COMO – Mrs. Joan Decker Conley, 74, died Saturday, March 23, 2013, at her residence.

Memorial services were held Monday, March 25, at 215 Main, Como. A private interment was held in Bethesda Cemetery.  Ray-Nowell Funeral Home of Senatobia had charge.

Conley was a member of First Baptist Church in Sardis. She was a retired Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN).

Survivors include one daughter, Kayce Conley of Como; two sons, Tom Krag of Franklin, Tenn. and Decker Conley of Senatobia; three grandchildren, Mason, Nelson, and Amber and three great-grandchildren, Emma, Abby, and Lucas.

The family requested in lieu of flowers, memorials be sent to Panola County Humane Society, P.O. Box 1756, Batesville, Miss. 38606.

POPE – Terry Don File, 65, died on Monday, April 1, 2013, while in ICU at Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi.

Services were held Wednesday, April 3, at Calvary Baptist Church in Batesville with burial in Chapel Hill Cemetery. Dr. Paul Middleton officiated.  Wells Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

File was born on February 29, 1948, to Keith Dale and Wiline Bolton File in Pope. He graduated from South Panola High School in 1966 and continued his education at Northwest Junior College, where he received an associates degree in civil engineering. In February of 2010, he retired from the engineering department of The Mississippi Department of Transportation. File was one of the founding members of the Pope Volunteer Fire Dept. He was also a retired Mississippi National Guardsman, having served from 1969-1993. As a member of Calvary Baptist Church, he served actively in the Puppet and Drama Ministry.

Survivors include his wife of 45 years, Eileen Nelson File of Pope; one daughter, Tina File of Southaven; his son, Keith File of Hernando; two brothers, Edward File of Atlanta, Ga. and Danny “Pop” File of Pope and two grandchildren.

CRENSHAW – Rev. Dennis Handy, 58, died Thursday, March 28, 2013, at his residence.

Services will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at Holly Grove M.B. Church in Crenshaw. Rev. Prez E. Jackson will officiate. Visitation will be held Friday 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. at Eddie Robinson Funeral Home and Saturday 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. at Holly Grove M.B. Church in Crenshaw. Burial will be in Falcon Cemetery. Eddie Robinson Funeral Home of Batesville has charge.

Handy, born April 15, 1954, in Sledge, to the late Clinton Handy and Bernice Pittman, was a retired machine maintenance technician for Smith and Nephew and a member of Pleasant Grove M.B. Church in Crenshaw.

Survivors include: his wife, Yolanda Buck Handy of Crenshaw; three daughters, Tamara D. Jones of Chicago, Stephanie Watson of Sledge and April S. Wesley of Ridgeland; three sons, Dennis O. Handy of Chicago, Clinton E. Watson of Robinsonville and Ketrick Buck of St. Louis; three sisters, Flora Anderson and Carolyn Carter, both of Sledge and Christine Jackson of Lawrenceville, Ga.; four brothers, Bernard Handy and Carl Handy, both of Sledge, Terry Handy of Washington, D.C. and Steve Handy of Lawrenceville and 11 grandchildren.

WATER VALLEY –– Jimmy R. Harrell, 56,diedTuesday morning, April 2, 2013 at Baptist Memorial Hospital of North Mississippi.

Services were held Thursday at Wells Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Roger Howell officiating. Burial was in Forest Memorial Park.

He was preceded in death by his step-daughter, Sandra West.
Jimmy was born August 7, 1956 in Pelahatchie, MS to the late Ollie Ray and Gladys Genell Shivers Harrell. He was an electrician for Star Delta in Clarksdale, MS.

He leaves his wife, Joyce J. Harrell of Water Valley; two daughters, Jamey Miller of Clarksdale, Tina Wirt of Indiana; one son, Jessie Harrell of Petal; one step-son, Roby McPherson of Jasper, Ala.; one brother, Bobby Harrell of Jackson and 13 grandchildren.

BATESVILLE – Gary Eugene Irwin, 68, died Monday, April 1, 2013, at Baptist Memorial Hospital – Desoto.

 Graveside services were held Friday at Pine Log Cemetery in Brookland, Ark. Dickins Funeral Home had charge.

Irwin, born April 8, 1944, in Seattle, Wash., to the late Clarence Riley Irwin and Charlcie Simmons Irwin, was  a member of Trinity Baptist Church in Dixie, Ark. He was retired from an oil mill in Marks and was  a veteran of the U.S. Navy.

Survivors include: one daughter, Carron Russell of Dothan, Ala.; one son, Bradley Irwin of Batesville; one sister, Diane Smith of Las Vegas; two brothers, J. R. Irwin of Las Vegas and Jerry Irwin of Batesville and two grandchildren.

SENATOBIA – Louise Jeffries, 84, died Monday, April 1, 2013, at Baptist Memorial Hospital Desoto.  Services will be held Saturday at 1 p.m. at Longtown Church of God. Burial will follow in Askew Grove Cemetery.  Pate-Jones Funeral Home had charge.

She is preceded in death by her husband, George Jeffries.

Survivors include her daughters, Ella Mae Hester of Southaven, Beulah Daniel and Juliette Summers, both of Memphis and Genevea Hibbler of Longtown; her sons, George Jeffries, Jr. of Arkabutla, Milton Jeffries of Olive Branch, James Lee Jeffries, Dennis Wayne Jeffries and Daniel Jeffries, all of Memphis, and Johnathan Jeffries of Longtown; one sister, Rosie Draper of Sardis; 33 grandchildren and a host of great and great-great-grandchildren

POPE –– James Malcomb Love, 86, died Monday, April 1, 2013, at his residence.

