MARTHA JOHNSTON ASHFORD

CLINTON Martha Johnston Ashford died Saturday, June 15, 2002, at her home. She was 91.

A native of Vicksburg, Mrs. Ashford was a longtime resident of Clinton. She received her bachelor of science degree from the University of Mississippi and was a member of Tri Delta Sorority. She was a teacher, a homemaker and had owned Hilltop Theatre in Clinton. She was a member of Jane Adams Guild, Daughters of the American Revolution and First United Methodist Church where she played the piano and organ.

She is survived by two daughters, Martha Ashford Reed of Edwards and Mary Beth Ashford Caviness of Germantown, Tenn.; her sister, Sydney Johnston Butler of Memphis; five grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and other relatives and friends, including her caregivers, Cathleen Miller and Corine Daniels.

Services will be at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday at Wright & Ferguson Funeral Home in Clinton. Burial will follow at Clinton Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 5 until 7 tonight at the funeral home and from 10:30 a.m. Tuesday until the service.

Memorials may be made to First United Methodist Church, Highway 80 East, Clinton, MS 39056.

BARWICK ODESSA BARFIELD SR.

BATON ROUGE Barwick Odessa “Bob” Barfield Sr. died Sunday, June 16, 2002, at Our Lady of the Lake Medical Center in Baton Rouge. He was 81.

Born in Anguilla, Mr. Barfield was reared in Vicksburg and had lived in Baton Rouge for the last 25 years. He graduated from Cooper High School in 1939 and attended Mississippi State University. He was a veteran of the Army during World War II and was commissioned an officer in the Army Air Corps in 1943. He was a second lieutenant and navigator on B17s in the 100th Bomb Group stationed in England. His plane was shot down on a mission over Germany and he was a prisoner of war for 11 months before being freed by Gen. George Patton in 1945. He received the Airman’s medal with two Oak Clusters. He graduated from Louisiana State University in 1950 with a bachelor of arts degree in political science.

He retired in 1999, after working with E.F. Hutton, PaineWebber and Providian.

He was a member of the Red Stick Chapter of ex-POWs and First Presbyterian church in Baton Rouge.

He was preceded in death by a son, Eugene Kline Barfield; his parents, Louis Nelson and Mary Dudley Barfield; two brothers, Louis Nelson Barfield Jr. and Marty Dudley Barfield; and a sister, Katherine Eugene Leonard.

He is survived by his wife, Marilee Wilshire Barfield; his son, Barwick O. “Wick” Barfield Jr.; two daughters, Denise Alba and Pamela Katz; and three grandchildren; and other relatives and friends, including Robert “Bob” Bethoney of El Paso, Texas.

Services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Fisher-Riles Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Cedar Hill Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 5 until 7 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home.

JOHN V. McQUARY JR.

GLEN ALLAN John V. “Mr. Mac” McQuary Jr. died Sunday, June 16, 2002, at G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery Veterans Administration Hospital. He was 74.

Born in Calhoun City, Mr. McQuary had lived in Glen Allan for the past 15 years. He was caretaker at the Issaquena County Conservation League Hunting Camp. He was a veteran of the Army.

He is survived by a son, Philip McQuary of Glen Allan; his daughter, Bonita A. Massey of Brandon; his brother, O.L. “Red” McQuary of Anguilla; two sisters, Madeline Boland of Pascagoula and Nellie Ruth McQuary of Jackson; and three grandchildren.

Services will be at 11:30 a.m. Sunday at New Providence Cemetery in Derma with the Rev. Jimmy McLendon officiating. Burial will follow under the direction of Glenwood Funeral Home of Rolling Fork.

Visitation will be from 6 until 8 tonight at the funeral home.

RICHARD T. SMART

HATTIESBURG Richard T. Smart died Saturday, June 15, 2002, at his home in Hattiesburg. He was 76.

Mr. Smart was born in St. Louis, Mo., and was a longtime resident of Vicksburg. He was a 1943 graduate of St. Aloysius High School and a 1948 graduate of Tulane University. He was a Navy veteran of World War II. He retired in 1986 from Waterways Experiment Station where he was chief of the reports branch of the publication and graphic arts division. He was a member of St. Thomas Catholic Church.

He is survived by his wife, Maureen Seay Smart of Hattiesburg; two sons, Michael Smart of Flower Mound, Texas, and Tommy Smart of Robins, Iowa; three daughters, Sylvia Wislocki, Kathy Smart and Becky Montague, all of Hattiesburg; and seven grandchildren.

Services will at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Fisher-Riles Funeral Home under the direction of Hulett-Winstead Funeral Home of Hattiesburg. Burial will follow at Cedar Hill Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 5:30 until 8 tonight at Fisher-Riles Funeral Home.

RUTHER SMITH JR.

Ruther “Little Hat” Smith Jr. died Friday, June 14, 2002, at University Medical Center in Jackson. He was 72.

Mr. Smith was a member of Old Oak Ridge M.B. Church in Edwards. He was a veteran of the Army in World War II.

He was preceded in death by a son, Ruther Turner Smith; a grandson, Kareen Hill; his parents, Ruther Sr. and Annie Bell Smith; and four brothers, Willie Smith, Robert Smith, William Smith and Lorenza Smith.

Survivors include seven sons, Robert Hill and Manhattan, N.Y., Robert Gaskin, Patrick Jefferson, Christopher Jefferson, Michael Johnson and Gregory Phillips, all of Vicksburg, and Quintin Ross of Glendale, Texas; four daughters, Cora Lee James, Tamera Wallace, Tiffany S. Jefferson and Felisa D. Jefferson, all of Vicksburg; three brothers, Cleveland Smith and Andrew Smith, both of Gary, Ind., and James Smith of Chicago; seven sisters, Virginia Hubbard and Josie Mallett, both of Edwards, Jo Ella Hunter of Gary, Annie Wright and Mary Knowles, both of Chicago, Bertha Smith of Indianapolis, Ind., and Lucy Nichols of Jackson; grandchildren; great-grandchildren; and other relatives.

Dillon-Chisley Funeral Home has charge of the arrangements.

ODENE GRAYSON WILLIAMS

Services for Odene Grayson Williams will be at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at First Baptist Church with the Revs. Eric Thomas and Harry Pizza Jr. officiating. Burial will follow at Cedar Hill Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 5 until 7 tonight at Glenwood Funeral Home.

Mrs. Williams died Saturday, June 15, 2002, in Vicksburg. She was 82.

She was born in Winnsboro, La., and had lived in Vicksburg since 1943. She was retired from the Waterways Experiment Station. She was a member of First Baptist Church of Vicksburg and a member of the church’s Phebean Sunday School class.

Mrs. Williams was a member of the Evergreen Garden Club, the Vicksburg Genealogical Association and the Acacia Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Wiley Blount and Minnie E. Grayson; two sisters, Erlene Grayson Piazza and Beulah Bargas; and one brother, Leonard Grayson.

She is survived by her husband, George H. Williams of Vicksburg; two daughters, Margaret Ann Cutting of Jackson and Betty Clay of Durant, Okla.; her brother, Fred Grayson of Vicksburg; five grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

Pallbearers will be Trey Curtis, Patrick Morrison, Bill Morrison, Cliff Axtel, Clyde McGehee, Carl Terry Hudson and Michael Piazza.