Charles Melvin Atkins Sr.

TALLULAH Charles Melvin Atkins Sr. died Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2004, at his home in Tallulah. He was 70.

Born in Memphis, Mr. Atkins was a retired longshoreman.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Bertha Hiner-Atkins; a daughter, Joyce Knight; and his parents, Marion Atkins and Ophelia Hunter.

Survivors include four sons, Charles M. Atkins Jr. of Vicksburg and Keith Hiner-Atkins, Marion Atkins and Cody Atkins, all of Tallulah; five daughters, Janice Martin-Chiplin and Sandra Atkins, both of Vicksburg, and Dianne Atkins-Guy, Sharon Atkins and Leona Atkins, all of Tallulah; a brother, Irelous Hunter of Mound; 10 grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren; two aunts; and nieces and nephews.

Services will be at 1 p.m. Thursday at Reuben McCall Senior High School with the Rev. Anthony Guice officiating. Burial will follow at Oakwood Cemetery under the direction of Tennant Funeral Home in Rayville, La.

Visitation will be from 6 until 7 p.m. Wednesday at First Colored M.B. Church in Tallulah.

Flois Moulder Fredrickson

Flois Moulder Fredrickson died Sat., Dec. 18, 2004, at Shady Lawn Nursing Home. She was 90.

Born in Gamaliel, Ky., Mrs. Fredrickson had lived in Vicksburg since 1985. She was a retired waitress and a member of Midway Church of Christ.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Duane L. Fredrickson; and a son, Carnott Davis Jones.

Survivors include four sons, Robert E. Jones of Wayne, Mich., Ray Jones of Vicksburg, Raven Jones of Meadow Bridge, W.Va., and R.G. Jones of Hermanville; a daughter, Gloria Myers of Vicksburg; and 12 grandchildren.

Services will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Glenwood Funeral Home with the Rev. Sam Dunaway officiating. Burial will follow at Green Acres Memorial Park.

Visitation will be from 1 p.m. Tuesday until the service at the funeral home.

Pallbearers will be Lawrence Ray Jones Jr., Steve Woods, Tim Cole, Billy Byrnes, Garvin Sherard and Gerald Myers.

Ellis Lee Masterson

BATESVILLE Ellis Lee Masterson died Thursday, Dec. 16, 2004, at Baptist Memorial Hospital of North Mississippi in Oxford. He was 57.

Born in Quitman County, Mr. Masterson was the son of Chester L. and Laura Kate Cooke Masterson. He retired as a supervisor from BellSouth after 32 years of service.

He served in the Army and was a member of Shiloh United Methodist Church in Courtland.

He is survived by his wife, Judy Sanders Masterson of Batesville; one son, Lee Masterson of Batesville; one daughter, Jennifer Masterson of Batesville; a sister, Patricia Masterson Cook of Paducah, Ky.; and four brothers, Dr. Chester W. Masterson of Vicksburg, Pritchard A. Masterson of Brandon, Ronnie Masterson of Batesville and William D. Masterson of Alexandria, Va.

Services were at 11 a.m. today at Wells Funeral Home in Batesville with the Rev. Chester W. Masterson Jr. officiating. Burial followed at Forrest Memorial Park Cemetery.

Willard E. Rutland

Willard E. Rutland died Sunday, Dec. 19, 2004, at Vicksburg Convalescent Home. He was 79.

Born in Wesson, Mr. Rutland was the son of the late William E. and Mamie Herring Rutland. He moved to Vicksburg after serving in World War II as a sergeant with the 483rd Bombardment Squadron with the Army Air Force. He was responsible for fueling the Enola Gay prior to its departure with the Atom Bomb. He was an employee of Spencer Chemical Company for a number of years and retired from International Paper Company as a millwright in 1990 after 23 years of service. He was a member of Vicksburg Church of Christ.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife of 53 years, Mary Louise Hall Rutland; an infant son; and a brother, William D. Rutland.

Survivors include a daughter, Marlene Brooks of Vicksburg; a son, Farron Rutland of Vicksburg; a sister, Majel McBee Johnson of Vicksburg; and a granddaughter, Marla Beth Brooks of Vicksburg.

Services will be at noon Tuesday at Mission Hill Baptist Church Cemetery in Wesson with the Rev. Tommy Purvis officiating. Burial will follow under the direction of Riles Funeral Home.

Visitation will be from 4 until 7 tonight at the funeral home and from 11 a.m. Tuesday until the service at the church.

Pallbearers will be David McBee, Michael McBee, Tommy Johnson, Jack Pace, Wren Way and Bobby Stewart.

Honorary pallbearers will be employees and retirees of International Paper Company.

Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 1193, Vicksburg, MS 39181 or to a favorite charity.

Robert Crump Wilkerson III

Services for Robert Crump Wilkerson III will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at St. Paul Catholic Church. Burial will follow at Cedar Hill Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 5 until 7 tonight at Glenwood Funeral Home. Rosary will be at 6:30.

Mr. Wilkerson died Saturday, Dec. 18, 2004, at his home in Vicksburg. He was 65.

A lifelong resident of Vicksburg, Mr. Wilkerson was a graduate of St. Aloysius High School. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he was a member of Omicron Delta Kappa and served as president of Pi Kappa Alpha social fraternity.

He was a certified insurance counselor and was president of R.C. Wilkerson, Jones & Co., family insurance business. He was chairman of the Board of Mississippi Insurance Managers Inc. and served as president of the Independent Insurance Agents of Mississippi, receiving its J.H. Johnson Memorial Award for distinguished service.

Mr. Wilkerson was a member of St. Paul Catholic Church. He had chaired the United Way Campaign, the Heart Association and the YMCA membership drive. He was past president of the Y’s Men’s Club and was a member of the YMCA Board of Directors and Board of Trustees. He was past president of the Rotary Club and was a Paul Harris Fellow. He was a former member of the Board of Directors of Merchants National Bank and its executive committee and was a member of the Advisory Board for BancorpSouth.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Robert C. and Mildred Fortner Wilkerson.

He is survived by his wife, Sara Thurber Wilkerson of Vicksburg; a daughter, Sara Virginia Burrell of Vicksburg; two sons, Robert Hart Crump Wilkerson of Atlanta and George Thurber Wilkerson of New Orleans; his sister, Rosalie Baldwin of Vicksburg; his stepmother, Edith Wilkerson of Vicksburg; four granddaughters; and one grandson.

Pallbearers will be Ernest G. Thomas, C.L. Hardy Jr., Dr. Randall Easterling, Harold Blue, Herbert W. Jones, William L. Shappley Jr., Edley H. Jones Jr. and Stanley B. Kline.

Honorary pallbearers will be George Q. Evans, Dr. Wayne G. Elliott, Michael J. Chaney, John D. Frazier Jr., J. Neil O’Neill, Ed Jackson, Dr. Mike Davis, George P. Mayer and John Byram.

Memorials may be made to the Vicksburg YMCA, the National Kidney Foundation or Vicksburg Catholic Schools.