Archives
 By  Staff Reports Published 
9:20 am Sunday, September 2, 2001

OBITUARIES FOR SUNDAY, SEPT. 2, 2001

By Staff
CHARLES K. KENNEDY
Retired supervisor for
Wells Lamont
PHILADELPHIA Services for Charles K. Kennedy will be held today at 4 p.m. at McClain-Hays Funeral Chapel with the Revs. Dwight Faulkenbery and Dennis Duvall officiating. Burial will be in Cedarlawn Cemetery.
Mr. Kennedy, 75, of Philadelphia, died Friday, Aug. 31, 2001, at Neshoba County General Hospital. He was a retired supervisor for Wells Lamont and a U.S. Army veteran of World War II.
Survivors include his wife, Laverne Kennedy of Philadelphia; two sons, Mike Kennedy of Atlanta and Jeff Kennedy of Jackson; a granddaughter; eight step-grandchildren; 13 step great-grandchildren; three sisters, Jean Schmidt of La Canada, Calif., Annie McDonald of Louisville and June Miller of Little Rock, Ark.; and two brothers, James Kennedy of Philadelphia and Tommy Joe Kennedy of Denver.
SANDRA GAUBERT PILGRIM
BRANDON Sandra "Sandy" Gaubert Pilgrim, 34, died Friday, Aug. 31, 2001, at Mississippi Baptist Medical Center in Jackson. Visitation is from 2 p.m.-5 p.m. today at Ott and Lee Funeral Home. Services will be 11 a.m. Monday at the funeral home with graveside services at 2 p.m. at Harttown Cemetery in Pickens.
Mrs. Pilgrim was a native of Lauderdale County and a longtime resident of Rankin County. She was Baptist.
Survivors include her husband, John Pilgrim of Brandon; daughters, Carlie Baker-Pilgrim and Halie Pilgrim of Brandon; parents, Alice Harris of Brandon, Glenn and Myra Gaubert of Meridian and George Harris of Brandon; sister, Gina Burney of Brandon; brothers, Ric Courtney and Chris Courtney of Meridian; grandmother, Winnie Merle McCullough of South Carolina and grandfather, Marvin Cotton of Meridian.
Pallbearers will be Mike Pilgrim, Phillip Pilgrim, David Pilgrim, Randy Posey, James Posey, Michael Posey, Jimmy Golden and Jerry Gable.
Memorials may be made to the Arthritis Foundation, 350 N. Mart Plaza, Jackson, MS 39206.
LAMAR J. FAIRCHILD
Retired bookkeeper
Services for Lamar J. "Buddy" Fairchild will be held Tuesday at 10 a.m. at Stephens Funeral Home with the Rev. Richie Davis officiating. Burial will be in Meridian Memorial Park Cemetery.
Mr. Fairchild, 74, of Meridian, died Thursday, Aug. 30, 2001, at Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center. He was a retired bookkeeper with Frug Oil Company.
Survivors include his wife, Bonnie Fairchild of Meridian; three sons, John Wayne Fairchild of Caledonia, Edward Ford Fairchild of Meridian and Daniel Grant Fairchild of Pulaski, Tenn.; three sisters, Fannie Pope of Columbia, Mo., Thelma Crenshaw of Meridian and Ruth Pokroy of Silver Springs, Md.; two grandchildren, Cheryl Marie Fairchild of Caledonia and Robbie Fairchild of Alabama.
Pallbearers will be Roderick Barham, Mark Creamer, Eddie Speed, Ray Fairchild, Wade Barham and Ralph Crenshaw. Honorary pallbearers will be nephews and great-nephews.
Visitation will be Monday from 5 p.m.-8 p.m. at the funeral home.
JAMES L. GURAEDY
Retired
JACKSON Services for James L. Guraedy will be held Tuesday at 11 a.m. at Lakewood South Chapel. Burial will be in Lakewood South Memorial Park.
Mr. Guraedy, 80, of Brandon, died Friday, Aug. 31, 2001, at G.V. Sonny Montgomery Veterans Hospital. He was a retired service manager for McDonalds Heating and Air, a Mason and a member of the First Baptist Church of Brandon and former member of Oak Forest Baptist Church in South Jackson. He was also a member of the Ex-POW organization. A bomber pilot during World War II, he served with distinction in North Africa and the European theater. He served in Operation Tidal Wave, which was the group that bombed the Palesti Oil Fields. As an escaped prisoner of war, he came across Gen. George S. Patton and his army and the general personally got him and others safely home.
Survivors include a daughter, Carole Guraedy Hawkins of Brandon; a son, James Bruce Guraedy of Decatur; three grandsons, Patton Hawkins of Cabot, Ark., Joshua Hawkins of San Antonio and Jason Guraedy of Decatur; one great-granddaughter, Hailey Hawkins of Cabot, Ark. and a brother, F.A. Guraedy of West Monroe, La.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Elizabeth Irby Guraedy, who died in 1997.
Visitation will be today from 2 p.m.-5 p.m. and after 10 a.m. Tuesday at the funeral home.
EVA MAE WARD
Homemaker
Services for Eva Mae Ward will be held Tuesday at 3 p.m. at St. John Baptist Church with the Rev. Jimmy Johnson officiating. Burial will be in Sunset Memorial Gardens Cemetery with Enterprise Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Ward, 77, of Meridian, died Thursday, Aug. 30, 2001, at Rush Foundation Hospital. She was a homemaker.
Survivors include two sons, Otis Ward of Meridian and Alfred Ward of Washington, D.C.; five daughters, Johnnie Mae Bradford, Ida Cole and Evette Jordan, all of Meridian; Annie Summers of Columbia, S.C., Barbara Reid of Jacksonville, N.C.; a brother, Bill Clark of Durham, N.C.; a sister, Willie Catherine Stewart of Meridian; 25 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Johnny Dean Ward.
Visitation will be Monday from 6 p.m.-7 p.m. at the funeral home.
ORDIE NICHOLSON
Retired from Meridian
Cab Company
Services for Ordie Nicholson will be held Wednesday at 3 p.m. at Enterprise Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Roderick Steele Sr. officiating. Burial will be in Sunset Memorial Gardens Cemetery.
Mr. Nicholson of Pass Christian, died Thursday, Aug. 30, 2001, at Memorial Hospital in Gulfport. He was a retired employee of Meridian Cab Company.
Survivors include three sons, Willie Nicholson of Prichard, Ala.; Barney Houston of Meridian and James Adams of Anderson, Ind.; three daughters, Dorothy Rice of Meridian and Ruthie Nicholson and Mary Nicholson, both of Anderson; three sisters, Birdie C. Hammack of Anderson, Elizabeth Parraway of Dade City, Fla. and Catherine Nicholson of New Orleans; and five grandchildren.
BRENDA CLARK
Arrangements were incomplete at Stephens Funeral Home for Brenda Clark, 48, of Meridian, who died Saturday, Sept. 1, 2001, at Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center.

