Obituaries for Friday, Feb. 1, 2002

By Staff
MARY ELIZABETH HICKS
Retired clerk
Services for Mary Elizabeth Hicks will be held today at 1:30 p.m. at James F. Webb Funeral Home Chapel with the Revs. Dr. Wayne Riley and Dr. Danny Chisolm officiating. Burial will be in Magnolia Cemetery.
Mrs. Hicks, 89, of Meridian, died Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2002, at Queen City Nursing Center. She was a retired clerk for the East Mississippi Electric Power Association. She was a member of Central Baptist Church.
Survivors include her sister, Flora Watts and her husband, Walter, of Meridian; a niece Susan Elizabeth Paker and her husband, Tom, of Sandersville; a nephew Walter W. Watts Jr. and his wife, Michelle, of Jackson; a great-niece Ashlyn Watts; and several other nieces and nephews.
MARVIN E. WIGGINS SR.
Retired
Services for Marvin E. Wiggins Sr. will be held today at 2 p.m. at Bay Springs Baptist Church in Porterville, with the Revs. Tim Horton, O.C. Poole and Dr. Hugh Poole officiating. Burial will be in Briggs Chapel Cemetery with Barham Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Wiggins, 71, of Porterville, died Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2002, at Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center. He attended Bay Springs Baptist Church and was a member of Enondale Memorial Church. He retired from the Miss. Employment Security Commission and the U.S. Postal Service. He was also a veteran of the U.S. Army.
Survivors include his wife, Betty Wiggins, two sons, Scott H. Wiggins and Marvin E. Wiggins Jr. and his wife, Holly, and two grandsons, Matthew and Jonathan Wiggins, all of Porterville; a niece, Wanda Gordon and her husband, Carlos, an aunt, Inez Wiggins, and an uncle, Charles R. Wiggins, all of Meridian; and a nephew, Ray Boren and his wife, Debbie, of Clinton.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Marvin L. and Rebecca Wiggins; a sister, Edna W. Boren; and a nephew, Kenneth Boren.
The family requests memorials be made to Porterville Briggs Chapel Cemetery Fund.
Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church.
Pallbearers will be Gary Cagle, Kevin Hedgepeth, Wayne Buchanan, Korey Garrett, Ray Boren, Steve Gordon, Lee Stuart and Charles H. Stokes.
JAMES CHARLTON DOWNING JR.
Retired
Graveside services for James "Jake" Charlton Downing Jr. will be held today at 3 p.m. at Magnolia Cemetery with the Revs. Merrill Wade and Jimmy Harrison officiating. Barham Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Downing, 87, of Meridian, died Thursday, Jan. 31, 2002, at Rush Foundation Hospital. He was a native of Utica and retired from the Monroe Machine Company. He had lived in both Charlotte, N.C., and Magnolia Springs, Ala. He graduated from Mississippi College and organized the band at Pascagoula High School, as well as serving as band director in several other Mississippi schools.
Survivors include his wife, Nell Parker Downing of Meridian; a sister, Julia Mae Quinn of Clarksdale; a daughter, Dorothy McGehee of Mobile, Ala.; five granddaughters, Nancy Huffstutler and her husband, Ken, Laura O'Connor and her husband, Kerry, Jamie Elcan and her husband, Dan, and Julie Minto, and her husband, Dean, all of Mobile; and Lucy Boykin and her husband, Buddy, of Scottsboro, Ala.; 11 great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be today from 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. at the funeral home.
JERRY A. BENOMAN
Services for Jerry A. Benoman will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at East Mt. Moriah Baptist Church with the Rev. Randall Bohannon officiating. Burial will be in Forest Lawn Cemetery with Berry &Gardner Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Benoman, 41, of Meridian, died Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2002, at Guardian Angel Hospice.
Survivors include his son, Felix Warren of Atlanta, Ga.; his mother, Pearlie Benoman of Meridian; two sisters, Amergean Benoman of DeKalb; and Doris Benoman of Meridian.
Visitation will be held today from 7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at the funeral home.
JOHN EVAN PERSONS
Retired from U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army
DEKALB Services for John Evan Persons will be held Saturday at 2 p.m. at Scooba United Methodist Church with the Revs. Charlie Studdard and John Wood officiating. Burial will be in Cedar Lawn Cemetery in Scooba with Stephens Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Persons, 74, of Scooba, died Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2002, in Meridian. He was a member of Scooba United Methodist Church, attended East Mississippi Community College and received his bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska and his master's degree in public administration from Oklahoma University. After returning from the military he worked in health care for 10 years. He was also a member of the Board of Trustees for EMCC.
Survivors include his wife, Peggy Aust Persons of Scooba; two daughters, Linda Wilson and her husband, Nick, of Jacksonville, Fla.; and Luann Jones and her husband, Mickey, of Concord, Ohio; a son, John E. Persons Jr. and his wife, Kiyomi, of Dallas; five grandchildren, John Edd Persons, Melissa and Kristin Wilson, Lauren Jones and Christopher Jones; a sister-in-law, Diane Hopper and her husband, Frank, of West Point; and several special nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, John W. and Betty P. Persons.
The family requests memorials be made to Chapel in the Pines at EMCC.
Visitation will be today from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. at the funeral home.
Full military honors will be held for Lt. Col. John E. Persons, retired.
SHIRLEY A. MAYO
Housewife
SEBASTOPOL Services for Shirley A. Mayo will be held Saturday at 2 p.m. at Reeds Chapel with the Revs. H.L. Rhodes and C.M. Jinkerson officiating. Burial will be in Reid Chapel Church of God with Milling Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Mayo, 64, of Walnut Grove, died Thursday, Jan. 31, 2002, at Winston County Nursing Home.
Survivors include her husband, Clyde Mayo, a step-father, Leroy Morehead, and a son, Bobby D. Leach, all of Walnut Grove; a daughter, Sheila Ann Hendrick of Union; three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be today from 5 p.m.-9 p.m. at the funeral home.
Pallbearers will be Jerry Mayo, Jody McCurdy, Robert McCurdy, Horace Rigdon, Craig Swain and Len Wilkinson.
ANGEL DIXONA EAKIN
Arrangements were incomplete at Berry &Gardner Funeral Home for infant Angel D. Eakins of Meridian, who died Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2002, at University Hospital and Clinic in Jackson.