Lonnie Lee Beech Sr.
Funeral: Graveside at 2 p.m. Thursday at Hester Cemetery.
PERKINSTON - Lonnie Lee Beech Sr., 86, died Monday, Feb. 28, 2000, in Biloxi.
Mr. Beech was retired and was a member of Oak Grove Baptist Church in Poplarville.
Survivors include his wife, Pett Walker Beech; a son, Lonnie Lee Beech Jr. of Buras, La.; two daughter, Bertha Sue Byrd of Poplarville and Bobbie Jean Breland of Picayune; seven grandchildren; and 25 great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be from 6 to 10 tonight at White Funeral Home in Poplarville. A graveside service will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at Hester Cemetery.
Rebecca Checketts
Funeral: 9:30 a.m. Saturday at Biloxi City Cemetery.
GULFPORT - Rebecca House Checketts, 80, of Gulfport, departed this earth on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, February 27, 2000, in Gulfport.
"Becky" was born and raised here on the Gulf Coast and returned here in 1994 from Ogden, Utah.
She will be welcomed in heaven by her late husband, Russell Checketts; and her parents, Ladd and Rebecca Olivia House.
She is survived by her devoted brother, Ladd H. House Jr.; a iece, Olivia Graves; two nephews, Ladd House III and Ernest House; ten great-nieces and nephews and eleven great-great-nieces and ephews.
She was cared for in her brother's home by her family, including a great-niece, Jenny Tomson.
A remembrance service will be held Saturday, March 4, 2000, at 9:30 a.m. at Biloxi City Cemetery, Biloxi.
Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Home in Gulfport is in charge of arrangements.
Elzie S. Clark
Funeral: 12:30 p.m. Thursday at Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Home Chapel in Gulfport.
GULFPORT - Elzie S. Clark, 87, died Monday, Feb. 28, 2000, in Biloxi.
Mr. Clark was born in Kempton, Ill., and had been a resident of Gulfport for 21 years. He was a retired automobile mechanic and was also retired as chief of police in Cullom, Ill. He was a Navy veteran of World War II and was a member of the American Legion. He was a Lutheran.
Survivors include his wife, Luella Price Clark of Gulfport; three daughters, Rita Looney of Gulfport, Betty Gustafson of Polo, Ill., and Sandra Snedden of Southaven; a son, Francis Eugene Clark of Waipahu, Hawaii; nine grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be from 5 to 7 tonight at Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Home in Gulfport. A service will be at 12:30 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home chapel with burial in Biloxi National Cemetery with military honors.
Chelsey Michelle Cole
KILN - Chelsey Michelle Cole, 5 days, died Monday, Feb. 28, 2000, in New Orleans.
Arrangements are incomplete at Riemann Funeral Home in Bay St. Louis.
Homer Lee Cornett Sr.
GULFPORT - Homer Lee Cornett Sr., 93, died Tuesday, Feb. 29, 2000, in Gulfport.
Arrangements are incomplete at Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Home in Gulfport.
Monroe Floyd Creel
Funeral: 2 p.m. today at White Funeral Home Chapel in Poplarville.
PERKINSTON - Mr. Monroe Floyd Creel, 83, died Tuesday, Feb. 29, 2000, in Wiggins.
Mr. Creel was an Army veteran of the Korean Conflict and was a retired employee of Ingalls Shipbuilding. He was a member of Ten Mile Baptist Church in Wiggins and a member of Daisy Vestry Masonic Lodge No. 421 and a 32nd Scottish Rite Mason.
Survivors include his wife, Lela Evelyn Creel; a son, Floyd Creel of Jackson; two daughters, Peggy Nell Stiver of Saucier and Donna Barton of Wiggins; a sister, Virgie Miller of Picayune; a brother, Carsie Creel of Carriere; four grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
A service will be at 2 p.m. today at White Funeral Home Chapel in Poplarville with burial in Springhill Cemetery with Masonic rites.
Muriel L. Fairley
Funeral: Noon Thursday at Hartwell's Christian Mortuary in Gulfport.
PASS CHRISTIAN - Muriel L. Fairley, 89, died Saturday, Feb. 26, 2000, in Biloxi.
Mr. Fairley was born in Hattiesburg and was an Army veteran.
A service will be at noon Thursday at Hartwell's Christian Mortuary in Gulfport where friends may call one hour before service time. Burial will be in Biloxi National Cemetery.
