Obituaries
William Lee "Dub" Smith
Services for Mr. William Lee “Dub” Smith will be held on Monday, June 8, 2020, at 10:00am at Riverwood Family with interment at Wesson Cemetery. Visitation will be Monday, June 8, 2020, from 9:00 till service time.
William Lee “Dub” Smith, 89, of Wesson, passed from this life on June 5, 2020, at Forest General Hospital in Hattiesburg. He was born on March 21, 1931, to Benjamin Burnell Smith and Robin Greer Smith.
Dub served in the United States Air Force where he was stationed in Germany; after he was discharged, he then became a policeman, serving in Brookhaven and becoming the Police Chief In Wesson. He later became an X-Ray Technician working for Mississippi X-Ray and H&H X-Ray.
Preceding him in death was his parents; wife, Peggy Jo Nations Smith; sons, William Craig Smith, Benjamin Scott Smith and Christopher Lee Smith; great grandson, Rowdy Lee Smith and one sister, Dot Rollins.
Those left to cherish his memory is his daughter, Robyn Smith (Susan Archer), Daughter-in-law, Rebecca Smith, Grandchildren, Jordan Lee Smith (Laken Smith), Abbey Gayle Mahaffey (Andy Mahaffey) and one great grandchild, William Dawson Mahaffey.
Lena Case
Services for Mrs. Lena Case is 1:00 pm Saturday, June 6, 2020,
at Riverwood Family Funeral Service with burial at Philadelphia Baptist Church Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 12:00 until the time of service at Riverwood.
Mrs. Lena Edwards Case, 94, went to be with her Lord on June 4, 2020.
She was born on May 25, 1926, to the late George Seymour Edwards and Sudie Garner Edwards.
Mrs. Case was a homemaker and she loved gardening, especially daylilies and roses.
She will be missed by all that knew her and loved her.
Preceding her in death were her parents; her husband, George Clayton Case; and brother, Richard Matthews.
Those left to cherish her memory are her brother, Wayne Matthews, and wife, JoAnn; sisters-in-law,
Carolyn Carpenter and husband, Marvin and Shirley Lewis, along with a host of nieces and nephews and other family members and friends.
Robert Lee King
The graveside service for Mr. Robert Lee King will be 2 p.m., Friday, June 5, 2020, at East Lincoln Baptist Church Cemetery.
There will be a visitation from 1-1:45 p.m. at East Lincoln Baptist Church.
Mr. King, 78, of Brookhaven, passed away June 2, 2020, at King’s Daughters Medical Center. He was born May 15, 1942,
to his parents, Lonnie Jefferson King, Sr and Laura Jane Lambert King. He was a welder by trade and a member of
East Lincoln Baptist Church. Mr. King was involved in several community works which included
East Lincoln Volunteer Fire Department, SW Bee Club, and the Mississippi Bee Association.
He will be missed by all those who loved him.
He is preceded in death by his wife, Bertha Louise Grice King; parents; daughter, Robin Leigh King
and sister, Claudine King Fuller.
Those who remain to cherish his memory are his son, William E. “Will” Cohen and wife, Kristie; daughter,
Benita Lynn King Woods and husband, Bryant; brothers, Tony King, Eugene King, Darryl King,
Lonnie King, Jr., Raymond King, and Larry King; sister, Margie Olline Jones; and five grandchildren,
Bill Cohen, Jesse Cohen, Lainey DeLaughter, Zack DeLaughter, and Travis DeLaughter.
Geraldine Cole Smith
Mrs. Geraldine Cole Smith, 72, went to be with her Lord on May 29, 2020, at her home. She was born on October 15, 1947, in Collins, MS.
Mrs. Smith was an active member of her church; she was retired from a variety of sales jobs, including Mary Kay Cosmetics;
and she loved babysitting and entertaining her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Preceding her in death were her parents, Gerald Hestel Cole and Cletis Lowah Cole; her son, Alan Ryan Smith;
and her brother, David Bryan Cole.
Those left to cherish her memory are her husband, Rodney Stuart Smith; daughters, DeAnna Smith Culbertson and husband Jay;
Karen Smith Fleming and husband Greg; brothers, Roger Wayne Cole, and wife, Martha; Gregory Micheal Cole and wife, Melissa; and Joel Patrick Cole and wife, Anita.
