Obituaries for Saturday, April 17, 2004

By Staff
Services for Christer Bell Wilson Rush will be held today at noon at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in DeKalb with the Rev. Albert Johnson officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Clark's Memorial Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Rush, 90, of DeKalb, died Tuesday, April 13, 2004, at Riley Nursing Center. She joined Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church in rural Kemper County when she was only 11 years old. For more than 55 years she served as president of the missionary society.
She married Leslie Rush in 1934 and were together for more than 50 years until his death. Although they were not blessed with children, but contributed in the raising of four young cousins. They raised three of them as their own and a fourth cousin died at the young age of nine.
They farmed corn, cotton, hogs, peas and beans. Mrs. Rush was an active member of the East Mississippi Baptist State Convention and served as president of the Second New Hope Women's Convention for four decades. She was elected under Mrs. Coats, then she served under Mrs. Armstrong and Mrs. M.J. Willis. She traveled from the East coast to the West coast, attending conventions.
She served in many activities in her church and community, including the National Baptist Convention U.S.A., East Mississippi Baptist State for Women Convention and was president emeritus; the Second New Hope District Congress of Christian Education and East Mississippi State Congress Christian Education; the J.L. Webb High Court Jurisdiction of Mississippi and was the matron of her court. She was a Sunday school teacher, home mission, red circle, and was active in the HBA Lodge No. 54.
Survivors include a sister, Hallie Mae Johnson of Pontiac, Mich.; two foster children, Eargatine Anderson Perdue of Los Angeles and Gracie B. Anderson Owens of Realito, Calif.; godchildren, Marvin Butler and his wife, Clara, George Butler of Meridian; Floyd Butler and his wife, Rag, and Mary Coker of Chicago and N. Frances Turner of California.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Willie and Leona C. Wilson; her husband, and five sisters and five brothers.
Pallbearers will be the Revs. Robert Coats, Jimmy Burton, Weldon Short, Edward Holliday, Van C. Williams and Jarvis Towner. Honorary pallbearers will be the Revs. William C. Brown, Timothy Graham, Bennie Hopkins Sr. and C.L. Walk; members of Second New Hope District Congress for Education; members of East Mississippi State Congress for Christian Education; the J.L. Webb High Court Jurisdiction, HBA Lodge No. 54 and members of Red Circle. Flower bearers will be members of the East Mississippi Baptist State for Womens Convention.
Visitation will be today two hours prior to the service at the church.
Services for Billy Odell Todd will be held today at 1:30 p.m. at James F. Webb Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will be in Magnolia Cemetery.
Mr. Todd, 63, of Meridian, died Thursday, April 15, 2004, in his home. He was an honorary member of the Willie Neal Sunday School Class and a member of New Hope Baptist Church. He was a 32nd Degree Mason and a York and Scottish Rite Shriner.
Survivors include his wife, Hilda Ruth Todd, of Meridian; a special niece, Ashley Cofield of Meridian; his step mother, Edith Todd Jordan of Gilbertown, Ala.; four brothers, John T. "Tommy" Todd and Rodney Todd, both of Meridian, Pete Ward and Ralph Todd, both of Gilbertown; six sisters, Hilda Booth, Lura Lee and Margaret Bradford, all of Meridian, Ruthie Atchley of Biloxi, and Martha Clark and Penny Lee, both of Gilbertown; a special brother-in-law, Billy Ray Goodman; and special sisters-in-law, Carolyn Goodman and Martha Mann.
He was preceded in death by his father, Buddy Odell Todd; his mother, Helen Todd Fitzpatrick; a sister, Linda Sue Todd; and a brother, Robert Earl Todd.
Pallbearers will be Paul E. Worthy, Russell A. Lee, Doug Todd, Billy Ray Goodman Jr., Will Clark, James Ivy, Keith Clark and Roy Hurst.
Honorary pallbearers will be members of Willie Neal Sunday School class.
Graveside services for Rebecca N. Cooley will be held today at 3 p.m. at Rose Hill Cemetery with the Rev. Richard Robbins officiating. Stephens Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Cooley, 82, of Meridian, died, Friday, April 16, 2004 at Riley Hospital.
Survivors include her sons, Charles K. Kopf and his wife, Glenda, of Meridian and Donald Ketchum and his wife, Christy, of Woodland, Mich.; five grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband Warnie Cooley, and a son, Gary Ketchum.
Visitation will be held today two hours prior to the service at the funeral home.