Obituaries for Wednesday, August 4, 2004

By Staff
NEWTON Services for Ellis E. Chance Sr. were held Monday at 11 a.m. at James F. Webb Funeral Home Chapel, with Drs. Frank Harmon and Leroy Brewer officiating. Burial was in Newton County Memorial Gardens.
Mr. Chance, 96, of Newton, died Friday, July 30, 2004, at Newton Regional Hospital. He was owner and pharmacist of McBeath Drug Store for nearly 30 years, and had previously worked for Standard Drug Company in Meridian for 30 years.
He grew up in Jefferson Davis County near Prentiss. After obtaining his high school diploma, he graduated from the University of Tennessee School of Pharmacy where he obtained high honors. He worked his way through college during the Great Depression. He obtained a multitude of honors in pharmacy and civic activities throughout his lifetime. He was an active member of First Baptist Church in Newton for 40 years. He served as a deacon and Sunday School superintendent for the intermediate department for many of those years. His love and devotion for God gave him great strength and his faith was his guiding light.
Survivors include his wife of 54 years, Loyette Dorrill Chance; sons, Ellis Earl Chance Jr. of Ft. Myers, Fla., Paul A. Chance and his wife Nita of Newton and Dr. Rickey L. Chance of Ocean Springs; a sister, Mary Margaret Hudson of Ashland, Ky.; and four grandchildren, Christina, Justin, Laura and Ethan Chance.
He was preceded in death by his father, Jesse Jack Chance; his mother, Mary Yates Chance; his first wife, Ethel Branton Chance, who died of cancer at a young age; two sons, John Dorrill Chance and Milton Lamar Chance; and 10 brothers and sisters.
Pallbearers were Billy Houston, Rusty McMillian, Michael Ledlow, Leslie Phillips, Mike Strebeck and Bill May.
PHILADELPHIA Graveside services for Margaret Branning Jones will be held today at 2 p.m. at Bluff Springs Baptist Cemetery in Kemper County, with the Revs. Joey Everett and Robert Higginbotham officiating. John E. Stephens Funeral Services is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Jones, 85, of DeKalb, died Monday, Aug. 2, 2004, at a family member's home.
Survivors include her son, Roger D. Jones and his wife Sandra of DeKalb; a daughter-in-law, Dorothy Jones of DeKalb and one grandchild.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Willie Jones, in 1973.
PHILADELPHIA Services for Sue Melton will be held today at 3 p.m. at McClain-Hays Funeral Service Chapel. Burial will be in Old Pearl Valley Cemetery in Neshoba County.
Mrs. Melton, 85, of Philadelphia, died Monday, Aug. 2, 2004, at Neshoba County General Hospital. She was retired from U.S. Motors.
Survivors include her daughters, Martha McElhenney of Decatur and Linda Waites of Memphis, Tenn.; sons, Sammy Melton and Rickey Melton, both of Philadelphia; seven grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren and a sister, Cora Letha Myers of Philadelphia.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Buster Melton, in 1990.
DEKALB Services for Danny "Gucci" Rush will be held Friday at 11:30 a.m. at New Hope United Methodist Church, with the Rev. Wayne Bass officiating. Burial will be in Beulah Church Cemetery. E.E. McDonald Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Rush, 25, of DeKalb, died Sunday, Aug. 1, 2004, in DeKalb.
Survivors include his children, Jaylan Rush, Quardrekies Clemons and Jamaris Rush, all of Preston; his parents, Dorothy Dawson and Berlyn G. Clark Sr., both of DeKalb; brothers, DeWayne Rush and his wife Leslie of Meridian and Berlyn G. Clark Jr. and his wife April of DeKalb; sisters, Shirley Hampton and her husband Tracy of Meridian and Verlin D. Hamlett of Flint, Mich.; a grandmother, Lillie Thomas of DeKalb; aunts, uncles and several nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by a brother.
Visitation will be Thursday from 6 p.m.-7 p.m. at the funeral home.
Services for Irving J. Eadie will be held Saturday at 1 p.m. at Clark's Memorial Funeral Home Chapel, with the Rev. James Granger officiating. Burial will be in Salem Cemetery in Kewanee.
Mr. Eadie, 49, of Meridian, died Saturday, July 31, 2004, at Rush Foundation Hospital.
Survivors include his wife, Carmelita Eadie of New Orleans, La.; sons, Sgt. Irvin Eadie of Baghdad and Eugene Eadie of Meridian; daughters, Kisha Eadie of Meridian and Shea Eadie of Sandusky, Ohio; a sister, Jacqueline Eadie and her husband Judge Newell of Meridian; and five grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Eugene and Nisher Eadie.
Visitation will be Friday from 7 p.m.-8 p.m. at the funeral home.
DEKALB Services for George Bester will be held Saturday at 2 p.m. at Mt. Arrat Baptist Church in Scooba, with the Rev. Marcus Lawrence officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery. E.E. McDonald Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Bester, 61, of Scooba, died Friday, July 30, 2004, at his home.
Survivors include his mother, Idell Terry of Scooba; his children, Annie Jenkins, Robert Robertson and Albert Robertson and his wife Joycelyn, all of Scooba, and Mae Rose Jason and her husband Bryan of New Orleans, La.; 12 grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; sisters, Nannie Mae Bester and Roberta Bester, both of Cleveland, Ohio, and Ruth Robertson and Berminvera Bester, both of Shuqualak; brothers, Johnny Bester and David Bester, both of Scooba, and Robert Bester and Joe Lee Bester, both of Shuqualak; and aunts, uncles, other relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by his father.
Visitation will be Saturday one hour prior to the service at the church.