OBITUARIES FOR THURSDAY, NOV. 29, 2001
By Staff
WILLIAM DEBERNIERE NEVILLE JR.
Attorney-at-law
Services for William deBerniere Neville Jr. will be held Friday at 11 a.m. at St. Paul's Episcopal Church with the Revs. Merrill Wade, Edward O'Connor and Tom Slawson officiating. Burial will be in Magnolia Cemetery with full military honors. James F. Webb Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Neville, 53, of Meridian, died Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2001, in Meridian. He was a member of the Mississippi and Lauderdale County Bar Association and a former member of the Sertoma Club. Mr. Neville was a retired lieutenant colonel in the Mississippi Air National Guard also having served nine years with the U.S. Air Force. He also served on the board of directors at Care Lodge.
Mr. Neville was a graduate of the Meridian High School Class of 1966, Mississippi State University in 1970 and the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1982. Mr. Neville had served as an adjunct professor at Meridian Community College and the Meridian branch of Mississippi State University. He was a member of the Magnolia Middle School PTA.
Survivors include his wife, Deanna B. Neville and a daughter, Bridgette A. Neville, both of Meridian; two brothers, David Lyle Neville of Conyers, Ga., and George Waddell Neville of Jackson; and a sister, Sally Neville Garvey of Collierville, Tenn.
He was preceded in death by his father, William deBerniere Neville Sr. and his mother, Joyce Lyle James Neville.
Visitation will be at the church today from 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m. and one hour prior to the service.
BENJAMIN ORVILLE SMITH SR.
Optician
QUITMAN Services for Benjamin "Buster" Orville Smith Sr. will be held today at 11 a.m. at Wright's Funeral Home Chapel with the Revs. Buddy Petty and Parker Chancellor officiating. Burial will be in Souenlovie Church Cemetery.
Mr. Smith, 76, of Enterprise, died Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2001, at The Speciality Hospital of Meridian.
Survivors include his wife, Opal Smith, two sons, Orville Smith and Glenn Smith, a daughter, Teresa Whitaker and a sister, Ruth Speed, all of Enterprise; four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
MARGARET DOWNEY THOMAS
Homemaker
STARKVILLE Graveside services for Margaret Downey Thomas will be held Friday at 10 a.m. at Oddfellows Cemetery with the Rev. Prentiss Gordon officiating. Welch Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Thomas, 74, of Starkville, died Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2001, at Windsor Nursing Home in Columbus.
Survivors include her husband, Terry L. Thomas of Starkville; two daughters, Susie Thomas Ranager of Ocean Springs and Marty Thomas Kuki of Encinitas, Calif.; a son, Leigh Thomas of Starkville; three brothers, H.B. Downey of Enterprise, William Downey of Okolona and Leslie Downey of Meridian; and four grandchildren.
The family requests memorials be made to First United Methodist Church of Starkville.
Visitation will be today from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. at the funeral home.
CLARA GUILES
Homemaker
PHILADELPHIA Services for Clara Guiles will be held Friday at 10 a.m. at McClain-Hays Funeral Service Chapel with the Revs. Cecil Guiles, Lee Miley and Braxton Miley officiating. Burial will be in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Neshoba County.
Mrs. Guiles, 73, of Reddick, Fla., died Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2001, in her home. She was born and raised in the Oak Ridge Community of Neshoba County and had made her home in Florida for the past eight years. She was a member of Ocala Church of God in Florida.
Survivors include her daughter, Brenda Lee of Reddick; two grandchildren, Daniela Baker of Ocala and Jason Lee of Reddick; four brothers, Monroe Miley and C.M. "Red" Miley of Philadelphia, Truman Miley of Jackson and Leland Miley of Columbus; and five great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, the Rev. Jimmy Guiles; and a son, Jimmy W. Guiles.
Visitation will be today from 5 p.m.-8 p.m. at the funeral home.
J. OAKLEY BREWER
Retired truck driver
PHILADELPHIA Services for J. Oakley Brewer will be held Friday at 2 p.m. at High Hill Baptist Church with the Revs. Hugh Martin and Ray Files officiating. Burial will be in High Hill Cemetery with McClain-Hays Funeral Service in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Brewer, 83, of Philadelphia, died Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2001, at Neshoba County Nursing Home. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army.
Survivors include his wife, Betty Brewer, a daughter, Jane Fulton and a son, Benny Brewer, all of Philadelphia; three sisters, Huster Gilmore of Sebastopol, Charlene Wilson of Washington and Henry Jo Woods of Mt. Holly, N.J.; two brothers, Edgar M. Brewer of Philadelphia and Dewayne Brewer of Jackson; five grandsons and one great-granddaughter.
Visitation will be today from 5 p.m.-8 p.m. at the funeral home.
MATTIE BELL WALLACE
Retired
Services for Mattie Bell Wallace will be held Saturday at 1 p.m. at Alpha and Omega Holiness Church in Toomsuba with the Rev. Freddie Ford officiating. Burial will be in Pleasant Grove Cemetery with James L. Osby Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Wallace, 72, died Monday, Nov. 26, 2001, at Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center.
Survivors include two daughters, Betty Wallace and her husband, Earl, of Buffalo, N.Y., and Bernestine Hopson and her husband, Willie, of Meridian; two sons, James L. Wallace and Marcus Wallace of Meridian; three sisters, Eddie Mae Moore and Rosie Anna Smith of Meridian, and Sadie Lee of Birmingham, Ala.
Visitation will be Friday from 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m. at E.E. McDonald Community Chapel.
SMYLIE LEE GEBHART
Arrangements were incomplete at Barham Funeral Home for Smylie Lee Gebhart, 51, of Meridian, who died Thursday, Nov. 29, 2001, at Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center.