Obituaries for Sunday, September 8, 2002

By Staff
STELLA MARTHA WRIGHT JAMES
Homemaker
Services for Stella Martha Wright James will be held today at 2 p.m. at Mt. Gilead Baptist Church with the Revs. Jim Rickles and Jimmy Sanders officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery. James F. Webb Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. James, 84, of Meridian, died Friday, Sept. 6, 2002, at Riley Hospital. She was a former employee of Rush Foundation Hospital. She was a member of Mt. Gilead Baptist Church, a WMU worker, Willing Workers Sunday School Class and a former Sunday School teacher.
Survivors include her sister, Mary Knight of Meridian, two sister-in-laws, Agnes Fincher of Arley, Ala., and Mildred James of Bailey; five nieces and nephews, Inez Duett, Brian Knight, Ernestine Williamson, Kay Hodge and Bubba Knight; and 10 great-nieces and great-nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Ernest E. James, her father, Commar Wright, her mother, Zoie Roberson Wright and a sister, Ruth Wright McMullen.
Pallbearers will be Louis Ross, Timmy Duett, Robbie Gilmer, Brady Rushing, Joey Knight, William Rouse, E.B. "Pap" Culpepper and Roger Harper.
JUANITA C. GRAY
Homemaker
PHILADELPHIA Services for Juanita C. Gray will be held today at 3 p.m. at McClain-Hays Chapel with the Rev. Charles Barnett officiating. Burial will be in Good Hope Cemetery in Neshoba County.
Mrs. Gray, 89, of Philadelphia, died Friday, Sept. 6, 2002, at Alliance-Laird Hospital in Union.
Survivors include her daughters, Molly Jo Kibby, of Moss Point, and Janice Lynn Belk, of Union; sons, Willie Jim Gray, of Union, and Thomas Harold Gray, Gerald Clark Gray, and Mark Douglas Gray, all of Philadelphia; 18 grandchildren; 38 great-grandchildren; 11 great-great grandchildren; one great-great-great grandchild; sisters Audrey Nell Adkins and Dora Rivers, both of Philadelphia; and a brother, Wilbur Clark, of Belzoni.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Belon Gray, and a son, Jack Kelly Gray.
THOMAS WILLIAM THRASH
College professor
NEWTON Services for Thomas William Thrash will be held Monday at 10 a.m. at Decatur United Methodist Church. Burial will be in Newton County Memorial Gardens Cemetery. Barham Funeral Home of Newton is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Thrash, 64, of Decatur, died Friday, Sept. 6, 2002, at Specialty Hospital. He was employed with East Central Community College in Decatur since 1962 and was the chairman of the social science and business division.
Survivors include, his wife, Jeanette B. Thrash, of Decatur; two daughters, Mev Knight and her husband, Robbie, of Meridian, and Melissa Carleton and her husband, Robert, of Newton; two grandchildren, Kelsi and Logan Knight; his mother, Evelyn Gallaspy Thrash, of Newton; and a brother, Ronnie G. Thrash, of Newton.
He was preceded in death by his father, John T. Thrash.
Memorials may be made to the Thomas W. Thrash Scholarship Fund at ECCC.
Visitation will be held today from 5 p.m.- 8 p.m. at the funeral home.
ANTHONY RYLAND JOSEPH
NEWPORT, Ark. Services for Anthony Ryland Joseph will be held Monday at 10 a.m. at Holden Avenue Church of Christ. Burial will be in Walnut Grove Cemetery. Dillinger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Joseph, 16, of Newport, died Friday, Sept. 6, 2002. He was a junior at Newport High School and a member of the basketball team.
Survivors include his parents, Ed and Reba Joseph, of Newport; two brothers, Michael Paul Ware, of Jonesboro, Ark., and Edward Charles Joseph III, of Plaino, Texas; a sister, Marla Monet, and her husband, Terry Sohns, of Newport; grandparents Billy and Hazel Ware, of Lake, and Edward C. Joseph, of Mississippi; two nieces Savannah Monet Sohns and Kaitlyn Diane Morley; and a nephew, Elijah Ryland Tempeton.
Pallbearers will be Travis Hopkins, Blake Anschultz, Jonathan Dunn, Sam Evans, Casey Bearden, Will Landreth, honorary pallbearers, Payton Stegall, Brent Stegall, Leon Hawthorne, and the boys basketball team.
Visitation will be held today from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. at the funeral home.
IVORY LEE KING
Laborer
DEKALB Services for Ivory Lee King will be held Monday at 11 a.m. at Second Running Water Baptist Church in Shuqualak with the Rev. Tyrone Ellis officiating. Burial will be in Slaughter Cemetery. E.E. McDonald Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. King, 41, of Sacramento, Calif., and formerly of Shuqualak, died Sunday, Sept. 1, 2002, in Sacramento.
Survivors include two daughters, Shakayla and Jamila, both of Sacramento; his mother, Dorothy Wright and her husband, Rev. Melvin Coeman, of Shuqualak; six brothers, Dundell Wright and Christopher Wright, both of Sacramento; Curtis King and Joe Lee King, both of East St. Louis, Ill., John D. King, of Memphis, Tenn., and Henry Earl King, of Macon; three sisters, Barbara Penilton, of Macon, Annie King, of Stockton, Calif., and Nancy King, of Chicago; and a number of nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and other relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by his father and three siblings.
Visitation will be held Monday from 10 a.m.-11 a.m. at the church.
FLOYD DAVIS WADE SR.
Graveside services for Floyd Davis Wade Sr. will be held Monday at 11 a.m. at Union Cemetery. James F. Webb Funeral Home of Newton is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Wade, 85, of Meridian, died Saturday, Sept. 7, 2002, at Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center.
Visitation will be held today from 5 p.m.-7 p.m. at the funeral home.
RUBY NELL DARDEN
Meridian Public School custodian
Services for Ruby Nell Darden will be held Tuesday at 11 a.m. at E.E. McDonald Community Chapel with the Rev. William C. Brown officiating. Burial will be in Salem Cemetery in Toomsuba.
Mrs. Darden, 66, of Meridian, died Friday, Sept. 6, 2002, at Riley Hospital.
Survivors include her husband, Zeno Darden, of Meridian; six children, Dianne Hill, of Toomsuba, Johnny E. Akines, of Germany, Mark Akines, Tephanie Turner, and her husband, Mario, and Camellia Darden, all of Meridian, Patricia Akines Lang, and her husband, Sandy, of Brandon; eight grandchildren; one great-grandchild; a brother, Cleveland Akines, and his wife, Lula, of Meridian; a sister, Ruthie Bell Moffite, of Meridian; and a number of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents and six siblings.
Visitation will be held Monday from 3 p.m.-6 p.m. at the funeral home in Meridian.
LONNIE T. TALBERT
Arrangements were incomplete at Stephens Funeral Home for Lonnie T. Talbert, 53, of Laurel, Montana, who died Friday, Sept. 6, 2002 in Denver, Colo.
GEORGIA D. WHITAKER
Retired radio dispatcher
Arrangements were incomplete at Barham Funeral Home for Georgia D. Whitaker, 71, of Meridian, who died Saturday, Sept. 7, 2002, at Heartfelt Hospice.