Obituaries for Monday, May 24, 2004

By Staff
Retired
Services for Lena Mae Brown will be held Wednesday at 11 a.m. at Freedom Rock Christian Fellowship Church with the Revs. Craig E. Tucker and Cornelious McClellan officiating. Burial will be in Forest Lawn Memory Cemetery. E.E. McDonald Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Ms. Brown, 74, of Meridian, died Wednesday, May 19, 2004, at Rush Foundation Hospital. She was retired from Meridian Housing Authority.
Survivors include her daughters, Mary E. Bob of Dallas, Vivian D. Hill and her husband, Eddie, of Meridian, Linda F. Stewart and her husband, Terry, of Columbia, Md., and Rose M. Ratcliff of Newton; grandchildren, Va'Nita Brown, Carrido Stewart, Danyale Bob, Danisha Bob, Edrico Hill and his wife, LaShondra, Christie Stewart, Shan'Neeci Brown, Va'Ronica Hill and Leah Ratcliff; four great-grandchildren, DeKyra Hawkins, Kayla Jackson, Dazemeon Page and Ja'Leah Hickman; sisters, Angelia Sampson and Martha Parker, both of Meridian; several nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
She was preceded in death by a daughter, Sandra K. Newell Collins; her parents, a sister, a brother and two sons-in-law.
Visitation will be Tuesday 6 p.m.-7 p.m. at the E.E. McDonald Community Chapel in Meridian and one hour prior to the service at the church.
Homemaker
Services for Rosa Ethridge James were held today at 10 a.m. at Stephens Funeral Home Chapel with the Revs. Richie Davis and Norman Arthur officiating. Burial will be in Magnolia Cemetery.
Mrs. James, 86, of Meridian, died Thursday, May 20, 2004, at Regency Hospital of Meridian. She was a member of the Church of the Nazarene. She will be remembered as one who loved the Lord, served him faithfully and was a Christian mother whose example was an inspiration to her family. Her love and smile brought much joy to all who knew her.
Survivors include two daughters, Lawana James of Meridian and Charlene Truelove and her husband, Roy, of McRae, Ga.; two sons, Fred Louis James and his wife, Mitzi, of Meridian, and William James and his wife, Ruth, of Cleveland, Tenn.; grandchildren, Rose Marie Wojdyla, Sharon Davis, Chris James, Kathleen Giles, Sarah Lynn Truelove, Lara Shelton, Kami Loe and Matthew James; 20 great-grandchildren, four great-great-grandchildren and a special great-niece, Rashel Day.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 52 years, Fred Roy James; and an infant daughter, Nancy Jean James.
Pallbearers will be her grandsons.
Retired
Graveside services for Benjamin Franklin "Frank" Parke Jr. will be held Wednesday at 9 a.m. at Magnolia Cemetery with the Rev. Jimmy Harrison officiating. Barham Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Parke, 85, of Meridian, died Saturday, May 22, 2004, at The Specialty Hospital of Meridian. He was a retired master mechanic and machinist from Meridian and Bigbee Railroad. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army Air Corps and served in World War II in England.
He was a member of First Baptist Church, the Hamasa Shrine Temple, King Solomon Masonic Lodge, a York Rite Mason, Hamasa Temple Band, Meridian Boys Band and was a former King of the Meridian Junior Auxiliary Ball.
He was a member of the Flying Sergeants, a master chef and an avid sailor having built five sailboats. He was a charter member of Okatibbee Yacht Club and creator of Christmas on Okatibbee. He loved sharing his creative and mechanical talents with others.
Survivors include his wife of more than 61 years, Marie Jones Parke of Meridian; daughters, Phyllis Parke Skipper and her husband, Ed, of Meridian and Ann Parke Gibbs and her husband, Walt, of Roanoke Rapids, N.C.; a son, Randy Parke and his wife, Ann, of Meridian; grandchildren, Julie Skipper, Emily Gibbs, Molly Gibbs, Jeff Parke and Kate Lucy; a sister, Harriett Parke Franklin of Fullerton, Calif.; a nephew, Fred Townsend of Fullerton; a sister-in-law, Maxine Lang and her husband, Skeeter, of Meridian; a brother-in-law, Jimmy Garrett; and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Mattie Perryman Parke and Benjamin Franklin Parke Sr.; a sister, Elizabeth Parke; and a brother, Eugene Parke.
Visitation will be Tuesday 5 p.m.-8 p.m. at the funeral home.
Arrangements were incomplete at Barham Funeral Home for Joe Davis, 79, of Meridian, who died Sunday, May 23, 2004, at Guardian Angel Hospice.
Arrangements were incomplete at James F. Webb Funeral Home for Mary S. Elliott, 90, of Meridian, who died Sunday, May 23, 2004, in her home.
Arrangements were incomplete at E.E. McDonald Funeral Home for Carolyn B. Randle, 44, of Cuba, Ala., who died Sunday, May 23, 2004, at Riley Hospital.
Arrangements were incomplete at E.E. McDonald Funeral Home for Ida M. Rush of DeKalb, who died Sunday, May 23, 2004, at Rush Foundation Hospital.