Obituaries 10/15/20

Robert Earl Coker
WATER VALLEY—Robert Earl (Bob) Coker, age 74, of Water Valley died unexpectedly Monday, October 5, 2020, at his home.
Born May 16, 1946, in Water Valley, he was a son of the late Sherman and Bertha Rushing Coker. Upon finishing high school, Bob attended Ole Miss and received a degree in accounting. He applied his trade in different places from Memphis to Florida, and upon his retirement returned home. Bob loved classical music, reading, crossword puzzles and flower gardening.
Visitation was held Thursday, October 8, from 10-11 a.m.  in the Gardner Room at Seven Oaks Funeral Home. The funeral service followed at 11 a.m. in the Henry Chapel of the funeral home with Rev. Sylvia Czarnetsky officiating. Burial was in Pinecrest Cemetery.
Bob is survived by one nephew, Sean Coker, one niece, Christy Huff (Steven), one great niece, Katherine Huff, two great nephews, Hunter and John Huff; and one sister-in-law, Beverly Coker.
Memorials may be made in honor of Bob to the ALS Foundation at www.ALS.Net.

Patsy Lindley Hardy
OXFORD—Patsy Lindley Hardy, a former clinic manager, passed away October 9, 2020, at the age of 63, in her home at Oxford.
She  is survived by her daughter, Larrie Chelsey Hardy of Oxford; two brothers, Larry Joe Lindley (Carolyn) of Charleston, and Johnny Wayne Lindley (Kathy) of Grenada.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Mary Virginia Tartt Lindley and James C. Lindley; her husband of 22 years, Larry C. Hardy; and a sister, Nancy Ellison.
Rev. Eric Gregg conducted a graveside service in Magnolia Gardens Sunday, October 11, at 2 p.m. Pallbearers were Don Crouch, Tony Crouch, Kurt Lindley, Joseph Lindley, Darrell Tartt and Joey Wall.
Memorials may be made to: St. Jude Children’s Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.

Betty Lee Farrar Myrick
GRENADA—Betty Lee Farrar Myrick, age 87, of Grenada, passed away Saturday, October 10, 2020, in Memphis.
She was born April 2, 1933, in Bovina to the late Thomas Alexander and Myrtice Varner Farrar. She enjoyed quilting, flower gardening, reading, traveling and fishing. She was a Methodist.
A graveside service was held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, October 13, in the Woodland Memorial Park.
Survivors include two daughters, Suzanne Kerr (Mike) of Memphis, and Robin Myrick of Batesville; two sons, Garry Myrick (Lila) of Tillatoba, and David Myrick (Kathy) of Grenada; two grandchildren, Heather Austin and Katie Moore (Jacob); and two great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Joe B. Myrick; a sister, Nell Hearn; and a brother, William Farrar.
Arrangements were entrusted to McKibben & Guinn Funeral Service in Grenada.

Eva Jo Blount Penick
VARDAMAN—Eva Jo Blount Penick, 90, of Vardaman, passed away on Wednesday, October 7, 2020, at her home.
Born Thursday, July 17, 1930, in Eupora, she was the daughter of the late Joseph Eron Blount and Eva Lillian Ferrell Blount. She was the wife of the late Charles Edward Penick.
Eva Jo was a devoted member of Vardaman United Methodist Church, where she taught Sunday School. Prior to retiring, she worked alongside her husband farming. She enjoyed gardening, sewing and quilting. Eva was a great cook and using her phenomenal cooking skills she won the Mama Grace Award at the Vardaman Sweet Potato Festival.
Survivors include her son, Gary Penick (Michele) of Vardaman; a daughter, Terri Pumphrey (Derry) of Tupelo; grandchildren, Brad Embry (Jessica), Ja Leachman (Tracy), Cara Scott (Shea), Elesha Tidwell (John), Jennifer Plunk (Michael), Chris Penick, and Brian Penick; 12 great-grandchildren; and special caregivers.
In addition to her husband and parents, she was preceded in death by a son, Charles Penick, Jr.; a grandson, Joey Embry; a brother, James Blount; and sisters, Mary Walker, Dot Funderburke, Betty Blount, and Patsy June Blount.
The family received friends from 5-8 p.m. on Friday, October 9, in Parker Memorial Funeral Home at Vardaman. The funeral service was held at 11 a.m. Saturday, October 10, in Vardaman United Methodist Church, with Rev. William Montgomery and Rev. Will Dowling officiating.  Interment was in Hillcrest Cemetery at Vardaman, with Brad Embry, Ja Leacman, Brian Penick, Chris Penick, Michael Plunk, Shea Scott, and John Tidwell as pallbearers. Her great-grandchildren were honorary pallbearers.

