Archives
 By  Staff Reports Published 
6:14 am Friday, September 20, 2002

Obituaries for Friday, Sept. 20, 2002

By Staff
JAY B. SMITH
Retired
NEWTON Services for Jay B. Smith will be held today at 10 a.m. at Clarke-Venable Baptist Church in Decatur with the Revs. Stan Buckley and Gus Merritt officiating. Burial will be in Decatur Cemetery. Barham Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Smith, 92, of Hickory, died Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2002, in Decatur. He was a graduate of Mississippi State University and worked for the Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Entomology for 12 years and moved back to Newton County. He operated a dairy farm, worked with USDA Soil Conservation Service and worked with the Newton County Department of Welfare.
He was a veteran of the U.S. Army and served as a medic in World War II, and was involved in three European Campaigns including the Battle of the Bulge. He retired and maintained a garden until January 2002.
Survivors include his wife, Frances H. Smith of Decatur; a brother, Henry Mack Smith of Union; sisters, Frances S. Gardner of Union and Norma Dee B. Dempsey of Louisville; and several nieces and nephews.
Pallbearers will be Billy Ray Smith, Jessie Smith, Andy Gardner, Wayne Dempsey, Joe Smith, Mike Smith, Pat Harris and Robert Luke. Honorary pallbearers will be the Men's Bible Sunday School Class, Joe Clark, William Bullard, Sam Chaney, Jerry Smith, Gwendol Barham, Jerry Harris, Bill Simkins and Charles Harris.
EVELYN BOSTICK STOKES
Homemaker
PHILADELPHIA Services for Evelyn Bostick Stokes will be held today at 2 p.m. at McClain-Hays Funeral Service Chapel with the Rev. John Branning officiating. Burial will be in Coy Methodist Cemetery in Preston.
Mrs. Stokes, 94, of Preston, died Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2002, in her home.
Survivors include her daughters, Bobbie Stokes Young of Houston, and Charlene Stokes of Preston; five grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren; and a sister Nannie Stokes of DeKalb.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Houston Stokes and a son, Bill Stokes.
WILLIE MARS MADISON
Retired farmer and sawmill worker
PHILADELPHIA Services for Willie Mars Madison will be held today at 2 p.m. at John E. Stephens Chapel with the Revs. Fred Frazier and Mark Cloys officiating. Burial will be in Hopewell Methodist Church Cemetery in Kemper County.
Mr. Madison, 104, of Philadelphia, died Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2002, at Neshoba County General Hospital.
Survivors include his sons, James H. Madison and Jerry R. Madison, both of Philadelphia; six grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; and 11 great-great-grandchildren.
THOMAS A. MILAM
DEMOPOLIS Graveside services for Thomas A. Milam will be held today at 3 p.m. at Demopolis Memorial Gardens with the Revs. Robert Simpson and James Guy officiating. Kidd-Robbins Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Milam, 35, of Demopolis, Ala., died Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2002, at his home.
Survivors include his mother, Tommie Sue Milam, of Demopolis; and two brothers, James Robert Milam and his wife, Linda, of Demopolis, and Phillip Scott Milam, of Greensboro, Ala; and four nephews and one niece.
He was preceded in death by his father Billy R. Milam and his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. J.P. Milam and Mr. and Mrs. John Archer.
CHARLES DAVID SMITH
Elevator maintenance employee
QUITMAN Services for Charles David Smith will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at Wright's Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Gerald W. Davis officiating. Burial will be in Mt. Pisguah Cemetery in Melvin, Ala.
Mr. Smith, 57, of Daphne, Ala., died Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2002, at the V.A. Hospital in Gulfport. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy and served in Vietnam on the USS Taylor.
Survivors include his wife, Beverly Smith of Daphne, Ala.; three sons, Troy Keith Smith of Warner Robbins, Ga., Jason Heath Smith and Gregory Scott Barclay, both of Prattville, Ala.; a daughter, Kelly Barclay Carmichael of Montgomery, Ala.; his parents, James Lee Smith and Juanice Smith of Northport, Ala.; a brother, Robert Wayne Smith of Sumnor, Wash.; and seven grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer's Foundation of the South, P.O. Box 9693, Mobile, Ala. 36691.
Visitation will be today beginning at 5 p.m. at the funeral home.

Also on Franklin County Times
Russellville to host MLK march on Monday
Main, News, Russellville, ...
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
January 14, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — The Franklin County Martin Luther King Memorial Scholarship Committee is planning its annual commemoration march, which this year will ...
Career tech programs return to remodeled RHS building
Main, News, Russellville, ...
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
January 14, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — Students at Russellville High School returned from winter break last week to a newly remodeled and expanded Career Technical Education ...
Dowdy sentence delayed
Main, News, Russellville
By Brady Petree For the FCT 
January 14, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — The sentencing of Brandy Dowdy will have to wait until another day after her defense attorney suffered a “medical emergency.” Dowdy’s s...
MLK march is about ‘keeping the dream alive’
News, Russellville
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
January 14, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — The Rev. B.J. Bonner was 11 years old in the summer of 1963 when the civil rights movement reshaped the South and communities across Al...
FCREA finalizes 2025, looks ahead to 2026
Columnists, Opinion
HERE AND NOW
January 14, 2026
There are moments in our meetings that stay with you long after the chairs are folded and the dishes are washed. One of those moments came in November...
This year, let’s resolve to be more involved
Columnists, Opinion
January 14, 2026
Stop eating desserts. Go to the gym every day. Read 50 books this year. Learn a language. Start my retirement savings. Every year we make our resoluti...
RHS track looks ahead to state meet
High School Sports, Russellville Golden Tigers, Sports
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
January 14, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — Russellville High School track athletes have posted multiple top 10 and top 20 section finishes this season, along with podium performa...
Vote of Red Bay budget delayed until February
News, Red Bay
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
January 14, 2026
RED BAY — City councilmembers will vote next month on the 20025–26 fiscal year budget. Mayor Mike Shewbart told the council last week the budget was n...

Leave a Reply

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