Ernestine Batson
Funeral: 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Andrews Church of God in Christ of Gulfport.
GULFPORT - Ernestine Batson, 74, died Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2000, in D'Iberville.
Mrs. Batson was a native of Picayune and was a member of St. Andrews Church of God In Christ of Gulfport where she was Sunday school teacher, Sunday school superintendent and secretary of the St. Andrew District. She was purity lady and president of the Sunshine Band. She graduated from Carver High School in Picayune in May of 1945. She was employed as an elementary school teacher and later became a principal. She was also employed as a domestic aide for attorney Owen Palmer.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Robert and Eula Kelly; brother, Sandy Kelly; husband, Roger Batson; and daughter, Carolyn Brown.
Survivors include two daughters, Dianne Dickerson of Vallejo, Calif., and Michelle Batson of Knoxville, Tenn.; four sisters, Shirley Conner, Gwen Thomas, both of Gulfport, Helen Davis of Gautier, Curley Ranson of New Orleans; five brothers, Elder Robert Kelly of Chicago, Elder Paul Kelly of Malbora, Maryland, Elder Samuel Kelly of DeRidder, La., Elder John L. Smith of Picayune, and Dr. Gene Smith of Tylertown; eight grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.
A service will be 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Andrews C.O.G.I.C. of Gulfport, where friends may call one hour prior to service time. Burial will be in Pine Ridge Garden. Richmond Funeral Home in Gulfport is in charge of arrangements.
Mildred Beliech
Funeral: 9:30 a.m. today at St. Anne's Catholic Church in Bellview.
PENSACOLA - Mildred Ann Whitwell Beliech, 87, died Monday, Nov. 6, 2000, in Picayune.
Mrs. Beliech was a lifelong resident of Pensacola and retired from Baptist Hospital. She was a homemaker.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Patsy R. Beliech and daughter, Nancy Ellen Beliech Prudhomme.
Survivors include her son and daughter-in-law, Ronald E. (Marjorie) Beliech of McHenry; grandson and wife, Ronald E. (Donna) Beliech Jr. of Jackson; grandson and wife, Gary (Darlene) Prudhomme of Germany; great-grandson, Nicholas Gray Prudhomme of Germany; sister, Marjorie (Henry) Fleger of Cantonment, Fla.; and numerous nieces and nephews.
A service will be 9:30 a.m. today at St. Anne's Catholic Church in Bellview with Rev. Fr. Thomas O'Flaherty officiating.
Pallbearers are Preston Baswell, Tyson Livingston, Warren Livingston, Donald Ray DeWeese, Alfred DeWeese and Salvador Sirdinia.
Mya Alexis Childs
Funeral: Graveside 10 a.m. today at Bayou LaCroix Cemetery in Kiln.
CLERMONT HARBOR - Mya Alexis Childs, infant, died Saturday, Nov. 4, 2000, in Gulfport.
Survivors include parents, James Burwell and Kelly Dastugue Childs of Clermont Harbor; sister, Summer Rae Childs of Waveland; grandparents, Earl and Gayle Childs Sr. of Clermont Harbor, Glen and Carol Dastugue of Kiln.
A graveside service will be 10 a.m. today at Bayou LaCroix Cemetery in Kiln. Edmond Fahey Funeral Home in Bay St. Louis is in charge of arrangements.
Christopher B. Covey
BAY ST. LOUIS - Christopher B. Covey, 30, died Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2000, in Bay St. Louis.
Mr. Covey was a native of Silsbee, Texas.
Survivors include his mother, Faye Hendricks of Jefferson, Texas; a brother, Ernest Covey Jr. of Jefferson, Texas; sister, Sherie Segers of Marshall, Texas; and longtime companion, Larry Everett of Bay St. Louis.
Services will be at a later date. Riemann Funeral Home in Bay St. Louis is in charge of arrangements.
John V. Duke
Funeral: 11 a.m. Saturday at New Hope Baptist Church in Gulfport.
GULF BREEZE, Fla. - M/sgt. John V. Duke, USAF ret., 64, died Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2000, in Gulf Breeze.
