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.

Oliver H. Crayton

Oliver H. Crayton died Monday, Sept. 17, 2007, at River Region Medical Center. He was 71.

Mr. Crayton was a member of Evergreen Baptist Church.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Pearline Crayton; his parents, Roosevelt Crayton Sr. and Dora Crayton; and two brothers, Willie Crayton and Roosevelt Crayton Jr.

Survivors include four sons, Oliver Crayton Jr., Larry Crayton, Glen Crayton and Anthony Crayton, all of Chicago; one daughter, Sharon Lanice Crayton of Chicago; three brothers, A.C. Crayton, Lawrence Crayton and Calvin Crayton, all of Chicago; three sisters, Denice Crayton and Vera Crayton, both of Chicago, and Irene Crayton of New York; and other relatives, including members of the Crayton family.

Lakeview Memorial Funeral Home has charge of arrangements.

Louanna Bingham Wells Frank

Louanna Bingham Wells Frank died Friday, Sept. 14, 2007. She was 70.

Mrs. Frank was a member of Body of Christ Church in Jackson, where she served as choir director.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Ed Bingham Sr. and Margaret Bingham; a husband, Booker T. Wells Jr.; a son, James Booker Wells; three sisters, Eddie Lee Teat, Rosie Bingham Gibson and Katie Bingham Ellis; and two brothers, Isaac Bingham and Samuel Bingham.

She is survived by her husband, Aaron Frank of Jackson; one daughter, Doris Wells Snell of Jackson; three brothers, James Bingham of Red Lick, Ed Bingham Jr. of St. Paul, Minn., and Patrick Bingham of Vicksburg; one sister, Laura Bingham of Jackson; five grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

Services will be at 11 a.m. Friday at East Mount Olive Baptist Church in Red Lick with the Rev. Deon Fleming of Body of Christ Church officiating. Burial will follow at the church cemetery.

Visitation will be from 1 until 7 p.m. Thursday at Spencer Funeral Home in Fayette.

William Ralph Harris

PASCAGOULA — Services for William Ralph Harris were Friday, Sept. 14, 2007, at O’Bryant-O’Keefe Funeral Home in Pascagoula. Burial followed at Machpelah Cemetery with military honors.

Mr. Harris died Monday, Sept. 10, 2007, at his home in Pascagoula. He was 65.

A U.S. Army Vietnam veteran, he had recently retired from Northrop Grumman Ship Systems after 45 years of service.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Allonia M. and Jewel G. Harris; and a sister, Glenda Sue Harris.

He is survived by his wife, Cecilia Gordon Harris of Pascagoula; two daughters, Pamela H. Loper of Pascagoula and Deborah H. Barlow of Hattiesburg; a brother, James W. Harris of Moss Point; a sister, Gloria H. Rath of Gautier; and other relatives, including Margie G. Dardeau, Tommy Gordon Jr., Richard Gordon and Donnie Gordon, all of Vicksburg, David Gordon of Knoxville, Tenn.; and Mary Frances G. Royals of Byram.

Pallbearers were David Gordon, Bobby Gordon, Tommy Gordon Jr., Brian Eubanks, Richard Gordon, Donnie Gordon and Tony Dardeau.

Leon R. Kennedy

Leon R. Kennedy died Monday, Sept. 17, 2007, at River Region Medical Center. He was 82.

Born in Gonzales, La., he was the son of the late Leon Kennedy and Violet Landry Kennedy Phelps and the stepson of Robert Phelps.

Mr. Kennedy attended Louisiana State University and had been a resident of Vicksburg since 1943. He was a sales representative for Vicksburg Specialty Company at the time of his death.

Mr. Kennedy was a proficient bowler, having been selected to be a member of the Bowling Hall of Fame of Mississippi and the Bowling Hall of Fame of Vicksburg.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a sister, Madge Byrd.

He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Gloria Nasif Kennedy of Vicksburg; a niece, Phylis Sampra of Bogalusa, La.; and a nephew, Jeff Byrd of New Orleans.

Services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Riles Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Patrick Farrell, pastor of St. Paul Catholic Church, officiating. Burial will be at Cedar Hill Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 5 until 7 tonight at Riles Funeral Home.

Pallbearers will be Blake Nasif, Chris Nasif, George Nasif Jr., Butch Nasif, Anthony Kinstley, Bill Kinstley Jr. and Keith Kinstley.

Memorials may be made to favorite charities.

Margie A. Lefoldt

Margie A. Lefoldt died Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2007, at River Region Medical Center. She was 85.

Ms. Lefoldt was born in Vicksburg to Louis and Katie Loviza Lefoldt. She was retired from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg District.

A graduate of St. Francis Xavier Academy, Ms. Lefoldt was a lifelong member of St. Paul Catholic Church.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by two brothers, Louis and Richard Lefoldt; and a sister, Louise Lefoldt.

