Obituaries
Stacy Shane Rippy
The funeral service for Stacy Shane Rippy will be 2 p.m., Friday, February 21, 2020,
at Riverwood Family with interment at Mt. Olive Church of Christ Cemetery.
Visitation is from 5-8 p.m., Thursday, February 20, at Riverwood.
Mr. Rippy, 32, of Derma, MS, passed from this life on February 14, 2020. He was born November 29, 1987,
to Donnie Ray Rippy and Beverly Kendall.
He was an outdoorsman, enjoying fishing, riding 4-wheelers and collecting arrowheads.
He is preceded in death by his grandparents, Robert “Bob” Rippy and Helen Jenkins and Irene Alford;
uncles, Charles Ray Rippy, Luther Rippy James “Jimmy” Rippy, Billy Ray Rippy, Cecil Kendall,
Johnny Ray, Robert Kendall; and aunt Sally Womack.
He is survived by his parents and one brother, Matthew Rippy.
Barbara Lea White
Funeral Services for Mrs. Barbara Lea White of Brookhaven are 1:00 pm Thursday, February 20, 2020,
at Riverwood Family with burial at Easthaven Cemetery.
Visitation is Wednesday, February 19 from 5:00-8:00 pm at Riverwood.
Mrs. Barbara Lea White, 74, went to be with her Lord on February 17, 2020.
She was born on December 30, 1946, to the late John Troy Robinson, Sr. and Ruby Lea Robinson.
She was a homemaker and a member of Easthaven Baptist Church.
Mrs. White was preceded in death by her parents; husband, James Otis White, and brother, John Troy Robinson, Jr.
Those left to cherish her memory are her sons, James White and wife, Donna, and Kevin White;
daughters, Brenda Hammack and Cathy Tanner and husband, Bruce; and daughter-in-law, Danielle White
She is also survived by her sister, Ann Boswell, and 8 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren; along with a host of nieces and nephews.
Hugh McCallum Dowling Jr
Services for Mr. Hugh McCallum Dowling Jr., of Brookhaven are 2:00 pm, Wednesday, February 19, 2020,
at Riverwood with burial at Riverwood Memorial Park.
Visitation is Tuesday, 5:00-8:00 pm at Riverwood Family and also 1:00 pm until the time of service.
Mr. Hugh McCallum Dowling, Jr.,65, went to be with his Lord on February 13, 2020, at Baptist Hospital. He was born on March 4, 1954,
to the late Hugh McCallum Dowling, Sr. and Gloria Britton Barr.
Mr. Dowling was a member of Easthaven Baptist Church and was a pharmacist for
40 years.
Preceding him in death were his parents.
Those left to cherish his memory are his wife of 43 years, Helen Mullen Dowling;
daughter, Mandy Milstead and husband Taz; brother, Richard Dowling; and grandchildren, Kahlen Milstead and Owen Milstead.
Shirley Lytle Piper
Shirley, 82, went home to be with the Lord on February 11, 2020. She was born on
September 10, 1937 in Biloxi, Mississippi.
She was a loving wife and mother.
She was a faithful member of Brookhaven First United Methodist Church, where she met
Jack, her husband of 60 years. She was a member of the Brookhaven Junior Auxiliary,
The Climbers Club, KDMC Foundation, Wildwood Garden Club, and Rosehill Cemetery Restoration Foundation.
She enjoyed gardening, puzzling of all types, and loved listening to Steve Russell play the church organ.
She is survived by her three children, Sheri (Steve) Richardson of Madison, Louann (Jeff) Porter,
and Michael Piper, both of Brookhaven. Seven grandchildren, Jessica, Chad, Cody, Devin, Torri,
Gracie and Colt: 2 Great-grandchildren, Hadley and Stevie: brothers, Don(Velma) Parks,
and Marty(Marlene) Sczepaniak, both of Biloxi: Sister-in-law, Kathleen (Jerry) Smith,
also of Brookhaven, and a host of nieces and nephews. She is also survived her is her loyal companion, Sugar.
She is preceded in death by her loving husband, Jack in 2018.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice Ministries or Brookhaven Animal Rescue League
(BARL) in honor of Sugar Piper,
We will celebrate Shirley’s life Thursday, February 13 at First United Methodist Church, Brookhaven.
Visitation beginning at 1:00, with a service at 3:00. Following, there will be a private graveside service at Rosehill Cemetery.
