Leila Johnston Shumate
Services for Leila E. “Jean” Johnston Shumate will be held Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. at Barham Funeral Home Chapel, with the Rev. Danny Bullock officiating. Burial will be in Enterprise Cemetery.
Mrs. Shumate, 76, of Enterprise, died Saturday, Jan. 6, 2007, at Rush Hospital. She was a homemaker and a member of Pine Hill Baptist Church.
Survivors include her children, Paul Johnston Jr. of Enterprise, Melissa Pittman and her husband, Donn, of Griffin, GA; grandchildren, Stacey Pounders, Nicole Jean Morgan, Virgil Johnston, Stephen Johnston, Donny Pittman, Angie Rivers, Jesse Pittman, Paul Proyor; and numerous great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her first husband, Paul Johnston; her second husband, Louie Shumate; and a son, Ronie W. Johnston.
Visitation will be today from 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. at the funeral home.
Bernice Rigdon Gough
Services for Bernice Rigdon Gough will be held Tuesday at 2 p.m. at Stephens Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Wayne Hunt officiating. Burial will be in New Hope Baptist Church Cemetery.
Mrs. Gough, 69, of Collinsville, died Saturday, Jan. 6, 2007, at Rush Foundation Hospital. She was retired from Meridian Mattress Factory.
Survivors include her brother, Curtis Rigdon; special nephew, Lesley Harwell; special niece, Regina Nance; great niece, Stacy Massey; great nephew, Tommy Harwell; great-great nephews, Dalton Massey, Noah Harwell and special friend, Robert Gough.
She was preceded in death by her husband, William Mack Gough; Ida Rigdon, Sidney Aaron Rigdon, Lora Mae Harwell, James Rigdon, Essie Mae Eraley and Niki Walters.
Pallbearers will be Paul Pig, John Massey, Tommy Harwell, Lesley Harwell, Blaine Chesney and Frankie Nance.
Visitation will be today from 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. at the funeral home.
Samuel Jefferson
Arrangements were incomplete at E.E. McDonald Funeral Home for Samuel Jefferson Byrd, 96, of Scooba, MS, who died Sunday, Jan. 7, 2007, at Noxubee General Hospital in Macon.
Rosalind Renee Reynolds
Services for Rosalind Renee Reynolds were held Sunday, Jan. 7, 2007, at Mt. Zion Methodist Church, with the Revs. Will Dowling and Scott Crenshaw officiating. Burial was in Mt. Zion Methodist Cemetery with Jones Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Reynolds, 44, of Meridian, died Saturday, Jan. 6, 2007, at Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center. She was formerly of Jones County and a registered nurse with Guardian Angel. She was a member of Mt. Zion Baptist Church, graduated from South Jones High School and Jones County Junior College and attended the University of Southern Mississippi.
Survivors include her father, Chuck Herrington of Walland, Tenn.; husband, David Reynolds of Meridian; sons, Matthew Leslie Reynolds, Adam Taylor Reynolds, both of Meridian; brother, Tony Herrington of Ellisville; and aunt, Michele Powell Miller of Hazelhurst.
She was preceded in death by her mother, Clara Faye Herrington; grandmother, Pauline Powell; grandparents, Orange and Gladys Herrington.
Pallbearers were Scott Reynolds, Anthony Reynolds, Keith Smith, Bobby Harris, Eric Craven and James Garrison.
Nancy C. Guthrie
Services for Nancy C. Guthrie were held Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2007, at 1 p.m. at Barham Funeral Home Chapel, with the Rev. Roy Dabs officiating. Burial was in Forest Lawn Cemetery.
Mrs. Guthrie, 66, of Meridian died Sunday, Dec. 31, 2006 at Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center. She was retired.
Survivors include her husband, Harold Guthrie of Meridian; children, James Edward Ward of Tenn., Tammy McNutt of Tupelo, Timmy Ward of Meridian; several grandchildren; step-children, Michael Evans of Mobile, Ala., Kay Dunnigan of Meridian, L.T. Guthrie of Mobile, Brandi Hurley of Jacksonville, Fla.; special granddaughters, Crystal Gray, Samantha Putt both of Tupelo; two brothers; and one sister.
She was preceded in death by her mother, Alma Collett; her father, Jesse Watson; Retha Murphy and James Anthony Ward.
Rev. Clifton Ross Carney
Minister
LINDEN,Ala. — Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Sunday at The River of Life Assembly of God on Highway 43 south in Peachtree Plaza in Demopolis with Rev. George Marchant and Rev. David Moore officiating. Burial was in Demopolis Memorial Gardens. Kidd-Robbins Funeral Directors was in charge of arrangements.
Rev. Carney,91, died Friday, Jan. 5, 2007, at Marengo Nursing Home. Born on January 6, 1915 in Toxey, Alabama, Clifton Ross Carney was the first of nine children. He came to know the Lord as his Savior at a revival meeting at the age of 16 and received the call into the ministry a year later in 1932. The Rev. Carney preached his first sermon on November 9, 1933, at a logging camp meeting, using for his text Exodus 12:13. He married Edna Jenkins on April 1, 1934.
