Archives
 By  Staff Reports Published 
4:38 am Monday, November 5, 2001

OBITUARIES FOR MONDAY, NOV. 5, 2001

By Staff
HERBERT C. GUSTIN
Retired grocer, self-employed contractor
Graveside services for Herbert C. Gustin will be held Tuesday at 1 p.m. at Forest Lawn Cemetery with the Rev. Johnny Smith officiating. Barham Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Gustin, 81, of Meridian, died Saturday, Nov. 3, 2001, at Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center. He was a Veteran of World War II, serving in the South Pacific Theater. Mr. Gustin was a loving and devoted husband, father and friend to many.
Survivors include his wife, Mavis Gustin and a daughter, Vi Stinnette and her husband, Charles, all of Meridian; grandchildren, Todd Stinnette of Gautier and Becky Clevenger and her husband, Robert, of Lenoir City, Tenn.; great-grandson, Cody Clevenger; and a brother, Frank Brunelle and his wife, Loraine, of St. Johnsbury, Vt.
He was preceded in death by a son, Alan Gustin; a sister, Theola Desroscher; and his parents, Homer A. and Viola Gustin.
Pallbearers will be Charles Stinnette, Todd Stinnette, Robert Clevenger, Herbert Joyner, James Joyner and Christopher Smith.
Visitation will be today from 5 p.m.-8 p.m. at the funeral home.
THOMAS EARL LEWIS
Crane operator
QUITMAN Services for Thomas "Tommy" Earl Lewis were held Saturday at Pleasant Grove Methodist Church with the Revs. Kenneth Ray Owen and Ray Daniel officiating. Wright's Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Lewis, 53, died Thursday, Nov. 1, 2001, at Heartfelt Hospice. He was a veteran of Vietnam.
Survivors include his wife, Dian Lewis of Enterprise; his son, Johnny Irby and his wife, April, of Pachuta; two daughters, Lynn Dickerson and her husband, Billy, and Jessica Irby, all of Enterprise; three brothers, Leonard Lewis and his wife, Mary Francis, Preston Lewis and his wife, Mazie, and James H. Lewis, and his wife, Shirley, all of Rose Hill; four sisters, Emma Hammrick of Stonewall; Martha Jane Welborn and her husband, Johnny, of Quitman; Christine Owen and her husband, Ray, of Enterprise; and Wanda Sue Morris, and her husband, J.B. of Laurel; seven grandchildren, Meagan Irby, Matt Irby, Mindy Sullivan, Daniel Dickerson, Cody Dickerson, Summer Irby and Brooke Irby.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Lelia Lewis and James Henry Lewis Sr.; a brother, Carl Lewis; and two sisters, Dorothy Ray English and Lelia Ruth Lewis.
Pallbearers were James Johnson, Carl Smith, Timmy Lewis, Juston Morris, Jeffery Morris, Rusty Dickerson and Joe Owen.
Honorary pallbearers were his grandsons, Matt Irby, Daniel Dickerson and Cody Dickerson.
TIMOTHY W. MUSE SR.
Public works director for city of Newton
Services for Timothy W. Muse Sr. will be held today at 2:30 p.m. at Calvary Baptist Church of Newton with the Revs. Ron Gilstrap, Rodney Anderson, Tom McCloughin and Wayne Griffith officiating. Burial will be in a private family cemetery with Barham Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Muse, 31, of Hickory, died Thursday, Nov. 1, 2001, at Riley Hospital. He was the public works director for the city of Newton and president of Newton Theater. He was a member of Newton Volunteer Fire Department, American Society of Civil Engineers, American Quarter Horse Association, National Society of Professional Engineers and Hickory Baptist Church.
Mr. Muse graduated from Pillow Academy, Mississippi Delta Community College and received a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Mississippi State University.
Survivors include his wife, Lori Ann Muse and a son, Timothy W. Muse Jr., both of Hickory; his parents, Eddie and Judy Muse of Greenwood; his grandmothers, Mrs. A. J. Stewart of Belzoni and Doris Muse of Greenwood; two sisters-in-law, Sherry Pluche and her husband, Alfred, of Germantown, Md., and Cathy Faulkner and her husband, Greg, of Prattville, Ala; his mother and father-in-law, Ed and Sandra Riddle of Hickory; and several aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his grandfathers, O.R. Muse and A.J. Stewart, and his niece, Margie Elizabeth Pluche.
The family requests memorials be made to Meridian Care Lodge.
Pallbearers will be Hamp Beatty, Wayne Griffith, Alfred Pluche, Greg Faulkner, Fred Snow, Sammy Walker, Donald Ray McClelland and Melvin Evans.
Honorary pallbearers will the the crew of Newton City Public Works, members of the Newton Fire Department, Jay Powell, Mitch Avant, Milan Killebrew, Lloyd Muse and Brad Avant.
RUTH T. SPEED
Retired secretary for Kerr McGee Co.
NEWTON Services for Ruth T. Speed will be held Tuesday at 10 a.m. at First Baptist Church with the Rev. J.B. Costlow officiating. Burial will be in Newton County Memorial Gardens with James F. Webb Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Speed, 77, of Newton, died Saturday, Nov. 3, 2001, at Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center. She was a member of First Baptist Church.
Survivors include her husband, Fred Speed of Newton; a son, David Speed and his wife, Ada Rosa, of Dallas; two daughters, Kathrene Burt and her husband, Dr. Woodrow Burt, of Hannibal, Mo., and Susan Reynolds and her husband, Dr. Tim Reynolds, of Houston, Texas; eight grandchildren, Mark Burt of Augusta, Ga., Matt Speed of Atlanta, Laura Burt of St. Louis, Sara Speed of Denver, Jennifer Burt Bryant of Paducah, Ky., Jamey Reynolds, Logan Reynolds and Holly Reynolds, all of Houston, Texas.
She was preceded in death by her parents, James and Georgia Team.
Pallbearers will be Mark Speed, Jerry Lee, John Paul Lee, John Penlad Speed and Bryan Burt.
Visitation will be today from 5 p.m.-8 p.m. at the funeral home.
MAXINE LUKE SMITH
Memorial services for Maxine Luke Smith will be held Tuesday at 11 a.m. at Fifteenth Avenue Baptist Church with the Rev. Dr. Bob Simmons, her longtime friend and former pastor, officiating. Private family burial service will be in Magnolia Cemetery with Barham Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Smith, 74, of Dallas, died Sunday, Nov. 4, 2001, in her home. She was a native of Meridian. She was a beloved former member of Fifteenth Avenue Baptist Church.

