Obituaries – July 24, 2014

Carol Pittman Bell

COFFEEVILLE—Carol Pittman Bell, age 76, of Coffeeville died Monday, July 21, 2014, in Yalobusha General Hospital at Water Valley.
    Born December 28, 1937, in Yalobusha County, Mrs. Bell was a daughter of the late Oscar and Leola Schmitz Pittman. Carol worked for many years as a bookkeeper for the East End Water Association in Coffeeville and as a receptionist for the Hilltop Motel in Grenada. She was a member of Coffeeville Church of Christ and a former member of both The Water Valley Garden Club and the Water Valley Ladies Rook Club. Carol enjoyed reading, cooking and working in her flower garden. She was a devoted mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.
    Visitation will be held Wednesday, July 23, from five until seven p.m. in Seven Oaks Funeral Home at Water Valley.  The funeral will be held at ten o’clock in the morning Thursday, July 24, in the Henry Chapel of the funeral home with Bro. Don Roberson officiating. Burial will follow in the Coffeeville City Cemetery, with Paul Pittman III, Glen Goodwin, Tony Bell, Daniel Bell, Bobby Bell, and Breck Brown as pallbearers. Charles Liles, Elvis Champion, Ben F. Horan, Noel “Pug” Bell, Larry Tritt, and James Warren, Sr. will be honorary pallbearers.
    Survivors include her daughter, Monica LeBlanc (Douglas) of Chesterfield, Va,; a son, Keith Bell (Kim) of Coffeeville; her brother, Ralph Wayne Pittman (Janet) of Williamsburg, Va.; a sister-in-law, Patsy Suratt of Water Valley; three grandchildren, Daniel Bell, Amy Bell, and Bobby Bell; and one great-grandchild.
    In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Bobby Gene Bell, and two brothers, Barry Pittman and Paul Pittman.

Vanqueisha Tierra Rena Carr

OXFORD – Vanqueisha Tierra Rena “Nay” Carr departed this life on July 12, 2014,  at her residence in Oxford.
Services were held at the Water Valley Civic Auditorium, Saturday, July 19 at 11 a.m. with Pastor Mitchell Steen officiating. Visitation was held Friday, July 18, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Seven Oaks Funeral Home in Water Valley.
Nay, as she was affectionately called, was born October 26, 1993 to Velvet (Missy) Carr and the late Walter L. Williams. She confessed hope in Christ at Miles Memorial C.M.E. Church in Water Valley and later joined Sanders Chapel M.B. Church.  She attended Water Valley High School and later went to Northwest Mississippi Community College, where she received her degree as a Certified Nursing Assistant, also receiving a Student of the Year Award.
Survivors include her daughter, Kamya Rena Carr; five sisters,  Latashia, Sequoya, Dearra, Teriah, and Amalarie; five brothers:  Stacy, Demond and Kyntorris, all of Charleston and Corey and Cornelius of Water Valley; grandmothers, Teresa Carr of Water Valley and Catherine Williams of Charleston;  grandfather, Calvin Miller of Charleston;  step-father, Curtis Lewis of Water Valley; 10 aunts; eight uncles and a host great-aunts, great-uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
She was preceded in death by her grandfather, Russell Lee Carr

Annie Ruth Nicholson

WATER VALLEY—Annie Ruth Nicholson died July 11, 2014.
    Born August 29, 1948, in Water Valley,  Mrs. Nicholson was a daughter of  the late John and Louise Simmons. She was later adopted by the late Ollie Judson, Sr. and Bertha Judson. She was also preceded in death by her sister, Mattie Simmons, brothers, John Simmons, Jr., and Willie B. Jones, brothers-in-law, Tyrese Nicholson and Eric Nicholson, her sister-in-law, Patricia Nicholson. She accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior at an early age and was a member of House of Prayer Church of God in Christ in Water Valley.
  Survivors include her husband, Charles Nicholson of Water Valley; three sons, Robert Turner, Jr. of Germantown, Tenn., Tommie Turner (Carla) of Water Valley, Charles D. Turner of Water Valley; sisters, Bernice Judson of Los Angeles, Calif., Frances Moore of Water Valley, Mable Kee (Ulysses) of Water Valley; three brothers, Frank Judson of Chicago, Ollie Judson (Irene) of Water Valley, Melvin Scott (Ella Mae) of Georgia; three grandchildren, Aijah Turner, Shanterian Gaston, and De’Kendrick Gooch, all of Water Valley; her father-in-law, Charles Nicholson, Sr. of Coffeeville; two brothers-in-law, Richard Nicholson of Calif. and Larry Carr of Coffeeville; four sisters-in-law, Linda Jamison, Teresa Dorrough, and Elois Nicholson of Hernando, and Anita Nicholson of Coffeeville.
  The funeral service was held Wednesday, July 16, at 1 p.m. in the House of Prayer Church of God in Christ at Water Valley, with Pastor Lenair Person officiating. Interment was in the Coffeeville City Cemetery with Joe Edward Turner, Bruce Scott, Charles Wright, Jermaine Kee, Sherman Gooch, and Larry D. Turner as pallbearers. Eddie Robinson and Son Funeral Directors was in charge of arrangements.

