December 8, 2006

Published 12:00 am Friday, December 8, 2006

The Vicksburg Post prints obituaries in news form for area residents, their family members and for former residents at no charge. Families wishing to publish additional information or to use specific wording have the option of a paid obituary.

Mack Cassell Jr.

EDWARDS – Services for Mack Cassell Jr. will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at Belmont M.B. Church in Utica with Pastor Phillip Burks officiating. Burial will follow at Belmont Cemetery under the direction of W.H. Jefferson Funeral Home.

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Mr. Cassell died Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2006, in Hazlehurst as the result of a motor vehicle accident. He was 47.

Born in Hinds County, Mr. Cassell was a resident of Edwards. He was a self-employed painter. He was of the Baptist faith.

He was preceded in death by his father, Mack Cassell Sr.; a brother, Calvin Ray Cassell; a sister, Thelis Cassell; his maternal grandparents, Jonas and DeElla Flagg; and his paternal grandparents, Ernest and Madie Cooper Cassell.

Survivors include his companion, Shirley Wiley of Hazlehurst; his mother, Beulah Lee Flagg Cassell of Edwards; two brothers, Kevin Cassell of Vicksburg and Dwayne Cassell of Sioux City, Iowa; two sisters, Shirley Jean Cassell of Chicago and Nancy Lee Ford of Edwards; and aunts, uncles and other relatives, including members of the Allen and Mace families of Vicksburg, Flagg family of Utica, Robinson family of Chicago and Cassell family of Elkhart, Ind.

Richard Lee Derby.

PORT GIBSON – Richard Lee Derby died Saturday, Dec. 2, 2006, at Claiborne County Hospital. He was 69.

Mr. Derby was born in Claiborne County to William Jack Derby and Addie Lee Simmons-Derby. He was a retired assembly worker and a member of Jerusalem Baptist Church, where he was a deacon.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Beulah Derby; a daughter, Debra Derby Gusta; and a sister, Henrietta Derby.

He is survived by two sons, Ricky Derby of Dallas and Dwight Derby of Port Gibson; two daughters, Brenda Dorsey and Lakenya Derby, both of Port Gibson; a brother, Jack Derby of Port Gibson; nine grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and other relatives and friends.

Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Mercy Seat Baptist Church, 3169 Highway 547 in Port Gibson, with the Rev. Eddie Walls officiating. Burial will follow at Mercy Seat Cemetery.

Visitation will be from noon until 7 tonight at Rollins Funeral Home in Port Gibson.

Ruby Heath.

PORT GIBSON – Ruby Heath died Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2006, at River Region Medical Center. She was 49.

Mrs. Heath was preceded in death by her parents, C.B. and Annie Mae Burrell Heath.

She is survived by two sons, Scott D. Heath and Edward E. Heath, both of Port Gibson; one daughter, Tina M. Heath of Vicksburg; a maternal grandmother, Rosa Dabney of Port Gibson; four brothers, C.P. Heath Jr., Everett Heath and Charles Heath, all of Port Gibson, and Dannie Heath of Tucson, Ariz.; three sisters, Bessie Heath of Port Gibson, Lela Heath of Jackson and Betty Wade of Columbus, Ga.; one granddaughter; and aunts, nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

Services will be at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at First Baptist Church of Port Gibson with the Rev. Ray Coleman officiating. Burial will follow at Hermanville Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 1 until 6 p.m. Saturday at Thompson Funeral Home and Sunday at the church from 1:30 p.m. until the service.

Dorothy Jones Meyer.

Dorothy Jones Meyer died Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2006, at Heritage House. She was 89.

Born in Louisville, Mrs. Meyer was the daughter of the late Wayne and Amanda Coleman Jones. She had been a Vicksburg resident since 1936. She was a graduate of Bond High School in Louisville and, in 1939, received her registered nursing degree from the Vicksburg Infirmary, where she began her nursing career. She retired in 1982 from Kuhn Memorial State Hospital.

She was a member of the Mississippi State Nurses Association, the VFW Ladies Auxiliary and was a communicant of St. Michael Catholic Church.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Edward Charles Meyer; and two brothers, Lee Metz Jones and Walter W. Jones.

Survivors include a daughter, Katherine Meyer Turcotte; a son, William Charles &#8220Buddy” Meyer of Savannah, Ga.; three sisters, Susie McKay of Vicksburg, Lucy Canizaro of Jackson and Dina McKay of Louisville; and nieces and nephews.

A funeral Mass will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Michael Catholic Church with the Rev. P.J. Curley, pastor, officiating. Burial will follow at Green Acres Memorial Park under the direction of Riles Funeral Home.

Visitation will be at the funeral home from 4:30 until 7 tonight with a prayer service at 5 p.m. and at the church Saturday from 10:30 a.m. until the service.

Pallbearers will be grandchildren: Jeff Turcotte, Greg Turcotte, Tim Turcotte, Steve Turcotte, Shay Meyer and Kim Meyer.

Honorary pallbearers will be staff members of Heritage House and PAX Hospice.