Peggy E. Ford
Funeral: 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Home Chapel in Gulfport.
GULFPORT - Peggy E. Ford, 60, of Gulfport, died Monday, February 28, 2000, in Gulfport.
Mrs. Ford was born in Lena, MS, and had been a resident of Gulfport for twelve years. She was a life member of the D.A.V.A. Chapter 5, VFW Post 2539 of Gulfport, MOCA 2 and NOTRA 436. She was also a former Vice-Commander of the VFW Auxiliary. She was a member of Temple Baptist Church in Gulfport.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Julius and Oner Mae Floyd; a brother, Paul O'Neal Floyd; and a sister, Tressie Mae Wood.
Survivors include her husband, William A. Ford of Gulfport; two daughters, Charlotte Fayard Hennig and her husband, Wayne, of Woolmarket, and Vonda Martin and her fiance, Tom Thorp of Gulfport; a stepdaughter, Tammy McLendon and her husband, Darryl of Bessemer, AL; a stepson, Michael Ford of Tuscaloosa, AL; a sister, Jean Sweeden and her husband, Charles of Long Beach; seven grandchildren, Paul, LesLeigh and Heather Fayard of Biloxi, Jimmy Lee Odom of Raymond, MS, Brian and Brittany Martin of Gulfport, and Tiffany Oswalt of Bessemer, AL; and many nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be Wednesday evening from 5 until 7 p.m. at Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Home in Gulfport. The funeral service will be Thursday at 10:30 a.m. in the funeral home chapel. Burial will be in Biloxi National Cemetery in Biloxi.
Wilbern Hancock
Funeral: 11 a.m. Thursday at the Ocean Springs Chapel of Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Homes.
OCEAN SPRINGS - Mr. Wilbern Hancock, 77, died Monday, Feb. 28, 2000, in Ocean Springs.
Mr. Hancock was born in Phoenix, Miss., and was an Army veteran of World War II where he received the Purple Heart. He was employed offshore in Louisiana as a rigger and was a lifetime member of the DAV. He was a Baptist.
Survivors include his wife, Vernie Hancock of Ocean Springs; a daughter, Linda Bates of Fordoche, La.; two sons, W.E. Hancock and Vernon C. Hancock, both of Biloxi; a sister, Norna Foster of Bentonia; a brother, D.M. Hancock of Dixon, Tenn.; six grandchildren; and a great- grandchild.
Visitation will be from 6 to 9 tonight at the Ocean Springs Chapel of Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Homes. A service will be at 11 a.m. Thursday in the funeral home chapel with burial in Biloxi National Cemetery.
Charles T. Hesler Sr.
BILOXI - Charles T. "Jack" Hesler Sr., 70, died Monday, Feb. 28, 2000, in Biloxi.
Arrangements are incomplete at the Howard Avenue Chapel of Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Homes in Biloxi.
Henrietta Jackson
Funeral: 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Richmond Funeral Home Chapel in Gulfport.
GULFPORT - Henrietta Brown Jackson, 93, died Sunday, Feb. 27, 2000, in Gulfport.
Mrs. Jackson was a native of Jayess and was a member of Full Gospel Holiness Church in Gulfport. She attended Lawrence County Schools in Monticello. She was retired as a private home worker.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Ernest and Addie Brown; her husband, Benjamin Jackson; a son, Leroy Brown; and two grandsons, Marvin Parnell and Jeffery Holmes.
Survivors include three daughters, Beatrice Johnson, Everta Holmes and Benetta Parnell, all of Gulfport; a sister, Alberta Dyer of Jayess; 24 grandchildren; and four great- grandchildren.
A service will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Richmond Funeral Home Chapel in Gulfport where friends may call one hour before service time. Burial will be in Evergreen Cemetery in Gulfport.
Robert Eugene Lewis
HELENA - Robert Eugene Lewis, 67, died Monday, Feb. 28, 2000, in Pascagoula.
Mr. Lewis was born June 2, 1932, in Fairburn, Ga., and was employed at Ingalls Shipbuilding as a shipfitter. He was an Army veteran of the Korean Conflict.
He was preceded in death by a son, Robert E. Lewis Jr.; and his parents, Allen E. and Vester Lewis.