M/sgt. John V. Duke, USAF Ret., born October 12, 1936 in Douglasville, Ga., went to be with his heavenly father on November 7, 2000. M/sgt Duke, a native of Douglasville, Ga., had lived on the MS Gulf Coast for over 40 years. Prior to moving to Gulf Breeze, Fla., he served in the U.S. Air Force for 10 years, after which he served in the MS Air National Guard for another 20 years. He then retired from civil service as a training specialist at Keesler Air Force Base where he had worked for 27 years. Mr. Duke was an active member of New Hope Baptist Church in Gulfport, serving as a deacon and a variety of other positions. He was currently a member of Gulf Breeze First Baptist Church, Gulf Breeze, Fla.
He was preceded in death by his parents, John J. and Ollie McAdams Duke.
Survivors include his wife, Gaynell Thompson Duke of Gulf Breeze, Fla.; son, Darrell W. Duke of Gulf Breeze; brother, Bernard Duke and his wife, Loretta, of Douglasville, Ga.; sisters, Mary Benson of Douglasville, Martha Jordan and her husband, Elbert, of Douglasville; and many nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be tonight from 6 to 9 at Riemann Memorial Funeral Home, U.S. 49 North, Gulfport. A service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at New Hope Baptist Church in Gulfport. Burial will be in Floral Hills Memorial Gardens in Gulfport.
Chalmas T. Johnson
Funeral: 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in D'Iberville.
D'IBERVILLE - Chalmas T. "Hoot" Johnson, 76, died Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2000, in Biloxi.
Mr. Johnson was a resident of the Coast most of his life. He was a native of Muscadine, Ala. Mr. Johnson retired from Keesler after 17 years of service as a maintenance supervisor. He served as deputy in the Harrison County Sheriff's Department for four years.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Thelma Z. Fountain and Lloyd Johnson.
Survivors include his wife of 56 years, Mary Frances Fountain Johnson; stepfather, Wilfred Fountain; two daughters, Pam F. (Joey) Watts, Sharon A. (Joe) Barlow; three sons, Ronald C. (Valerie) Johnson, Jimmie A. (Wanda) Johnson, Chad T. (Marie) Johnson; sister, Earleen (Red) Senseney; six grandchildren, Jason and Ronnie Johnson, Amy Walley, Trey Barlow, Danny Poulos, and Dillon Johnson; and six great-grandchildren, Alex Zapata, Ashley Poulos, Blake Poulos, Jordan Johnson, Kameron and Brandon Bourgerois.
Visitation will be from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, 2000 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in D'Iberville. A mass will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the church. Burial will be in D'Iberville Memorial Park Cemetery. The Howard Avenue Chapel of Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Homes in Biloxi is in charge of arrangements.
Lester Joseph Ladner
BILOXI - Lester Joseph Ladner, 83, died Friday, Nov. 3, 2000, in Biloxi.
Mr. Ladner was a native of Dedeaux Community and a resident of Bay St. Louis. He was of the Catholic Faith and a member of Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church in Bay St. Louis.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Sylvester and Octavia Koenenn Ladner; two brothers, Charles Ladner Sr. and Vester Ladner; and two sisters, Hilda Wilson and Pauline Redding.
Survivors include his brother, Cornelius Ladner of Bay St. Louis; and sister, Ella L. Shaw of Waveland.
A service was held Thursday, Nov. 9, 2000. Burial was in Rotten Bayou Cemetery in Kiln. Edmond Fahey Funeral Home in Bay St. Louis was in charge of arrangements.
Charlotte Mauffray
Funeral: 3 p.m. Saturday at Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church in Bay St. Louis.
BAY ST. LOUIS - Charlotte Miles Mauffray, 76, died Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2000, in Gulfport.
Mrs. Mauffray was a native of Warrenton, Va. and a longtime resident of Bay St. Louis. She was of the Catholic faith and a member of Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church in Bay St. Louis. She was a member of Hancock Medical Center Auxiliary Bay St. Louis, Job's Daughters OES; VFW Post No. 3253 Auxiliary, American Legion Post No. 77, Auxiliary, Waveland, AARP Hancock County, Hancock County Senior Citizens, past member of Bay/Waveland Elks Lodge. She was the first lady to become an Elk in the state of Mississippi, and a past Queen of St. Ann's Carnival Association in Clermont Harbor. She was also employed as Director of Nursing Service at Old Hancock General Hospital in Bay St. Louis.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Joseph Edwin and Bette King Fletcher; and sister, Frances Morris.
Survivors include her husband, Donald Mauffray of Bay St. Louis; two sons, Melvin W. Nelson of Mechanicsburg, Penn., Vincent E. Nelson of Falls Church, Va.; daughter, Valorie A. Koogle of Mason Neck, Va.; sister, Ellen Peters of Huntsville, Texas; and seven grandchildren.
