Benjamin Franklin Barron

OAK GROVE, La. – Benjamin Franklin Barron died Friday, March 18, 2005, at West Carrol Memorial Hospital in Oak Grove. He was 95.

Mr. Barron taught at Pioneer High School in Pioneer, La., from 1936 to 1939, was the principal at Goodwill School in Goodwill, La., from 1939 to 1942, was at Pioneer School from 1942 to 1946 and was a visiting teacher with the West Carroll School Board from 1946 to 1970.

He was a Mason and served as grand high priest in the Royal Arch Masons of Louisiana. He was a member of the Oak Grove Lodge F&AM, Oak Grove Chapter RAM, Monroe Council, Monroe Commandary KT, Barak Shrine Temple, Ouachita Conclave of the Red Cross of Constantine.

He was a member of the First Baptist Church of Oak Grove.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Inez Barron, and his parents, John Richard and Emma Jane Barron.

He is survived by three sons, Randall F. Barron, David Barron and J. Rodney Barron; 10 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren.

Services will be at 3 p.m. today at First Baptist Church Oak Grove with the Rev. Milton Pray officiating. Burial will follow at Oak Grove Cemetery under the direction of Cox Funeral Homes.

Visitation will be until noon today at the funeral home.

Pallbearers will be his grandsons.

James I. Blackledge Sr.

James I. Blackledge Sr., died Friday, March 18, 2005, at River Region Medical Center. He was 63.

Mr. Blackledge was born in Natchez and had been a resident of Vicksburg most of his life. He was a veteran of the Korean War and a retired carpenter.

He was a member of the Carpenters Local 303, the Veterans of Foreign Wars 10734 and the American Legion. He was of the Baptist faith.

He was preceded in death by his father, Thomas Edward Blackledge.

He is survived by his fiancee, Betty Diggs of Vicksburg; five children, James I. Blackledge Jr., of Ephrata, Wash., Kimberly Ann Smith of St. Joseph, Johnnie Nora Baird of Oneida, Wis., James Kelly Davis of Baker, La., and Jamie Kristen Blackledge of Vicksburg; his mother, Ethel Blackledge of Vicksburg; three brothers, Horace Blackledge of Cambridge, Ohio, and Chuck Blackledge and Wayne Blackledge, both of Vicksburg; nine grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Services will be at 2 p.m. Monday at Riles Funeral Home with the Rev. E.L. Sharp, pastor of Lighthouse Baptist Church, officiating. Burial will follow at Cedar Hill Cemetery.

Visitation will be from noon until the hour of the service Monday.

Memorials may be made to the American Heart Association, 4830 McWillie Circle, Jackson, MS 39206.

Pallbearers will be Robert Coody, Randy Lisonbee, Tracy Case, Marc Lowery, Jamie Pevey and P.K. Parkerson.

Honorary pallbearer will be Bobby Owens.

Ruby Delisle

OAK GROVE, La. – Ruby Delisle died Friday, March 18, 2005, at her home in Smackover, Ark. She was 85.

Mrs. Delisle was preceded in death by her husband, George Delisle, and her parents, Ed and Lennie Smith.

She is survived by two sons, Randolph Green of Auburn, Ind., and Huey Green of Center, Texas; four daughters, Shirley Anderson of Splendora, Texas, Linda Gray of Oak Grove, Carolyn Riddell of Smackover and Patsy Jones of Center, Texas; a sister, Sophia Holland of Bastrop, La.; 19 grandchildren, 42 great-great-grandchildren and nine great-great-great-grandchildren.

Services will be at 2 p.m. Monday at Goodwill Church of God in Goodwill, La., with the Rev. Jason Strong officiation. Burial will follow at Red Wing Cemetery in Oak Grove.

Visitation will be until 9 tonight at Cox Funeral Home in Oak Grove.

Lynn Duvall

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Lynn Duvall died Saturday, March 19, 2005, at her home in Evansville, Ind. She was 58.

Mrs. Duvall moved to Evansville in 1965 to attend Evansville College and graduated from the University of Evansville in 1970.

