member of the Museum Lodge Number 636 F&AM and he was a 32 Degree Scottish Rite Mason.
Survivors include two daughters, Linda J. Helms of Ulla, N.C. and Mae Garrett of Jackson; three grandchildren, Amy Coleman, Brian Hilligoss Steven Garrett and Jennifer Garrett Richardson; and three great-grandchildren, Mariah Coleman, Janna Coleman and Addie Coleman; and a sister, Rosalynn Brantley of Meridian.
The family requests memorials be made to Colonial Heights Baptist Church in Jackson, Poplar Springs Drive Baptist Church in Meridian, or to Hospice Ministries in Ridgeland.
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