Obituaries for Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2003

By Staff
Retired
HOUSTON, Texas Memorial services for Lamar Snowden will be held Friday at 2 p.m. at Grace Presbyterian Church with the Rev. Dave McKechnie officiating. Burial will be in Forest Park Westheimer Cemetery. Forest Park Westheimer Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Snowden, 88, of Houston, died Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2003,in his home. He was born Jan. 5, 1915 in Duffee and was raised in Collinsville. He was married to Chrystine Freeman Snowden from Meridian for more than 65 years. After junior college, he began working for Swift and Company in its cottonseed oil division and remained with the company for more than 27 years. He moved his family to Houston, Texas in 1960 and worked with W.H. Nigh and Company, for several years until he became an independent feed and grain dealer. He retired in 1989. He was a member of Grace Presbyterian Church since it was founded, served as elder, then was named Elder Emeritus.
Survivors include his wife, Chrystine Freeman Snowden; children, Gerry Snowden of Sugar Land, Texas and Suzy Keller of College Station, Texas; grandchildren, Kenny Keller, Kathryn Buntyn, Alicia Newton, Jennifer Snowden; and great-grandsons, Kyler and Kavin Keller; siblings, Jim Snowden, Norman Snowden, Bernice Lea and Charlotte Rhodes.
Memorials may be made to Grace Presbyterian Church building fund or a charity of choice.
Visitation will be Thursday, 7 p.m.-9 p.m. at the funeral home.
Owner of Landmark Motel
ELK RIVER, Minn. Services for James D. "Don" Edwards will be held Saturday at 11:30 a.m. at James F. Webb Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery. Dare's Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Edwards, 56, of Elk River, Minn., died Sunday, Aug. 17, 2003, at North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale, Minn. He was born and raised in Meridian. He served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam, where he received three Purple Hearts. His career was spent in the electrical field, (working out of Local Union 917-IBEW) where he traveled various areas of the United States. While working on a project in Minnesota (out of Local Union NO. 160-IBEW), he and Brenda became the owner/operator of the Landmark Motel in Elk River. The flag flies at half staff and the wreath hangs in remembrance of a well-loved and much-to-be-missed wonderful man.
Survivors include his wife, Brenda Daffan Edwards of Elk River, Minn.; his parents, Leola Ethridge of Meridian; and James H. and Laura Edwards of Mobile, Ala.; daughters, April Kattawar and her husband, David, of Memphis, Tenn., and Amy Brand and her husband, Mike, of Gulfport; a granddaughter, Addison Raley Brand; step-sons, Michael Daffan and his wife, Brooke, and David Daffan and his wife, Shannon, all of Granberry, Texas; sisters, Jan Olson and her husband, Doug, of Meridian and Laura Lee Wallace and her husband, Chuck, of Mobile; several nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, other relatives and friends.
Visitation will be Friday, 5 p.m.-8 p.m. at the funeral home.
Services for Flora "Sister" Purnell will be held Saturday at 2 p.m. at Enterprise Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Charles Johnson officiating. Burial will be in Sunset Memorial Gardens Cemetery.
Mrs. Purnell, 78, of Meridian, died Sunday, Aug. 17, 2003, in Meridian.
Survivors include her sons, Dennis Purnell and William Purnell Jr.; daughters, Lillie Mae Simmons, Mary Ann Patton, Jo Ann Lockhart, Catha P. Smith, and Rita Purnell; 10 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren, all of Meridian.
She was preceded in death by her husband, William Purnell Sr.
Visitation will be Friday 6 p.m.-7 p.m. at the funeral home.
Arrangements were incomplete at Clark's Memorial Funeral Home for Marlon Maurice Davis, 45, of Meridian, who died Sunday, Aug. 17, 2003, at Rush Foundation Hospital.
Arrangements were incomplete at Barham Funeral Home for William Howard Wilkerson, 80, of Bailey, who died Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2003, in his home.
Arrangements were incomplete at Barham Funeral Home for E.B. Donald, 88, of Marion, who died Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2003, at Heartfelt Hospice.
Arrangements were incomplete at Barham Funeral Home for William Joseph "Joe" Boardman, 41, of Brandon, who died Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2003, in Meehan.