She taught in the Guam Public School System for three years and was the director of the Old North Nursery School from 1977 until 1981. She was a teacher in the Vanderburgh School Corporation in the Adult Basic Education Department from 1981 until 2005 and she was the co-chair of the Evansville Literacy Program.

She was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Evansville, where she was among the quilters.

She was preceded in death by her father, Robert Gunkel Sr.; and her mother, Grace Keown Gunkel.

She is survived by her husband, Dennis Duvall; two sons, Jeffrey Duvall of Brazil, Ind., and Brandon Duvall of Cincinnati, Ohio; a brother, Robert Gunkel of Vicksburg; a sister, Gayle Hasty of Laurel, and four grandchildren.

Services will be at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at Ziemer Funeral Home North Chapel in Evansville and will continue at 10 a.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church with the Rev. Wade Butler officiating. Burial will follow at Lutheran Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 2 until 8 p.m. Monday at the funeral home.

Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society.

Michael Wayne Ellis Jr.

HERMANVILLE – Michael Wayne Ellis Jr., died Tuesday, March 15, 2005, at Claiborne County Hospital. He was 9.

Michael Wayne was a student at A.W. Watson Elementary School.

He is survived by his mother, Aretha Segrest of Port Gibson; his father, Michael Wayne Ellis Sr., of Hermanville; maternal grandparents, Emma J. Segrest of Port Gibson and Freddi McDaniel of Pattison; paternal grandparents, Catherine and Robert Ellis Sr., of Hermanville; maternal great-grandmother, Mattie Goods of Jackson; two brothers, Keyonta Ellis and Marquezve Segrest, both of Port Gibson; a sister, Takiyah Evans of Port Gibson; four uncles; four aunts; seven great-uncles; eight great-aunts; and a number of other relative and friends.

Services will be at 2 p.m. Monday at First Baptist Church in Hermanville with the Rev. Johnnie Hughes officiating. Burial will follow at Hermanville Cemetery under the direction of Thompson Funeral Home Inc.

James A. Harris

KENNETH, Mo. – James A. Harris died Friday, March 18, 2005, at Sharkey-Issaquena Hospital in Rolling Fork. He was 92.

Mr. Harris was born in Winston, Ala., and had lived in Rolling Fork since 1967. He owned and operated Harris and Harris Farms before retiring.

He was a member of Rotary and of the First Baptist Church of Rolling Fork, where he was a deacon.

He was preceded in death by two brothers, Leslie Harris and Earl Harris; and two sisters, Bertha Kosty and Lillie Mae Cook.

He is survived by his wife, Vera B. Harris; a son, Billy Ray Harris of Hollandale; and two sisters, Ruth Sullivan of Ozark, Mo., and Esther Grossman of Bingdon, Mo.

Services will be at 10 a.m. Monday at First Baptist Church in Rolling Fork with the Rev. Millar Caulder and the Rev. Reese Kyzar officiating.

Services will be at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday at Kenneth Memorial Gardens in Kenneth.

Visitation will be from 2 until 4 p.m. at Glenwood Funeral Home in Rolling Fork.

Jack P. Ruff

GREENWOOD – Jack P. Ruff died Friday, March 18, 2005, at Greenwood Leflore Hospital in Greenwood. He was 82.

Mr. Ruff was a retired U.S. Air Force colonel serving from 1942 until 1970. During War World II, he flew 67 combat missions in a P-32 aircraft.

He was awarded the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Force Medal with five Oak Leaf Clusters, the Air Force Commendation Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with five Battle Stars, the War World II Victory Medal, the National Defense Service Medal with one Bronze Star and the Vietnam Service Medal.

He moved to Greenwood in 1976, when he purchased the Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises in West Point, Cleveland and Tupelo.

He is survived by his wife, Caroline Craig Ruff of Greenwood; one daughter, Carrie Wood of Tupelo; two sons, Chesley Ruff of Tupelo and Clayton Ruff of Little Rock, Ark.; a sister, Edith Wilkerson of Vicksburg; a brother, Doyle Ruff of Bastrop, La.; four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Services will be at 2 p.m. today at Odd Fellows Cemetery in Greenwood with the Rev. Rusty Douglas officiating. Burial will follow under the direction of Wilson & Knight Funeral Home.

