November 9, 2007

Published 12:00 am Friday, November 9, 2007

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.

Ottis M. Copes

DELHI — Services for Ottis M. Copes were at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2007, at Newton Baptist Church in Delhi with the Rev. Terry Ganey officiating. Burial followed at Newton Community Cemetery under the direction of Cox Funeral Home of Delhi.

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Mr. Copes died Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2007, in Monroe. He was 80.

Born in Delhi, Mr. Copes had served in the Army during the Korean War. He was employed with Westinghouse Delcraft and retired from General Motors in Monroe. He was a member of Newton Baptist Church.

He is preceded in death by his wives, Dorothy Walter Copes and Melba Gibson Copes; his parents, Joseph and Jewel Copes; a sister, Lynette Copes Donahoe; and two brothers, Thomas E. Copes and Tolbert Copes.

He is survived by two daughters, Rita Copes Mendrop of Vicksburg and Rhonda Copes Craig of Delhi; a brother, Greenlee Copes of Delhi; a sister, Cloie Copes Haywood Black of Delhi; 11 grandchildren, a great-grandchild; and other relatives.

Pallbearers were Will Mendrop, Doug Craig, Gary Jones, Dustin Jones, Ken Gibson and Larry Gibson.

Beth D. Ellis

UTICA — Beth D. Ellis died Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2007.

Services will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at Utica Baptist Church with the Rev. Ben James officiating. Burial will follow in Utica City Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 2 until 5 p.m. Saturday at Glenwood Funeral Home and from 1 p.m. Sunday until the hour of service at the funeral home.

Born in Hazlehurst, Mrs. Ellis had lived in Utica for more than 50 years. She was a member of Utica Baptist Church where she was active in the Senior Adult group.

She loved to play cards and visit.

She was preceded in death by her husband Dewey Ellis; a daughter Kathy Kemp; a brother, Mid Davis; and her parents Robert and Elizabeth Davis.

Mrs. Ellis is survived by her four daughters Diane Patareau and husband, Richard, of Warsau, Va., Debbie Strong and husband, Clyde, of Utica, Kim Allred and husband, Mike, of Vicksburg and Susie Vinzant and husband, Ben, of Crystal Springs; 10 grandchildren, Trey Engelhardt of Warsau, Amy Williams of Dallas, Texas, Joseph Strong of Byram, Michael Allred and Candace Klotz, both of Vicksburg, Jennifer Schoonmaker of Tampa, Fla., Brad Strong of Windsor, Colo., Andrew Kemp of Jackson and Bethany and Leigh Vinzant, both of Crystal Springs; seven great-grandchildren, Erin and Jordan Williams, both of Dallas, TX, Shelby and Spencer Schoonmaker, both of Tampa, and Brooke, Claire and Catherine Strong, all of Windsor.

Pallbearers will be Larry Boyd, Lamar Adair, Roger Rials, Howard Jennings, Dan Hodge, Jr. and Sammy White.

Honorary pallbearers will be the Fellowship Men’s Sunday School Class of Utica Baptist Church.

Memorials may be made to Utica Baptist Church or Hospice Ministries, 450 Towne Center Blvd., Ridgeland, MS 39157.

Lucile Harris

ROLLING FORK — Lucile Harris died Saturday, Nov. 3, 2007, at her home. She was 56.

Miss Harris is survived by two sons, James Harris and Earnest Harris, both of Rolling Fork; two daughters, Sherry Harris of Rolling Fork and Alexandrea Harris of Baton Rouge; three brothers, Terry Harris of Middleton, Tenn., Lewis Harris of Hollandale and Lonnell Harris of Sarasota, Fla.; five sisters, Bobbie Jeane Harris Portis of Chicago, Ethel Harris of Hollandale, Marie Young of Rolling Fork, Rosie Hines of Jackson and Cardia Holiday of Hollandale; and six grandchildren.

Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Mount Lula M.B. Church in Rolling Fork with Pastor R.L. Miller officiating. Burial will follow at Section Cemetery in Anguilla.

Visitation will be from 5 to 6 this evening at Walker Funeral Home.

Xavier LeBryant Lodge

BRANDON — Xavier LeBryant Lodge died Friday, Nov. 2, 2007, at Northwest Rankin Middle School in Flowood. He was 11.

Xavier, a sixth-grader, attended churches in Brandon and Edwards. During his fifth-grade year, Xavier was a member of the class choir.

He was also a member of the Upward Basketball League at Pinelake Baptist Church in Brandon, where he was known as Baby Shaq.

He was preceded in death by his great-grandparents, Anna and Lee Bryant Lodge; his grandfather, Eddie Lee Nelson; and a great-aunt, Bernice Wright.

Xavier is survived by his mother, Azalea Lodge; his maternal grandparents, Lorraine and Kent Montgomery of Edwards; uncles, aunts and cousins.

Services will be at noon Saturday at Pinelake Baptist Church in Brandon with Dr. Ava S. Harvey Sr., officiating. Burial will follow at Green Hill Cemetery in Edwards.

Visitation will be from 1 to 7 p.m. today at Lakeover Funeral Home in Jackson.

Charles A. Sanders

Charles A. Sanders died Monday, Nov. 5, 2007. He was 81.

Born in Claiborne, County, Mr. Sanders was the son of the late Clarence Alane and Ona Davis Irby Sanders. He attended Pattison Elementary School and served in the Navy from 1944 to 1946. He worked as a logger for International Paper and shipbuilder for LeTourneau. Having worked with the fire department for 31 years and Water and Gas Department for 10 years, he retired from City of Vicksburg in 1988. He was a member of VFW Post 10734 and served as vice commander from 2003 until 2004.

