Benjamin P. Hesselberg

HOUSTON, Texas Benjamin P. Hesselberg, a former resident of Vicksburg, died Tuesday, March 16, 2004, in Houston, Texas. He was 74.

A native of Surabaya, Java, Indonesia Dutch East Indies, Mr. Hesselberg was a resident of Vicksburg from 1975 to 1982.

He was employed by the Bechtel Power Corporation constructing the Grand Gulf Nuclear Plant.

Mr. Hesselberg was a member of the First Church of Christian Science, where he was second reader and later a practitioner in Texas.

He was one of 80 survivors of the Bahtu’ Japanese concentration camp in Java during World War II.

After living in The Netherlands, Brazil and Canada, Hesselberg moved to the United States in 1968 and became a citizen in 1973.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Capt. Johannes E. Sr. and Gertruda van Schlicher Blomhardt Hesselberg; his wife, Maria Elena Gismonti-DeCarvalho Hesselberg; and five siblings.

Survivors include a brother, Johannes Theodore Hesselberg of Brisbane, Australia; a son, John E. Hesselberg of Vicksburg; and a daughter, Annie Hesselberg-Damasco of Rio De Janeiro, Brazil; and four grandchildren.

Tom Johnson

Tom “T.J.” Johnson died Wednesday, April 7, 2004, at his home in Vicksburg. He was 71.

Mr. Johnson was a veteran of the U.S. Army and retired from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Elijah Sr. and Florida Johnson.

Survivors include a son, Anthony Jones of South Carolina; two daughters, Tonya Gregory and Tracey Scott, both of Vicksburg; three brothers, William Johnson of St. Louis and Elijah Johnson Jr. and Amos Johnson, both of Vicksburg; two sisters, Florence Harmon of Greenwood and Alberta McGuffie of Memphis; five grandchildren and other relatives.

Services will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday at St. Mary’s Center on Main Street with the Rev. Mincer Minor officiating. Burial will follow at Cedar Hill Cemetery with Jefferson Funeral Home in charge.

Visitation will be from 1 until 6 p.m. Monday at the funeral home.

Jim Wilson Jr.

Jim Wilson Jr. died Friday, April 9, 2004, at River Region Medical Center. He was 87.

A retired Warren County truck driver, Mr. Wilson was a member of Pleasant Hill M.B. Church.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Clara Louise Wilson; a son; a daughter; four sisters; and two brothers.

Survivors include five daughters, Margaret Evans, Clementine Wilson Smith and Joy R. Wilson Davis, all of Vicksburg, Alberta E. Craft of Chicago and Bettye J. Wilson Felker of Richton Park, Ill.; two sons, Eddie Wilson of Las Vegas and Johnny Berlin Wilson of Minneapolis; 37 grandchildren and other relatives.

Robbins Funeral Home has charge of arrangements.