Also on Franklin County Times
Walk Thru Bethlehem captures Christmas story
Main, News, Russellville, ...
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
December 10, 2025
RUSSELLVILLE — Russellville First Baptist Church’s annual Walk Thru Bethlehem over the weekend transformed two downtown blocks into a first-century se...
Use of force: ‘It’s a split-second decision’
Main, News, Russellville, ...
By Kevin Taylor For the Franklin County Times 
December 10, 2025
RUSSELLVILLE –Before each shift at the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, supervisors will always talk about officer safety. They talk about incidents ...
Tree lighting ceremony draws crowd in Red Bay
News, Red Bay
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
December 10, 2025
RED BAY — Members of the community gathered downtown Nov. 30 for the annual tree lighting ceremony, which brought students, local organizers and famil...
Rideshare drivers should be able to understand English
Columnists, Opinion
December 10, 2025
When I was in college, if we needed a ride, we would either call a friend or walk home. These days, however, millions of Americans rely on rideshare s...
‘Roxy’s Christmas Spectacular’ gets ready to take stage
Columnists, News, Opinion
HERE AND NOW
December 10, 2025
By Susie Hovater Malone Columnist The Roxy’s Christmas Spectacular does more than bring holiday joy to the stage each December. It unites our communit...
Golden Tigers split contests with Belgreen
High School Sports, Russellville Golden Tigers, Sports
Brannon King For the FCT 
December 10, 2025
The Russellville Golden Tigers visited the Belgreen Bulldogs and each school picked up a win. Russellville’s girls defeated Belgreen by a final score ...
PC Lady Bobcats win 3 games
High School Sports, Phil Campbell Bobcats, Sports
Bart Moss For the FCT 
December 10, 2025
Phil Campbell picked up three wins this week beating Shoals Christian 49-34, Cherokee 55-21 and Lexington 52-41. In the Shoals Christian win Phil Camp...
Romero makes triumphant return to stage
News, Phil Campbell
Chelsea Retherford For the FCT 
December 10, 2025
PHIL CAMPBELL — When Jonathon Romero first walked out as Sweeney Todd during the show’s opening weekend, it marked a triumphant return to the stage af...

Leave a Reply

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