He was ordained as a minister in the Assemblies of God Church in 1940.
He prayed that God might take his life, his voice, his feet and hands and use him for the glory of the Savior. God did just that leading him to build and pastor seven churches in Alabama, Lusk, Chapel Hill, Shady Grove, Needham, Hurricane, Butler and Demopolis. He was a skilled carpenter and craftsman building numerous new homes and restoring historic homes in and around Marengo County.
He began a death row prison ministry in 1964 at Kilby Prison in Montgomery and later at Holman Prison in Atmore. During this time he witnessed the execution of two men and baptized 13 of the 16 men on death row. It has been said of Rev. Carney’s ministry to those incarcerated. He was the preacher that brought the Light of Life into the darkness. He was active in this ministry until 1972.
He began a missionary ministry in Mexico in January 1978 at 63 years of age. Although he described the ministry as a “building” ministry, he also preached, supplied the materials and supervision that built 63 churches.
His health forced his retirement from this ministry in 2004 at the age 89.
Rev. Carney, a carpenter, evangelist, death row chaplain, and pastor, but most of all, he was always a very humble man that found it difficult to accept praise for all the work he had done.
Survivors include his wife, Mary Faye Carney of Tuscaloosa; daughters, Linda McIlwain of Birmingham, Brenda Gray and her husband, Donald, of Rodeo,
Calif., and Lisa Pickel and her husband, Buddy, of Gallion; one step-daughter, Paula Wildgrube and her husband, Eric, of Tuscaloosa; two step-sons, the Rev. Joe Castleberry of Springfield, Mo. and Randy Castleberry of South Carolina; sisters, Myra Oates of Toxey, Beatrice Savage of Lyons, Ga. and Gloria Dorrough of Eight Mile; brothers, Howard Carney of Toxey, Johnny Carney of Meridian, Miss. and Billie L. Carney of York; eight grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; several step-grandchildren; and a host of nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his first wife, Edna Jenkins Carney; his parents, Wesley Wood Carney and Dora Bonner Carney; his son, Glynn Edwin Carney; his daughter, Joyce Carney Perry; two grandsons, Clark Edward Pickel and Donald Gray, Jr.; two great-grandsons, Jules Horne and Langston Horne; his brothers, Woody Earl Carney, and Harold “Briss” Carney.
The Carney family request memorials to be made to The Mexico Missions c/o George Marchant at 1170 Eoline Road Centreville, AL. 35402.
Pallbearers were Ed Pickel, Brad Pickel, Clark Carney, Randy Lancaster, Chuck Weaver and Jesse Buford.
Honorary pallbearers were Mexico Missions Ministry Team, Marengo Nursing Home, and Southern Care Hospice.
Regina Marner Kanagy
Retired
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Funeral services for Regina Marner Kanagy will be held Saturday at Christ Community Church in State College at 3:00 pm. Koch Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Kanagy, died on Saturday, Jan. 6 at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville.
She was born on Feb. 5, 1949, in Ornogo, Mo., the first child of Thelma Smith Marner Shoemaker and the late Vaughn Marner.
Completing her schooling in eleven years, Regina graduated in 1966 from Clarkdale High School in Clarkdale, Miss. By age 19, she had completed an Associate of Arts Degree in Nursing at Meridian Community College, became a registered nurse, began her first professional job, was married to Ron Kanagy of Belleville, Pa. and soon gave birth to the couple’s first child.
She went on to a 28 year career in nursing, nursing administration, and hospice nursing. She held several director of nursing positions and served as a consultant for Beverly Enterprises Nursing Homes. She ended her professional career in 1996, when illness made it impossible for her to continue.
For 22 years, Regina battled chronic illness that caused her daily severe pain and limited her mobility. She faced this struggle with courage and faith. Regina was a constant source of encouragement and hope to those who knew her.
Throughout her struggle with disease she looked for and found ways to continue to minister, give encouragement and hope to those around her; thereby finding meaning and purpose in her frequent hospitalizations. Medical staff who came to check on her condition, frequently found themselves being taken care of by Regina. Hospital roommates, medical staff, and fellow patients at the dialysis center all testified to her care and encouragement. It is said that she never met a stranger.
While enjoying her professional career, Regina’s great delights in life were her relationships with her family and friends. She enjoyed entertaining and preparing meals to welcome guests around the family table, sewing, gardening and growing flowers, and frequent trips to stay connected with family members in Mississippi.
She was a member of University Mennonite Church of State College. While her health made attendance difficult, she participated actively through her prayers and by hosting a women’s Bible study in their home.
Survivors include her husband Ron; daughter Teretha and her partner, Ken Weber and daughter Cresencia of Reedsville; son Vaughn and his wife, Bethani and their children, Morgan, Samuel, and Brianna of Belleville; her mother, Thelma Shoemaker of Ornogo, Mo.; siblings, Ramona Byler of Belleville, Wesley Marner of Eufaule, Ala., Ranita Kauffman of Moundridge, Kan., and Wyatt Marner of Gulfport, Miss.
Memorial contributions may be made to University Mennonite Church.
