Willie Mae Black

EPPS Willie Mae “Dill” Black died Friday, June 6, 2003, at St. Francis Medical Center in Monroe, La. She was 88.

She was born in Lake Providence and lived in Pioneer.

She was preceded in death by her husband, W.L. “Louie” Black; and her parents, Everett Calvert Gunter and Mitzie Lee Gunter.

She is survived by two sons, Leonard Black and Harvey Black, both of Darnell, La.; five daughters, Louise Ragus of Monroe, Melba Jones of Atlanta and Sue Fortune, Sharon Ellis and Janis Brown, all of West Monroe, La.; five brothers, Joe Gunter, William Gunter, Doug Gunter, Jerry Gunter and Johnny Gunter, all of Oak Grove; two sisters, Dorothy Hollingsworth of Milpitas, Calif., and Nancy Cushing of Baton Rouge; one stepsister, Joann Carr of Forest, La.; one stepbrother, David Roberson of Oak Grove; 18 grandchildren; 36 great-grandchildren; and nine great-great-grandchildren.

Services will be at 3 p.m. today at Cox Chapel-Oak Grove with the Revs. Tom Lowe, W.R. Lowe and Steve Lester officiating. Burial will follow at Epps Cemetery. Visitation was Saturday night.

Pallbearers will be Prentiss Pace, Brandon Pace, Charles Atkins, Larry Copes, Mike Copes, Alton Welch, Bob Grant and Malcolm Gunter.

Billy Joe Gunn

Services for Billy Joe Gunn will be at 10 a.m. Monday at Glenwood Funeral Home with Dr. John G. McCall officiating. Burial will follow at Ceder Hill Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 3 until 5 p.m. today at the funeral home.

Mr. Gunn died Friday, June 6, 2003, at River Region Medical Center. He was 73.

A lifelong resident of Vicksburg, Mr. Gunn was a graduate of Carr Central High School and an Air Force veteran having served during the Korean War. He was employed by the Spencer and Gulf Chemical Co., and was a retired production and operations superintendent for Vicksburg Chemical Co. He was a member of the W.G. Paxton Masonic Lodge and First Baptist Church.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Frances Gunn; and his parents, Jeff and Blanche Gunn.

Survivors include his wife, Gloria Gunn of Vicksburg; a son, William J. Gunn of San Francisco; a daughter, Susan Harris of Germantown, Tenn.; and three grandchildren.

Pallbearers will be Tommy Johnson, Sonny Keen, Lonnie Breithaupt, Otto Logue, Glen Ward and Max Triplett.

Honorary pallbearers will be John Wayne Jabour, Fred Ahlers, Travis Wayne Vance, Pat Ryan Sr., Earl Batchelor, Don Biedenharn, Perry Young and George Cain.

Mary Louise Smith Lee

Services for Mary Louise Smith Lee will be at noon today at Gospel Temple M.B. Church with the Rev. Walter Edley officiating. Burial will follow at Cedar Hill Cemetery.

Visitation will be at the church from 11 a.m. today until the service.

Mrs. Lee died Wednesday, June 4, 2003, at Central Mississippi Medical Center. She was 72.

A resident of Vicksburg, Mrs. Lee was a member of Gospel Temple M.B. Church where she served as a deaconess. She was a former employee of The Belmont House and a member of the Anna Demas Loving Unity Society.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Henry Rhodes and Elease Harper; a son, John Hill; and a grandson, Karim Smith.

Survivors include two sons, Robert Smith of New York and James Hill of Omaha, Neb.; a daughter, Donzia Clark of Vicksburg; four sisters, Shirley Wallace and Mary Giles, both of Vicksburg, and Christine Brown of Chicago and Hazel Harvey of Los Angeles; six grandchildren; four great-grandchildren, and other relatives and friends, including Bobby Clark and Virgie Ellis of Vicksburg and Elsie Barnes of Chicago.

Karen Elizabeth Mitchell

Karen Elizabeth Mitchell died Friday, June 6, 2003, at Trace Haven Nursing Home. She was 49.

Miss Mitchell was born in Jacksonville, Fla., and had lived in Vicksburg since 1966. A graduate of Vicksburg High School and Hinds Community College, she was a former employee of Mercy Hospital and Sears. She was a member of Woodlawn Baptist Church.

She was preceded in death by her father, Kelsey Mitchell; her stepfather, Harry Sherard; and a brother, Brad Mitchell.

She is survived by her mother, Flora Anderson Sherard of Vicksburg; two nieces, Sharon Mitchell Wooten and Kelsey Mitchell, both of Vicksburg; and two aunts, Opal Hill of Bossier City, La., and Sue Rowlett of Vicksburg.

Services will be at 2 p.m. Monday at Riles Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Darrell White, pastor of Wayside Baptist Church, officiating. Burial will follow at Wayside Baptist Church Cemetery.

Visitation will be at the funeral home from noon Monday until the service.

Memorials may be made to a favorite charity.

Pallbearers will be Gary Anderton, Bob Anderton, Larry Anderton, Don Rowland, Roger Rowland, Mike Hynum, Ricky Lott and Bob Harris.

Shannon Tracy Wolters

CLINTON Shannon “Shane” Tracy Wolters died Tuesday, June 3, 2003, at University Medical Center. He was 34.

Mr. Wolters was from Bellingham, Wash., and was a graduate of Western Washington University, where he studied journalism, language and biology. He worked as a freelance video and multimedia producer and had been employed with SkyTel Communications and WJTV-12.

He is survived by his wife, Monica Sedita Wolters; his parents, Lynnea Flarry of Ferndale, Wash., and Ray Wolters of Albany, Ore.; his brother, Brent Wolters of Ferndale, Wash.; and his sister, Desirae Clark of Coperas Cove, Texas.

Services will be at 7 p.m. June 16 at the Clinton Community Nature Center with Capt. Mike Gettinger, chaplain of the Vicksburg Fire Department, officiating. Arrangements are being handled by Glenwood Funeral Home.

Donations to a memorial fund may be made to Gayle Gettinger, who can be contacted at 634-2325. Donations will be made to the Nature Conservancy Rescue the Reef program and the Clinton Community Nature Center.