Memorials may be made to the Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, 5005 LBJ Freeway, Suite 250, Dallas, TX 75244 or to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.

Georgia Mae Neal.

Georgia Mae Neal died Thursday, Dec. 7, 2006, at her home. She was 77.

Mrs. Neal was a member and mother at Jones Chapel M.B. Church. She was retired from Warren Central High School.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Jimmie Neal Sr.; her mother, Hattie Petties; her father, Moses Jones Sr.; three daughters, Dorothy White, Jessie Neal and Gloria Ivy; one son, E.T. Neal; two brothers, Little Dee Petties Sr. and Frank Dorsey; and one sister, Tinnie Smith.

Survivors include three sons, Jimmie Neal Jr., Phillip Neal and Dwayne Neal, all of Memphis; four daughters, Zelmarie Neal and Vickie Neal Thomas, both of Vicksburg, Shirley Molette of Westchester, Ill., and Avion Lee of Zion, Ill.; four brothers, Moses Jones of Niagara Falls, N.Y., Lovie Petties of Memphis, Robert Petties of Vicksburg and James Petties of Cairo, Ill.; two sisters, Selena Williams of Chicago and Jewel Piazza of Oakland, Calif.; 22 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; and nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends, including members of the Johnson, Robinson, Reynolds, Jackson, Miller, Plunkett, Sanders and Brown families.

Lakeview Memorial Funeral Home has charge of arrangements.

Ora Brown Ragan.

Services for Ora Brown Ragan will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at Mount Zion M.B. Church, Ballground, with the Rev. Charlie Blackmore officiating. Burial will follow at the church cemetery.

Visitation will be from 1 until 7 p.m. Saturday at Dillon-Chisley Funeral Home.

Mrs. Ragan died Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2006, at her home. She was 68.

Mrs. Ragan retired as a licensed practical nurse from Mercy Regional Medical Center. She was a member of Mount Zion M.B. Church, Ballground, where she served as church secretary and president of the Missionary Society. She was a member of the Usher Board and choir and served as secretary of the Sunday School Institute. She was also a member of Loving Unity Society No. 8 and Ballground Homemakers Club.

Mrs. Ragan was preceded in death by her father, D.C. Brown; a daughter, Rhonda E. Ragan; a son, Coleman Ragan; and two brothers, Lewis Brown and William Luckett.

She is survived by her husband, Melvin Ragan of Redwood; two sons, Melvin A. Ragan of Redwood and Lewis E. Ragan of Vicksburg; three daughters, Jacqueline Ragan of Union City, Ga., Shirley R. Torregano of Slidell, La., and Earnestine Ragan Sisney of Redwood; her mother, Earnestine Luckett of Redwood; one brother, James Luckett of Los Angeles; five sisters, Dorothy Steward of San Antonio, Texas, Katherine Jackson of Los Angeles, Mary Luckett of Inglewood, Calif., and Hazel Luckett and Carolyn Luckett, both of Redwood; 18 grandchildren; two great-grandsons; and nieces, nephews, cousins and other relatives, including Robert DeVoils.

Elizabeth Beatrice Reed.

PORT GIBSON – Elizabeth Beatrice Reed died Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2006, at Claiborne County Hospital. She was 88.

A former member of China Grove M.B. Church in Port Gibson, Mrs. Reed was a member of Triumph M.B. Church of Vicksburg. She was a member of the Christian Aid.

She is survived by three sons, Bennie Reed and Donald Reed, both of Port Gibson, and David Reed of Vicksburg; three daughters, Pat Wilson and Bertha Reed, both of Vicksburg, and Delores Brown of Fayette; two sisters, Mary Walls of Junction City, Kan., and Patsy Duffin of Aurora, Ill.; one brother, Ernest Reed of Gulfport; 13 grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Antioch Christian Church in Port Gibson with the Rev. Daniel Cook officiating. Burial will follow at McCaa Cemetery in Russum.

Visitation will be from 1 until 6 today at Thompson Funeral Home in Port Gibson with family hour from 6 until 7 p.m. and Saturday at the church from 10 a.m. until the service.

Beache Eland Short.

ROLLING FORK – Beache Eland Short died Monday, Dec. 4, 2006, at her home in Rolling Fork. She was 54.

Ms. Short is survived by her father, Oliver Maxey of Rolling Fork; two sons, Michael Short and Alvin Short, both of Rolling Fork; two daughters, Jennifer Short of Anguilla and Janice Halls of Rolling Fork; three brothers, Tony Maxey of Anguilla, Jimmy Maxey of Mayersville and Robert Maxey of Grace; six sisters, Callie Maxey and Gloria Stein Maxey, both of Saginaw, Mich., Hattie Maxey Winters of Detroit, Mich., Ella Mae Maxey of Rockford, Ill., Eula Johnson of Rolling Fork and Rosie M. Maxey of Anguilla; and five grandchildren.

Services will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at Mount Lula M.B. Church in Rolling Fork with Pastor R.C. Addison officiating. Burial will follow at Nitta Yuma Cemetery.