She is also survived by 6 grandchildren: Colby Alan Culbertson, Carter Murry Culbertson, Grayson Stuart Fleming, Kennedy Elizabeth Fleming,
Spencer Grant Fleming, and special granddaughter, Brittany Fauver Magee; 3 great-grandchildren, Isabella, Ava, and Raylon Magee;
along with special nieces and nephews, Brien Cole, Abby Cole, Aaron Cole, Ryan Cole, Tera Cole Maharrey, and Kelley Cole Sprague.
Visitation is at Riverwood Family Funeral Home Monday, June 1, from 3:00-5:00 pm.(Covid-19 restrictions are somewhat lifted beginning Monday.
Nighttime visitations are still prohibited, but we can do late afternoon. Riverwood staff may be required to limit visitors to 50 people in the building at a time,
but that will be much more manageable than 10 at a time.) Funeral will be at Hillcrest Church of Christ Tuesday, June 2, at 11:00 am
with viewing from 10:00 am-until time of service. (Size of the crowd will determine if service is conducted inside the building or outside under the pavilion.)
Burial will follow at Hillcrest cemetery.
Linda Fay Fisher Donaldson Coleman
Services provided by Riverwood with a private family memorial service to be held in Forest, MS.
Linda Fay Fisher Donaldson Coleman, 65, of Brookhaven went to be with her Lord on May 28, 2020, at Kings Daughters Medical Center.
She was born on February 11, 1955, to the late Jesse Lee Fisher and Audie Moore Fisher of Forest, MS.
Mrs. Coleman enjoyed spending time with her family and attending her grandchildren’s sports activities.
She also enjoyed socializing and playing Bingo with her friends at Silver Cross Home.
Preceding her in death were her parents; and her siblings.
Those left to cherish her memory are her daughter, Chrisy Morse and husband Scott of Hazlehurst, MS;
sons, Casey Coleman, and wife, Dedrah, of Texas, Cody Coleman and wife, Misti, of Brookhaven, MS; 9 grandchildren;
6 great-grandchildren; niece “Sis” Brenda of Florence, MS.
She is also survived by numerous other friends and family.
Special thank you to the nurses and staff at KDMC for all their care and compassion during her time of illness.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in her name to the
Alzheimer’s Association
81810 Greensboro Dr. Suite 4000
McLean, VA 22102
Diane Acy
A private graveside service for Mrs. Diane Acy of Brookhaven is 11:00 am, Monday, June 1, 2020, at Friendship Baptist Church Cemetery.
Mrs. Diane Acy, 64, went to be with her Lord on May 28, 2020, at her home.
She was born on February 19, 1956, to the late William Otha Ready and Lowdy Carolyn Ratcliff Ready.
She was a homemaker and a member of Friendship Baptist Church. She will be missed by all that knew and loved her.
Preceding her in death were her parents.
Those left to cherish her memory are her husband Houston Curtis Acy; son, William Parker Thomas, Jason Bryan Thomas,
and Curtis Douglas Acy; daughter, Starr Nichole Thomas; brother, Dale Ready; sister, Carolyn Hensarling;
along with 4 grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren and a host of nieces and nephews.
Emma Case Murray
Private graveside for Mrs. Emma Case Murray of Brookhaven is 11:00 am Friday, May 29, 2020, at New Sight Cemetery.
Mrs. Emma Case Murray, 86, went to be with her Lord on May 28, 2020, at Kings Daughters Medical Center.
She was born on June 6, 1933, to the late James Raufe Case and Ada Britt Case.
Mrs. Emma was a member of New Sight Baptist Church and had worked at the Potter Company in Wesson.
Preceding her in death were her parents; husband, Wallace E. Murray; and son, Jimmy Murray.
Those left to cherish her memory are her daughter, June Sandifer, and husband, Bill; 4 grandchildren, Matt Sandifer and wife, Christy,
Ben Sandifer and wife, Trena, Christy Nohra, and husband, Greg, and Kelly Murray.
She is also survived by 7 great-grandchildren, Jameson Sandifer, Madilynn Sandifer, Jacie Sandifer, and Paul Sandifer.
A special thanks for the loving care given by all at Diversicare Nursing Home.
Alice Dempster
Graveside service for Mrs. Alice Mae Dufrene Dempster will be held 11:30 a.m., Tuesday, May 26, 2020, at
New Zion Baptist Church Cemetery. Family visitation is from 10 to 11 a.m. before the service at Riverwood.
