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.

Charlie Brooks

PORT GIBSON — Charlie Brooks died Sunday, March 9, 2008, at Claiborne County Hospital. He was 70.

Mr. Brooks was a member and deacon at First M.B. Church of Hermanville. He was employed with Carl Boren’s Service Station for a number of years and the Claiborne County Public School Transportation Department until retirement.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph Sr. and Willie Mae Brooks; and siblings, including Jewel Brooks, John Henry Brooks, James Duke Brooks, Eli Pete Brooks and Joseph Bo Brooks Jr.

He is survived by his wife, Ethel Brooks of Pattison; two daughters, Sharon Richardson of Pattison and Felicia Brandon of Port Gibson; one sister, Lear Brooks of Hermanville; three brothers, George Brooks and David Brooks, both of Port Gibson, and Ralph Brooks of Hermanville; nine grandchildren; and great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, friends and other relatives, including Keith Beasley of Terry and Shataque Beasley and Richard and Shirley Wilson of Port Gibson.

Services will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at Mercy Seat M.B. Church in Port Gibson with the Rev. Johnnie Hughes officiating. Burial will follow at St. Peter M.B. Church Cemetery in Pattison. Visitation will be from 1 until 6 tonight at Thompson Funeral Home in Port Gibson and Saturday at the church from noon until the service.

Steven Thomas Hall

DAPHNE, Ala. — Steven Thomas Hall, 40, a sheet metal worker and a member of the Sheet Metal Workers International Local 441, died at his home Sunday, March 9, 2008. Visitation will be at Glenwood Funeral Home in Utica tonight, March 14, from 5:30 until 8. A funeral service will be held Saturday, March 15, at 11 a.m. at the Utica Baptist Church with Brother Ken Anderson officiating. Burial will follow at the Robison Cemetery in Utica.

A memorial service was held in Daphne, Ala., Wednesday, March 12.

Steve was born in Vicksburg May 3, 1967. He grew up in Meridian and Clinton, moving to Mobile, Ala., after he married. He and his family moved to Daphne in 2001.

A loving father, husband, son and brother, Steve was a friend to all who knew him. He was a hard worker. He was kind, dependable, truthful and loyal. He would help a stranger. He kept his word. He was respectful. He was outgoing and friendly.

Steve loved his family and friends. His children, Brianna and Austin, were the light of his life. He loved animals, especially his dog, Deoge. He will be greatly missed by many.

Steve is survived by his wife, Melissa Ann Hall; his daughter, Brianna, and son Austin, all of Daphne; his parents, John and Marie Hall of Raymond; and brothers, Jeffrey Hall of Daphne and Ryan Hall and his wife, Shannon, of Edwards. He is also survived by a number of aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and his in-laws, Bobby and Beverly Sharp of Raymond.

Mary Elisabeth Smith

Mary Elisabeth Smith, 90, died Wednesday, March 12, 2008, at River Region Medical Center. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Fisher Funeral Home. Visitation will be at 10 a.m. Saturday until funeral time.

Interment will be at 1:30 p.m. at Canton Cemetery in Canton. Breeland Funeral Home in Canton is in charge of arrangements.

Elisabeth Smith, the second child of S.W. “Van” Smith and Maggie Hobbs Smith, was born in Brookhaven on Dec. 10, 1917. She attended elementary school and high school in Canton and graduated in 1935. She attended Hinds Junior College and graduated from MSCW in 1939. She taught school in McComb, then worked in the financial office at Mississippi State. Following this, she taught school at Carr Central High School. After teaching, she went to work as a mathematician at Waterways Experiment Station in Vicksburg. She worked there until her retirement.

She was a loving, giving member of her family and of her neighbors where she lived in Vicksburg. She had many friends including her lifetime friend, Phylis Davis. Elisabeth was an avid gardener of vegetables, azaleas and anything that grows, often sharing vegetables with her neighbors.

She was preceded in death by her parents, S.W. “Van” Smith and Maggie Hobbs Smith; her sister, Frances Smith Norman; and her aunt, Fannie Lou Smith.

Survivors include her sisters, Margaret Hobbs Smith and Ann Elaine Smith, both of Canton; brother, S.W. “Van” Smith Jr. of Canton; and nieces and nephews.

Michael Reginald Thomas

Michael Reginald Thomas died Wednesday, March 12, 2008, in Jackson. He was 23.

Mr. Thomas was a student at Jackson State University.

He was preceded in death by his father, Curley Lindsey; and his maternal grandmother, Lucy Dorsey.

Survivors include his mother, Linda D. Thomas of Vicksburg; his twin sister, Michelle R. Thomas of Atlanta; his maternal grandfather, Booker T. Thomas of Vicksburg; and aunts, uncles, cousins and other relatives, including Debra R. Goodman, Velma Bunch and Camille Cox, all of Vicksburg.

Services will be at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Cedar Grove M.B. Church. Burial will follow at Cedar Hill Cemetery. Visitation will be from 1 until 7 tonight at Lakeview Memorial Funeral Home with family present from 6 until 7.

Gerald Wayne Turnage

Gerald Wayne Turnage went home to be with the Lord on March 12, 2008. Gerald was born on Feb. 27, 1938, in Meridian, Miss., and lived there until attending college. He received a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Mississippi State University and a master’s degree in statistics from Florida State University.

Gerald was a longtime active member of First Presbyterian Church in Vicksburg. He served as a deacon, an elder, Sunday school teacher and superintendent of the Sunday school.

Gerald began his professional career with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Waterways Experiment Station Army Mobility Research, in 1961 and retired from that organization after 35 years. During his career, he served in many roles in engineer research, in leadership roles involving research in soil-vehicle interactions that provided direct support to the military and to military vehicle designers. Some of his principal contributions were as a team member involved in developing a comprehensive analytical computer model describing vehicle-terrain-weather interactions, which were later adopted by NATO as the standard for allied forces in computerization of performance of NATO military vehicles in specified terrains. One of his final contributions was consolidating this comprehensive model to operate on personal computers for battlefield operations — CAMMS. He has received worldwide commendations for his theoretical work in vehicle-soil interactions.

After retirement, he served as consultant in advancing this soil-vehicle interactions research and CAMMS. CAMMS has been used in battlefield applications in military operations in Desert Storm, Bosnia, Afghanistan, and present-day military operations in the Middle East.

Gerald was a member of the International Society of Terrain-Vehicle Systems, Society of American Military Engineers and American Society of Civil Engineers. He will be missed by his many worldwide colleagues.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Otto and Lucille Turnage; and a sister, Leila.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 48 years, Georgia; two daughters, Phyllis Turnage and Suzanne Turnage Means (Johnny); and two stepgranddaughters and three stepgreat-grandchildren.

Visitation will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 15, 2008, at First Presbyterian Church. The service will follow at 1 p.m. under the direction of Dr. Tim Erskine and the Rev. David Elliott. Interment will be at Green Acres.

Memorials may be given to First Presbyterian Church or Jacob’s Ladder.