She is survived by a niece, Maria Lefoldt Vuch, and a sister-in-law, Betty Lefoldt of St. Louis, Mo.; and numerous cousins, including Myrtle Loviza Curro, Joe Loviza, Patsy Shappley, Lois Bori and Florence Bori, all of Vicksburg, and Blanche Loviza Irby and John W. Loviza, formerly of Vicksburg.

A Mass of the Resurrection will be said at 11 a.m. Friday at St. Paul Catholic Church with the Rev. Patrick Farrell officiating. Burial will be at Cedar Hill Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 5 until 7 p.m. Thursday at Riles Funeral Home and at the church Friday from 10:30 a.m. until the service. Prayers are at 6 p.m. Thursday.

Pallbearers will be Philip Vedros, John W. Loviza, Joe Loviza, Stephen Vedros, Joseph Curro, Mike Stewart and Tim Wright.

Honorary pallbearers will be Marie Pantoliano, Bill Shappley, Joylene T. Carter, Violet Franco, Edna H. Hosemann, Vivian Patterson and Dr. Bill Wooten.

Memorials may be made to St. Paul Catholic Church, P.O. Box 646, Vicksburg, MS 39181; Vicksburg Catholic School, 1900 Grove St., Vicksburg, MS 39183; or to a favorite charity.

Betty Watts

CONYERS, Ga. — Betty Watts, formerly of Vicksburg, died Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2007, in Conyers, Ga. She was 81.

Mrs. Watts was a member of St. Simon’s Episcopal Church in Conyers and a former member of The Church of the Holy Trinity, Episcopal, in Vicksburg. She retired from Waterways Experiment Station.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Garland Leon Watts Sr.; and her parents, Ernest Melvin and Lola McCain.

She is survived by two sons, Chuck Watts of Wilmington, Ohio, and Lin Watts of Conyers; a brother, Buddy McCain of Pinehurst, N.C.; and three grandchildren.

A memorial service will be at 10 a.m. Friday at Holy Cross Anglican Church in Loganville, Ga., with Dr. Foley Beach officiating.

Visitation will be from 6 until 8 p.m. Thursday at the family home.

Horis A. Ward’s Olde Town Chapel in Conyers has charge of arrangements.

Memorials may be made to Holy Cross Anglican Church, P.O. Box 776, Loganville, GA 30052.

Edward Scott Yoste

RIDGELAND — Edward Scott Yoste, a retired Realtor and developer residing in Ridgeland, died Monday afternoon at the Rankin Medical Center after a prolonged stay at the Brandon Court Physical Rehabilitation and Nursing facility.

A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Thursday at St. Richard Catholic Church with burial following at 1 p.m. at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Vicksburg.

Visitation will be from 5 until 7 tonight at Wright & Ferguson Funeral Home in Ridgeland and will resume at 9:30 a.m. Thursday at St. Richard Catholic Church.

Ed was born Nov. 20, 1930, and lived in Vicksburg until he attended the University of Mississippi in 1948. He was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity, Air Force ROTC and the Young Catholics Club. After two years at Ole Miss, he joined the United States Air Force and was stationed for the next four years at different bases in Germany. He returned to Ole Miss to finish his last two years and graduated in 1955.

Ed Yoste spent the next 45 years in Memphis. Ed worked first for the National Cotton Council before his lifelong best friend and fraternity brother, Bob Perkins, and he founded Perkins and Yoste, a real estate and home building company. In the early ’70s, Perkins and Yoste pioneered the building boom in Whitehaven, Yorkshire, Germantown, Country Club and Stonebridge. Ed was selected as Builder of the Year in 1972.

Those who knew Ed Yoste thought of him as one of the most positive and uplifting people; he never met a stranger and, when he did, he put them immediately at ease. He treated everyone with respect and dignity regardless of color or upbringing, and he reared his children to do the same. He was an ardent reader of the classics and was considered by all who knew him to be extremely well-read. He was a student of the Arts, from classical music to poetry and philosophy. While never considering himself a scholar, indeed he was.

Ed had the love and admiration of his family and friends; he had the respect of business peers of being a man with honor and integrity. To Ed Yoste, his greatest gift was not the love shown to him but the love his family had for each other. This was not limited to his four children and 16 grandchildren, but his extended family of Yoste nephews, nieces, and their children and grandchildren. He witnessed this not only at the Annual Yoste Family Reunion held each Fourth of July in Vicksburg that he founded nearly 50 years ago, but on a daily basis as the YNN (Yoste News Network) is in constant communication 24/7.

Ed Yoste was preceded in death by his parents, Florian and Jessie Yoste; brothers, Florian, Harry, Jerry and Jack; and sister, Mary.

His survivors include his wife, Delia Hood Yoste, formerly of Memphis; children, Scott of Dallas, Geoffrey and Julie of Oxford, John and Paige of Jackson, and Tricia and Danny Meyers of Madison; and 16 grandchildren, who cheerfully called him Fa Fa.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that a donation be sent to his home church, St. Richard’s Catholic Church; or to St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis.