Obituaries for Tuesday, May 11, 2004

By Staff
Retired
Services for Gary Orville Hill will be held Wednesday at 10 a.m. at Northcrest Baptist Church with the Revs. Malcolm Lewis, Barry Skelton and Frank Thomas officiating. Burial will be in Magnolia Cemetery. Stephens Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Hill, 61, of St. Cloud, Fla., formerly of Meridian, died Friday, May 7, 2004, in St. Cloud. He was a retired fireman and police dispatcher. He was a member of Northcrest Baptist Church, Oakland Heights Masonic Lodge No. 577, and Simmons Hunting club since 1963. He was a past deputy sheriff and was Marion Police Chief. He loved to fish and hunt turkey and deer.
Survivors include his wife, Sarah Dean Hill of St. Cloud, Fla.; daughters, Kim Hill Robbins and her husband, John, and Angela Hill Skelton and her husband, Allen, all of Meridian and Karen Hill Dulaney and her husband, Randy, of Kissimmee, Fla.; grandchildren, Emily Dulaney and Claire Dulaney, both of Kissimmee, Luke Robbins, Levi Robbins, Justin Skelton and Conner Skelton, all of Meridian; his mother, Louise Thomas of Meridian; brothers, Larry Thomas and his wife, Sandy, of Chunky and Aubry Thomas of Hattiesburg.
Pallbearers will be Bruce Thomas, Tyler Thomas, Keith Garrett, Alex Garrett, Matthew Garrett, Robert Alan Jarman, Robert Dulaney and Caleb Dulaney.
Visitation will be today 5 p.m.-8 p.m. at the funeral home and one hour prior to the service at the church on Wednesday.
Retired paint and body auto employee
QUITMAN Graveside services for Roy Eugene Grayson will be held today at 11 a.m. at Elim Cemetery with the Rev. Grady Crowell officiating. Wright's Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Grayson, 63, of Quitman, died Saturday, May 8, 2004, at H.C. Watkins Memorial Hospital in Quitman. He was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force.
Survivors include his son, Steven Lee Grayson of Mobile, Ala.; daughters, Paula "Tina" Grayson Hogan of Mobile and Stephanie Grayson of Quitman, and Annette Grayson Harris of Wilmar, Ala.; a brother, David Grayson; sisters, Mildred Neely, both of Quitman and Mary Whittington of Hermatage, Ark. and three grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his son, Roy Eugene Grayson Jr.
UNION Services for Virginia R. Yates will be held today at 1 p.m. at Gilmer's Chapel Church of God with the Revs. Claude Creel and Jerry Bennett officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Milling Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Yates, 78, of Evansville, Ind., died Thursday, May 6, 2004, at the Deaconess Hospital in Evansville.
She was a member of Gilmer's Chapel Church of God in Conehatta.
Survivors include a daughter, Mary Snodgrass of Evansville; a brother, Jimmy Madden of Jackson; granddaughters, Amy Goodson of Anderson, Ind., Karen Stephens of Evansville and Katie Fiermonte of New York, N.Y.; seven great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.
She was preceded in death by her husband, W.D. Yates and a daughter, Grace Laverne McPhearson.
Pallbearers will be Truman Yates, Larry Yates, Johnny Yates, Norman Yates, Danny Yates, Nelson Yates and Pruitt Smith.
Farmer
PHILADELPHIA Services for Jerry Cumberland will be held today at 4 p.m. at McClain-Hays Funeral Service Chapel with the Revs. Lawrence Pool and A.J. Dufrene officiating. Burial will be in Coye Assembly of God Church Cemetery in Preston.
Mr. Cumberland, 65, of Philadelphia, died Sunday, May 9, 2004, in his home. He was born and raised in the Coye Community of Kemper County.
Survivors include his daughter, Mary Files Traywick of Philadelphia; grandchildren, Jennifer Posey of Philadelphia and Chandler Files of Meridian and two great-grandchildren; his mother, Audrey Cumberland of Philadelphia; sisters, Mary Nell Jackson of Louisville and Dorothy Edwards of Philadelphia and a brother, Lonnie Cumberland of Preston.
Pallbearers will be Howard Edwards Jr., Jonathan Pilgrim, Randy Jackson, John Granberry, Josh Smith and Luke Smith.
Homemaker
NEWTON Services for Mattie B. "Pat" Jones will be held Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. at Clarke Venable Baptist Church in Decatur with the Rev. Dr. Richard Ethridge officiating. Burial will be in Decatur Cemetery. Barham Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Jones, 85, of Decatur, died Friday, May 7, 2004, in her home. She was a native of Decatur and was an active member of Clarke-Venable Baptist Church. She was involved in the church nursery for many years. She will be remembered as one who loved her Lord, family, her church and her friends.
Survivors include her daughter, Shirley Jones Bowler and her husband, Paul, of Newark, Del.; a son, Kenneth Jones and his wife, Rosemary, of Decatur; grandchildren, Teri Bumpers and her husband, Jamey, of Flower Mound, Texas, Traci Schmidt and her husband, Hal, of Sand Point, Idaho, Lisa Jones of Hattiesburg and Thomas "Tommy" Jones and his wife, Jennie, of Decatur; three great-grandchildren, Mary Grace Jones, Cole Jones, and Christopher Bumpers; brothers, Pete Barham and O.C. Barham, both of Meridian and Jarius Barham of Decatur and Dwight Barham of Hattiesburg; sisters-in-law, Roberta Jones and Elizabeth Jones and several nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Harmon Jones.
Memorials may be made to Clarke-Venable Baptist Church Building Fund.
Pallbearers will be Chris Harris, Doyle McMullan, Rusty Barnett, James Jones, Kenneth Chaney and Wayne Comans.
Visitation will be today 5 p.m.-8 p.m. at the funeral home.