Archives
 By  Staff Reports Published 
4:36 pm Sunday, January 12, 2003

Obituaries for Sunday, Jan. 12, 2003

By Staff
LOU CARLISLE
Retired
SOUTHAVEN Services for Lou Carlisle will be held today at 2 p.m. at Twin Oaks Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will be in Twin Oaks Cemetery.
Mrs. Carlisle, 67, of Southaven, died Thursday, Jan. 9, 2003, at Baptist Hospital in DeSoto. She was a retired office manager for Shelby Electric in Memphis, Tenn.
Survivors include her husband of 49 years, Bob Carlisle of Southaven; a daughter, Gayle Hamblin of Horn Lake; sons, Steve Carlisle of Meridian and Gene Carlisle of Senatobia; her mother, Caroline Rowell of Meridian; sisters, Ida Mae Riley of Mendenhall and Elizabeth Plowman of Meridian; a brother, Jimmie Rowell of Meridian; eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
ERNEST ERASTUS SMITH
Truck driver for Freight Line
BUTLER, Ala. Services for Ernest Erastus Smith will be held today at 3 p.m. at Bumpers Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Scottie Fulcher officiating. Burial will be in Butler City Cemetery.
Mr. Smith, 89, of Butler, died Friday, Jan. 10, 2003, at Guardian Angel Hospice.
Survivors include his wife, Mary Smith, a son, Charles Q. Smith, both of Butler, sisters, Kate Banks, of Panama City, Fla. and Lillian Deloach of Reynolds, Ga.; two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be today one hour prior to the services at the funeral home.
WILLIAM ROGER SMITH
YORK, Ala. Services for William Roger Smith will be held Monday at 11 a.m. at Bethel First Presbyterian Church. Burial will be in Central Cemetery with Bumpers Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Smith, 84, of the Sumterville Community, died Friday, Jan. 10, 2003, at Riley Hospital.
Survivors include his wife, Eugenia "Genie" Smith of Sumterville; sons, William Roger Smith Jr. and his wife, Sandra, of Greenville, Tenn., and Simon Jack Smith and his wife, Kim, of York,; daughters, Kathy Smith Rauls of Sumterville, Eugenia Smith Brachin and her husband, Barry, of Faunsdale and Betty Smith Brannon and her husband, Faris, of Frostproof, Fla.; 11 grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to Bethel First Presbyterian Church of Epes, Ala.
Visitation will be held today from 5 p.m.- 7 p.m. at the funeral home.
FRANCES STURGES LIDE
Meridian Housing Authority employee
Services for Frances Sturges Lide will be held Monday at 11 a.m. at St. Pauls Episcopal Church with the Revs. Duncan Gray and Edward O'Conner officiating. Burial will be in Magnolia Cemetery. James F. Webb Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Lide, 94, of Meridian, died Friday, Jan. 10, 2003, at Beverly Healthcare Center. She worked for Meridian Housing Authority for 20 years and was a member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church for more than 70 years. She graduated from Meridian High School and attended Mississippi State College for Women in Columbus.
Survivors include her sons, Brooks Lide and his wife, Cary M., of Atlanta, Doug Frances Terry Lide of Washington, DC; grandchildren, Brooks S. Lide III and his wife, Connie, Caroline Lide Ketchum and her husband, Kerry, William M. Lide, Courtney Lide Dickey and husband, William, and four great-grandchildren, all of Atlanta; a sister, Elizabeth McRae of Marianna, Fla.; and several nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Brooks Smith Lide; her parents, Wilton Sturges and Frances Terry Sturges; sisters, Alice Sturges and Jane Carter; a brother, Wilton Sturges Jr.
Memorials may be made to St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 1116 23rd Avenue, Meridian.
Visitation will be Monday one hour prior to the services at the church.
O. JACK COMBEST SR.
Retired
Services for O. Jack Combest Sr. will be held Monday at 1 p.m. at Barham Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Hugh Poole officiating. Burial will be in Forest Lawn Cemetery.
Mr. Combest, 75, of Meridian, died Saturday, Jan. 11, 2003, in his home. He was retired from U.S. Steel and Rush Foundation Hospital security. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army and served in the Korean War and was a member of Rose Hill United Methodist Church.
Survivors include his wife, Janis H. Combest; children, Jack Combest and his wife, Lynn, all of Meridian, and Jenny McDaniel of Collinsville; a granddaughter, Joely McDaniel; sisters, Mary Massingill and her husband, Joe, of Opelika, Ala., Martha Broadhead and her husband, Norris of Meridian, Nell Finnigan and her husband, J.A., of Rose Hill, Joyce Thompson of Birmingham, Ala., Diane Hudnall and her husband, Wally, of Meridian; a sister-in-law, Jackie Liddle of Meridian and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, William Addis Combest and Mary Combest.
Pallbearers will be John Finnegan, Mike Finnegan, Nick Finnegan, Darryl Combest, Sammy Broadhead and Aaron Davidson. Honorary pallbearers will be John Burnett, Willie Mosely, Haskel Smith and Erbie Usrey.
Visitation will be today from 5 p.m.- 8 p.m. at the funeral home.

Also on Franklin County Times
Phil Campbell High School dismisses early due to water leak
News, Phil Campbell, Phil Campbell Bobcats
By Brady Petree For the FCT 
February 2, 2026
PHIL CAMPBELL – Student and faculty were sent home early Monday morning as a result of the high school facilities being without water. A post to the o...
Rural hospitals face challenges: New state tax credit could help
Main, News, Russellville, ...
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
January 28, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — Franklin County’s two hospitals face the same financial pressures confronting rural health care across Alabama even as they remain esse...
Phil Campbell gets ‘clean opinion’ on audit
Main, News, Phil Campbell, ...
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
January 28, 2026
PHIL CAMPBELL — Certified public accountant Don Wallace told town council members on Jan. 20 there were no problems with this year’s audit. “This is w...
MLK’s legacy: Blueprint we must follow
Main, News, Russellville, ...
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
January 28, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — Rev. Bennie “B.J.” Bonner stood before an audience gathered Jan. 19 for the Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration March and described ho...
Elementary students begin Super Citizen program
News, Russellville
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
January 28, 2026
Second and third graders from West Elementary and Russellville Elementary began Liberty Learning Foundation’s Super Citizen program during an event ki...
Book Lovers Study Club explores tea’s role in history
Columnists, News, Opinion
HERE AND NOW
January 28, 2026
Our Book Lovers Study Club’s January meeting highlighted both the Boston Tea Party boycott of English tea and the traditions of afternoon tea. One of ...
Moving from excuses to action in 1 year
Columnists, Opinion
January 28, 2026
In just 12 months, the Trump administration has delivered real results that Americans can see in their daily lives by restoring law and order at our b...
Higgins hired as RHS football coach
High School Sports, Russellville Golden Tigers, Sports
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
January 28, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — Darrell Higgins has been hired as the new head football coach at Russellville High School. His hiring was announced Saturday following ...

Leave a Reply

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