July 9, 2004
Published 12:00 am Friday, July 9, 2004
The Vicksburg Post prints obituaries for residents, former residents and residents’ immediate family members who resided elsewhere when notified by a family member or a funeral home. There is no charge for printing an obituary, but all are edited to meet the newspaper’s requirements.
Marilyn Elzie
Services for Marilyn Elzie will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at New Mount Pilgrim M.B. Church with the Rev. Henry J. Williams officiating. Burial will follow at Cedar Hill Cemetery under the direction of W.H. Jefferson Funeral Home.
Visitation will be from 10 a.m. Saturday until the service at the church.
Miss Elzie died Sunday, July 4, 2004, at River Region Medical Center. She was 64.
She was a resident of Vicksburg and a member of New Mount Pilgrim M.B. Church.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Willie and Mary Piggs Elzie; and her grandparents, Estella Adams and Rosie Lee Gordon.
Survivors include a daughter, Lisa Elzie of St. Louis, Mo.; two brothers, John Elzie of St. Louis and Sylvester Elzie of Chicago; six sisters, Willie Lee Johnson of Gary, Ind., Carolyn Jenkins, Lucy Mae Sills and Mary Carr, all of St. Louis, and Marion Joyce Williams and Shirley Ann Elzie, both of Vicksburg; two grandchildren; and nieces, nephews and cousins.
Barbara Ann Melton Gourley
Barbara Ann Melton Gourley died Wednesday, July 7, 2004, at her home. She was 58.
Mrs. Gourley was born in Tallulah to Robert Lee Melton Sr. and Corina Pearl Pearcy Melton. A graduate of Tallulah High School, she was a hairstylist. She was a former secretary at Industrial Electric of Vicksburg and Electrical Equipment of Greensboro, N.C. She was of the Baptist faith.
She was preceded in death by two sisters and four brothers.
Survivors include her husband, Charles R. Gourley of Vicksburg; four brothers, Robert Melton of Jonesville, La., M.L. Melton of Farmerville, La., Mickey Melton of Tallulah and Leonard Melton of Corvallis, Ore.; and nieces and nephews.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at Riles Funeral Home. Burial will follow at 3:30 p.m. at Silver Cross Cemetery in Tallulah.
Visitation will be from 5 until 7 tonight at the funeral home.
Hattie Tolliver Jefferson
Services for Hattie Tolliver Jefferson will be at 11 a.m. Sunday at Porters Chapel M.B. Church. Burial will follow at St. Paul Cemetery under the direction of W.H. Jefferson Funeral Home.
Mrs. Jefferson died Tuesday, July 6, 2004, at her home. She was 96.
A homemaker, she was a member and mother at Porters Chapel M.B. Church. She was a member of the Order of Eastern Star.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Arnold Jefferson; her parents, Manuel Tolliver and Mary Gibson; five brothers, Lynch Gibson, Ceaser Gibson, William Gibson, Andrew Gibson and Johnnie Gibson; three sisters, Fannie Collins, Josey Mae Wallace and Ella Mae Crumb; and a granddaughter, Tina Arlett Clemons.
Survivors include four daughters, Armets Jefferson, Ora Dee Cummings, Jonnie Ethel Peaches and Rebecca Clemons, all of Vicksburg; two brothers, Edward Gibson of Knoxville, Tenn., and Rufus Gibson of Vicksburg; and five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Annie Mae Lane
Services for Annie Mae Lane will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at Vicksburg Municipal Auditorium with the Rev. Casey Fisher officiating. Burial will follow at Cedar Hill Cemetery under the direction of W.H. Jefferson Funeral Home.
Visitation will be from noon until 6 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home.
Mrs. Lane died Sunday, July 4, 2004, at her home. She was 65.
She was employed at Sunshine Laundry Mat. She was of the Baptist faith.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Willie Earl and Mary Lillian Williams Brown; three brothers, Willie Earl Brown, William Brown and Walter Brown; and a sister, Rosie Lee Brown.
She is survived by three sons, Herbert Lane and Ronald Lane, both of Vicksburg, and Clarence Lane of Clinton; a daughter, Renett Williams of Vicksburg; five brothers, Nathaniel Brown of Vicksburg, Lawrence Greer of Marbury, Md., David Brown of South Holland, Ill., Robert Greer of Dalton, Ill., and Charles Brown of Chicago; a sister, Christine Townsend of Birmingham, Ala.; 12 grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and nieces, nephews, cousins and other relatives, including Monroe and Alice Williams of Vicksburg.
Charlie Lewis
ROLLING FORK Services for Charlie Lewis will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at South Delta High School Auditorium in Rolling Fork with Carlton Earl officiating. Burial will follow at Green Chapel Cemetery under the direction of Walker Funeral Home of Rolling Fork.
Mr. Lewis died Sunday, July 4, 2004, at Central Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. He was 66.
Mr. Lewis was a resident of Rolling Fork. He was employed at Delta Elastics for a number of years and worked at Deer Creek Compress for 20 years, the Deer Creek Pilot for 30 years and Walker Funeral Home for 10 years.
He was a member of Green Chapel Church, where he served as an usher.
He is survived by two sons, Danny Berdley of Jackson and Terry Berdley of Chicago; two daughters, Jennifer Pinkins of Rolling Fork and Charlene Patterson of Calumet Park, Ill.; two brothers, Kemp Burley of Port Gibson and Robert Lewis of Lansing, Mich.; a sister, Geridine Lewis of Milwaukee, Wis.; 13 grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and other relatives, including George Lewis of Mayersville and Christine Guyton of Milwaukee.
Pallbearers will be Odell Jones, Michael Clay, Melvin Jones, Anthony White, James Williams and Melvin Logan.
Howard S. Mordecai
Howard S. Mordecai died Thursday, July 8, 2004, at River Region Medical Center. He was 74.
A native of Webster County, Mr. Mordecai had been a Vicksburg resident for the past 34 years. He was the son of the late Grady Howard and Verna Stewart Mordecai. He was a Navy veteran, having served in Korea as a quartermaster seaman on the USS Yuma ATF-94.
Mr. Mordecai worked on the Natchez Trace Parkway with the Department of the Interior and on the DeGray Dam in Arkadelphia, Ark., with the Department of Defense and Corps of Engineers. He was transferred to Vicksburg in 1969, where he worked until his retirement.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a son, Gregory Lynn Mordecai, and a brother, G.V. Mordecai.
Survivors include his wife, Ruby L. Mordecai of Vicksburg; three sons, Bill Mordecai of Hazel Green, Ala., Donald G. Mordecai of Vicksburg and Art Mordecai of Madison; a daughter, Linda Mordecai of Vicksburg; and two grandchildren.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Fisher Funeral Home with the Rev. William Weddle of Webster County officiating. Burial will follow at Green Acres Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 6 until 8 tonight at the funeral home.
Pallbearers will be Bobby Fleming, Chuck Mendrop, Harold Hollingsworth, Curtis Brewer, Rick Graham and Robert Morgan.
Memorials may be made to First Baptist Church, 1607 Cherry St., Vicksburg, MS 39180.