Obituaries 5-28-10

Published 12:00 am Friday, May 28, 2010

COURTLAND—Bill Birch III, 62, died Tuesday, May 25, 2010, at his residence.

Funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday at St. Jude Catholic Church in Baton Rouge, La. Father Charlie Landry will officiate. Visitation will be Saturday from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. at St. Jude Catholic Church on Highland Road Burial will be in Roselawn Memorial Park in Baton Rouge.

Birch, born Oct. 3, 1947, in Baton Rouge, to the late Sara Ann Schilling Birch and William Hollis Birch Jr., was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Batesville.

He was a United States Navy veteran serving in Vietnam War. He was employed with Dunlap and Kyle as a distribution manager for over 13 years.

Survivors include: his wife, Jane Blanchard Birch of Courtland; one daughter, Holly Ann Birch of Kiln; one son, William “Jeff” Birch and his wife, Mary of Prosper, Texas; two sisters, Susann Birch Jolissaint and Nancy Birch Pevey, both of Baton Rouge; one brother, Dan Birch of Plano, Texas, and four grandchildren, William “Blake” Birch, Arica “Ashleigh” Kernaghan, Sara “Grace” Birch and Lauren Holly Birch.

Erma Jeans Echols

COMO—Erma Jeans Echols, 60, died Thursday, May 20, 2010, at Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Missisippi.

Services will be held Saturday at 1 p.m. at Ruffin Grove M.B. Church in Como. Felix Cauthen Funeral Home has charge.

Survivors include: two daughters, Sherill Doyle of Como and Kim Echols of Memphis; one son, Johnny Echols of Tomaco, Wash.; his father, Eddie Doyle of Como; two sisters, Mary Lue Young of Como and Dorothy Patterson of Memphis; three brothers, Robert Mays and Rodger Doyle of Como and Eddie Doyle of Senatobia; and seven grandchildren.

Kenneth Freeman

MEMPHIS—Kenneth Freeman, 42, formerly of Batesville,  died Wednesday, May 19, 2010.

Services will be Saturday at 3 p.m. at Spring Hill Asa M.B. Church in Courtland. Rev. Louis Wilson will officiate. Visitation is today from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. at Cooley’s Mortuary. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Cooley’s Mortuary has charge.

Freeman, born Sept. 14, 1967, in Batesville, to Herman Freeman of Berkeley, Ill.  and Bertha Hamilton Boyd of Memphis, drove a fork lift for Pepsi and was a member of Spring Hill Asa M.B. Church.

Survivors include along with his parents include: three daughters, Kendar Freeman, Taylor Baines, both of Memphis and Nasiersh Freeman of Calmuet, Ill.; one son, Lorenzo Key of Batesville; three sisters, Lawanda Freeman of Courtland, Cassandra Douglas of Oxford and Charlestette Boyd of Memphis and two brothers, Charles Boyd of Memphis and Darryl Freeman of Chicago.

Richard Lee Fulks

BATESVILLE— Richard Lee Fulks, 56, died Tuesday, May 25, 2010, at his residence.

Services will be Sunday at 2 p.m. at Concord M.B. Church. Rev. Edward Thomas will officiate. Visitation will be Saturday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. at Cooley’s Mortuary with burial in the church cemetery.

Fulks, born Aug. 22, 1953, in Detroit, Mich. to the late Elgie Lee Fulks and Georgia Elsworth Webb, was an automated Computer Aid for Whirlpool. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy.

Survivors include; his wife, Shelia Fulks of Batesville; one son, Richard Darnell Sims of Batesville; three sisters, Sharon Diane Sutherland, Renae S. Fulks and Lisa Stokes, all of Detroit.; three brothers, Elgie Fulks Jr., Darry Fulks and Eric Fulks, all of Detroit, and one grandchild.

Madison Gassion

WATER VALLEY— Madison Gassion, 62, formerly of Batesville, died Monday, May 17, 2010, at Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi.

Services were Thursday at Pleasant Green M.B. Church. Burial was in New Providence Cemetery in Water Valley.

He’s survived by his wife, Bettie Gassion.

Willie Spence Milam Sr.

COMO— Willie Spence Milam Sr., 75, died Thursday, May 20, 2010, at Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi.

Services will be held Saturday at noon at Ebenezer M.B. Church. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Visitation will be held today from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. at Rodgers Funeral Home.

Survivors include: his wife, Ora Milam of Como; one daughter, Monica Burton of Como; four sons, Willie Milam Jr. and Jerry Milam, both of Como, Albert Milam of Lynn, Mass. and Bobby Milam of Kingbridge, Mass.; two sisters, Willie B. Young of Como and Gladys Herod of Abbeville; four brothers, Monroe Milam, Leonard Milam and Chester Hamilton, all of Chicago and Arthur Hamilton of Sardis; 20 grandchildren and 28 great-grandchildren.