Obituaries for Saturday, Dec. 28, 2002

By Staff
EDGAR B. PETTUS
Retired from Magnolia Steel
Services for Edgar B. Pettus will be held today at 1 p.m. at Clark's Memorial Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. M.W. Fowler officiating. Burial will be in the Masonic Cemetery in Scooba.
Mr. Pettus, 86, of Scooba, died Saturday, Dec. 21, 2002, at Rush Foundation Hospital.
Survivors include his wife, Geneviel Pettus of Scooba; five children, Callie Harper and her husband, Ewell, of Bath, Maine, Eloise Heidelberg and her husband, Willie E., of Meridian, Carrie Pettus of Columbus, Ohio, Frances Pittman of Sumrall and Barbara Kimbrough and her husband, Willie, of Los Angeles; a brother, Charles Pettus and his wife, Betty, of St. Louis; 20 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, a son and two brothers.
Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the funeral home.
HOLLY VIRGINIA WELSH
Graveside services for Holly Virginia Welsh will be held today at 1 p.m. at Magnolia Cemetery with the Rev. Dave Marshall officiating. Barham Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Ms. Welsh, 38, of Meridian, died Thursday, Dec. 26, 2002, at Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center. She was a member of Northcrest Baptist Church and an honors graduate of Meridian High School and Millsaps College.
Survivors include her mother, Joyce Green Welsh of Meridian and her father, Bernard Howard Welsh of Jackson; one sister, Kimberly Joyce Welsh Ferguson of Nashville; an uncle, Jerry Greene and his wife, Marilyn, of Meridian; and two cousins, Merrick Jackson of Hattiesburg and Mason Greene of Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Memorials may be made to Northcrest Baptist Church.
Visitation will be today from noon-12:30 p.m. at the funeral home.
JOSEPH J. FOREHAND JR.
QUITMAN Services for Joseph J. Forehand Jr. will be held Sunday at 2 p.m. at Wright's Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Jim Harris officiating. Burial will be in Shubuta Cemetery.
Mr. Forehand, 77, of Shubuta, died Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2002, at his home.
Survivors include a son, Donald Forehand, and three grandchildren.
Visitation will be today from 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. at the funeral home.
JOHN FORTENBERRY
Retired office manager
PHILADELPHIA Services for John Fortenberry will be held Sunday at 2 p.m. at McClain-Hays Funeral Chapel. Burial will be in Cooks Chapel Cemetery.
Mr. Fortenberry, 60, of Philadelphia, died Friday, Dec. 27, 2002, at Hospice In His Hands in Madden.
Survivors include his wife, Betty Fortenberry and two brothers, Charles Fortenberry and Herman Fortenberry, all of Philadelphia; and three sisters, Elizabeth Paris of Southaven; Bobbie Stovall of DeKalb; and Mary Lewis of Horn Lake.
Visitation will be today from 4 p.m. – 9 p.m. at the funeral home.
JOSEPH FRANK POOLE
Entomologist
DEKALB Graveside services for Joseph Frank Poole will be held Sunday at 2 p.m. at Union Methodist Cemetery with the Rev. Lannis May officiating. Stephens Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Poole, 86, of DeKalb, died Friday, Dec. 27, 2002, at Riley Hospital. He was a graduate of Mississippi State University and served in the United States Air Force during World War II.
Mr. Poole lived overseas in the South Pacific until 1973 where he worked to help rid the area of malaria. He moved to DeKalb in 1973 where he retired.
Survivors include his daughter, Pamela Solomon of Cumming, Ga.; a son, Frank Poole Jr. of Stockbridge, Ga.; two grandchildren, Stacey Solomon of Dawsonville, Ga.; and Warren Solomon of Cumming; and two sisters, Helen McWilliams and Daisy Weaver, both of DeKalb.
CLAUDE E. VANCE
Designer draftman
Graveside services for Claude E. Vance will be held Monday at 10 a.m. at Newton County Memorial Gardens with the Rev. Sally Fran Ross officiating. Barham Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Vance, 77, of Madison Heights, Mich., died Thursday, Dec. 26, 2002, at St. John's Oakland Hospital. He was a designer draftman for Ford, Chrysler and General Motors.
Survivors include three brothers, James Vance and his wife, Patsy, of Meridian; Rudolph Vance and his wife, Shirley of Carthage, Texas; and Douglas Vance of Pensacola, Fla.; three sisters, Genva Strickland of Decatur; Margaret Scardace of Cairo, New York; and Deloris Canady of Navarre, Fla.; an aunt, Nellie B. Perkins and a cousin, Troy Manchester, both of Newton; and 19 nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by a sister, Inez Vance, and his parents, David H. and Tammie Vance.
SAMUEL THOMAS
Retired
Services for Samuel Thomas will be held Monday at 1 p.m. at Berry &Gardner Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Timothy Thompson officiating. Burial will be in Sunset Cemetery.
Mr. Thomas, 87, of Meridian, died Thursday, Dec. 26, 2002, at Riley Hospital. He was a retired pullman porter and painter.
Survivors include his step-mother, Secil Thomas of Meridian; two half sisters, Lena Johnson of Jackson and Katie Dension of Bolton; and several cousins, nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his wife and parents.
Visitation will be 30 minutes prior to the service at the funeral home.
ELIZABETH GOREE
Homemaker
DEKALB Services for Elizabeth Goree will be held Monday at 2 p.m. at Christ Temple Holiness Church in Meridian with the Rev. Bishop Luke Edwards officiating. Burial will be in Poplar Springs Baptist Church Cemetery in Savoy. E.E. McDonald Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Goree, 68, of Meridian, died Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2002, at Riley Hospital.
Survivors include her children, Essie L. Dean, Betty J. Brown, Georgia A. Tripplett and her husband, Jimmy, all of Meridian, Elaine Wallace and her husband, Bruce, of Quitman and Tommy Goree of Meridian; eight grandchildren; six great-great-grandchildren; a sister, Addie Griffin and four brothers, Louis McCoy, Robert Earl Lee and his wife, Carrie, Curtis McCoy and Frank McCoy and his wife, Nell, all of Meridian; and several nieces and nephews, other relatives and friends.
She was preceded in death by her husband and eight children.
Visitation will be Sunday from 6 p.m.- 8 p.m. at E.E. McDonald Community Chapel in Meridian.
ALFRED E. KEENE
Retired construction mechanic
Services for Alfred E. Keene will be held Monday at 2 p.m. at Barham Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Chuck Overby officiating. Burial will be in Keene Cemetery.
Mr. Keene, 69, of Toomsuba, died Friday, Dec. 27, 2002, at Guardian Angel Hospice Inc.
Visitation will be Sunday from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. at the funeral home.
WILLIA BROWN
Angelica Textile Inc. employee
CHICAGO Services for Willia Brown will be held Monday at Slaughter and Sons Funeral Home. Burial will be in Mount Hope Cemetery in Chicago.
Mrs. Brown, 67, of Chicago, a native of Meridian, died Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2002, at River Front Terrace Nursing Inc.
Survivors include a daughter, Barbara Goodwin of Meridian; a grandson, Raphael Goodwin Jr. of Meridian; a brother, Bennie Gray of Atlanta; and a sister-in-law, Mabel Hamilton of Chicago.
She was preceded in death by her granddaughter, Kwanza Goodwin and a son-in-law, Raphael Goodwin Sr., both of Meridian.
Visitation will be Monday one hour prior to the service.
BILL STRAIT
Arrangements were incomplete at James F. Webb Funeral Home of Newton for Bill Strait, 75, of Lawrence, who died Friday, Dec. 27, 2002, in his home.