Services will be held Saturday at 2 p.m. at Antioch M.B. Church. Rev. Reginald Reed will officiate. Burial will be in Antioch Cemetery with full military honors. Visitation will be held Friday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. at Cooley’s Mortuary. Cooley’s Mortuary has charge.

Love, born April 10, 1926, in Jonestown, to Malcolm Love and Mary E. Bobo, was a retired farmer and a member of Antioch M.B. Church. He was an Army veteran of WWII.

Survivors include: 10 sons, Willie J. Love of Chicago, Gene H. Love of Oxford, Dave Love, James W. Love, Sylvester Love, Tyrone Love, all of Milwaukee, Aaron Love of Courtland, Mitchell Love of Jackson, Eugene Love and Billy Wayne Love, both of Pope; five daughters, Eva L. Jones, Juanita G. Davis, Bernice Hentz Debbie A. Lester and Paula Love, all of Milwaukee; two brothers, Terry E. Love of Detroit and Thomas W. Love of Raleigh, N.C.; one sister, Hattie R. Lane of Ft. Lauderdale; 98 grandchildren; 50 great-grandchildren and 12 great-great-grandchildren.

COURTLAND — Patrick Scruggs, 34, died Tuesday, April 2, 2013, in an auto accident on Eureka Road near Courtland.

Services will be at 2 p.m. at the First United Pentecostal Church in Batesville. Burial will follow in Forrest Memorial Park Cemetery. Visitation will be 5-8 p.m. Friday at Wells Funeral Home.
Scruggs, was born on January 14, 1979 in Batesville, to  Ruby Pittman Scruggs of Courtland and the late Jesse Lee Scruggs, worked in the construction industry and was a Pentecostal by faith.

In addition to his father, he was also preceded in death by his sister, Jennifer Nichols, and one brother, Randy Alexander.

Survivors along with his mother include: his wife, Jennifer Mask Scruggs; a daughter, Phoenix Scruggs; two sons, Seth Scruggs and Gabriel Scruggs all of Courtland; four sisters, Robin Anderson of Batesville, Mary Taylor of Crowder, Debbie Pittman of Marks and Beth Benson of Georgia; eight brothers, Kimball Alexander of Enid, Jeffery Alexander of Marks,  Jim Scruggs of Sardis, Ronnie Scruggs of Louisiana, David Scruggs of Mass., Kenneth Scruggs of Tenn., Rayford Scruggs of Sardis and Keith Scruggs of Texas.

ENID – James Ollie Shegog, 78, died Wednesday, April 3, 2013, at Tri-Lakes Medical Center.

Services will be held Monday at 1 p.m. at Mt. Pleasant M.B. Church in Enid. Rev. William Johnson will officiate. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Visitation will be held Sunday 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. at Cooley’s Mortuary.

Shegog, born March 11, 1935, in Batesville, to the late Angelo Shegog and Bertha Green Shegog, was retired from Proctor and Gamble and a member of Mt. Pleasant M.B. Church.
Survivors include: his wife, Earlene Shegog of Enid; four daughters, Anette Harris, Gail Fletcher, Vanessa

Shegog and Linda Hicks, all of Memphis; three sisters, Mary Howell and Maxine Gray, both of Memphis and Doris McCollins of Enid; two brothers, Melvin Shegog of Memphis and Bobby Shegog of Enid; one sister, Minnie Laws of Memphis and nine grandchildren.

PONTOTOC – Helen Faye Stephens, 63, formerly of Sardis,  died Monday, April 1, 2013, at her residence.

Services were held Wednesday at Eddie Robinson Chapel in Batesville. Jon Carithers officiated. Burial was in Cole Springs United Methodist Church Cemetery in Sardis. Eddie Robinson Funeral Home had charge.

Stephens, born July 9, 1949, in Sardis, to John C. Jarrett and Catherine Goodnight, was a homemaker and a member of Church of Christ in Sardis.

Survivors include: one daughter, Patricia Carithers of Smithville; one step-daughter, Christy Hudson of Sardis; one son, Floyd Stephens of Sledge; one sister, Johnny Stephens of Sardis; 10 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

ENID – Robert Dean Willard, died Sunday, March 31, 2013, at Tri-Lakes Medical Center. He was 79.

Services were held Thursday, April 4, in Wells Funeral Home Chapel with burial in Forrest Memorial Park Cemetery. Rev. Marty Evans officiated. Wells Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Willard was born on June 29, 1933 in Etta, to James Otis and Erma Castleberry Willard. He served in the U.S. Army and was a retired welder after 27 years at E.I. Dupont Chemical Company. He helped organize the Sardis Lake Fire Department and he also was a former fire chief at the department.  Prior to his death he was an active firefighter with the Enid Fire Department.  Mr. Willard was an ordained deacon and a member of the Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church in Enid.

He was preceded by his step-mother, Irene Willard.

Survivors include his wife, Mary Whitener Willard of Enid; one daughter, Rhonda Willard Turpin of Millington, Tenn.; one son, Roger Willard of Enid; four sisters; four brothers; four grandchildren, Jeremy Bricco of Hawaii, Gina Travis and Brett Willard, both of Bartlett, Tenn. and Brandon Turpin of Atoka, Tenn. along with eight great-grandchildren.

The family asks that memorials be sent to “Rally For A Cure,” 854 Enid-Teasdale Rd, Enid, Miss. 38927.