Visitation will be Saturday from 1 p.m. until service time at the church.
Miriam Vermell Gunnels
Seamstress
BUTLER, Ala. — Services for Miriam Vermell Gunnels will be held today at 11 a.m. at Bumpers Funeral Home Chapel with the Revs. Doug Chapman and Rebecca Harper officiating. Burial will be in Bonner Cemetery.
Mrs. Gunnels, 74, of Toxey, died Sunday, Jan. 7, 2007, at Rush Foundation Hospital in Meridian, Miss.
Survivors include sisters, Beatrice Robinson and Carol Manley; brothers, William Gunnels, Winston Gunnels and Gerald Gunnels and several nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be today one hour prior to the service at the funeral home.
Iva Faye Johnson Poole
Homemaker
Services for Iva Faye Johnson Poole will be held today at 11:30 a.m. at James F. Webb Funeral Home Chapel with the Revs. Jack Giles, Jason Gross, Gene Higginbotham and Hueston Adkins officiating.
Mrs. Poole, 81, of Collinsville, died Friday, Jan. 5, 2007, at Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center. She was a member of Suqualena Macedonia Baptist Church.
Survivors include her sons, Robert H. Poole of Suqualena, Ronald C. Poole of Collinsville and Wiley Ben Poole of Meridian; daughters, Wanda F. Chaney and her husband, Mike, of Little Rock, Carol K. Freeman and her husband, Wayne, of Meehan, Christy G. Henson and her husband, Ralph, of Meridian; seven grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Harold Poole; parents, Wiley C. and Matty Estes Johnson; a twin sister, Ila Johnson Willis; a brother, George Johnson; half-sisters, Lillian Hollisworth and Jewel Bell; half-brothers, Ernest Johnson, Clarence Johnson and step-brothers, Stacy Castle and Floyd Castle.
Pallbearers will be Wayne Freeman, Ralph Henson, Mike Chaney, Brad Freeman, Wayne Eldridge and Daryl Wright.
Frances Elizabeth Culpepper
Retired
Services for Frances Elizabeth Culpepper will be held Wednesday at 2 p.m. at Stephens Funeral Home Chapel with the Revs. Chris Cooksey and David Deweese officiating. Burial will be in Forest Lawn Cemetery.
Mrs. Culpepper, 83, of Meridian, died Monday, Jan. 8, 2007, at Queen City Nursing Home. She was retired from Burnley Shirt Factory after more than 30 years and she worked for East Mississippi State Hospital for more than 10 years.
Survivors include her husband, William “Bill” Culpepper of Meridian; sons, William Culpepper III and his wife, Carol, of Charlotte, N.C., Jerry Culpepper and his wife, Mary, of Meridian, David Culpepper and his wife, Norma, of Suqualena and Joe Culpepper of Philadelphia; a daughter, Susen Heblon, of Meridian; 13 grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; brothers, Jack Caldwell and his wife, Clarice, of Clarkdale and Leo Caldwell and his wife, Marie, of Foster, Ala.
She was preceded in death by her brothers, Delma Caldwell and Buck Caldwell; a son-in-law, Fred Heblon; great-granddaughter, Baylee Heblon and a grandson, Timothy Culpepper.
Visitation will be Wednesday from noon until service time at the funeral home.
Weldon Harvey
Retired
SEBASTOPOL — Services for Weldon “B” Harvey will be held Friday at 2 p.m. at Milling Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will be in Sebastopol City Cemetery.
Mr. Harvey, 86, of Sebastopol, died Saturday, Jan. 6, 2007, at Hospice in His Hands in Madden. He was a veteran of the U.S. Military and served in World War II.
Survivors include his wife, Susie Harvey; daughters, Amber Jones, Karen Vasquez and Judith Gentry; sons, Donald Harvey and James Harvey; 10 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren and six great-great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his first wife.
Visitation will be Friday one hour prior to the service at the funeral home.
Rosalind Reneé Reynolds
Registered nurse
ELLISVILLE — Services for Rosalind Reneé Reynolds were held Monday at 1 p.m. at Mt. Zion Methodist Church with the Revs. Will Dowling and Scott Crenshaw officiating. Burial was in the church cemetery. Jones Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Reynolds, 44, of Meridian, died Saturday, Jan. 6, 2007, at Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center. She was a graduate of South Jones High School and Jones County Junior College and the University of Southern Mississippi. She was formerly of Jones County. She was a registered nurse with Guardian Angel. She was a member of Mt. Zion Baptist Church in the Snell Community.
Survivors include her father, Chuck Herrington of Walland, Tenn.; her husband, David Reynolds of Meridian; sons, Matthew Leslie Reynolds and Adam Taylor Reynolds, both of Meridian; a brother, Tony Herrington of Ellisville and an aunt, Michele Powell Miller of Hazlehurst.
She was preceded in death by her mother, Clara Faye Herrington; grandparents, Pauline Powell and Orange and Gladys Herrington.
Pallbearers were Scott Reynolds, Anthony Reynolds, Keith Smith, Bobby Harris, Eric Craven, James Garrison and Tommy Valentine.
