Obituaries for Friday, August 27, 2004

By Staff
Banker
Services for Dewitt Talmadge "Tal" Braddock will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at Central United Methodist Church with the Revs. Jimmy Harrison and Billy McAlilly officiating. Burial will be in Forest Lawn Cemetery with Barham Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Braddock, 52, of Tupelo, died Thursday, Aug. 26, 2004, at Regency Hospital in Meridian. In spite of a grave and debilitating illness, Tal's spirit never wavered and his deep faith was never diminished. His courage in the face of death was an inspiration to his family, friends and many associates. He was a banker, community leader, active church member and an avid golfer who was devoted to his family. He graduated from Ripley High School in Ripley, Miss., and the University of Mississippi where he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity. While at Ole Miss, he met and married Kathy Watkins of Summit, Miss. After graduation they moved to McComb where Tal began his banking career with the Bank of McComb. Later he was a partner in Garner, Blossman, Braddock and Wild Insurance Co. In 1989, he joined Deposit Guaranty National Bank where he became president. In 1992, he accepted the position of president of Deposit Guaranty National Bank in Meridian, and later, he became district president of AmSouth's Central Mississippi Division. In 2003, Tal became regional president of BancorpSouth's Tupelo Division. In McComb, he was a member of J.J. White Presbyterian Church, where he served as a deacon, elder, clerk of the session and treasurer. He was a member of the McComb Lions Club, chairman of Pike County Cancer Association and president of Fernwood Country Club. As a member of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Meridian, he served as elder and clerk of the session. His community involvement in Meridian included founding board member and first chairman of the board of the East Mississippi Business Development Corp., chairman of the board and campaign chairman of the Lauderdale County United Way, president of Northwood Country Club, member of the President's Roundtable for Meridian Community College and he was a member of Meridian's Rotary Club. He was a former board member of the Mississippi Economic Council, the board of Tupelo Main Street Association and the Tupelo Rotary Club. In June of this year, he was honored by being named Honorary Chairman of the Tupelo/Lee County Cancer Society's Relay for Life. He also was a member of the First Methodist Church of Tupelo. He was a Certified Financial Planner, a registered representative of NASD and a graduate of Stonier Graduate School of Banking at Rutgers University.
Survivors include his wife, Kathy of Tupelo; daughters, Hope Mitchell and her husband, Gerry, and their son, Eli, all of Meridian; Leighton Braddock and her fianc, Robert Mason, both of Oxford; brothers, Jim Braddock and his wife, Jackie, of Memphis, Tenn., and John Leland Braddock of Ripley; his brothers-in-law, William Watkins and his wife, Lynne, of McComb, Henderson Watkins and his wife, Naomi, of Woodlands, Texas; and a sister-in-law, Maggie Watkins of Monroe, Ga.; and Laura Laurence of Monroe, Ga., and Katy Watkins of Meridian.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Dewitt and Jamie Braddock of Ripley; his mother and father-in-law, Frank and Hope Watkins of Summit; and a grandson, David Talmadge Mitchell of Meridian.
Pallbearers will be Steve Blue, Watkins Wild, Whitney Rawlings, Tom Walman, Ray Long, Sam Long, Mike Pate and Ben Grantham.
The family requests memorials be made to your local United Way or the American Cancer Society.
Visitation will be held today from 5 p.m.-7 p.m. at the funeral home and on Saturday from 10 a.m.-11 a.m. at Central United Methodist Church.
Farmer/mechanic
DEKALB Services for Sam "Bolt" Houston will be held Saturday at 1 p.m. at New Hope United Methodist Church with the Rev. Wayne Bass officiating. Burial will be in New Hope Cemetery with E.E. McDonald Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Houston, 78, of DeKalb, died Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2004, at Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center.
Survivors include his children, Lloyd H. Houston and his wife, Wanda, of Cleveland, Alice Burton and her husband, Luther, of Toomsuba, Lizzie Willis and her husband, Ben, of Collinsville; 11 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; a brother, Elmer Houston of DeKalb; and a sister, Willie Lee Johnson of East St. Louis, Ill.; and several nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by his wife and a son.
Visitation will be held today from noon-1 p.m. at the church.
YORK, Ala. Services for George Ralph Welch Sr. will be held Saturday at 2 p.m. at Bumpers Funeral Home with the Revs. Albert Creel and James Lawson officiating. Burial will be in Cokes Chapel Cemetery.
Mr. Welch, 57, of Ward, died Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2004, in Ward. He was on the Sumter Board of Commissioners and worked as a road foreman for 33 years.
Survivors include his wife, Judy Diane Jowers Welch of Ward; daughters, Diana Welch and Sara Seward and her husband, Robert; a son, George "Bubba" Welch and his wife, Cheryl; grandchildren, Steffun Seward, Matthew Seward, Brittany Welch and Whitney Welch; God-sons, Gordon Powell Jr. and Keith Powell; sisters, Evelyn Monsour of Meridian, Miss. and Tylene Norcross of York; a brother, Lee Welch of Destin, Fla.; and several nieces, nephews and friends.
Pallbearers will be Steffun Seward, Gordon Powell Jr., Keith Powell, Ronnie Fuller, Donnie Fuller and Vince Jones.
Honorary pallbearers will be Matthew Seward, Richard Leonard, Jim Stephens, Jerry Stephens, Frank Shannon, Mack Mitchell, Bill Jowers, Darryl Welch and David Fuller.
Visitation will be held today from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. at the funeral home.
Retired
Services for Barbara L. Ready will be held Saturday at 3 p.m. at Webb Funeral Home chapel with Rev. Thomas Broadhead and Drs. Thad Moore and Keith Grubbs officiating. Burial will be in Forest Lawn cemetery.
Mrs. Ready, 69, of Meridian, died Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2004, in her home. She was a retired office manager and a homemaker. She was a member of Poplar Springs Drive Baptist Church, the Ruth Sunday School class, and she and her husband had been married for almost 51 years.
Survivors include her husband, Rev. Bill Ready of Meridian; a daughter, Lisa Butler and her husband, Bryce, of Meridian; a son, Jeffrey Ready and his wife, Paulette, of Kansas City, Mo.; and grandchildren, Victoria, Julia, Bethany and Jared.
Pallbearers will be Grover Eakes, Dale Eakes, John Eakes, Tom Butler, Mark Milling and Benton Espey.
Visitation will be held today from 5 p.m.-8 p.m. at the funeral home.
Homemaker
Memorial services for Billie Smith Huajardo will be held at a later date in Savannah, Ga. James F. Webb Funeral Home is in charge of local arrangements.
Mrs. Huajardo, of Pine Springs, died Thursday, Aug. 26., 2004, in her home.
Survivors include her daughter and son-in-law, Patty Ann and Gary Smith, of Cummin, Ga., grandchildren, Nikki Bishop and Katie Davis; great-grandchildren, Anna Kate Davis and Cody Davis; half-sisters, Margaret Ann Kinard and Ginny Smith; a brother, Jerry Sherman of California; and her cat, Charlie, whom she dearly loved.
The family requests memorials be made to Union Planters Bank in honor of her beloved cat.
Arrangements were incomplete at Berry &Gardner Funeral Home for Edward Earl Hearn, 67, of Quitman, who died Thursday, Aug. 26, 2004, at Rush Foundation Hospital.
NEWTON Arrangements were incomplete at James F. Webb Funeral Home for Lelar M. Davis, 83, of Decatur, who died Thursday, Aug. 26, 2004, at Hilltop Manor in Union.