OBITUARIES – 2/7/2014

Published 12:00 am Friday, February 7, 2014

Gilbert Asa Bridges
BATESVILLE—Gilbert Asa Bridges died February 5, 2014, at the Mississippi State Veterans Home in Oxford, Mississippi. He was 90.

Visitation will be held Friday morning, February 7 in the Gathering Room of the Activities Building at Batesville First United Methodist Church from 9:30 until 10:30. Funeral services will be Friday, February 7, at 10:30 also at First United Methodist Church. Wells Funeral Home has charge.

Born November 27, 1923, near Lambert, he was the son of Willie Frank and Lena Grice Bridges, and the eldest of eight children. A veteran of World War II, he served in the United States Army Infantry in the Philippines and in occupied Japan. In 1950 he married Vivian “Sis” Murphree . They made their first home in Lambert, and it was there that their three children were born.

In the late sixties Mr. and Mrs. Bridges moved to Batesville and soon became partners and then owners of Batesville Implement Company. He made a career in the farm equipment industry until retirement in 1994. An avid gardener, he was a tireless worker, but most of all, he was “Tepaw” to his family. Throughout his life Mr. Bridges was involved in his church and community. He was a member of Lions Club International and served on the school board in Lambert. He was a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and a Mason. He was an active member of the Eureka Methodist Church and later Batesville First United Methodist Church where he was a faithful member of the Wesleyan Sunday School Class.

Survivors include: his wife of 63 years, Vivian, and their children, Sharman Bridges Smith, Teresa Bridges Myers and her husband David, and Gil Bridges and his wife Nancy.

Grandchildren include: Heather Smith Benfer and husband Jason, Millicent Smith, Chris Myers and wife Rachel, Jennifer Myers Garner and husband Reggie, Melba Major, J.R. Major, and Bowen Bridges and wife Abbey. Great-grandchildren include: Colson, JJ, Payton, and Lena Benfer; Greer, Shafer, and Bennett Garner; and Anne Ruth Bridges.

Memorials may be made to Batesville First United Methodist Church, 119 Panola Ave., Batesville, MS 38606 or to the Methodist Children’s Home, P.O. Box 66, Clinton, MS 39060.

Eddie Doyle
SENATOBIA—Eddie Doyle, 92, died Monday, February 3, 2014.

Services will be held today at 1 p.m. at Braham C.M.E. Church in Sardis. Rodgers Funeral Home had charge.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary B. William Doyle.

Survivors include: two daughters, Dorothy Patterson of Memphis and Mary Lou Young of Como; four sons, Robert Mays of Como, Eddie Lee Doyle of Pontiac, Mich., Eddie Doyle Jr. of Senatobia and Rogers Doyle of Como; 43 grandchildren; 40 great-grandchildren and 20 great-great-grandchildren.

Allen Ray Fontenot
NEW ORLEANS—Allen Ray Fontenot, 93, died Monday, February 3, 2014, at East Jefferson General Hospital in New Orleans.

Services will be held today at 10 a.m. at Dickins Funeral Home. Burial will be in Batesville Magnolia Cemetery. Rev. Ed Woodall will officiate. Visitation will begin at 9 a.m. at Dickins Funeral Home.

Fontenot, born Sept. 23, 1920, in Mamou, La., to the late Fernia Fontenot and Eliza Reed Fontenot, was a retired attorney and attended Rayne Memorial Methodist Church.

Survivors include: one son, Ray Fontenot of New Orleans; one sister, Joy Ortego of Ville Tlatte, La.; three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Harry Gaston Sr.
BATESVILLE— Harry Gaston Sr., 63, died Friday, January 31, 2014, at Baptist Memorial Hospital.

Services will be held Saturday at 1 p.m. at Pilgrims Rest M.B. Church. Dr. Zannie Leland Jr. will officiate. Burial will be in Mt. Moriah Cemetery. Henderson Funeral Home has charge.

Gaston, born Jan. 1, 1951, to the late Odis Gaston Sr. and Katherine Jones Gaston, was a retired police officer. He was retired from the U.S. Army and a member of Union Grove M.B. Church in Lambert.

Survivors include: his wife, Dorothy Burnette of Batesville; one daughter, Anita Gaston Hill of Batesville; one son, Harry Gaston Jr. of Batesville; four brothers, Jimmie Gaston and Larry Gaston, both of Chicago, Perry Gaston and Cleveland Jones, both of Lambert; one sister, Rose Mary Jones of Lambert and two grandchildren.

Herbert Hobson
SARDIS—Herbert Hobson, 81, died Sunday, February 2, 2014, at Sardis Community Nursing Home.

A native of Calhoun City, he was the son of Frank Hobson and Virgil Corbitt Hobson. He loved to fish, cook and work.

Services will be 1:00 p.m. Saturday, February 8, 2014, at Greater Light MB Church in Sardis. Rev. Bobby Walker will officiate Burial will be in Cistern Hill Cemetery in Como. Visitation is from 12 noon to 5 p.m. Friday at Kenneth I. Roberson Funeral Home. Kenneth I. Roberson Funeral Home of Sardis is in charge of the arrangements.