Visitation will be tonight from 7 to 10 p.m. at Edmond Fahey Funeral Home in Bay St. Louis. A service will be 3 p.m. Saturday at Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church in Bay St. Louis. Burial will be in St. Joseph Cemetery in Rotten Bayou in Fenton.
Dr. Laura J. Peacock
Funeral: 1 p.m. Saturday at the Pass Road Chapel of Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Homes in Biloxi.
WOOLMARKET - Dr. Laura J. Peacock, 75, of Woolmarket, died Wednesday, November 8, 2000, in Biloxi.
Dr. Peacock was born December 6, 1924 in Stuart, Iowa. She was a 1942 graduate and valedictorian of Guthrie Center High School. She was a graduate of Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa, the University of Iowa Medical School and served an internship at Lansing, Michigan, the class of 1952. She was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa and Medical Honor Society. She came to Mississippi in 1960 and was a physician at the Primary Care Clinic at Keesler Air Force Base for thirty-two years until her retirement in 1992. She completed a residency in Family Medicine and continued studying and learning for her entire life.
She was a member of the Altrusa Club in Biloxi and of various medical organizations. She was an avid reader and had many interests including collecting antiques, quilting, raising dogs, and she loved to mow.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Fred and Helen Cook.
She is survived by her husband of forty-five years, Richard N. Peacock; a daughter, Christine Woodell and her husband, Carroll Woodell; a son, Todd R. Peacock and his wife, Linda Peacock; grandchildren, Brian Woodell and his wife, Brandi Woodell, Laura Palmer and her husband, Mark Palmer, Jonathan Woodell, Graham Peacock and Cody Peacock; and great-grandchildren, Shelby Woodell and Christian Woodell.
Visitation will be Friday evening from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Pass Road Chapel of Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Home in Biloxi. The funeral service will be Saturday at 1 p.m. in the funeral home chapel. Burial will be in Floral Hills Memorial Gardens in Gulfport.
Sierra Raini Ruiz
Funeral: Graveside 10 a.m. today at Southern Memorial Park Cemetery in Biloxi.
OCEAN SPRINGS - Sierra Raini Ruiz, five-day-old daughter of Taino and Myra Ruiz of Ocean Springs, died Monday, Nov. 6, 2000, in Mobile, Ala.
Survivors include a sister, Cheyenne Ruiz of Ocean Springs; brother, Dakota Ruiz of Ocean Springs; half-brother, Cody Patton of Fla.; grandparents, Mark and Wanda Anderson and Homero and Arlene Ruiz, all of Ocean Springs; and great-grandfather, J.J. Harris of Bayou La Batre, Ala.
Burial was in Southern Memorial Park Cemetery in Biloxi. Riemann Funeral Home, 274 Beauvoir Road, Biloxi is in charge of arrangements.
Nora Sarver Spell
Funeral: 1:30 p.m. today at Northside Assembly of God Church in Lake Charles.
LAKE CHARLES, La. - Nora Sarver Spell, 81, died Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2000, in Lake Charles.
Survivors include a son, Danny R. Sarver of Saucier; two daughters, Bonnie Saver Hoffpauir of Westlake, La., and Brenda Sarver of Indian Bayou, La.; brother Jessie Spell of Crowley, La.; 10 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.
A service will be 1:30 p.m. today at Northside Assembly of God Church in Lake Charles. where friends may call two hours before service time. Burial will be in Indian Bayou Methodist Cemetery. Hixson Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Raymond Ware
GULFPORT - Raymond Ware, 69, died Thursday, Nov. 9, 2000, in Gulfport.
Arrangements are incomplete at Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Home in Gulfport.
Helen Welsh
Funeral: Graveside 2 p.m. Sunday at Poplarville City Cemetery.
RIVERSIDE, Calif. - Helen Wallace Stafford Welsh, 98, died Saturday, Nov. 4, 2000, in Riverside.
Ms. Welsh was a retired school teacher and taught in Poplarville, Louisiana, and California. She was also employed with the U.S. government. She was an avid sportsperson, playing tennis and basketball in school.
Survivors include her daughter, Laura Stafford Valverde; sister, Grace Fretwell of New Jersey; two grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. White Funeral Home in Poplarville is in charge of arrangements.