Mr. Sanders is survived by a daughter, Cathy Williamson and husband, Robert, of Cecilia, Ky.; a son, Mark Sanders and wife, Cynthia, of Henderson, N.C.; four brothers, Presley A. Sanders of Pearl, Paul Everett Sanders of Kansas, David Sanders of Oklahoma and Bobby Sanders of Vicksburg; three sisters, Martha Stagg of Pascagoula, Lynn Hudson of Birmingham, Ala., Ona Gertrude of Mobile, Ala.; four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Fisher Funeral Home Chapel with John Marks and the Rev. Doug Westmoreland officiating. Burial will follow at Green Acres Memorial Cemetery. Visitation is from 6 until 8 tonight.

Pallbearers will be Brian L. Williamson, Jason S. Williamson, Kevin D. Williamson, John Marks Sanders, David McNemar and Tom Hughes.

Honorary pallbearers will be current and former employees of City of Vicksburg Fire Department.

Murray Washington Jr.

GRACE — Murray Washington Jr. died Monday, Nov. 5, 2007, in Grace, Miss. He was 44.

Services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at Goodwill M.B. Church in Alps, Miss., with the Rev. Mildred Fleming officiating. Burial will follow at Alps Cemetery. Visitation will be from 6:30 until 7:30 tonight at Walker Funeral Home in Rolling Fork.

He is survived by his wife, Shirley Washington of Grace; his father, Murray Washington Sr. of Grace; two daughters, Lawanda Windom of Houston and Jasmine Washington of Grace; a brother, Dewayne Washington of Houston; two sisters, Rosalind Hughes and Dedra Washington Turner, both of Houston; and a grandchild.

Thomas Leland Weissinger

CARY — Thomas Leland Weissinger died Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2007, at his home in Cary. He was 46.

Mr. Weissinger was a lifelong resident of Cary. He attended Sharkey-Issaquena Academy and graduated from Marion Military Institute in Marion, Ala. He attended Marion Military Institute and Mississippi State University.

From 1985 until 1989, he served on the Alderman Board for the City of Cary. In 1989, he was elected mayor of Cary and remained in that capacity until his death. Mr. Leland farmed in Cary prior to becoming a utilities systems operator for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Mat Sinking Unit. He was awarded numerous safety citations throughout his career. In 2003, he received a commendation for his brave, selfless, and timeless, response honoring his heroic efforts during a barge fire catastrophe. In 2005, he graduated from Texas A&M Fire Training School in College Station, Texas, where he excelled in emergency response training.

Leland was preceded in death by his father, Charles Hyde Weissinger of Cary.

He is survived by his wife Jean Marie Rose Weissinger of Cary and Jackson; his mother, Mrs. Charles Hyde Weissinger Sr. of Cary; two brothers, Charles Weissinger Jr. of Rolling Fork and Matt Weissinger of Greenville; three sisters, Maryanne W. Smith of Mandeville, La., Elizabeth W. Davidson of Suffolk, Va., and Shan W. Bilotta of Hopkinsville, Ky.; and nieces and nephews, Jimmy and Thomas Davidson of Suffolk, Va., Elizabeth and Andy Smith of Mandeville, La., Douglas and Molly Weissinger of Greenville, Charlie and Guy Weissinger, both of Rolling Fork, and Leila W. Merwin, of Dallas, Texas.

A rosary will be said at 4:30 today, followed by visitation from 5 until 7 at Glenwood Funeral Home. A funeral Mass begins at 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Paul Catholic Church in Vicksburg. Burial will follow at Cary Cemetery in Cary.

Pallbearers will be Clark Carter of Rolling Fork, Jimmy Carter of Ridgeland, Clabe Clinkscales of Delta City, James Hollowell of Greenville, Paul Koestler of Vicksburg, Leonard Martin of Greenville, Joe Parker of Oak Grove, La., and Ken Ward of Jackson.

Honorary pallbearers will be Henry Hunter and George Quarm, both of Cary, Kelton “Kel” Shurden of Vicksburg, Bert Clark of Rolling Fork and Clint Knight of Tecumseh, Ala.

Memorials may be made to the Cary Cemetery Association, c/o Mrs. Bill Moore, P.O. Box 209, Cary, MS 39054.

Elmarie Upshire

Services for Elmarie Upshire will be at noon Saturday at Clover Valley M.B. Church with the Rev. Johnny L. Williams officiating. Visitation will be from 1 until 6 tonight at Robbins Funeral Home. Burial will follow at the church cemetery.

Mrs. Upshire died Thursday, Nov. 1, 2007, at River Region Medical Center. She was 66.

She was a member of Clover Valley M.B. Church.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Martin Upshire; two sons, Hosea M. Upshire and Howard Upshire; her parents, Woodrow Prentiss and Ida Watts Alexander; and two brothers, Ed B. Watts and Albert Prentiss.

She is survived by two sons, Dwayne Upshire and Charles Upshire, both of Vicksburg; two daughters, Williamina Edwards of Vicksburg and Sabrina Jefferson of Austin, Texas; two brothers, Fred Prentiss of St. Louis and Cleophaus Brown Jr. of Vicksburg; four sisters, Christine Thomas and Inetta Miller, both of Vicksburg, and Barbara Jean Davis and Alice Conley, both of St. Louis; 13 grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and nieces, nephews and other relatives, including Irene Watts of Vicksburg.