Obituaries for Sunday, Oct. 13, 2002

By Staff
OTHO L. DENNIS
Farmer
SEBASTOPOL Services for Otho L. Dennis will be held today at 2 p.m. at Milling Funeral Home Chapel with the Revs. Howell Thrash and David Bankson officiating. Burial will be in Mt. Zion Baptist Church Cemetery in Leake County.
Mr. Dennis, 85, of Walnut Grove, died Friday, Oct. 11, 2002, at Lackey Hospital.
He is survived by a daughter, Pam Breedlove, of Sebastopol; a sister, Allie Manus, of Lansdale, Pa.; five grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, one great-great grandchild and a number of nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Sally Kate Ellis Dennis, and two sons, Otho D. Dennis and Jimmie Dale Dennis.
Pallbearers will be David Breedlove, Joe Breedlove, Josh Breedlove, Scott Breedlove, Jimmy Dennis, Brent Madden, Michael Madden, Eric Madden and Jimmy Mathis.
CLAUDE "CONNIE" M. BELVIN
Retired city employee and heavy equipment operator
Services for Claude "Connie" M. Belvin will be held Monday at 10 a.m. at Barham Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Frankie Boyette officiating. Burial will be in Forest Lawn Cemetery.
Mr. Belvin, 86, of Meridian, died Saturday, Oct. 12, 2002, at Rush Foundation Hospital.
Survivors include four sons, Alan Belvin, Richard Belvin, and his wife, Deborah, and Chris Belvin, and his wife, Monica, all of Meridian, and Terry Belvin and his wife, Gail, of Baton Rouge, La.; three sisters, Leola C. Knight, Della McAllister and Janis DuFour, all of Meridian; a brother, George M. Belvin, of Meridian; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Louise O. Belvin, his parents, George H. and Hattie Campbell Belvin, a sister, Estelle Hayes, two brothers, Walter L. Belvin and Edward E. Belvin.
Pallbearers will be Dan Check, Robert Trout, Mark Ward, Phillip Ward, Tom Alsobrooks and Terry Haskin.
Visitation will be today from 4 p.m.-6 p.m. at the funeral home.
RUBY LEE ALLDAY CRANE
Homemaker
NEWTON Services for Ruby Lee Allday Crane will be held Monday at 11 a.m. at Liberty Baptist Church with the Revs. Marcus Moore and J.B. Costilow officiating. Burial will be in Liberty Baptist Church Cemetery. James F. Webb Funeral Home of Newton is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Crane, 90, of Byram, died Friday, Oct. 11, 2002, at Willow Creek Nursing Home in Byram. She was a member of Liberty Baptist Church, loved sewing, cross stitching, embroidering, quilting and cooking for her family and friends.
Survivors include her two daughters, Ruby Jean Hawkins, of Byram, and Emma Irene Crane Smith, of Houston, Texas; a son, William T. Crane, of Terry; three sisters, Nila Myers, of Byram, Margie Buck, of Brandon, and Lucile Mills, of Sturgis; 14 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Thomas and Emma Lee Williams Allday, a daughter, Sherry Pierce and a son, Johnny Crane.
Pallbearers will be her grandsons.
Visitation will be today from 5 p.m.-7 p.m. at the funeral home and Monday from 10:30 a.m. until the time of the service at the church.
CLAUDE SCOTT BAILEY
Services for Claude Scott Bailey will be held Monday at 11:30 a.m. at Barham Chapel with the Rev. Jimmy Harrison officiating. Burial will be in Magnolia Cemetery. Barham Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Bailey, 96, of Meridian, died Saturday, Oct. 12, 2002, at his home. He was born Sept. 28, 1906, in Bailey and moved to Marion when he was four years old. He attended Marion and Meridian public schools and graduated from Meridian High School in 1924. After graduating from high school, Bailey was a clerk in his father's general mercantile store, the Marion post office and The Great Southern Hotel in Meridian. In 1928, he entered the finance and loan business with Morgan Plan Company, which later merged with White System of Meridian, Inc. where he served as president since 1937.
He was a member of Central United Methodist Church and served as former president of the Baraca Sunday School Class. He was a member and former president of the Meridian Rotary Club, a member of the Meridian Library Board of Trustees, former director of King's Daughters and Sons Rest Home, chairman of the Mississippi Chapter DeMolay Advisory Board, an honorary life member of DeMolay Legion of Honor and also invested with the DeMolay Cross of Honor.
In 1932, he was made a master mason in Marion Lodge #62. He was a member and worker in both the York Rite and Scottish Rite Bodies of Meridian, serving as head of all Scottish Rite Bodies. On Oct. 21, 1955, in Washington D.C., he was coronated an Honorary 33rd Degree Mason. In 1967, he was named by then-Sovereign Grand Commander, Luther A. Smith, to serve as his personal representative as Sovereign Grand Inspector General in Mississippi. Then he was named deputy by Supreme Council in 1973. He served as Sovereign Grand Inspector General for the state of Mississippi from 1975-1986, which includes being a part of the Supreme Council 33rd Degree Scottish Rite Masonry, Southern Jurisdiction USA.
Mr. Bailey was a past Potentate of the Hamasa Shrine Temple, former-president of the Southeastern Shrine Association, former-director Meridian Court Royal Order of Jesters #147, and a member of the Red Cross of Constantine.
Survivors include his wife of 69 years, Mary Pauline McRoy Bailey; a son, Claude Scott Bailey, Jr., and his wife, Kay, all of Meridian; a sister, Maybelle Baxter, of Marion; two grandchildren, Mary Katherine Bryan, and her husband, Walter, of Madison, and Claude Scott Bailey, III, and his wife Renee, of Meridian; three great-grandchildren, Ashley Katherine Bryan and Bailey Michelle Bryan, of Madison, and Shelton Scott Bailey, of Meridian.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Samuel Monroe Bailey and Mabel Pigford Bailey; two brothers, Samuel Monroe Bailey, Jr., and Cecil Bernard Bailey.
Memorials may be made to Hope Village for Children, 2414 23rd Ave., Meridian, MS 39301, or a favorite charity.
Pallbearers will be Robert E. Parker, Walter A. Bryan, Jr., Terry W. White, Russell L. Brown, Glynn Beasely and Jim Donahue.
Visitation will be today from 5 p.m.-7 p.m. at the funeral home.