Obituaries for Wednesday, June 25, 2003

By Staff
She was preceded in death by her husband, Thomas Ward; her parents, Hence and Connie Ausbrooks; and three children.
Visitation will be today 4 p.m.-7 p.m. at the funeral home and one hour prior to the service at the church.
Retired school teacher
Services for Esther D. Chisholm will be held Thursday at 1:30 p.m. at James F. Webb Funeral Home Chapel with the Revs. Reid Whittington and David Manasco officiating. Burial will be in Magnolia Cemetery.
Mrs. Chisholm, 83, of Meridian, died Tuesday, June 24, 2003, at R.P. White Nursing Home.
Survivors include her daughter, Vanessa Duett and her husband, Benny, of Meridian; grandchildren, Taletha T. Swearingen and her husband, Scott, of Meridian, Tammara Kennedy and her husband, Eric, of Union; great-grandchildren, Loren Kennedy, Brandon Kennedy, Kristen Kennedy, Karli Swearingen and Bailey Swearingen; brothers, Johnnie Donald of Vidalia, La., and Russell Donald of Eight Mile, Ala.; and a sister-in-law, Ophelia Donald of Meridian.
Visitation will be Thursday beginning at noon at the funeral home.
Retired
Graveside services for Retha S. Ashley will be held Thursday at 3 p.m. at Magnolia Cemetery with the Rev. Taylor Wallace officiating. James F. Webb Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Ashley, 93, of Meridian, died Tuesday, June 24, 2003, at Riley Nursing Center. She was a buyer for Mark's Rothenburg and a member of Mt. Vernon Baptist Church.
Survivors include her sons, Joe C. Nicholson and his wife, Nora, of Meridian and Roy Russell and his wife, Julia, of Houston, Texas; six grandchildren, Donna Sanders, Stacy Nicholson, and Sabe Nicholson, all of Meridian, Jo Williams of Augusta, Ga., Retha Guter of Lucedale and Melissa Russell of Atlanta.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Richard Ashley.
Pallbearers will be her grandsons.
Visitation will be today at 5 p.m.-7 p.m. at the funeral home.
Services for Jerry Hill will be held Saturday at 2 p.m. at Fifth Street Baptist Church with the Rev. William C. Brown officiating. Burial will be at Pack Cemetery in Kewanee. Clark's Memorial Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Hill, 81, of Meridian, died Tuesday, June 24, 2003, at Heartfelt Hospice.
Survivors include his sons, Jessie Hill of New Orleans, Joe Hill of Choctaw, Ala., and Jerry Hill of Meridian; daughters, Sadie Williams of Cuba, Ala., Sallie Clayton and Mary Wilson, both of Meridian, and Pauline Lake of Cuba.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Bracie DuBose and Jerry Hill Sr.
Visitation will be Friday 6 p.m.-7 p.m. at the funeral home.
Retired
Services for Gertrude P. King will be held Sunday at 2 p.m. at Fellowship Baptist Church in Enterprise with the Rev. Anthony Brown officiating. Burial will be in Musgrove Cemetery. Clark's Memorial Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. King, 50, of Meridian, died Friday, June 20, 2003, at Riley Hospital.
Survivors include her special friend of 30 years, Freeman Middlebrooks of Meridian; a daughter, Rosemarie King of Chicago, Ill.; brothers, Henry King and Ossie Thomas, both of Lauderdale, Fred King, Walter Thomas and Willie Thomas, all of Enterprise, and David Thomas of Quitman; and a sister, Edna Toole of Enterprise.
She was preceded in death by her father, Henry King.
Visitation will be Saturday 7 p.m.-8 p.m. at the funeral home.
Retired carpenter
QUITMAN Services for Ernest Benton Goodman Sr. were held Tuesday at 2 p.m. at New Hope Baptist Church with the Revs. Jimmy Sanders and Chris Winkleman officiating. Burial was in the New Hope Cemetery in Meridian. Wright's Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Goodman, 87, of Meridian, died Sunday, June 22, 2003, in his home.
Survivors include his wife, Lucille Goodman of Meridian; sons, Ernest Goodman Jr. of Vernon, Ala., Granveil Goodman and Unrue Goodman, both of Meridian; daughters, Kay Shipe of Lovettsville, Va., and Caren Davis of Bassfield; a sister, Marie Vick of DeKalb; nine grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Retired
Services for Earline Pearson were held Monday at 11 a.m. at Long Pilgrim Baptist Church in Forest with the Rev. George Dawson officiating. Burial was in the church cemetery. Clark's Memorial Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Pearson, 87, of Meridian, died Thursday, June 19, 2003, at Rush Foundation Hospital.
Survivors include her nieces, Saretha Pearson of Meridian, Shirley Little of Meridian, Arlillian Wooden and Patsy Wooden of Indianapolis and Pamela Wooden of Chicago; nephews, Cecil Reed, Odell Wooden Jr. and Keith Wooden, all of Indianapolis.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Levi Pearson; and her parents, Ollie Luckett and Carrie Coleman.
Memorial services for Gaye King were held June 20.
Mrs. King, 68, of DeFuniak Springs, Fla., died Thursday, June 19, 2003, in Fort Walton Beach, Fla.
Survivors include her husband, Melvin King of DeFuniak Springs; children, Teri Dean of Meridian, Lee Brittan of DeMoines, Iowa, Ray King of Philadelphia, Barbara Marell of Destin, Fla., Cathy Posey of Meridian and the Rev. David King of DeFuniak; 18 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; and a sister, Mary Helen Cryer of Phoenix.
Arrangements were incomplete at Clark's Memorial Funeral Home for Lillian Griggs, 77, of Meridian, who died Tuesday, June 24, 2003, at Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center.