Archives
 By  Staff Reports Published 
9:30 pm Saturday, October 11, 2003

Obituaries for Saturday, Oct. 11, 2003

By Staff
Retired
PHILADELPHIA Services for Royce Winford Cook will be held Sunday at 2 p.m. at McClain-Hays Funeral Service Chapel. Burial will be in Coy Methodist Cemetery in Neshoba County.
Mr. Cook, 72, of Preston, died Friday, Oct. 10, 2003, at Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center. He was a retired heavy equipment operator and a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy.
Survivors include two sisters, Joan Cook Marsden and Joyce Cook Pou, both of Philadelphia.
Visitation will be today from 5 p.m.-8 p.m. at the funeral home.
PHILADELPHIA Services for Marvin Stokes will be held Sunday at 3:30 p.m. at McClain-Hays Funeral Service Chapel with the Rev. George McFarland officiating. Burial will be in North Bend Methodist Cemetery in Neshoba County.
Mr. Stokes, 89, of Raymond, died Friday, Oct. 10, 2003, at Clinton Health and Rehabilitation Center in Clinton. He was a retired heavy equipment operator.
Survivors include a daughter, Donna Stokes Holder of Clinton; a son, Ralph Stokes of Birmingham, Ala.; three grandchildren; a great-grandchild; and a sister, Geraldine Williams of Conover, N.C.
Visitation will be today from 5 p.m.-8 p.m. at the funeral home.
Services for Mary Sue Smith will be held Monday at 11 a.m. at Smith Chapel Methodist Church with the Rev. Helmer Johnson officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Barham Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Smith, 56, of Collinsville, died Thursday, Oct. 9, 2003, at University of Alabama Birmingham Medical Center.
Survivors include her husband, Paul Smith of Collinsville; sons, Roy Long of Meridian and Clayton Long of Toomsuba; a daughter, Susan Palermo, of Connecticut; step-sons, Paul Smith of Enterprise and David Smith of Hickory; a step-daughter, Paula McGee of Hickory; seven grandchildren, Melissa Long, Bryan Long, Doniale Alexander, Tori Smith, Brittany Smith, Leslie McGee, Chelsea McGee; her mother, Olene Griffith of Meridian and an uncle, Frank Cato.
She was preceded in death by her father, Calvin Griffith.
Pallbearers will be Donald Smith, Nood Howard, Doc Strange, Chris Dozier, Louis Harrington, Douglas Scitzs, and Richard Nicholson.
Visitation will be Sunday from 5 p.m.-8 p.m. at the funeral home and Monday 30 minutes prior to the service at the church.
BRANDON Services for Jessie Lee Roark Whittington will be held Monday at 2 p.m. at Lakewood Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will be in Lakewood Memorial Park.
Mrs. Whittington, 83, of Brandon, died Friday, Oct. 10, 2003, at Mississippi Baptist Medical Center.
Survivors include her husband of 65 years, Sam Whittington Sr., of Brandon; two daughters, Joan Robbins of Brandon and Carolyn Alderman of Canton, Mich.; a son, Samuel "Sam" Whittington Jr., of Meridian; eight grandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren.
The family requests memorials be made to the Senior Citizen Club of Crossview Baptist Church, Brandon, MS.
Visitation will be Sunday from 4 p.m.-6 p.m. at the funeral home.

Also on Franklin County Times
Russellville to host MLK march on Monday
Main, News, Russellville, ...
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
January 14, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — The Franklin County Martin Luther King Memorial Scholarship Committee is planning its annual commemoration march, which this year will ...
Career tech programs return to remodeled RHS building
Main, News, Russellville, ...
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
January 14, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — Students at Russellville High School returned from winter break last week to a newly remodeled and expanded Career Technical Education ...
Dowdy sentence delayed
Main, News, Russellville
By Brady Petree For the FCT 
January 14, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — The sentencing of Brandy Dowdy will have to wait until another day after her defense attorney suffered a “medical emergency.” Dowdy’s s...
MLK march is about ‘keeping the dream alive’
News, Russellville
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
January 14, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — The Rev. B.J. Bonner was 11 years old in the summer of 1963 when the civil rights movement reshaped the South and communities across Al...
FCREA finalizes 2025, looks ahead to 2026
Columnists, Opinion
HERE AND NOW
January 14, 2026
There are moments in our meetings that stay with you long after the chairs are folded and the dishes are washed. One of those moments came in November...
This year, let’s resolve to be more involved
Columnists, Opinion
January 14, 2026
Stop eating desserts. Go to the gym every day. Read 50 books this year. Learn a language. Start my retirement savings. Every year we make our resoluti...
RHS track looks ahead to state meet
High School Sports, Russellville Golden Tigers, Sports
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
January 14, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — Russellville High School track athletes have posted multiple top 10 and top 20 section finishes this season, along with podium performa...
Vote of Red Bay budget delayed until February
News, Red Bay
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
January 14, 2026
RED BAY — City councilmembers will vote next month on the 20025–26 fiscal year budget. Mayor Mike Shewbart told the council last week the budget was n...

Leave a Reply

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