Obituaries for Friday, Feb. 21, 2003

By Staff
Lois Napp Thomas
Retired nurse
Services for Lois Napp Thomas will be held today at 10 a.m. at Barham Funeral Home Chapel with the Revs. Rex Alman, Allen Dearing, Gib Prince and Bernie Schamp officiating. Burial will be in Oak Grove Cemetery in Bonita.
Mrs. Thomas, 80, of Meridian, died Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2003, at Rush Foundation Hospital. She was a member of Marion United Methodist Church and was a nurse at Rush Foundation Hospital and retired after more than 32 years. She had a love for flowers and gardening and always put others' needs before her own.
Survivors include her husband, O.S. Thomas; a daughter, Judy Ainsworth and her husband, Wayne, all of Meridian; a son, Bobby Napp and his wife, Sherri, of Enterprise; a step-daughter, Pam O'Keefe and her husband, Carlton, of Madison; a step-son, Stanley Thomas and his wife, Nell Claire, of Greenville; three sisters, Ruth Johnson of Laurel, Tootsie Stringer of Ellisville and Bernice Jackson of New Orleans; a brother, J.V. Pool of Ellisville; 12 grandchildren; six great-grandchildren and several other relatives and friends.
Pallbearers will be James Lafferty, Rodney Currie, William Harper, Jack Knight, Robert Broadhead, and Earl Broadhead. Honorary pallbearers will be Johnny Roberson, Jim Sanders, Frank Hasselle, William Thompson and Joel Wagner.
Ruth Maxwell Minor
Homemaker
MACON Services for Ruth Maxwell Minor will be held today at 2:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church with the Rev. D.R. Ragsdale officiating. Burial will be in Oddfellows Cemetery. Cockrell Funeral Home, Inc., is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Minor, 83, of Macon, died Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2003, at Noxubee General Hospital.
Survivors include her husband, Ernest N. Minor of Macon; a daughter, Madelyn H. Canaday of Jacksonville, Fla.; a son, Ernest N. Minor Jr., of Macon; a grandson, Thomas Ewell Estes of Jacksonville, Fla.; and a brother, Clyde V. Maxwell of Jackson.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Clyde Vernon and Maude Hoover Maxwell.
Visitation will be today 30 minutes prior to the service at the church.
Raford Williams
Carpenter
PHILADELPHIA Services for Raford Williams will be held Saturday at 10 a.m. at McClain-Hays Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Roger Laird officiating. Burial will be in North Bend Pentecostal Cemetery.
Mr. Williams, 52, of Little Rock, died Thursday, Feb. 20, 2003, in his home.
Survivors include his wife, Linda Williams; a daughter, Stephanie Spangler; three sons, Wes Williams, Ralin Williams, and Chad Williams, all of Little Rock; five grandchildren; his mother, Bobbie Williams Mills of Meridian; two sisters, Gleda Charlton of Winona and Debbie Penny of Meridian; and a brother, Terry Williams of Meridian.
Visitation will be held today from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. at the funeral home.
Joyce Anderson Chamberlain
Retired teacher
MACON Services for Joyce Anderson Chamberlain will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at First Baptist Church with the Revs. Byron Pickering and Phillip Palmertree officiating. Burial will be in Shuqualak Cemetery. Cockrell Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Chamberlain, 83, of Macon, died Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2003, at Noxubee General Hospital in Macon.
Survivors include her brother, Dr. Walter Anderson of Macon and several nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Paul Chamberlain in 1995.
Visitation will be today from 7 p.m.- 9 p.m. at the funeral home.
Barbara E. Durrance
Memorial services for Barbara E. Durrance will be held Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Oak Grove Baptist Church in Bonita with the Rev. Roy Dabbs officiating. James F. Webb Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Durrance, 68, of Meridian, died Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2003 at Riley Hospital.
Survivors include her son, Edgar Durrance of New Port News, Vt.; two granddaughters; two great-grandchildren and a sister, Harriet Rouse.
Milton Richardson White
FOREST Memorial services for Milton Richardson White will be held Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at Mt. Carmel Presbyterian Church in Bailey. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Ott and Lee Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. White, 84, of Bailey, died Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2003, at G. V. "Sonny" Montgomery V.A. Medical Center in Jackson. He was a lifelong resident of Bailey and a member of Mt. Carmel Presbyterian Church in Bailey and he was a Mason. He was a veteran.
Survivors include his daughters, Janette Cook and her husband, Donald, of Meridian; Mary Lou Pace and her husband, Jack, of Bailey and Brenda Ferry and her husband, Edward, of Burke, Va.; a half-brother, Lowry White of Bailey; a half-sister, Gary Ann Williamson of Martin; seven grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
Mary M. Ray
Mary M. Ray, 67, of Meridian, died Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2003, at Riley Hospital. Barham Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements. No services will be held.
Survivors include her daughters, Alisa Dearman of Meridian, and Donna Allen and her husband, Perry, of Florida; sons, Allen Gould and Jessie Gould, both of Meridian; three granddaughters and one great-grandchild.
She was preceded in death by her children, Lora Farr, Prisicilla Ange and Frankie Jones.
Mikel Monroe Brashier
Retired auto dealer
Services for Mikel Monroe Brashier were held Thursday 2 p.m. at Barham Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Dr. Jason Bird officiating. Burial was in Magnolia Cemetery.
Mr. Brashier, 43, of Meridian, died Monday, Feb. 17, 2003, at University Medical Center in Jackson. His love for his daughter and grandchildren was inspirational. His fiancee, Lisa, dedicated herself to his care and Mikel loved her for sticking with him where others would have left.
Among the loves of his life were his mother and grandmother. His greatest enjoyment came through auto racing. He enjoyed being a part of Riley Racing at local dirt tracks, following NASCAR races and collecting NASCAR replicas. He lived and breathed racing. He was his brother's best friend and inspiration.
Survivors include his daughter, Brandi "Niki" O'Mell and her husband, Chris, of Meridian; two grandchildren, Gage and Slade O'Mell; his mother, Eva Lou Brashier Pace of Meridian; a brother, Jimmy Brashier and his wife, Barbie, of Collinsville; nieces, Christy, Jessie, Ashton, and Amanda Brashier, all of Meridian, and Toni Haywood of Jackson; a nephew, John "Billy" Brashier and his fiancee, Lisa Stanton, of Meridian.
He was preceded in death by his father, John W. Brashier Jr.; a brother, John W. Brashier III; grandmother, Christine Brashier; and his step-father, Lamar Pace.
Pallbearers were Tommy Walker, Bryant Riley, Keith Riley, Jerry Riley, James Riley and Adam Riley.