Mrs. Dempster, 79, of Monticello, passed from this life May 23, 2020, in Loranger, Louisiana. She was born in
Mathews, Louisiana on January 25, 1941, to her parents, Uric Bazile Dufrene, Jr. and Florence Juliet St. Pierre Dufrene.
She is preceded in death by her husband, John J. Dempster, Jr; parents; sister, Tessie D. Dufrene and brother,
Uric Bazile Dufrene III.
Those who remain to cherish her memory are her sons, Ted J. Dempster and wife, Leslie and Craig J. Dempster;
six grandchildren, Blake J. Dempster and wife, Raelyn, Breanna D. Ryan, Leighton M. Dempster, Dakota Dempster,
Davin Dempster, Remi Smith; and four great grandchildren, Abigayle Ryan, Gabriel Garcia, Nathan Dempster, and
Noah Dempster; as well as other loving family members and friends.
Dorris Nolan
Dorris Bury Nolan 1918 - 2020
Dorris Bury Nolan died in Brookhaven on May 24, 2020, after a full, rich and rewarding life.
She was 101 years old, and she was very well-loved.
Born in 1918, a midwestern girl, her early years were happily spent in a small town in Missouri.
There she weathered snowy winters and the Great Depression with grace, good humor, and warm memories of simple pleasures.
She had a wonderful mother and father and close, life-long family friends. She attended Lamar High School and Cottey College,
a private girl’s liberal arts college and “finishing school”, where she excelled in drawing and design.
Following her education, she worked for several years in Kansas City before moving south to
New Orleans to assist in a cartography office with the development and drawing of World War II military maps.
It was in New Orleans that she met her husband, Edward Nolan.
They moved to Brookhaven in 1953 where she raised and guided a daughter and pursued an
accomplished career as a legal assistant at Cohn, Hobbs & Hobbs, ultimately becoming
Executive Office Manager and Librarian for Nalco Chemical Company until her retirement.
Over the years in Brookhaven, she established and enjoyed a wide circle of valued friendships.
She participated as a charter member of Brookhaven Little Theater and “starred” in several early productions.
She was an involved member of Willing Hearts Circle and served for years on the Board of Directors of King’s Daughters Medical Center.
She was an engaged congregant in Faith Presbyterian Church where she taught Sunday School and many various Women’s Circle groups.
She had a passion for animals of every distinction and gave beloved pets, in particular succession of Siamese cats, very good homes.
Most importantly, throughout her life, she was a devoted student of the Bible, a sound Christian counselor, and a deep and trusting lover of Jesus.
She was intelligent, capable, and handled her life with steadfast dignity. She always looked beautiful, had real originality and a very discriminating eye.
She was beyond reproach in every aspect of her life. She recognized quality in people and in things.
She painted, baked from scratch, sewed expertly, and made a lovely home where everything always seemed somehow special.
She was the best and most fun Mom in the whole world.
She is survived by her daughter, Tonie Nolan, and son-in-law Maury Montaldi of Washington, D.C.
Memorial services are pending and will be planned and announced as our churches reopen.
Jasper Thomas Coghlan
Private graveside for Mr. Thomas Coghlan of Brookhaven is 2:00 pm Saturday, May 23, 2020 at Rawls Cemetery, Bogue Chitto.
Mr. Thomas Jasper Coghlan, 81, fought life’s final war with pain as death gave way to victory and he went home
to be with his living Savior, Jesus Christ.
Jasper was born in Lincoln County on October 27, 1938 to Frank Coghlan and L.E. Hammack Coghlan.
Jasper was preceded in death by his loving wife, Geneva Magee Coghlan, his parents; 3 brothers, Cecil Coghlan, Derald Coghlan,
Jack Coghlan; and 3 sisters, Laura Williams, Hazel Bordelon, and Faye Rollins; and great-grandson, Keithan James Bishop.
Those left to cherish their memories with Jasper are 2 daughters, Jan Davis and Kay Davis and husband, William;
brother, Garland Coghlan, and wife, Rose; sisters, Jean Murray and Carline Bordelon; 5 granddaughters, Michelle Hatfield,
Dawn Bishop, Chasity Furr, Evette Davis, Tabetha Taylor; 10 great-grandchildren; 4 great-great-grandchildren; and a host of nieces and nephews.
