Virginia Roberta Ward Alexander

Virginia Roberta Ward Alexander died Friday, Sept. 3, 2004, at Lakeland Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center in Jackson. She was 91.

Mrs. Alexander was a native of Sylvarena, Miss., and had been a resident of Vicksburg since 1940. She attended Smith County schools, Mississippi State College for Women and Mississippi State University where she received bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

She taught school at Artesia, Miss., and later in Vicksburg at Carr Central Junior High School, Cooper High School, Vicksburg High School and Hinds Community College. She also became a Civil War historian and led groups through the Vicksburg National Military Park. Her accomplishments also included the restoration of the Vick family gravesite.

She was a member of Crawford Street United Methodist Church.

She was preceded in death by her husband, William Melville Alexander Sr.; her parents, Dr. William Robert and Frances V. Douglas Ward; two brothers and five sisters.

She is survived by two sons, William Melville Alexander Jr., of Florence, Ala., and Joel Douglas Alexander of Dallas, Texas; two daughters, Gail A. Buzhardt of Bolton and Jane A. Kelly of Raymond; 10 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

Services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Crawford Street United Methodist Church with Brother Geoffrey Joyner officiating. Burial will follow at Green Acres Cemetery under the direction of Fisher Funeral Home.

Visitation will be from 5 until 8 p.m. today at Mrs. Alexander’s residence at 1585 Warrenton Road.

Pallbearers will be William Alexander, Douglas Alexander, Jay Buzhardt, Wayne Stover, Bill Majure and Marty Cox.

Honorary pallbearers will be John Turner, Jim Dukes, Mark Hardy, James Hancock, Lamar “Sonny” Kelly Jr., and Joseph F. Buzhardt Sr.

Memorials may be made to Crawford Street United Methodist Church, 900 Crawford St., Vicksburg, Miss, 39180 or to Nature Conservancy, 4245 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, Va., 22203.

James Larwood Nipper

ODENVILLE, Ala. James Larwood Nipper died Saturday, Sept. 4, 2004 in Odenville, Ala. He was 77.

Mr. Nipper was a native of Jacksonville, Texas and a former resident of Vicksburg. He was in the Navy during War World II and was a biologist for the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service for 52 years.

He was a member of First Baptist Church of Birmingham and a deacon for more than 50 years.

He was preceded in death by his son, Joe Nipper; his parents, the Rev. V.M. Nipper and Kate J. Nipper, and two sisters, Mary Nipper Jefferson and Ruby LaVerne Nipper.

He is survived by his wife, Maudie Redmond Nipper; a daughter, Martha Ward of Trussville, Ala., and two grandsons, James Michael Nipper of Grifton, N.C., and Adam Joseph Ward of Trussville.

Services will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Ridout’s Brown-Service with the Rev. Randy Overstreet and Dr. Lonnie Funderburg officiating. Burial will follow at Forest Crest Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 5 until 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home.

Memorials may be made to First Baptist Church of Birmingham organ fund or St. Vincent’s Bruno Cancer Center.