William Edward Hathorn
The funeral service for Mr. William Edward Hathorn will be 11 a.m., Friday, February 14, 2020, at Heucks Retreat Baptist Church. Visitation is from 5-8 p.m.,
Thursday, February 13, at Riverwood, and will resume Friday from 10 a.m. until the time of the service at Heuck's Retreat.
Mr. Hathorn, 76, of Brookhaven, passed from this life on February 10, 2020, at St. Dominic Medical Center in Jackson, MS.
He was born on October 12, 1943, in Columbia, MS. His parents were the late Richard Carlos Hathorn and Sallie Bell Haynes Hathorn.
Mr. Hathorn served his country in the United States Air Force. He was a graduate of the University of Mississippi, where he earned both his Juris Doctorate a
and his Bachelor of Business Administration. He practiced law as a member of the Mississippi Bar Association and was an entrepreneur who
founded many business enterprises. His career spanned decades and intertwined law, banking, and several business ventures including oil and gas.
Mr. Hathorn is preceded in death by his parents; brother, Alford Hathorn; and son-in-law, Dean Boutwell; and father and mother-in-law,
Michael O’Roarke Speights and Beulah Courtney Speights
Those left to cherish his memory are his wife, Dianne Speights Hathorn; son, William Michael Hathorn, and wife, Jana; daughters,
Elizabeth Anne Hathorn, Kimberley Kaye Calcote and husband, Preston, Courtney Dianne Owens and husband, Chuck, and
Carla LeAnne Boutwell; sister, Mary Nell Patterson, and husband, Charles; 17 grandchildren, Lauren, Lindsay and Lanie Heffker,
Ryan, Rachel and Ross Calcote, Trace, Turner, and Trent Owens, Bo, Owen, Oliver, Anna Claire, and Cooper Boutwell,
Bonnie Hutcheson and husband, Blake, Adalyn Kate and Grayson Hathorn. He is also survived by his brother-in-law, Bobby Speights.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Heucks Retreat Baptist Church, Sanctuary Renovation Fund, 2167 Heucks Retreat Road NE, Brookhaven, MS 39601
Patricia Patterson Jacobs
After a full long and eventful life of almost 99 years, Patricia Patterson Jacobs peacefully passed away Sunday evening at St Catherine's Village in Madison, Mississippi leaving behind her family and a host of friends both young and old. As she stated in her personal papers – "I am off on another trip, another adventure. I have had a wonderful lifetime – blessed beyond belief."
Visitation will be held on Wednesday, February 12 from 4:00 pm to 7:00 at Riverwood. A second visitation will be held on Thursday, February 13 from 10:00 am to ll:00 am with a memorial service following at Riverwood. There will be a private family burial in Rose Hill Cemetery. The Reverends Sam McDonald and Chad Scott will officiate the service.
Born on April 22, 1921 in Winnetka, Illinois to Mildred Rogers Patterson and Robert Waller Willis Patterson she married the love of her life, Charles Robinson Jacobs on March 19, 1942. She and Chuck began their marriage in Charleston, South Carolina during World War II. Following the war they moved to Meredith, New Hampshire, and on to Wauseon, Ohio where they owned and operated weekly newspapers. After a brief stint in Sarasota, Florida they moved to Brookhaven in 1958 after purchasing the then named Brookhaven Leader - Times. Over the next 37 years the dynamic pair grew their small bi-weekly newspaper into a regional daily newspaper, serving a four-county area in southwest Mississippi, until their retirement in 1995. The family sold their newspapers, direct mail and web printing operation in 2012.
In between the never-ending deadlines of the newspaper business, where she learned and honed her award-winning photography and writing skills as well as handling the bookkeeping chores, she maintained a household raising three boys – Randy, Don and Bill. In her spare time, she was active in community social and civic affairs serving for 34 years as a board member, including multiple terms as board chairman, of the Lincoln, Franklin and Lawrence County Library System. She was appointed to the five-member board of the State Mississippi Library Commission.
She also served as a member of the Willing Hearts Circle where for over 35 years she completed multiple terms of service as a board member of the King's Daughters Hospital including a term as board chairman. She was appointed to the Mississippi Board of Hospital Trustees.
In 1976 she co-chaired the Lincoln County 1776 Bicentennial Committee, which created the Bicentennial Park in Brookhaven.
