Obituaries 10/15/2025
Emmitt Merrell Brown
COFFEEVILLE – Emmitt Merrell Brown, 81, of Coffeeville, peacefully passed away Friday, October 10, 2025 at his home surrounded by his family. He was born April 1, 1944 in Calhoun County to Ottis Merrell and Dollie Molene Anglin Brown.
Emmitt retired as a maintenance supervisor at Heatcraft in Grenada. An active member of Calvary Baptist Church near Coffeeville, he served as a Deacon and in any leadership role where he was needed. Emmitt enjoyed hunting and was a master gardener, growing huge gardens every year and sharing his harvest with friends and family. He was especially gifted in growing fine tomatoes. Emmitt loved spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren. Above all, Emmitt lived a life committed to Christ and lived out his faith on a daily basis.
Funeral services were held Sunday, October 12, at Calvary Baptist Church near Coffeeville with Rev. Truman Scarborough and Rev. Elbert McKnight officiating. Interment followed in the church cemetery. McKibben and Guinn Funeral Service was in charge of arrangements. Kevin Daniels, Andy Fly, Larry Holloway, Bobby Hopper, Pat Koonce and Noah Ware will honor Emmitt by serving as pallbearers and carry him to rest in the Calvary Cemetery. John Byford, Sonny Parker and Tony Ware will serve as honorary pallbearers.
Survivors include his wife of 61 years, Thelma Landreth Brown; two daughters, Michelle Brown (Bobby) Kendall of Coffeeville and Jessica Brown (Corey) Davis of Columbia; two sons, Joseph Brown of Water Valley and Daniel (Hallie) Brown of Nesbit; one sister, Angie (James) Shows of Bruce; three brothers, Larry (Gloria) Brown of Paris, James (Paula) Brown of Southaven and William Brown of Bruce; 11 grandchildren, Ashley Fancher, Raeleigh Davis, Corey J. Davis, Sadie Belle Davis, Kaylee Brown, Kyle Brown, Megan Bryant, Michael Montgomery, Malachi Dyer, Micah Dyer and Trinity Dyer; a host of great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren and his faithful dog, Dovie.
John Redwine
COLUMBUS – John Redwine, age 90, of Columbus, Miss, passed away on October 12, 2025 at Baptist Memorial Hospital – Golden Triangle.
The visitation will be Wednesday, October 15, from 10 to 11 a.m. at Lowndes Funeral Home. The funeral service will follow at 11 a.m. at the funeral home with Bro. Jeremy McCrory and Bro. Mitch McWilliams officiating. The graveside service will be at 2 p.m. at Turkey Creek Baptist Church Cemetery in Bruce. Lowndes Funeral Home entrusted with the arrangements.
Mr. Redwine was born on July 31, 1935 to the late Clarence Lee Redwine and Lorene Jenkins Redwine. He was a member of Antioch Baptist Church in Columbus, where he was a deacon and previously the chairman of the deacons. He loved spending time with his family, especially his children and grandchildren. He was a caregiver for his wife and would help anyone who needed it. Mr. Redwine loved reading and watching old Westerns. After working in civil service for over 30 years, he retired as the Assistant Chief of Base Supply at the Columbus Air Force Base and was also a United States Air Force veteran.
In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by his daughters, Nancy Malone and Amy Redwine; a daughter-in-law – Stacey Redwine; brothers, Elmer Lee Redwine and Leslie Earl Redwine; his wife of 69 years, Elizabeth Ann Redwine; children, Teresa (Andy) Perkins, Steven (Hope) Redwine, and Paul (Stacey) Redwine; a son-in-law, Danny Malone; grandchildren Heather (William) Riley, Amy Diane (Caleb) Vaden, Matthew (Jessica) Perkins, Allison Perkins, Adam Meeks (Evan Johnson), Meghan (Josh) Hanselman, Caitlyn Redwine (Andrew Boudreaux) Lori Janke, Haley (Justin) Kimbrough, Stephanie (Matt Peterson) and Tiffany (Max) Wilson; and great grandchildren – Lexi and Jack Riley, Eli (Jaeden), Noah, Christian and Isaiah Vaden, Andrew and Ella Perkins, Laney and Leo Boudreaux, Taylor (TJ) Keene, Brennen Cothran, Greyson Janke, Claire, Gracie, Grant and Cole Kimbrough, Addison and Mackenzie Peterson, and Walter and Maeve Wilson; and a foster brother – Buddy McCammon.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Antioch Baptist Church Building Fund, 6080 Hwy 45 North, Columbus, MS 39705.
Dorothy Jane Rudy
O’FALLON, MO – Dorothy Jane Rudy (Person) was born January 11, 1938, in Philipp to Thelma Whalen Person and Presley Carter Person, III. Known to her family and friends as Dot, and later lovingly renamed “Granny Dot” by her eldest grandchild, she as preceded in death by her parents and seven siblings: Martha Mildred Provenza, Emma Louise Coleman, Mary Nell Johnston, Presley Carter Person IV, Billy B. Person, Robert Windom Person, and Samuel Coleman Person.
A devoted mother, she is survived by her daughters Jennifer Rodriguez (David Von Gontard) and Jessica Arnold (Eric), three grandchildren Danielle Ryker (Greg), Cole Arnold, and Marsh Arnold, as well as two great grandchildren Chloe Ryker and Preston Ryker. She also has countless nieces, nephews and cousins.
Dot grew up on the family land just outside of Water Valley. The quintessential middle child, Dot did as she was told: picking cotton, tending to the livestock, staying out of that water until you learn to swim (as Thelma said), and occasionally getting into trouble with her siblings and cousins.
In the 1960s, she moved to Memphis, getting her own apartment, and meeting Elvis at the fence line of Graceland (and admitting to giggling like a schoolgirl). She worked clerical positions and applied for a secretarial school in Washington, D.C. – just to see if she was good enough to be accepted. (She was.) She met and married Robert Rudy in Memphis. They moved frequently early on, but eventually settled in Bob’s hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. Often unnoticed, Dot’s strength and determination were unmatched. She worked multiple jobs and held her family together for more than 20 years. Quietly and with incredible grace, she never even took a sick day.
In 1993 she divorced Robert, and her life really began. She reinvented herself completely: bought and built her own home, went back to school, and became a Certified Nurses Aid and then Certified Medical Technician. She worked in a nursing home until 2013: she joked that if she stayed any longer, they’d just give her a room.
Granny Dot spent her golden years baking, reading, and cheering on the Cards. She played an integral role in the lives of her grandchildren: baby-sitting, feeding, loving each one deeply. Every birthday and holiday were an opportunity to spread love with baked goods and home cooked meals. She spent hours in the kitchen making sure none of her loved ones went hungry – if you came to visit Granny Dot you were staying for a meal.
Dot quietly knew that her cancer had returned long before her family did. She continued caring for everyone else until the very end; many never knew she was ill. She passed away with Jennifer, Jessica and Eric at her bedside on August 1, 2025.
A private family interment was held Saturday, October 11, at Bethlehem Cemetery in Water Valley.