Obituaries 11-30-07

Published 12:00 am Friday, November 30, 2007

SARDIS—Hazel G. Arnold, 90, died Monday, November 26, 2007, at her daughter’s home in Hernando.

Services were Wednesday at Wells Funeral Home Chapel. Burial was in Cold Springs Cemetery. Rev. Robert “Bob” Hickey officiated. Wells Funeral Home had charge.

Arnold, born June 8, 1917, in Sardis, to the late William Lee and Charlie Ann Goodnight Goforth, was a homemaker and a member of Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church.

She was preceded in death by her husband, W.M. “Bud” Arnold, one daughter, Brenda McCown and one son, Jimmy Arnold.

Survivors include: one daughter, Sarah Arnold Thomas of Hernando; two sons, Melvin Arnold of Sherwood, Ark. and Clifton “Rooster” Arnold of Charleston; 11 grandchildren; 25 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.

MEMPHIS—Charlie Avant, 56, formerly of Courtland, died Thursday, November 22, 2007.
Services are today at 1 p.m. at Shiloh M.B. Church in Courtland. Presiding Elder Nehemiah Martin will officiate. Burial will be in Shiloh Cemetery in Courtland. Cooley’s Mortuary has charge.

Avant, born Sept. 5, 1951, to Robert Lee and Ada Mae Avant Lee of Courtland, was a member of World Overcomers Ministries Church in Memphis.

Survivors along with his parents include: his wife, Joyce Ann Draper Avant of Memphis; three sons, Carlos Avant, Charles Jamal Avant and Kenneth Rudd, all of Memphis; 10 sisters, Sarah Martin, Pamela McMillian, and Kassandra Lee, all of Courtland, Brenda Brown and Brenda Rudd, both of Batesville, Bonnie Dean Sanford of Pope, Gloria Lee and Fannie Golden, both of Memphis, Teresa Jenkins of Blytheville, Ark. and Christa Frazier of Dayton, Ohio; seven brothers, Robert Lewis Lee of Courtland, James Lee and James Frazier, both of Sardis, Curtis Lee of Jackson, Wayne Frazier of Murphysboro, Tenn., Pete Black of Laurel and Mel Norwood of Harbor City, Calif. and 14 grandchildren.

BATESVILLE— My’Lesiyah Denise Connor, 2, died Wednesday, November 28, 2007, in a house fire on  Good Hope Road east of Batesville.
Funeral arrangements were incomplete at press time. Eddie Robinson and Son Funeral Home has charge.

JACKSON— Charlie James “Chuck” Hubbard, 55, formerly of Batesville, died Thursday, November 22, 2007.

Services are Saturday at 1 p.m. at Pilgrim’s Rest M.B. Church  in Crenshaw. Burial will be in Shiloh C.M.E. Church Cemetery. Rev. Matthew Hubbard will officiate.  Visitation is today 1 p.m. – 6 p.m. at Eddie Robinson Funeral Home. Eddie Robinson and Son Funeral Home has charge.

Hubbard born Dec. 16, 1951, to Alice Hubbard of Batesville and the late Robert Lee Hubbard, was a Baptist and graduated from North Panola High School in 1972.

Survivors along with his mother include: four brothers, Carl Hubbard of Crenshaw, Robert Lee Hubbard Jr. of Sardis, Matthew Hubbard of Memphis and James Hubbard of Louisiana; five sisters, Edna Bishop of Southaven, Jean Malone of Batesville, Mona Lisa Hubbard of Houston, Texas, Shirley Hubbard of Memphis and Linda Parker of Belzonia.

MORGANTOWN, N.C.—Reola Johnson, 99, formerly of Panola County, died Wednesday, November 21, 2007, at Grace Hospital in Morgantown, N.C.

Services are today at 1 p.m. at Second Missionary Baptist Church. Rev. Marquest Taylor will officiate. Burial will be in Harrisonville Cemetery in Oxford. Hodges Funeral Home has charge.