She was a dedicated member of the Ole Brook Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution; a charter member of the Lincoln County Daughters of the Confederacy; the Colonial Dames 17th Century; The Wildwood Garden Club; the Mother's Culture Club; the Climbers Club; The Krewe of Ceres; the Junior Auxiliary where she was awarded the Golden Crown Award. In her later years, she was a member of the Brookhaven Regional Artists Guild (BRAG) and the Friends of the Library.
With a deep love of genealogy, the arts, history, as well as world affairs, she was a seasoned traveler with multiple visits to Central America, South America, Europe, the Near East, Africa and all points in-between. She climbed the Peruvian Andes, rode elephants in India, survived an earthquake in Iran and walked the trails of Nepal. She barged the boat canals of France as well as the motorways of the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy. Realizing she never made it to Egypt, in recent months she plotted a solution.
Pat co-authored two books of local architecture history TREASURES OF BROOKHAVEN and LINCOLN COUNTY AT THE TURN OF THIS CENTURY with good friend and fellow Brookhavenite Kay Calcote. They also produced two architectural photographic displays of the area – a traveling exhibit shown in libraries in Southwest Mississippi. In her 90's she became an accomplished potter, which she would deny.
Ever the encourager, she made it her mission to find the best in people to encourage them to seek higher goals in whatever their endeavor.
She was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Brookhaven.
She is preceded in death by her husband of 67 years, Charles Robinson Jacobs; her parents, Mildred Rogers Patterson and Robert Waller Willis Patterson; a brother Robert Waller Patterson Jr.; and an infant son Thomas Orton Jacobs.
She is survived by her sons: Randall Woodruff Jacobs and his wife Fontaine Richbourg Jacobs of Friendswood, Texas; Sheldon Truesdale Jacobs of Jackson; William Orton Jacobs and his wife Amy Alexander Jacobs of Brookhaven and two granddaughters Ann Kirkpatrick Harris and her husband Neil of Memphis, Tennessee; and Meredith Alexander Jacobs of Charleston, South Carolina.
The family wishes to thank the nurses and staff of St Catherine's Villages in Madison, her sitters Linda (Angela) Thompson, Lucile Sutton and Robin Moore for their loving support, attention and patience.
In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to the King's Daughters Medical Center Foundation, The Mississippi School of the Arts Foundation or the Lincoln-Lawrence-Franklin County Library.
Betty Jean "Maw" Thompson
The funeral service for Mrs. Betty Jean “Maw” Thompson will be Noon, Thursday, February 13, at
New Sight Baptist Church with interment at New Sight Cemetery. Visitation is from 5-9 p.m.
Wednesday evening, February 12, at New Sight and will resume at 10 a.m. Thursday morning until the time of service.
Mrs. Thompson, or “Maw” as she was affectionately called, passed from this life February 10, 2020, at
Lawrence County Nursing Center. She was born in Wesson, Mississippi, June 20, 1930. Her parents
were the late Troy S. Malone and Nellie Mae Wilkes Malone. “Maw” was many things to many people,
but she also worked and retired from Westbrook Cinema 4 Theatre. She was a member of New Sight Baptist Church
and leaves a legacy of faith and love for her family, which includes many grandchildren and great grandchildren.
She will be missed by all those who loved her.
“Maw” is preceded in death by her husband, W. B. Thompson; her parents; granddaughters, Rhonda Jean Thompson Rials
and Morgan Michele Bonson; sisters, Bessie Corkern, Mary Nell Teasley; and brothers, Milford T. Malone and Ray Malone.
Those left to cherish her memory are her children, William “Curley” Thompson (Doris) and
Judy Thompson Burgess (Ronnie); sister, Virginia Dixon (Hillary); and special niece, Michelle Furlow.
She is also survived by seven grandchildren, Johnny Rials, Lance Thompson (JoBeth), Gayle Galey (Cliff),
Shane Thompson (Lori), Amy Boyles, Lisa Bonson (David), Justin Thompson (Bonnie); and sister-in-law and
brother-in-law, Jackie Ray and Imogene Paulk; as well as 26 great grandchildren and 12 great, great grandchildren.
Betty Lou Havard Smith
Funeral Services for Mrs. Betty Lou Havard Smith of Wesson are 11:00 am Saturday, February 8, 2020,
at Riverwood Family with burial at Mission Hill Baptist Church Cemetery.
Visitation is Friday, February 7, from 5:00 – 8:00 pm at Riverwood.
Mrs. Betty Lou Havard Smith, 74, went to be with her Lord on February 5, 2020, at University of Mississippi Medical Center.
She was born on June 1, 1945, to the late William Wallace Havard and Eva Mae Graves Havard.
