Obituaries

Howard W. Smith

Howard W. Smith

Feb 17, 2012

Howard W. Smith, age 86, of Latimer passed away Friday, February 17, 2012 in Ocean Springs. Howard, formerly of Gainesville, GA, was a resident of Jackson County for 43 years. He was preceded in death by his parents, Bud and Shilo Smith of Gainesville, GA; ten siblings; and a step-daughter, Linda Hall Massey. Howard, a loving and caring husband, is...

Billy Warren Hewett, Sr.

Billy Warren Hewett, Sr.

Feb 17, 2012

Mr. Billy Warren Hewett Sr, age 57, of Ocean Springs, MS., passed away on Friday, February 17, 2012, in Vancleave. Mr. Hewett was a lifelong resident of the coast and was employed with Ingalls Shipbuilding for 25 years. He was also affiliated with St. Alphonsus Catholic Church. He was preceded in death by a son, Jonathan Warren Hewett, mother, Mary...

James Pascal Watkins

James Pascal Watkins

Feb 17, 2012

James Pascal Watkins a resident of Gulfport, Mississippi, died February 17, 2012, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana at age 92. He was born in Dixon, Mississippi. He was preceded in death by his wife Nancy Richards Watkins, his son James P. Watkins, Jr., his parents Angus Watkins and Emma White Watkins, his brother Troy Watkins and sisters Allie Davis and Angeline...

Jerry Bodin

Jerry Bodin

Feb 16, 2012

Jerry Joseph Bodin, 80, of Vancleave, MS died Thursday, February 16, 2012 in Ocean Springs. Jerry was born September 26, 1931 in Biloxi, Back Bay. He served 21 years in the Navy and Air Force and he worked for 12 years with the City of Biloxi at the Senior Citizen Center as Director. Jerry was a very active member of...

Rayford Elton Keen, Sr.

Rayford Elton Keen, Sr.

Feb 16, 2012

Rayford Elton Keen, 82 years old, passed away Thursday, February 16, 2012, in Ocean Springs, MS. Rayford was born in East Texas and had been a longtime resident of the coast. At age 17 he joined the U.S. Coast Guard, retiring as a Chief Petty Officer after serving 20 years of duty. He then went to work at the U.S....

Kathleen Frances Rank Smith

Kathleen Frances Rank Smith

Feb 15, 2012

Mrs. Kathleen Smith, of Biloxi, MS, passed away peacefully in the loving arms of her family after a six month courageous battle with cancer, on Wednesday, February 15, 2012. Kathleen began her life on September 27, 1951, in Springfield, Illinois. She was one of three children born to George and Mary Rank. She lived in Springfield for many years, then...

M. Lucille Dinsmore

M. Lucille Dinsmore

Feb 13, 2012

M. Lucille Dinsmore, 88, of Gulfport died Monday, February 13, 2012 in Gulfport. She had been a resident of Gulfport for the past twenty-six years. She began as a sharecropper’s daughter in the Mississippi Delta, working her way to New Orleans where she eventually owned her own dress and beauty salon. From there she built her own apartment complexes and...

Benjamin "Jack" Farley

Benjamin "Jack" Farley

Feb 12, 2012

Benjamin “Jack” Farley, 65, of Gulfport, died Sunday, February 12, 2012 in Biloxi. Mr. Farley served in the U.S. Army and enjoyed hunting and fishing. He was preceded in death by his parents, Jim and Florence Farley; and a sister, Frances Wright. Mr. Farley is survived by two daughters, Jamie Brown of Gulfport and Grace Farley McBroom of Vancleave; a...

Wanda Louise Roberts Valentine

Wanda Louise Roberts Valentine

Feb 12, 2012

Wanda Roberts Valentine, 60, of D'Iberville, MS, died Sunday, February 12, 2012, in Gulfport. Mrs. Valentine was born in Biloxi and remained a lifelong resident of the Gulf Coast. Wanda was a loving mother, grandmother, wife, daughter and sister. She lived to take care of her family. She never met a stranger. anyone who knew her loved her. She was...

Joe Louis Zollicoffer

Joe Louis Zollicoffer

Feb 12, 2012

Joe Louis Zollicoffer, 81, of Biloxi, MS, died Sunday, February 12, 2012, in Biloxi. Mr. Zollicoffer was born in Sallis, MS and had been a resident of the MS Gulf Coast for the past 30 years. He was a heavy equipment operator. Mr. Zollicoffer was preceded in death by his parents, Louis and Demelda Zollicoffer; sisters, Annie "Pinky" Haynes and...