Rodger Dale Potts
WATER VALLEY—Rodger Dale Potts, age 73, of Water Valley died unexpectedly Wednesday, October 7, 2020, in Baptist Memorial Hospital at Oxford.
Born June 30, 1947, in Bruce, Rodger Dale was a son of the late Alvis and Gladys Wrenn Potts. Upon graduating high school, Rodger joined the National Guard where he served our country for five years. After his honorable discharge, he went to work for the C&G Railroad, working his way up to engineer – a job from which he later retired. He had a tremendous passion for deer hunting, but his greatest joy was his family. Rodger was a member of Jumpers Chapel Church.
A graveside service was held at 11 a.m. Monday, October 12, in the Drivers Flat Cemetery with Stoney Moorhead officiating. Visitation was held an hour before the service, beginning at 10 a.m. Seven Oaks Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Rodger is survived by his wife of 52 years, Betty Ann Potts of Water Valley; one daughter, Kim Murphy of Water Valley; two brothers, James Potts (Robin) and Jimmy Potts, all of Grenada; one sister, Margie French (Ken) of Water Valley; three grandchildren, Brittney Graham, April Bryan and Dustin Potts; and nine great-grandchildren.

Joseph Lloyd Schwinn
HORN LAKE—Joseph Lloyd Schwinn, age 74, of Horn Lake, died Wednesday, October 7, 2020, in Methodist Hospital at Olive Branch.
Born March 24, 1946, in Burlington, New Jersey. Joe was a son of the late Amos and Mary Taylor Schwinn. After finishing school, Joseph joined the Marine Corps and served our country with distinction.  He was a member of Berea Baptist Church in  Horn Lake.
Visitation was held Monday, October 12,  from 1 until 2 p.m. in the Gardiner Room at Seven Oaks Funeral  Home.  The funeral service followed at 2 p.m. in the Henry Chapel of the funeral home with Bro. Jerry King officiating. Burial was in Driver’s Flat Cemetery.
Survivors include three sons, Joseph Schwinn, Jr. of Horn Lake, Tony and Bill Jenkins of Mississippi; three brothers, Eddie Schwinn (Rebecca) of Courtland, Chuck Schwinn (Dorothy) of Water Valley, and Grady Pearson (Angie) of Mt. Sterling, Ky.; two sisters, Shirley Sanders of Pontotoc and Casey Thornton (Gerald ) of Bartlett, Tenn.; five grandchildren, B. J. McElroy, Jamie Smith, Justin Hammons, Joshua Hammons, and JoAnn Schwinn;  and four great-grandchildren.
In addition to his parents, Joseph was preceded in death by one daughter, Rhonda Hammons, and two sisters, Carol Baldwin, and Bonnie Schwinn.

Claudine Ashmore Upchurch
WATER VALLEY—Claudine Ashmore Upchurch, age 92, of Water Valley, died unexpectedly Tuesday, October 6, 2020, at her home.
Mrs. Upchurch was born September 5, 1928, in Water Valley to the late Edger and Annie Sullivan Ashmore. She served and took great pride in her family by being a housewife. Her joys were that of a person who enjoyed the simple things in life. She could often be found reading books, working crossword puzzles, and doing the word search puzzles. She was a faithful member of Jumpers Chapel Church until her health prevented her from attending.
The family has chosen to have a private graveside service, and asks for continued prayers. Seven Oaks Funeral Home had charge of arrangements.
Claudine is survived by a daughter, Carla Joseph of Water Valley; two grandchildren, Michael Amburn and Holly Beasley; three great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren.
In addition to her parents, Claudine was preceded in death by her husband of 42 years, John Upchurch; and one son, Carles Upchurch.

Glen Dwight Zediker
OXFORD – Glen Dwight Zediker, 61, died on October 1, 2020, at home in Oxford, Mississippi, with his sons at his side.
Glen was born on June 17 in Rifle, Colorado, to Lloyd and Marie Zediker of Grand Valley (now Parachute), Colorado. He attended K-12 schools in Grand Valley, studied at the University of Colorado – Boulder, and ultimately graduated from The University of Mississippi with a B.A. in English.
Glen had a wide variety of interests – from motocross to mountain biking. Some of his interests he also pursued professionally. He worked as a teaching golf pro at the Fox Hill Club in Colorado and also took part in a PGA Mini-Tour. He spent the better part of his professional career combining his expertise in target shooting with his skill at writing. An expert target shooter, Glen became an NRA High Master and received countless accolades for his pinpoint accuracy. He wrote and published several books on target shooting and reloading, as well as collaborated with other authors to help them write books. His books are highly respected in the precision shooting community, and many serious shooters look to them and his articles to hone their craft.
Glen spent many years in Mississippi and embraced the southern culture – from the food to Faulkner. But at his core, he remained a Westerner. He loved nothing more than riding over red dirt hills, hiking in the Southwest and breathing mountain air.
Glen’s two sons – Matthew and Charlie – were the center of his life. In addition to his sons, he is survived by his sister, Diane Zediker-Pastore (Victor), and his former wife Kris Kunkler Zediker. His parents preceded him in death.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on October 17 at the Coleman Funeral Home in Oxford.
Donations in Glen’s memory may be made to the Navajo Water Project (navajowaterproject.org).