Betty was a member of Mission Hill Baptist Church. She was a loving mother, grandmother, and friend and will be missed by all that knew and loved her.
Preceding her in death were her parents; husband, Grady Isom Smith; brothers, Jimmy Havard, Wayne Havard and sister, Ruth Shiers.
Those left to cherish her memory are her sons, Ricky Smith of Wesson, Gary Smith and wife Mandy, of Brookhaven;
daughter, Paula Smith Golmon and husband, Matt, of Brookhaven; brothers, Willie Havard of Bunkley, and Hilton Havard of Summit;
a sister, Barbara Corkern of Brookhaven.
She is also survived by 9 grandchildren, Corey Smith, Justin Vincent, Kylie Chisholm, Jamie Smith, Jeremy Smith, Tyler Putman,
Shelbi Anderson, Haley Smith, Cody Smith and step-grandchildren, Kayla Golmon, Cody Golmon, and Kaitlyn Golmon;
along with 13 great-grandchildren and 1 step-grandchild.
Bernard "Bernie" J. Ebbers
A Celebration of Life service will be held at 6 p.m. on Saturday, February 8, 2020,
at First Baptist Church of Brookhaven, with visitation from 4-6 pm. Friends and family are encouraged to dress "Bernie casual."
Bernard "Bernie" J. Ebbers ran into the arms of Jesus on February 2, 2020, surrounded by his family in Brookhaven, Miss.
Bernie was born on August 27, 1941, and was 78 years old at the time of this death.
Bernie Ebbers was many things to many people, but the greatest role he ever had was being a father to his girls.
Bernie invested in people's lives and the fingerprints of his charity continue to endure today on many.
From providing tuition and support to students to funding mission activities, Bernie made a lasting impact on many people's lives, often anonymously.
Bernie began as a coach and took that approach in every aspect of life. He encouraged and motivated on a personal level to the benefit of everyone.
He and Linda loved basketball and raising their daughters. They also loved Brookhaven and its people where he had a passion for leading Sunday school
and they participated in mission work for years.
Bernie's life and how he loved people has left an impact on the lives of all who knew him. Bernie never stopped teaching others about the Lord,
leading his family, and spreading the love of Christ, no matter his circumstances. The Ebbers family is especially grateful to have been by
his side for the last weeks of his life here on earth.
Bernie is preceded in death by his parents, Kathleen Mary and John Tony Ebbers, and grandchildren Baby Easley and Bernie Ellen Gates.
He is survived by Linda Ebbers, daughters Ave Easley (David), Treasure Ebbers Beeson (Dwayne), Joy Ebbers Bourne, Faith Ebbers Gates (Michael);
grandchildren Nathanael Easley, Rachel Easley, Gabryelle Easley; Jordan Beeson Stewart (Jacob), Jonathan Beeson, Juliana Beeson; Truett Bourne,
Elizabeth Bourne; Emma Gates, Lillie Gates, Ruth Ellen Gates, Mary Michael Gates; great-grandson Elliott Bernard Stewart; brothers John Ebbers,
James Ebbers, and Stephen Ebbers; and a sister Marion Olthuis.
In lieu of flowers, please consider giving to Casa de FE via Hope Extended
P.O. Box 519, Brookhaven MS 39601
Roy Eugene Thomas
Services for Mr. Roy Eugene Thomas will be held on Monday, February 3, 2020, at 2:00 pm
at Union Baptist Church with interment at Union Baptist Church Cemetery.
Visitation will be held prior to the service starting at 1:30 pm.
Roy Eugene Thomas 42, of Brookhaven, passed from this life on January 26, 2020. He was born on September 22, 1977,
to Danny Case and Nancy Juanita Thomas Lambert.
Mr. Thomas enjoyed fishing, swimming, spending time with his girls and making sure he looks good.
Preceding him in death was his maternal grandparents, Susie Marie Thomas and Willie Monroe Thomas, Sr.;
paternal grandparents, Elam Case and Billie Case and a host of many loved ones.
Those left to cherish his memory is his wife, Ashley Nicole Martin Thomas; father, Danny Case; mother, Nancy Lambert;
daughters, Kaycee Thomas, Rorie Thomas, Ashlynn (Boosie) Thomas; brothers, James Thomas, Wade Lambert,
Curtis Lambert, Jimbo Case and Dannyboy Case. He is also survived by one grandchild, Addison Ratcliff, and numerous nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.