Archives
 By  Staff Reports Published 
8:12 am Wednesday, November 12, 2003

Obituaries for Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2003

By Staff
Nemanco employee
UNION Services for Tommie Carolyn Henley were to be held today at 10 a.m. at Milling Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Gerald Chaney officiating. Burial was to be in Hester Cemetery in Neshoba County.
Ms. Henley, 59, of Philadelphia, died Monday, Nov. 10, 2003, in her home.
Survivors include her aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
Retired licensed practical nurse
BUTLER, Ala. Graveside services for Eva Joyce Moody will be held today at 11 a.m. at Butler City Cemetery with Elder Joseph Zeigler Jr. officiating. Bumpers Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Moody, 95, of Butler, died Monday, Nov. 10, 2003, at Willow Trace Nursing Center.
Survivors include her daughter, Voncile Benthin of Camano Island, Wash.; several grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Joe Moody; a daughter, Eva Joy Alarid; a son, Francis Fredrick Richards Jr.; and her parents, Solomon Lafayette Randall and Ada Rainer.
GILBERTOWN, Ala. Services for James Harold Cooper will be held today at 3 p.m. at Gilbertown Assembly of God with the Revs. Doug Chapman and Fred Wiley officiating. Burial will be in Barrytown Cemetery. Phillips Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Cooper, 63, of Gilbertown, died Monday, Nov. 10, 2003, in Gilbertown.
Survivors include his mother, Nalda Gilbert Cooper; his wife, Vernell C. Cooper; step-sons, Larry Adams, Mickey Adams and Randy McInnis, all of Gilbertown; a daughter, Leta Dawson and her husband, Jim, of Ocala, Fla.; a step-daughter, Sheila Johnson and her husband, Ricky, of Gilbertown; brothers, Vernon G. Cooper of Jesup, Ga., and Gary B. Cooper of Gilbertown; two grandchildren, seven step-grandchildren and one step-great-grandchild.
He was preceded in death by his father, Elmer G. Cooper; and a brother, Ronald Cooper.
Services for Frank William Shults Jr. will be held Thursday at 11 a.m. at Stephens Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will be in Meridian Memorial Park Cemetery.
Mr. Shults, 75, of Suqualena, died Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2003, in his home.
Visitation will be today 5 p.m.-7 p.m. at the funeral home.
SEBASTOPOL Services for John Carson Lewis will be held Thursday at 1 p.m. at Bogue Homa Baptist Church with the Rev. W.C. Nickey officiating. Burial will be in Bogue Homa Cemetery. Milling Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Lewis, 64, of Heidelberg, died Monday, Nov. 10, 2003, in Jones County.
Survivors include his daughters, Dorothy Lewis of Heidelberg, Wendy Nickey of Carthage, Laura Chickaway and Shanda Lewis, both of Philadelphia; a son, Hilbur James Lewis of Heidelberg; sisters, Imogen Polk and Lucy Mae Willis, both of Philadelphia; 17 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Construction worker
DEKALB Graveside services for John Watson Auld will be held Friday at 10 a.m. at Cedar Lawn Cemetery in Scooba with the Rev. Jerry Jones officiating. Stephens Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Auld, 31, of Toomsuba, died Saturday, Nov. 8, 2003, in Toomsuba.
Survivors include his wife, Cassandra Auld; a daughter, Amber Auld, both of Toomsuba; his mother and step-father, Helen and Ray Conner of DeKalb; brothers, Angus Joseph and his wife, Wendi, of DeKalb and James Conner and his wife, Christy, of Collinsville; two nieces, three nephews, several other relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by his aunt, Marlene Young; and his grandfather, Everett Sciples.
Pallbearers will be J.J. Edwards, Mike Dixon, Josh Burkett, Russell Smith, Josh Gibson, Marcus Thornton and Todd Matter.
Visitation will be Thursday 6 p.m.-8 p.m. at the funeral home.
Services for Rebecca Powell will be held Friday at 1 p.m. at Clark's Memorial Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Chan Hearn officiating. Burial will be in Sunset Memorial Gardens Cemetery.
Mrs. Powell, 65, of Meridian, died Friday, Nov. 7, 2003, at Riley Hospital.
Survivors include her sons, Leotis Powell, Larry Powell and his wife, Annie, all of Meridian, and Kenneth Powell of San Diego, Calif.; daughters, Letha Powell Armstrong and Linda Powell, both of Meridian; 15 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents, George Parker Sr. and Mattie Brantley.
Visitation will be Thursday 6 p.m.-7 p.m. at the funeral home.
Troy Laundry employee
Services for Verna L. Butler will be held Friday at 1 p.m. at Mendon Zion Primitive Baptist Church with the Rev. Chris Parker officiating. Burial will be in Mt. Hebron Cemetery. Berry and Gardner Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Butler, 55, of Lauderdale, died Friday, Nov. 7, 2003, in Lauderdale County.
Survivors include her husband, Willard Wayne Butler of Lauderdale; daughters, Bettie McLaurin and her husband, Tyrone, Stacie Jourdain, Wendy Robinson and her husband, Willie, and Dominique Butler, all of Killeen, Texas; sons, Robert Boyd and his wife, Karen, of Silver Springs, Md., Kenneth Butler of Killeen, Steve Butler and Steven Butler, both of Lauderdale; sisters, Annie M. Thedford of Lauderdale and Lorene Jackson Adams of Des Moines, Iowa; brothers, Wiley Boyd and his wife, Ida Mae, Luther James Boyd, all of Lauderdale, and the Rev. Otis Boyd of Meridian; and 11 grandchildren.
Visitation will be Thursday 6 p.m.-7 p.m. at the funeral home.
Arrangements were incomplete at Barham Funeral Home for William S. "Bill" Smylie, 69, of Meridian, who died Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2003, at Heartfelt Hospice.
Arrangements were incomplete at Wright's Funeral Home in Quitman for John Christopher Gay Jr., 83, of Quitman, died Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2003, at Mississippi Baptist Medical Center in Jackson.