Survivors include his wife, Margaret Lewis of Helena; two daughters, Margaret Brooks of Vancleave and Deborah Lambert of Moss Point; two sons, Donnie Tibbits of Michigan and Johnny Tibbits of Escatawpa; two sisters, Helena Carlisle of Pascagoula and Katherine Carlisle of Texas; a brother, Jimmy Lewis of Texas; six grandchildren; and a great-grandson.
Visitation will be from 6 to 8 tonight at Holder-Wells Funeral Home in Moss Point.
Mary Catherine Nofsinger
Funeral: 10 a.m. Thursday at St. Sebastian Church in Pittsburgh, Pa.
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Mary Catherine Nofsinger died on Monday Feb. 28, 2000, in Pittsburgh, Pa.
She is the mother of Peggy Barq and mother-in-law to Robert Barq of Biloxi; also mother to a son, Jack Nofsinger Jr. of Gulfport; grandmother to Ollie Barq, Natalie Barq, Jacqueline Nofsinger, JoHanna Nofsinger, Maggie Nofsinger and Daniel Nofsinger.
Visitation will be Wednesday in Devlin Funeral Home, 806 Perry Hwy. Pittsburgh, PA 15229. A Mass of Christian Burial will be on Thursday at 10 a.m. in St. Sebastian Church in Pittsburgh.
Robert Lyon Peel
Funeral: 11 a.m. today at Riemann Funeral Home, 25th Ave., Gulfport.
LONG BEACH - Robert "Bob" Lyon Peel, 96, died Friday, Feb. 25, 2000.
Mr. Peel was a native of Waynesboro and was a longtime employee of The Merchants Company in Gulfport. He had been a resident of the Coast since 1942. He attended Mississippi State University for four years and played baseball for the Pirates, a semi-pro regional team from Waynesboro. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Gulfport, where he served as president and held offices in the Men's Bible Class.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Robert Oscar and Mary Lyon Peel; and four sisters, Katherine Bufkin, Virginia Kite, Frances McAlister, and Nell Wolfe.
Survivors include his wife, Jessie Morton Peel; a son, Robert David Peel of Chattanooga, Tenn.; three daughters, Rebecca Peel Storey of Amherst, Mass., Emily Peel Lynn of Killeen, Texas, and Ellen Peel of Boca Raton, Fla.; six grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter.
A service will be at 11 a.m. today at Riemann's Funeral Home, 25th Avenue, Gulfport, where friends may call from 9:30 a.m. until service time.
The family prefers memorials to the First United Methodist Church of Gulfport.
Gwen Ann Santos
Funeral: 10 a.m. Friday at Riemann Funeral Home Chapel on Beauvoir Road in Biloxi.
BILOXI - Mrs. Gwen "Gai" Ann Santos, 52, died Monday, Feb. 28, 2000, in Gulfport.
Mrs. Santos was a native of Philadelphia, Pa., and a resident of the Coast since 1979. She was employed with the American Thrift Store for six years.
Survivors include her husband, Ed Santos of Biloxi; two sons, Edward Aiello of Gulfport and Chris Santos of Biloxi; a daughter, Dee Dee Santos of Biloxi; a brother, Ronnie Deputy of Doylestown, Pa.; a sister, Dale Jobro of Virginia; and three grandchildren.
Visitation will be from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Riemann Funeral Home on Beauvoir Road in Biloxi. A service will be at 10 a.m. Friday in the funeral home chapel with burial in Biloxi City Cemetery.
James W. Sexton
DIAMONDHEAD - James W. Sexton, 77, died Sunday, Feb. 27, 2000, in Gulfport.
Arrangements are incomplete at Riemann Funeral Home in Bay St. Louis.
Margaret Shoemaker
LONG BEACH - Mrs. Margaret Shoemaker, 60, died Monday, Feb. 28, 2000, in Gulfport.
Arrangements are incomplete at Riemann Funeral Home in Long Beach.
Glenn Robert Steer
Funeral: 2 p.m. today at the Ocean Springs Chapel of Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Homes.
OCEAN SPRINGS - Mr. Glenn Robert Steer, 64, of Ocean Springs, died Saturday, February 26, 2000, in Biloxi.
Mr. Steer was a longtime resident of the community and was a member of the Eagles Club of Quincy, Illinois. He was retired from the U.S. Air Force and was employed with Ingalls Shipbuilding for over 25 years. He was a member of Belle Fountain Baptist Church in Ocean Springs.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Jamie Doris Steer.
