FALLIE COPELAND

Services for Fallie Copeland will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Bowmar Avenue Baptist Church with the Rev. Charles Queen officiating. Burial will follow at Cedar Hill Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 5 until 7 p.m. Tuesday at Williams Funeral Service. Repast will be at Battlefield Inn.

Mrs. Copeland died Thursday, June 21, 2001, at ParkView Regional Medical Center. She was 77.

Mrs. Copeland was a member of Yeager Street Church of God.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Hezekiah Copeland Sr.; her son, Virgil Copeland; her daughter, Bernice Pleasant; her parents, Farrell and Rosa Dorsey Queen; three sisters, Ida Benson, Ola D. Smith and Ruby Gibson; two brothers, Robert Queen and James Queen; a grandson, Horace Tillman Jr.; and a great-grandson, Calvin Wilson.

She is survived by three sons, Hezekiah Copeland Jr. of Yazoo City, Velton Copeland of Vicksburg and Terence Copeland of Jackson; eight daughters, Mary Helen Stokes of Chicago, Gracie White of Yazoo City, Delores Tillman of Edwards, Emma Jackson, Fallie Cobbs, Ola D. Copeland Stevenson, Barbara McKnight and Brenda McBride, all of Vicksburg; two brothers, Charles Queen of Los Angeles and Velton Queen of Las Vegas; three sisters, Margaret Williams, Mary Taylor and Nona Cook, all of Los Angeles; grandchildren; great-grandchildren; and other relatives.

JAMES NICHOLS GRAY

ST. JOSEPH James Nichols Gray died Sunday, June 24, 2001, at St. Francis Medical Center in Monroe. He was 64.

Mr. Gray was born in Chattanooga, Tenn., and had lived in Tensas Parish for 63 years. He was retired from the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development as a bridge and maintenance specialist. He had owned and operated Gray Construction Co. for the past 15 years.

He was an Army veteran of the Korean Conflict and a member of St. Joseph Methodist Church. He also served on the Tensas Parish Drainage Board.

Mr. Gray is survived by his wife, Gail Blancke Gray of St. Joseph; two sons, George W. Gray of St. Joseph and James N. Gray Jr. of Corpus Christi, Texas; two daughters, Lucy G. Brown of Monroe and Johanna G. Bishop of Dallas; one brother, Mike Gray of St. Joseph; eight grandchildren; two stepgrandchildren; nieces; nephews; and other relatives, including David and Diana Blancke of DeRidder, La.

Services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Joseph Catholic Church with the Revs. Anthony Aelavanthara and Sebastian Kallarackl officiating. Burial will follow at Wesley Chapel Cemetery near St. Joseph.

Visitation will be from 5 until 8 p.m. Tuesday at Crothers-Glenwood Funeral Home. Rosary will follow.

WILLIAM B. ROSS IV

William B. “Billy” Ross IV died Saturday, June 23, 2001, at Vicksburg Medical Center. He was 48.

Mr. Ross was a lifelong resident of Vicksburg. He was employed by Vicksburg Chemical Company for 22 years. He was owner and operator of Central Plains Transport Co. He was a member of the Loyal Order of the Moose Club.

He was preceded in death by a son, Keith Myers; his father, William B. Ross III; and his grandfather, William B. Ross Jr.

He is survived by his wife, Genelle S. Ross of Vicksburg; three sons, Birt Ross, Chris Ross and Blayne Myers, all of Vicksburg; his mother, Mary R. Hall of Vicksburg; his paternal grandmother, Jane Jewell Ross of Vicksburg; and four grandchildren, Ashtin Ross, William Ross, Julianna Ross and Dalton Ross, all of Vicksburg.

Services will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Glenwood Funeral Home with the Rev. A.J. Stephens officiating. Burial will follow at Cedar Hill Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 5 until 8 tonight at the funeral home.

Pallbearers will be Dan Boswell, Sam King, Leo Mayerhoff, Mickey Muirhead, Chuck Barfield, David Lyons, Robert A. Derrick and Bobby Breedlove.

Honorary pallbearers will be Tony Dyess, Melvin Griffith, Dr. Russell Barnes, Tommy Jeffers, Eddie King and B.J. Gunn.

WOODROW W. THOMAS

Woodrow W. “Bilbo” Thomas died Sunday, June 24, 2001, at his home in Vicksburg. He was 83.

Mr. Thomas was retired from Bechtel. He was of the Baptist faith.

He was preceded in death by a son, Zelma Thomas; a sister, Lucy Dorsey; and his parents, Louis and Beulah Williams Thomas.

Survivors include his wife, Lucille Morrow Thomas of Vicksburg; three sons, James Thomas and Allen Nicholson Jr., both of Vicksburg, and Allen Nicholson Sr. of Chino Hills, Calif.; four daughters, Beulah Mae Thomas and Beatrice Collins, both of Vicksburg, Willie B. Funches of Los Angeles and Katina Collins of Gainesville, Fla.; grandchildren; great-grandchildren; nieces; nephews; and other relatives.

W.H. Jefferson Funeral Home has charge of arrangements.