Bonnie Morgan Pitts

Bonnie Morgan Pitts

Feb 12, 2012

Mrs. Bonnie Morgan Pitts, 81, of Pearl, MS, died Sunday, February 12, 2012, in Pearl. Mrs. Pitts was born in Hattiesburg, MS. She was a former resident of Gulfport for 31 years and had lived in Pearl for the past 23 years.She was a homemaker and a member of Bibleway Baptist Church in D'Iberville. She enjoyed painting, writing poems and...

Warren Chester Nickson

Warren Chester Nickson

Feb 11, 2012

Warren C. Nickson, 87, of Ocean Springs, MS died Saturday, February 11, 2012 in Biloxi, MS. Warren was a resident of Ocean Springs for 66 years. He was an Army Air Corps Veteran, an avid fisherman and he worked salvaging metal works until his death. Warren enjoyed time with his family. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather...

Lloyd Wallace

Lloyd Wallace

Feb 10, 2012

Lloyd Leon Wallace, age 81, resident of Ocean Springs, MS passed away Friday, February 10, 2012. Lloyd was a member of Wood Haven Baptist Church. He served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean and Vietnan War. He was also an electronics instructor at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi for 18 years. He dedicated 24 years helping keep...

Bobby Lewis Winders

Bobby Lewis Winders

Feb 7, 2012

Bobby Lewis Winders of Ocean Springs, MS, passed away on February 7, 2012, at the age of 65. He was born November 14, 1946, in Aberdeen, MS, the son of Carl E. and Aileen (Willis) Winders, who were lifelong residents of Hamilton and currently reside in Columbus, MS. Bobby graduated from Hamilton High School and Mississippi State University. Bobby spent...

Alexander (Alex) Louis Ruiz, Jr.

Alexander (Alex) Louis Ruiz, Jr.

Feb 6, 2012

Alexander (Alex) Louis Ruiz Jr. passed away peacefully in his sleep on Monday, February 6, 2012, at the age of 85. He was a loving husband to A’lice (Lecie) Ruiz for 63 years, loving brother to Gerry Ruiz (Camille), Gregory Ruiz and Ruth Hernandez. He was a cherished Uncle to many nieces and nephews, his Biloxi gang called him “NuNu”...

Natalie Hawley Thomas

Natalie Hawley Thomas

Feb 5, 2012

Natalie Hawley Thomas, age 48, of Biloxi, MS., died Sunday, February 5, 2012, in Biloxi. Natalie was a lifelong resident of Biloxi. She was loving and caring to her children and grandchildren and will be greatly missed by all who knew her. She was preceded in death by her father, Joe P. Hawley. Survivors include her husband, Danny Thomas, daughter,...

Infant Maddilynn Marie Simmons

Infant Maddilynn Marie Simmons

Feb 5, 2012

Infant Maddilynn Marie Simmons, 15 weeks old, of Ocean Springs, MS, passed away Sunday morning, February 5, 2012, in Ocean Springs. Maddilynn was a very young and pretty little girl. She was such a happy baby who never cried. She was always laughing and filled our hearts with joy and love. The loved ones she left behind include her mother,...

Ollie M. Cox

Ollie M. Cox

Feb 5, 2012

Ollie M. Cox, 95, of Ocean Springs, went to be with the Lord on February 5, 2012. Mrs. Cox was a native of Biloxi, MS and a resident of Ocean Springs, MS for the past 35 years. She was employed with Kuljis Drug Store in Biloxi for 22 years and a member of Cedar Lake Christian Assembly, Biloxi, MS. She...

Mildred Lorene Gunderson

Mildred Lorene Gunderson

Feb 4, 2012

Mildred Lorene Gunderson, 89, of Ocean Springs, MS went home to be with her Lord on Saturday, February 4, 2012. Mrs. Gunderson, known and loved as “Gunny” celebrated her 89th birthday on November 5, 2011. She was born in Blue Field, WV, but spent most of her life in Biloxi and later moved to Ocean Springs in 1997. Mrs. Gunderson...

Catherine Velma Lehman Conner

Catherine Velma Lehman Conner

Feb 4, 2012

Mrs. Catherine Velma Lehman Conner, of Biloxi, MS, passed away Saturday, February 4, 2012, at the age of 91, in Biloxi. Catherine and her twin sister, Charlotte, were born and raised in La Place, Illinois. In June of 1942 Catherine married her junior high school sweetheart, Wendall Conner. His career in the U. S. Air Force took them all over...