Harry Leon Russell

BATESVILLE—Harry Leon Russell, age 86, passed away at his home Thursday morning, July 17, 2014.
  The funeral service was held at two o’clock in the afternoon Monday, July 21, in Central Academy Church of Christ, Batesville, with Mr. Ed Casteel officiating. Burial followed in Mt. Olivet Methodist Church Cemetery, with James Russell, Ronnie Runnels, Dean Hollowell, Mike Moore, Blane Joyner and Maffett Pound as pallbearers.
    Born July 28, 1928, in Lafayette County, Mr. Russell was a son of the late Effie Tennessee Buchanan Russell and Edgar Earnest Russell, Sr. He was a member of Central Academy Church of Christ. Mr. Harry served his country in the United States Army Reserves. He spent his entire live as a commercial fisherman. Although  he was an avid hunter and outdoorsman, he was also an animal lover. He contributed to St. Jude Research Hospital and Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. The family ask that anyone wishing to make memorial donations to please direct them to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny  Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, or Central Academy Church of Christ, 2580 Central Academy Road, Batesville, MS 38606.
  Survivors include his wife of 63 years, Mary Quay Tidwell Russell. He was the loving father of the late Carol Ann Russell, Vickie Russell Runnels (Ricky), and Tonya Nichole Russell Shultice (Wesley).  He leaves four grandchildren, Danielle Runnels Moore, Rayna Runnels Sharpe, Ava Quay Shultice and Alivia Jolee Shultice; two great-grandsons; three brothers, Billy Russell (Betty), Gladden Russell (Annis) of Batesville, Joe M. Russell of Water Valley; and one sister, Ethel Russell French (Eugene) of Memphis.

Betty Ruth Sigler

POPLARVILLE – Betty Ruth Sigler, age 76, passed away at Pearl River County Nursing Center in Poplarville on Tuesday, July 15.
Betty, a Chickasaw County native, was a homemaker. She was a member of the First Assembly of God Church in Water Valley.
 Services were held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, July 15, at the Colonial Chapel Funeral Home in Mount Olive with interment at Grace Fellowship Church Cemetery. Rev. Clay Ingram officiated and music was provided by Kayla Smith.
Pallbearers were her grandsons, Nathan Eubanks, Brian Sprayberry, Randy Sullivan, Adam Sullivan, Michael Bock and Tyler Eubanks. Honorary pallbearers were Jim Eubanks, David Sullivan and Mark Smith.
She was preceded in death by her father, Homer Floyd Goodwin; her husband, Lee (Happy) Sigler; one son, Michael Sprayberry; one sister, Jewel Burke; and two brothers, Thomas Goodwin and Doyle Goodwin.
Survivors include her mother, Opal Blancett Goodwin of Water Valley; two daughters, Deborah S. Eubanks (Jim) of Jackson and Linda Sullivan (David) of Poplarville; one son, John Sprayberry (Becky) of Mount Olive; two sisters, Stella Stewart and Kaye Goodwin, both of Water Valley; 11 grandchildren; 25 great grand children; three great great grandchildren; and a host of other family and friends.

Bobby Gene Stone

OXFORD – Bobby Gene Stone, 74, died Wednesday, July 16 at the Mississippi State Veterans Home in Oxford.
He was born to James and Ardelle Litton Stone in Water Valley on May 8, 1940 and served in the U.S. Army.  He returned to Water Valley and worked as a farmer and as a mechanic for UPS before his retirement. His family and his grandchildren were his greatest treasure. He was a member of First Christian Church of Water Valley.
Funeral services were held Saturday, July 19, at 3 p.m. in the Henry Chapel of Seven Oaks Funeral Home with Bro. Billy Childs officiating. Visitation was one hour prior to the service. Burial was in Oak Hill Cemetery with David Stone, Keith Stone, Hoyt Stone, Sandy Stone, Keith Miller, and Chuck Stone serving as pallbearers.
Bobby was preceded in death by his wife, Jimmie Stone and a brother, Ernest C. Stone. Survivors include a daughter, Carla (Rick) Stone of Newbern, Tenn.; a step-daughter, Judy (Keith) Miller of Water Valley; a step-son, Mike (Shelli) Todd of Water Valley; one brother, Charles (Shirley) Stone, also of Water Valley; and five grandchildren.