Also on Franklin County Times
Ex-day care owner faces 27-count indictment
Main, News, Russellville
Kevin Taylor For the FCT 
October 15, 2025
RUSSELLVILLE — The former owner of a Red Bay day care center where a 4-month-old died in March 2022 is now facing a manslaughter charge after a Frankl...
AI policies stress proper use over prohibition
Main, News
Alyssa Sutherland For the FCT 
October 15, 2025
Sheffield City Schools’ policy regarding student use of artificial intelligence (AI) at the start of the 2025-26 school year limited the use of the so...
Faith, family and resilience are keys to cancer survival
Main, News, Phil Campbell, ...
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
October 15, 2025
PHIL CAMPBELL — Ten years ago, Melissa Stancil faced a diagnosis that changed her life. Today, she’s not only a survivor of Stage 3 breast cancer but ...
Gilmer fulfills dream competing on ‘Jeopardy!’
Main, News, Russellville, ...
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
October 15, 2025
RUSSELLVILLE — Russellville native Slade Gilmer fulfilled a lifelong dream when he competed on “Jeopardy!” in an episode that aired Oct. 7. Gilmer liv...
Police among state’s first certified departments
News, Russellville, Z - News Main
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
October 15, 2025
RUSSELLVILLE — The city’s Police Department is one of the first 12 departments to earn professional accreditation through the Alabama Association of C...
We must break China’s grip on defense supply chains
Columnists, Opinion
October 15, 2025
China’s Xi Jinping appeared supremely confident at a recent military parade in Beijing with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. Xi’...
DKG international president visits Russellville
Columnists, Opinion
HERE AND NOW
October 15, 2025
When educators gather, there’s always something to learn, and this month our local Delta Kappa Gamma chapter, Alpha Upsilon, heard directly from the t...
More than laughs: Improvising for life’s situations
News
Chelsea Retherford For the FCT 
October 15, 2025
When most people hear the word “improv,” they might think of the quickwitted antics of “Whose Line is it Anyway?” But David Grissom, a veteran comedy ...

Leave a Reply

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