Also on Franklin County Times
‘All we did was done fully’
Main, News
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
December 17, 2025
THARPTOWN — Glenda Amelia Aycock-Long has lived many chapters, each distinct, each demanding, each shaped by her willingness to say “yes” to the next ...
Patriot Riders give ‘brother’ full honors
Main, News, Russellville, ...
Kevin Taylor For the FCT 
December 17, 2025
RUSSELLVILLE — Vietnam veteran Avery Brewster finally received the full military funeral he deserved. Local American Patriot Riders escorted a hearse ...
Ayers, at 90, still a pillar of community
Main, News, Phil Campbell, ...
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
December 17, 2025
PHIL CAMPBELL — Barbara Ayers, who taught home economics at Phil Campbell High School for more than three decades, remains engaged in the life of the ...
A jolly good time was had by all
Franklin County, Main, News, ...
December 17, 2025
Community members gathered last week to celebrate the season with annual Christmas parades in Russellville, Red Bay, Vina and Phil Campbell. Parade wi...
Garden club hosts ‘Every Light a Prayer for Peace’
News, Russellville
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
December 17, 2025
RUSSELLVILLE — Community members gathered at the Franklin County Courthouse on Thursday for the annual “Every Light a Prayer for Peace” ceremony hoste...
Cyber criminals target holiday shoppers
Columnists, Opinion
HERE AND NOW
December 17, 2025
By Susie Hovater Malone Columnist Online scams have grown more sophisticated in recent years, making it harder for people to tell legitimate businesse...
State has chance to get data center boom right
Columnists, Opinion
December 17, 2025
Every day, we read about massive data centers coming to the Southeast. Billions of dollars. Thousands of construction jobs. The promise of economic tr...
Baker reaches 1,000 career points
High School Sports, Phil Campbell Bobcats, Sports
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
December 17, 2025
PHIL CAMPBELL — Phil Campbell High School senior Leela Baker has added her name to a small group of Franklin County athletes by scoring the 1,000th po...

Leave a Reply

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