Obituaries – Feb. 7, 2008
Irene Key Bell
WATER VALLEY: Irene Key Bell, 51, of Water Valley died Wednesday, January 29, 2008, at her home in Water Valley.
She was born January 18, 1957, a daughter of the late John Henry and Ruby Covington Key. Mrs. Bell was a homemaker and a Jehovah’s Witness.
The graveside service was held in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Water Valley at eleven o’clock in the morning Saturday, February 2. Seven Oaks Funeral Home, Inc. had charge of arrangements.
Survivors include: a daughter, Felicia Key of Oxford; a sister, Ruby Lynn Carthon of North Carolina; a brother, John Henry Key, Jr. (Annie Lee) of Oxford; four grandchildren; 2 nieces, a nephew, a host of other relatives and friends.
Vanessa Benson
MEMPHIS: Ms. Vanessa Benson was born April 27, 1976, to Viola and Arther Benson in Memphis. She departed this life on January 23, 2008, at her home, after a lifetime battle with Sickle Cell Disease.
She was preceded in death by: her daughter, Kenesha Benson of Memphis; her grandparents, Kitt and Emma Benson of Water Valley; and a brother, Michael Benson, also of Water Valley.
She will be lovingly remembered by: her parents, Arther Benson, father; Viola Hyde, mother; step-father, Melvin Hyde; a brother, Preston Carter; a sister, Christine Taylor-Futrell, and a brother-in-law, J. R. Futrell; one niece; four nephews; her grandmother, Vermeda Walton; and a host of aunts, uncles, cousins, loved one, and friends.
The funeral service was held Monday, January 28, in Edwards Funeral Home at Memphis. Burial was in New Park Cemetery, also in Memphis.
Sarah Coleman
WATER VALLEY: Sarah Coleman, age 67, of Water Valley, died Sunday, February 3, 2008, at her home.
Mrs. Coleman was a retired retail clerk. She was a member of Hopewell Baptist Church.
The funeral service will be held at two o’clock in the afternoon Wednesday, February 6, in Hopewell Baptist Church, near Water Valley, with Bro. Rick Glidewell officiating. Burial will be in St. Peter’s Cemetery in Oxford. National Funeral Home of Grenada has charge of arrangements.
Survivors include: her husband, Luther Coleman of Water Valley; a daughter, Janna Carpenter of Oxford; two sons, David Roy Harrison of Lake Forrest, and David Tidwell of Oxford; her mother Hope Stroud of Water Valley; and five grandchildren.
Rev. Robert Eugene Moffett
WATER VALLEY: Rev. Robert Eugene Moffett, 77, died Sunday, February 3, 2008, in Baptist Memorial Hospital at Oxford. He was a resident of Graceland Care Center in Oxford at the time of his death.
He was born October 22, 1930, to Robert Ezra and Alma Tindall Moffett in Clark County. Rev. Moffett was retired after serving for 38 years as a Baptist Minister. He was a member of Cornerstone Church of Water Valley, where his son serves as the pastor.
Visitation will be Wednesday, February 6, from 6 to 8 p.m. in Seven Oaks Funeral Home at Water Valley. A graveside service will be held Thursday, February 7, at ten o’clock in the morning in Pinecrest Cemetery in Yalobusha County, with Rev. R. W. Moffett and Bro. Lee Hoop officiating.
Survivors include: a son, Rev. R. W. Moffett of Water Valley; three grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by: his wife, Maggie Doris Moffett; a daughter, Doris Moffett Lafferty; a sister, Jewell Mofett Turner; and his parents.
Martha LeClaire Parsons Scarbrough
WATER VALLEY: Martha LeClaire Parsons Scarbrough, 84, of Ridgeland, died Thursday, January 31, 2008, at Select Specialty Hospital in Jackson.
Born May 3, 1923, Mrs. Scarbrough was a daughter of the late Oscar T. and Mabel Irene Fulmer Parsons, Sr. She was the widow of Thomas Hudson Scarbrough. Martha Lee was a born-again Christian. Until 2002, when she moved to be near her children in the Jackson area, she attended First United Methodist Church in Water Valley, where she held various responsibilities throughout her life, namely in women’s work, music, and children’s work. She taught 10-12 year olds in Sunday School for 18 years.
The funeral service was held in the Henry Chapel of Seven Oaks Funeral Home at three o’clock in the afternoon Sunday, February 3, with Rev. Billy Ray Stonestreet, Rev. Barry Dickerson, and Rev. Bryan Scarbrough officiating. Burial followed in Oak Hill Cemetery with Michael A. Scarbrough, B. Scott Sartor, John T. Scarbrough, Brian H. Sartor, Brad T. Sartor, O. Darryl Waltman, Daniel H. Scarbrough, and R. Jeffrey Sartor serving as pallbearers.
Mrs. Scarbrough is survived by: a daughter, Paula Katherine Scarbrough Sartor and her husband, Michael Gary “Mike” Sartor of Clinton; a son, Ronald Lee Scarbrough, and his wife, Mary Elizabeth “Betty” Hardin Scarbrough of Jackson; eight grandchildren; and 16 great-grandchildren.
Mrs. Scarbrough was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Thomas Hudson Scarbrough, a great-grandson, Thomas Hudson Scarbrough, who bore his great-grandfather’s name, and a brother, Oscar Parsons, Jr.
Memorials may be made to the First United Methodist Church in Water Valley or to The Gideons International.
Marie Hunter Walker
WATER VALLEY: Marie Hunter Walker, 91, of Water Valley, died Monday, January 28, 2008, in Yalobusha General Hospital at Water Valley.
She was born October 10, 1916, to the late Grafton Penson and Marinda Holt Hunter. Mrs. Walker was a retired beautician, who had worked for 27 years. She was a Pink Lady for 20 years, was a member of the Order of Eastern Star, and a member of Sylva Rena Baptist Church.
The funeral service was held at one o’clock in the afternoon Friday, February 1, in Sylva Rena Baptist Church, with Bro. James West and Bro. Calvin Miller presiding. The committal was in Bethlehem Cemetery in the Velma Community in Yalobusha County. Pallbearers were Dale Wilbourn, Howard Barton, Richard Sumner, Travis Brooks, Lee Pullen, Willie Pullen, Jack Biggers, and David Beckwith. Grayson Walker Beckwith was an honorary pallbearer. Seven Oaks Funeral Home of Water Valley had charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Walker is survived by a brother, Percy Hunter of Coldwater.
Along with her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Cecil Walker, on August 31, 2002; a sister, Geneva Muirhead; and two brothers, Leroy Edwin Hunter and Thomas Crow Hunter.