Survivors include his wife, Mary Beswick Steer of Ocean Springs; three daughters, Debra Cortes of Ocean Springs, Katherine Ladner of Saucier and Sandra Nelson of Payson, Illinois; a stepdaughter, Sharon Feil of Greencastle, Indiana; a son, Mark Steer of Ocean Springs; four stepsons, Michael, Mark, Steven and Jimmie Beswick of Quincy, Illinois; a brother, Lee E. Steer of Buffalo, New York; his father, Ellis D. Steer of Sebring, Ohio; nine grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and 13 stepgrandchildren.
Visitation was Tuesday, February 29, 2000, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Ocean Springs Chapel of Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Homes. The funeral service will be at 2 p.m. today, Wednesday, March 1, 2000, at the funeral home chapel with burial in Crestlawn Cemetery in Ocean Springs.
Shelby Lynn Tucker
Funeral: 1:30 p.m. Thursday at Holder-Wells Funeral Home Chapel in Moss Point.
D'IBERVILLE - Shelby Lynn Tucker, 4, died Monday, Feb. 28, 2000, in Ocean Springs.
Shelby was born March 26, 1995, in Gulfport.
Survivors include her mother, Miranda Tucker of D'Iberville; her grandmother and stepgrandfather, Vickie and Charles McGowen of Ocean Springs; her grandfather, Ralph Tucker of Lucedale; her great-grandmother, Mary Etta Tucker of Lucedale; her great-grandfather, Hugh McGowan Sr. of Hattiesburg; an aunt and uncle, Shonna and John Scheeler of Vancleave; an uncle, Wesley Tucker of St. Martin; cousins, Anthony Scheeler and Arron Scheeler, both of Vancleave, and Julia Tucker of D'Iberville; and a host of great aunts, uncles, cousins and other relatives and friends.
A service will be at 1:30 p.m. Thursday at Holder-Wells Funeral Home Chapel in Moss Point where friends may call from noon until service time. The Rev. Greg Loris will officiate. Burial will follow in Crestlawn Cemetery in Ocean Springs.
Mary Marie Wandling
Funeral: 11 a.m. Thursday at Edmond Fahey Funeral Home Chapel in Bay St. Louis.
BAY ST. LOUIS - Mary Marie Wandling, 91, died Monday, Feb. 28, 2000, in Gulfport.
Mrs. Wandling was a native of Given, W.Va., and a resident of Bay St. Louis. She was a member of the United Methodist Church in Ripley, W. Va., and was a member of the Rebecah Lodge of Ripley. She was past Mardi Gras queen of Notre Dame Manor and was a charter member of the Diamondhead Lions Club. She was a member of the Bay St. Louis Senior Citizens and RSVP of Hancock County.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Kermit Wandling; two sons, Allen Wandling and Carl Wandling; her parents, Graton and Evelyn Stewart Rankin; a brother, Walter Rankin; and two sisters, Edna Latt and Dora King.
Survivors include a daughter, Lola B. Mullinix of Diamondhead; three grandchildren; and three great- grandchildren.
A service will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Edmond Fahey Funeral Home Chapel in Bay St. Louis where friends may call from 9:30 a.m. until service time. Burial will be in Gardens of Memory Cemetery in Bay St. Louis.
Joseph A. Wilkerson
Funeral: 10 a.m. Thursday at the Howard Avenue Chapel of Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Homes in Biloxi.
METAIRIE, La. - Joseph A. Wilkerson, 42, died Sunday, Feb. 27, 2000, in Metairie.
Mr. Wilkerson was born in Biloxi and had been a resident of Metairie for the past six year.
He was preceded in death by his father, Ovett Wilkerson.
Survivors include his wife, Kim Savage Wilkerson of Metairie; a son, Joseph A. Wilkerson Jr.; a daughter, Summer Leigh Wilkerson; two stepdaughters, Erin Ashley Lott and Tyler Caitlin Lott; his mother, Dorothy Ruth Masters Wilkerson of Biloxi; a sister, Barbara Newell of Ocean Springs; two brothers, Henry Wilkerson of Biloxi and David Wayne Wilkerson of Abita Springs, La.; and two half-sisters, Joyce Valdez of Ft. Walton Beach, Fla., and Marie Hamilton of Wilmington, N.C.
Visitation will be from 6 to 9 tonight at the Howard Avenue Chapel of Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Homes in Biloxi. A service will be at 10 a.m. Thursday in the funeral home chapel with burial in Biloxi City Cemetery.
