OBITUARIES FOR WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2001

By Staff
KATHLEEN MINNIECE BLAKE
Tour director for Tauke Tours
RIDGELAND Services for Kathleen Minniece Blake were held Friday, Jan. 19, at Wright and Ferguson Funeral Home. Burial was in Magnolia Cemetery in Meridian.
Mrs. Blake, 61, died Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2001, at Mississippi Baptist Medical Center. She was a native of Meridian and graduated from Meridian High School. She majored in French at Hollins College in Roanoke, Va. and studied at the University of California in Berkeley and at Sorbonne in Paris, France. Mrs. Blake was a former resident of California, Alaska, Boston, Massachusetts and Okolona. For the last eight to nine years, she had spent four to six months each year in France as a tour guide. She was a teacher at Jackson Prep from 1998-2000. She had been a resident of Madison since March 1997.
Survivors include her husband, Dr. Kendall Blake; her stepmother, Mary Lee Boswell Minniece of Madison; a brother, Houston Minniece Jr. of Okolona; a sister-in-law, Rebecca Minniece of Okolona; a niece, Kathleen Maharrey of Oxford; and a nephew, Houston Mitchell Minniece III of Okolona.
The family requests memorials be made to the Thomas Y. Minniece and Mary Y. Minniece Scholarship Funds at Meridian Community College.
BETTY CARTER NATION
Retired kindergarten teacher
PHILADELPHIA Services for Betty Carter Nation will be held Thursday at 10:30 a.m. at First Baptist Church of Philadelphia with the Rev. Dr. Dan Howard officiating. Graveside services will be held at 3 p.m. at Memorial Gardens in Columbus with McClain-Hays Funeral Service in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Nation, 74, of Philadelphia, died Monday, March 5, 2001, at St. Dominic Hospital in Jackson.
Survivors include her husband, William R. Nation Sr. of Philadelphia; two daughters, Cheryl Anne Guyton of Columbus and Margaret Bowers of Madison; a son, William R. Nation Jr. of Jackson; a brother, Ralph R. Carter Jr. of Fulton; and two granddaughters.
The family requests memorials be made to First Baptist Church, P.O. Box 299, Philadelphia, MS 39350.
Visitation will be today from 4-6 p.m. at the funeral home and Thursday beginning at 9 a.m. at the church.
JOE R. ROGERS
Retired truck driver
Services for Joe R. Rogers will be held Thursday at 1 p.m. at Barham Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Joseph Buck officiating. Committal services will be held at 4 p.m. at Wofford Cemetery in Vernon, Ala.
Mr. Rogers, 73, of Meridian, died Monday, March 5, 2001, in his home. He was a member of West Congregation of Jehovah's Witness of Meridian.
Survivors include his wife, Marisa Rogers of Meridian; a daughter, Marisa Weisinger and her husband, Brian, and a grandson, John Lewis and his wife, Ruth, all of Texas; five sisters, Dorothy Johnson, Amy Lacy, Velma Crawford and Betty Jo Taylor, all of Vernon, and Elma Comer of Montevallo, Ala.; three stepchildren, 13 step-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Claudia Rogers; a son, Joe Michael Rogers; and a sister, Pauline Mattison.
Pallbearers will be Richard Waltman, Tony Brassier, B.J. Lewis, David Martin, Kenneth Taylor and Chris Paul.
Visitation will be today from 5-8 p.m. at the funeral home.
CHARLES R. STEWART
Truck driver with construction company
DEKALB Services for Charles R. Stewart will be held Friday at noon at E.E. McDonald Funeral Home with the Rev. Darryl Rush officiating. Burial will be in Depot Hill Street Cemetery.
Mr. Stewart, 56, of DeKalb, died Saturday, March 3, 2001, at Kemper County Community Nursing Facility.
Survivors include his father, Charles M. Stewart of Chicago; his mother, Gertie G. Stewart of DeKalb; three sons, Keith C. Stewart, Charles H. Stewart and Dennis Howard, all of St. Louis; two sisters, Leonard R. Stewart of Lilburn, Ga. and Charlotte Catchings of Chicago; two grandchildren and several other relatives and friends.
Visitation will be Thursday from noon to 5 p.m. at the funeral home.
ROSELYN THREADGILL DABBS
QUITMAN Services for Roselyn Threadgill Dabbs will be held Friday at 2 p.m. at First United Methodist Church of Quitman. Wright's Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Dabbs died Tuesday, March 6, 2001, in Quitman.
She successfully blended a loving family life, an outstanding leadership role in her community of Quitman and a life of service to her beloved Chi Omega Fraternity.
Mrs. Dabbs was well known throughout Quitman and Meridian for her graciousness, hospitality and service to others. She was born and reared in Greenwood. She attended Mississippi State College for Women before transferring to the University of Mississippi where she earned a BAE in home economics. It was at Ole Miss that she was initiated into Chi Omega Fraternity, to which she would devote a lifetime of service. When she rose to National President of Chi Omega, Mrs. Dabbs led the largest women's fraternity with a membership of more than 220,000.
In addition to National President, she also served as National Vice President, National Alumnae Officer and a National Panhellenic Conference Delegate. During the 14 years she served on the Governing Council, the Fraternity reached new levels of excellence because of her vision and charismatic leadership.
In 1994, she received the highest honor bestowed upon any Chi Omega, the President's Award which recognizes exceptional leadership and service to the Fraternity. In 1992, Mrs. Dabbs became President of the Chi Omega Foundation, an office she held until her death. Her inspiration and imagination led a successful campaign to fund and build a permanent executive headquarters in Memphis.
Mrs. Dabbs' outstanding commitment to her family, her community and her Fraternity leave an unparalleled legacy of love, service and devotion.
She is survived by her husband of 53 years, Hal Norwood Dabbs Jr.; two daughters, Mary Lee Dabbs Wesberry and Lynn Dabbs Anderson; two brothers, William James Threadgill and Barney Threadgill Jr.; five grandchildren, Jay, Frannie and Elizabeth Wesberry and Kennedy and Dabbs Anderson.
The family requests memorials be made to the Chi Omega Foundation, 3395 Players Club Parkway, Memphis, TN 38125.
Visitation will be Thursday from 5-7 p.m. at the funeral home.
LOTTIE L. LACKEY
Arrangements were incomplete at Barham Funeral Home for Lottie L. Lackey, 98, of Bailey who died Wednesday, March 7, 2001, at a local hospital.