Johnson was a homemaker.

Her husband, John Johnson, preceded her in death.

Survivors include: her niece who cared for her, Earlene Ivy of Morgantown, N.C.; one step-brother, Willie Lee Mitchell of Memphis; one step-son, William Johnson of Liberty; 27 step-grandchildren; 12 step great-grandchildren and two step great-great-grandchildren.

RINGGOLD, Ga.—Anne Lee Coleman Tarpley, 74, formerly of Batesvile, died Monday, November 19, 2007.

Services were Wednesday at Wilson Funeral Home Wallis-Stewart Chapel in Ringgold, Ga. Burial was in Anderson Memorial Gardens. Wilson Funeral Home had charge.

Tarpley was a former employee of Salem Carpet Mills where she worked for 12 years. She was a Baptist.

Her husband, Robert Bluford and one son, Mark Tarpley, preceded her in death.

Survivors include: two sons, Mike Tarpley of Ringgold, Ga. and Joe Glass of Cleveland, Tenn.; four sisters, Carrie Doty, Georgia Fields, Donna Fox and Linda Coleman, all of Batesville; three grandsons and one great-granddaughter.

SLEDGE—Estell Thompson, 43, died Tuesday, November 20, 2007, at Tri-Lakes Medical Center.

Services were Tuesday at Harmonia M.B. Church. Burial was in Harmonia Church Cemetery. Felix Cauthen Funeral Home had charge.

Thompson, born to Rufus Kelly Harris and Patsy Harris of Sledge, was a member of Harmonia Church and a homemaker.

Survivors include: three sons, Johnny Harris, Coy Harris and Keith Harris, all of Sledge; three daughters, Rosie Harris, Felica Harris and Ednea Harris, all of Sledge and four sisters, Audra Harris of Como, Ruthie Harris and Ada Johnson, both of Chicago and Sadie Harris of Memphis and four brothers, David Harris, Terry Harris, Perry Harris and Otis Harris, all of Memphis.

BATESVILLE—Rebecca Ann “Becky” Copeland Watts, 43, died Thursday, November 15, 2007.
Memorial services were Sunday, November 18, 2007, at Wells Funeral Home Chapel. Rev. Damon Plummer and Rev. Jay Anderson officiated. Wells Funeral Home had charge.

Watts, born April 3, 1964, in Sardis, to Charles and Sandra Hyland Copeland of Pope, was a member of  Hosanna Family Worship Center and a homemaker.

One brother, Timothy Copeland of Tarpley, Fla, preceded her in death.

Survivors along with her parents include: her biological mother, Ann Tidwell of Fort Myers, Fla.; her fiancé, Billy Atkinson of Batesville; one daughter, Monica Watts Lantrip of Pope; one son, Daniel Wade Watts of Batesville; two sisters, Michelle Copeland Capwell of Pope and Cynthia Paul of Fort Myers, Fla.; one brother, Tommy Copeland of Hernando; her grandmother, Catherine “Teny” Hyland of Pope and six grandchildren, Kirkland, Brittany, Savannah and Landon Watts, Jon Tyler and Meredith Lantrip.

LAMBERT— William Albert White, 77, died Sunday, November 25, 2007. He was a member of Calvary Baptist Church in Batesville.

Services were Tuesday at Kimbro Funeral Home in Marks. Rev. Raymond Roberson officiated. Burial was in Lambert Cemetery. Kimbro Funeral Home had charge.

White, born Dec. 15, 1929, was a retired Quitman County employed.

His wife, Betty Jo Palmer White, preceded him in death.

Survivors include: one daughter, Linda Russell of Lambert; one son, Ronnie White of Bartlett, Tenn.; five brothers, Tommy White, Kenneth White, Elbert White, Larry White and Robert White; four sisters, Flossie Self, Elsie Wiggs, Joyce Morehead and Peggy Elred; five grandchildren and two grandchildren.