Memorials may be made to the American Heart Association.

Reginald Smith

Reginald Smith died Friday, March 18, 2005, at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Jackson. He was 81.

Mr. Smith served in the U.S. Army during War World II. He retired as a truck driver from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and was a member of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Hazel Smith; his parents, Booker and Janie Smith; and four brothers, Fred G. Smith, Virgil Smith, Earl Smith and Booker Smith Jr.

He is survived by two daughters, Alice Young of Vicksburg and Bertha Smith of Birmingham, Ala.; four sisters, Pearl Laughlin and Janie Bailey of Chicago and Evelyn Lyons and Elizabeth Smith of Gary, Ind.; four grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

Services will be at 11 a.m. Monday at Robbins Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Denny Allman officiating. Burial will follow at Cedar Hill Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 9 a.m. until the hour of the service Monday at the funeral home.

J.P. White

J.P. White died Friday, March 18, 2005, at River Region Medical Center West. He was 93.

J.P. White was born June 13, 1911, in Perry County, Miss., to James Simpson White and Florence Morgan White. He graduated from Runnelstown High School before moving to Meridian, Miss., where he attended Meridian Business College.

In Meridian he met Florine Porter. They were married May 1, 1932. The Whites moved to Vicksburg in 1933 where Mr. White went to work for the Vicksburg District of the U.S. Corps of Engineers, where he served as a personnel officer and later chief of personnel, until his retirement in 1971.

He was “frequently, officially recognized throughout his career as a leader in personnel work.”

In 1967, he took a leave of absence from the Vicksburg District to serve as the chief personnel officer for the Mediterranean Division of the U.S. Corps of Engineers. He and Mrs. White lived in Tirrenia, Italy, until 1970 when they returned to Vicksburg, where he resumed his post with the Vicksburg District.

Following retirement, he served as a consultant to the cities of Jackson and Vicksburg. Developing Human resources for the two cities.

He worked as a Realtor for Century 21 for 22 years, retiring in 1998 at the age of 85.

He was a long-time member of the Vicksburg Lions Club and was awarded the Melvin Jones Award for Humanitarian Service. Among the many other awards he received was being honored by the Corps of Engineers by being inducted into the Hall of Fame.

He was a long-time member of the First Baptist Church of Vicksburg, where he served as a deacon for many years.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Florine, after 63 years of marriage.

He is survived by his wife, Jowilla Biedenharn White; a daughter, Jean W. Lake and husband Bob of Huntsville, Ala.; a son, J. Perry White and wife Martha of Norman, Okla.; three stepsons, Warner Biedenharn of Memphis, Tenn., Herman Biedenharn of Vicksburg, and David Biedenharn of Vicksburg and three families; two sisters, Katie Estella Smith of Tucson, Ariz., and Grace N. Meyer and husband Al of Greenville, Miss.; four grandchildren, Elizabeth Conroy and husband Bob of Avon Lake, Ohio, Emily Clark and husband Dallas of Huntsville, Ala., Bryan White and wife Caroline of Wakefield, England and Sarah Flanagan and husband Leslie of London, England; and six great-grandchildren, Abigail Conroy, Amelia Conroy, Owen Conroy and Olivia Conroy, all of Avon Lake, and Dylan Clark and Annie Clark both of Huntsville, Ala.

Services will be at 3 p.m. Monday at Glenwood Funeral Home with the Dr. John G. McCall officiating. Burial will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Magnolia Cemetery in Meridian, Miss.

Visitation will be from 1 p.m. until the hour of the service Monday at Glenwood Funeral Home.

Pallbearers will be Warner Biedenharn, Herman Biedenharn, David Biedenharn, David Haworth, Dick Ferguson and Jim Hess.

Memorials may be made to the Florine P. White Scholarship Fund at Mississippi College or the charity of your choice.