Survivors include: three daughters, Lekitchia Moors, Crystal Harrell, and Cynithia Harrell all of Sardis; one son Eric Harrell of Sardis; two sisters, Mary Mickens of Senatobia and Bonnie Strickland of Como; eight grandchildren and one great granddaughter.

Virginia Fay Irby Johnson
COLDWATER—Virginia Fay Irby Johnson, 51, died Friday, January 31, 2014, at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Desoto.

Memorial services will be held at noon Saturday at Batesville Junior High Auditorium. Pate-Jones Funeral Home has charge.

For 28 years Johnson was an educator for South Panola School District. She was a member of Ella Green Missionary Baptist Church in Coldwater.

She was preceded in death by her father, Jack Irby.

Survivors include: her daughter, Leslie Jean Johnson of Senatobia; mother, Leslie T. Irby of Coldwater; two brothers, Eddie L. Tate of Seattle and Melvin Irby of Coldwater; five sisters, Ethel Johnson, Maude Bady and Betty Irby, all of Coldwater, Virgie Warren and Lucille Richardson of Memphis.

Timothy Floyd Marshall
SOUTHAVEN— Timothy Floyd Marshall, 48, died Friday, January 31, 2014, at his home in Southaven.

There will be no local memorial service for Mr. Marshall. At a later time, he will have a full military burial at sea, which will be orchestrated by the United States Navy.

Born in Batesville to Floyd O. and Grace Darby Marshall on August 8, 1965, Timothy was one of four children. He was a retired Leading Petty Officer in the U.S. Navy having retired after 20 years.

Having gone to combat numerous times, he assisted in the liberation of Kuwait and was deployed in Desert Storm and traveled to Iraq in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Survivors include: children, Katie Marshall and Timothy F. Marshall Jr., both of Texas; one sister, Gail M. Adams of Southaven, and two brothers, Wade Marshall of Horn Lake and Kelvin Marshall of Senatobia.

Betty Rudd
COURTLAND— Betty Rudd, 58, died Monday, February 3, 2014, at her residence.

Services will be held Saturday at 2 p.m. at Hosanna Family Worship Center. Pastor Damon Plummer will officiate. Burial will be in Spring Hill Pope Church Cemetery. Visitation will be held Friday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. at Cooley’s Mortuary. Cooley’s Mortuary has charge.

Rudd, born Dec. 12, 1955, in Batesville, to Jimmie Rudd and Sarah Ford Rudd, was a sewing operator at Chrome Craft Company.

She was a member of Hosanna Family Worship Center in Pope.

Survivors along with her father include: two sons, Latroy Rudd of Courtland and Kendrick Rudd of Houston, Texas; two daughters, Stephanie Rudd Phillips of Oxford and Kristen Rudd of Courtland; two brothers, Micheal Rudd of Courtland and Bobby Rudd of Tunica; three sisters, Ruthie Mae Rudd of Pope, Francine Lee of Batesville and Margaret Rudd of Pope; seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Eva Mae Boyd Tucker
BATESVILLE—Services for Eva Mae Boyd Tucker, 93, were Saturday, Feb 1, 2014 at Springhill Asa M.B. Church where she was the oldest living member and where as long as her health permitted she had served in the choir, as deaconess, Sunday School teacher and a member of the Mother Board.

Tucker, a homemaker and pioneer civil rights activist in Panola County, died at her Chapeltown home Jan. 28, 2014.

Born in Batesville to Willie and Essie Kuykendall Boyd, she was the widow of Earl Perry Tucker who at age 99 had preceded her in death on Jan. 30, 2013. She was recognized for leadership in her church, home, community and in the education of her children as well as children from her neighborhood and church. As an adult 4-H leader, she encouraged participation by club members in competitions. She worked in Head Start and Green Thumb, among others.

In 1965, the couple was among the first whose children integrated Batesville schools. Daughter Alice Tucker entered as a fourth grader under a freedom of choice plan that had been implemented in the South Panola district under court order.

Her civil rights activities also included sit-ins in a local café, serving jail time in Jackson following her arrest during demonstrations, voter registrations and every effort in Panola County to gain equal treatment for black citizens.

 Survivors include: sons Sylvester Tucker Sr. of Flint, Mich.; Earl Tucker Jr. of Chicago; Melvin Tucker of Courtland; Allen Marshall Tucker (Minnie) and Benny A. Tucker (Renee), both of Ft. Worth, TX; daughters Gloria J. Tucker, also of Flint, MI; Dorothy L. Tucker Roberts of Kansas City; and Dr. Alice D. Tucker-Pretlow (Lester) of Augusta.

Survivors also include grandchildren Patricia Townsend, Sylvester Tucker, Sherry Freeman, LaSonya Allen, Kedric Allen, Shelia Allen Draper, Freddy Tucker, Iris Tucker, Bonita Tucker, LaBurron Jackson, Loretta McAdory, Quincy Tucker, Leslie Street, Lamont Murphy, Danielle Tucker, Alea Roberts, Crystal Watts, Gabrielle Pretlow, Nicole Hawthorne and Ashley Tucker; 36 great-grandchildren.She was preceded in death by her son, Keith Tucker and granddaughters Sarah Williams and RaSheda Tucker, in addition to her husband.

Interment was at the Spring Hill Asa Cemetery.