Obituaries 11-9-12

Published 12:00 am Friday, November 9, 2012

BATESVILLE – James Bownes Jr., 60, died Monday, November 5, 2012.

Services will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at Batesville Jr. High School Auditorium. Pastor Zannie Leland Jr. will officiate. Burial will be in Macedonia Cemetery. Visitation will be held Friday from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. at Cooley’s Mortuary and Saturday from 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. at Batesville Jr. High School Auditorium. Cooley’s Mortuary has charge.

Bownes, born March 14, 1952, in Cauthersville, Mo., to Rubystein Hurd Johnson of Ben Harbor, Mich. and the late James Bownes Sr., was the pastor of Sherard M.B. Church. He was a member of Macedonia M.B. Church and Sardis District Ministerial Alliance, Sardis District Missionary Baptist Association Sunday School and NBC Congress of North Mississippi.

Survivors along with his mother include: his wife, Ruby Bownes of Batesville; three daughters, Felicia Bownes of Courtland, Tamu Reed of Batesville and Teresa Pegues of Nashville; three step-daughters, Delores Stevens and Ebony Stevens, both of Columbus, Ohio and Samantha Lowe of Atlanta; three step-sons, Wayland Bownes and Patrick Bownes, both of Batesville and Melvin Stevens of Grand Rapids, Mich.; one brother, James “Pete” Mayweather of Cape Giradeau, Mo.; seven sisters, Mattie Jones of Littlerock, Calif., Cynthia Ross of Lorain, Ohio, Linda Love and Shana Ford, both of Ben Harbor, Patricia Galmore of Crawfordville, Ind., Mary Mayweather and Juanita Mayweather, both of Michigan City, Ind. and 17 grandchildren.

OXFORD – Frank Gordon, 71, retired entrepreneur and real estate developer, died Tuesday, October 30, 2012 at his residence.  

Funeral services were Friday, November 2, at First Baptist Church in Oxford with Rev. Robert Allen and Rev. Eric Hankins officiating.  Burial was in Eastover Memorial Cemetery.    Waller Funeral Home had charge.

Born in Pontiac, Mich. Gordon served as a Machinist 1st Class in the United States Navy.  He was a member of First Baptist Church and the Men’s Overcomers Sunday School Class.  He participated in the ministry provided to men at the Lafayette County Detention Center and ministered outside of Oxford by traveling to Mexico on numerous mission trips.

Gordon was preceded in death by a daughter, Wendy Gordon.

Survivors include his wife, Ruthann Gordon of Oxford; one daughter, Jenny Gordon Smith of Oxford; a son, Jeffrey T. Gordon and his wife, Berri of Batesville; one sister, Suzanne Gordon Michaels of Cartagena, Colombia and six grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to First Baptist Church, 800 Van Buren Avenue, Oxford, Miss. 38655.

OXFORD – Marcus Dyrell Griffin, Jr., infant, entered into rest Thursday, November 1, 2012, at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Oxford. He was the grandson of Carolyn Walls of Batesville.

Graveside services were held Saturday, at the Warren Cemetery, Thaxton, with Bro. David Westmoreland officiating. Coleman Funeral Home had charge.

Survivors along with his grandmother include his parents, Marcus Dyrell Griffin Sr. and Elisha Edwards, both of Oxford, MS; one brother, Emanuel Towns of Oxford, MS; one sister, Makenzie Towns of Oxford, MS; grandparents, Jennifer Wolverton of Ash Flat, Ark. and Dwight Griffin of Texas.

MEMPHIS – Issiac Milton Sr., 77, died November 4, 2012.

Services will be held Friday at 11 a.m. at Eddie Robinson Funeral Home. Burial will be in Springhill Asa M.B. Church Cemetery. Eddie Robinson Funeral Home has charge.

Milton, born July 8, 1935, in Meadville, to the late Willie Middleton and Nancy Thompson, worked for Memphis Compress.

Survivors include: five sons, Leslie Benner, Benny Milton, Marece Milton, Michael Milton and Issiac Milton Jr., all of Batesville; six daughters, Angela Draper, Delilah Johnson, Tammy Armstrong, all of Batesville, Drusilla Benner and Pamela Milton, both of Milwaukee, Wis. and Stephanie Milton of Macon, Ga. and a host of grandchildren.

CRENSHAW – Mossie Lee Phillips, 73, died Wednesday, November 7, 2012.

Services will be held Saturday at 2 p.m. at Longtown Church of God in Sarah. Burial will be in Askew Cemetery in Longtown. Visitation will be held Friday from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. Rodgers Funeral Home has charge.

Phillips was a homemaker.

Survivors include: three daughters, Patricia Hill of Coldwater, Lory Ann Phillips and Mary Holmes, both of Crenshaw; five sons, Ben Allen Phillips of Memphis, Eddie Lee Phillips of Crenshaw, Ira Terrell Phillips of Tunica, Gregory Haynes of Raeford, N.C. and Gary Henley of Tunica; 29 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.

SARDIS – Bruce Leo Spaur, 78, died Wednesday, November 7, 2012, at his residence.

No services are scheduled at this time. Wells Funeral Home has charge.

Spaur was born in Medford, Oregon, to Fred & Pearl Lula Watts Spaur on Dec. 24, 1933. He served his country as an Airman First Class in the United States Air Force. He was a retired master mechanic for the Mississippi Department of Transportation.

Survivors include: his wife, Caranetti Adams Spaur of Sardis; two daughters, Judy Umfress of Olive Branch and Samantha Bolen of Sardis; two sons, Edward Eugene Spaur of Independence, and Charles Bowles of Sardis; two brothers, Jack Spaur of Medford, Ore., and Donald Spaur of Napa, Idaho, and four grandchildren.

The family asks that anyone wishing to give memorials, send those to the American Lung Association, 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Suite 800, Washington, D.C. 20004.