Archives
 By  Staff Reports Published 
4:50 am Tuesday, May 15, 2001

OBITUARIES FOR TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2001

By Staff
ANGELA DIANE TUBBY
Homemaker
SEBASTOPOL Services for Angela Diane Tubby will be held Wednesday at 10 a.m. at Holy Rosary Catholic Church with the Rev. John McSpirit officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery with Milling Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Ms. Tubby, 39, of Philadelphia, died Sunday, May 13, 2001, at Riley Hospital.
Survivors include five sisters, Sheryl Battiest, Valerie Tubby, Janice Pedraza, Matilda Tubby and Jennifer Willis, and a brother, Harold Tubby, all of Philadelphia; three aunts, an uncle, four nieces and a nephew.
Visitation will be at 147 Tucker Cutoff Rd., beginning at 4 p.m. today.
NEVA NELL GARDNER BOSWELL
Homemaker
Services for Neva Nell Gardner Boswell will be held Wednesday at 10 a.m. at James F. Webb Funeral Home Chapel with the Revs. Jerry Lowery and Tommy Jones officiating. Burial will be in Hebron Baptist Church Cemetery.
Mrs. Boswell, 72, of Meridian, died Monday, May 14, 2001, at Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center. She was a member of Hebron Baptist Church.
Survivors include her husband, Henry F. Boswell Jr. of Meridian; two special children, Alex and Alicia Barrineau, both of Linden, Ala.; a sister, Julia Faye Huddleston and her husband, Victor, of Meridian; nieces, Charlotte Huddleston of Clarksdale and Becky Mobley of Texas; sisters-in-law, Sula Gardner and Violet Gardner, both of Meridian, and Thelma McDonald of Newton; nephews, Johnny Gardner, John O. Gardner, Clifford Gardner and Donnie Gardner, all of Meridian, Ronnie Gardner of Jackson and Ricky Gardner of Collinsville.
She was preceded in death by her parents, J.O. Gardner and Illa Johnson Gardner; three brothers and a niece.
Pallbearers will be John O. Gardner, Ronnie Gardner, Johnny Gardner, Donnie Gardner, Clifford Gardner and Ricky Gardner.
Honorary pallbearers will be Robert Earl Neal, Richard Hollingsworth, E.F. Dickens, Eugene Bunyard, Harold Carlisle, Bobby Murphy, Jimmie Moore and Donnie Barrineau.
Visitation will be today from 5:30 p.m.-9 p.m. at the funeral home.
THOMAS KENNETH WATTS SR.
Lawyer
Services for Thomas Kenneth Watts Sr. will be held Wednesday at 11 a.m. at Central United Methodist Church with the Revs. Tommy Gilbert and Dr. Rex Alman officiating. Burial will be in Magnolia Cemetery with Barham Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Watts, 71, of Meridian, died Sunday, May 13, 2001, at Riley Hospital. He was a member of Central Untied Methodist Church and grew up in old Southside Baptist Church.
Mr. Watts attended public schools in Meridian and Meridian Junior College. He did his undergraduate work at the University of Mississippi. He attended law school at Ole Miss and graduated first in his class. He was a member of Phi Delta Phi and Omicron Delta Kappa, comment editor at the Mississippi Law Journal and member and chairman of the Moot Court Board.
Mr. Watts served in the Air National Guard, Aircraft Armorer (three years); U.S. Army, Judge Advocate General Corps (three years active duty in the Office of the Judge Advocate General of the Army, Department of Defense, The Pentagon, Washington, D.C.; and as trail and defense counsel in general courts martial).
He was a member of The Mississippi Bar, American Bar Association, Bar Association of the Fifth Federal Circuit, fellow with the Mississippi Bar Foundation, fellow with the Lamar Order and fellow with the American College of Trial Lawyers.
Mr. Watts was a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel, Defense Research Institute, served as president of the Lauderdale County Bar Association and on various committees; served on the Lawyers Advisory Committee of the Fifth Federal Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals (by appointment of the court); served on the Merit Selection Panel for the appointment of United States Magistrate (by appointment of the court); and served on the State Bar Committee on Uniform Rules for the Federal District Courts of Mississippi.
He was a member of the Board of Trustees at Meridian Junior College for 11 years, serving as president for four years; Board of Trustees of Meridian Municipal Separate School District for 11 years, serving as president for four years; and recognized by the Alumni Association of Meridian Community College for Outstanding Contribution to Education.
Survivors include his wife, Kathryn Todd Watts, two daughters, Elisabeth "Poky" Murphy and her husband, Mike, Grace Mitts and her husband, Billy, a son, Kenneth Watts Jr. and his wife, Kim, two brothers, Benny Dunn Watts and his wife, Dwight, and Ret. Col. John Wayne Watts and his wife, Ann, all of Meridian; a sister, Jackie George and her husband, Tom, of Birmingham, Ala.; seven grandchildren, Erin and Todd Murphy, Fielden, Ken and Walton Mitts, Trey and Will Watts; and several nieces, nephews and other relatives.
The family requests memorials be made to Central United Methodist Church or the American Heart Association.
Pallbearers will be his nephews.
Honorary pallbearers will be members of the Lauderdale County Bar Association.
Visitation will be Wednesday from 9:30 a.m.-10:45 a.m. at the church.

Also on Franklin County Times
Roommate facing manslaughter charge
News, Russellville
Griffin Traylor 
June 19, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — A Phil Campbell woman is facing manslaughter and drug charges after she admitted to Franklin County Sheriff’s investigators she injecte...
Baker unseats Murray for Franklin Co. District 1 seat
Franklin County, News, Z - News Main
By Brady Petree For the FCT 
June 17, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — District 1 residents in Franklin County will have a new commissioner in November after Curtis Baker defeated incumbent Grayson Murray i...
Attempted murder is added to shooting charges
Main, News, Russellville, ...
Kevin Taylor For the FCT 
June 17, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — A Tuscumbia man now faces an attempted murder charge in addition to the 23 other criminal charges he faces after admitting to shooting ...
County receives $5K for 250th events
Main, News, Russellville
By Addi Broadfoot For the FCT 
June 17, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — Franklin County will receive $5,000 in funding for events related to celebrating America’s 250th birthday. The Alabama USA Semiquincent...
New sign honors Keeton’s community service
Main, News, Red Bay, ...
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
June 17, 2026
RED BAY — The quarter- mile Hoyt Keeton Walking Trail now has a new sign. Keeton family members, city officials and community supporters recently gath...
Franklin had 13% of advocacy center cases
Main, News, Russellville, ...
By Addi Broadfoot For the FCT 
June 17, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — Andrea’s Arbor in Franklin County accounted for 13% of cases recorded in 2025 by Cramer Children’s Advocacy Center. Andrea’s Arbor is a...
UNA ups tuition $300 for undergrads
News
Bernie Delinski For the FCT 
June 17, 2026
FLORENCE — The University of North Alabama Board of Trustees is considering a tuition and fee schedule Friday that will increase undergraduate costs b...
EAST FRANKLIN ATHLETIC EVENT
High School Sports, Sports
June 17, 2026
ALL PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED/EAST FRANKLIN JUNIOR HIGH 10 For 10 Club Boys A-Team basketball awards Boys B-Team basketball awards Cheerleader awards Girls b...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *