The Vicksburg Post prints obituaries in news form for area residents, their family members and for former residents at no charge. Families wishing to publish additional information or to use specific wording have the option of a paid obituary.

Richard E. Cage

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Services for Richard E. Cage will be at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Lakeview Memorial Funeral Home with the Rev. Frank Gardner officiating. Burial will follow at Evergreen M.B. Church Cemetery, 1290 Floweree Road.

Visitation will be from 1 until 6 p.m. Friday at the funeral home.

Mr. Cage died Sunday, Nov. 18, 2007, at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, N.Y. He was 62.

A 1966 graduate of Rosa A. Temple High School, Mr. Cage received a bachelor of arts degree in 1971 from Mississippi Valley State University. He retired from Brooklyn State Hospital as a recreational therapist.

He was preceded in death by his parents, J.B. Cage and Mary Irene Cage; four brothers, Arthur Cage, James Cage Jr., Randy Cage and Gene Cage; and a sister, Betty Cage.

Survivors include his wife, Geraldine Cage of Brooklyn; a son, Richard Cage of Brooklyn; two daughters, Rayleshaia Cage Hewston and Tiffani Cage, both of Brooklyn; three brothers, Willie Cage and Melvin Cage, both of Vicksburg, and L.C. Cage of Miami, Fla.; two sisters, Gloria Williams of Vicksburg and Willia Smith of Pontiac, Mich.; two grandchildren; and nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, other relatives and friends.

Margaret Chriss

Services for Margaret Chriss will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Kings Community Empowerment Center with the Rev. Gilbert Barnes officiating. Burial will follow at Cedar Hill Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 1 until 6 p.m. Friday at Lakeview Memorial Funeral Home.

Mrs. Chriss died Monday, Nov. 26, 2007, at River Region Medical Center. She was 78.

Mrs. Chriss was a member of Pleasant Valley M.B. Church, where she served on the mother’s board.

She was preceded in death by her husband, James Chriss; her parents, James and Lettie Smith; two brothers, James Smith and Claude Smith; and four sisters, Mary Whitley, Katie Miller, Gertrude Carpenter and Lucretia Ennis.

Survivors include three daughters, Deloris Lott, Emma Swartz and Gladys Ross; a stepdaughter, Mary Turner of Vicksburg; two sons, Carl Smith of Vicksburg and Charles Chriss of Detroit; two stepsons, Caldonia Dilworth of Grand Rapids, Mich., and Samuel Brown of Baton Rouge; one brother, Jimmy Dunn of Seaside, Calif.; 22 grandchildren; 29 great-grandchildren; and nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends, including Floree Brinkley Foster and Bertha Mixon of Vicksburg and Robert Lee Smith of Las Vegas.

Jerlean Shorter Hill

HERMANVILLE — Jerlean Shorter Hill died Sunday, Nov. 25, 2007, at River Region Medical Center. She was 86.

Mrs. Hill was preceded in death by her parents, Jackson and Mary Wilson Shorter; her husband, James Hill Sr.; three brothers, Roman Shorter, Jack Shorter and Wylie Marshall; and five sisters, Georgia Nettles, Mary Spiller, Martha Crystain, Ollie Ruth Hill and Fannie Mae Shoulders.

She is survived by two sons, James Hill Jr. and Lewis Hill, both of Hermanville; one daughter, Evylean Monroe of Port Gibson; two brothers, Matthew Shorter of Hermanville and Gill Shorter of Greenville; two sisters, Lou Ella Johnson and Dorothy Jenkins, both of Hermanville; 20 grandchildren; 31 great-grandchildren; eight great-great-grandchildren; and nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

Services will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witness in Port Gibson with Elder Glenn Peterson officiating. Burial will follow at Hermanville Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 1 until 6 today at Thompson Funeral Home in Port Gibson and Friday at the church from 1 p.m. until the service.

Major James O’Neal

JACKSON — Major James O’Neal died Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2007, at University Medical Center in Jackson. He was 45.

Born in Memphis, Mr. O’Neal was reared in Port Gibson. He graduated from Port Gibson High School and attended Alcorn State University on a basketball scholarship. He transferred to Jackson State University, where he was on the men’s basketball team and graduated with a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice.

He was a member of Greater Bethlehem Temple Apostolic Faith Church, where he was a deacon and had served on the waiters committee and usher board.

Mr. O’Neal had worked with the Mississippi Employment Security Commission and the Mississippi Department of Human Services’ JOBS Project. He had served with the Job Corps program and was employed as an admissions counselor at Jackson Pierce Public Affairs Inc.

He was preceded in death by his father, James O’Neal; and his grandparents, Willie and Lorna Smith.

He is survived by his wife, Valeria Bradford O’Neal; two daughters, La’Shon Arneise O’Neal and Alexandria Danielle O’Neal; two sons, Matthew Bradford and Marcus Bradford; his mother, Dorothy Smith of Port Gibson; aunts and uncles; nieces and nephews; and friends and other relatives, including Renetta Smith Mitchell of Port Gibson.

Services will be at 6 tonight at Greater Bethlehem Temple with Elder Robert Fortson officiating. Burial will follow at Garden Memorial Cemetery under the direction of Randle Memorial Chapel in Jackson.

Clara Ruth Perry

Clara Ruth Perry died Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2007, at her residence. She was 67.

Born in Shaw, Miss., she had been a resident of Vicksburg for the past 10 years.

Mrs. Perry was the daughter of the late Robert Lee Milan and Vesta Louise Hearld Milan. She was a member of the First United Pentecostal Church.

She was preceded in death by a daughter, Mary Ann Perry.

Mrs. Perry is survived by her husband, Jimmy Perry of Vicksburg; daughter, Jeddie Ruth Campbell and her husband, John, of Stonewall, La.; three sons, Jimmy Perry Jr. of Vicksburg, Stanley Perry and his wife, Melina, of Cleveland, Miss., and Jamie Perry and his wife, Haley, of Brandon; eight grandchildren, Michael Campbell, Audrey Campbell, Matthew Campbell, Lacey Perry, Richelle Ricotta, Haley Ricotta, Austin Perry and Seth Muzzi; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be from 5 until 7 tonight at Riles Funeral Home in Vicksburg. Services will be at 11 a.m. Friday at the Pace Pentecostal Church in Pace, Miss., with the Rev. Ed Hall and the Rev. Donald Tipton officiating.

Visitation will also be at the church from 10 a.m. Friday until the hour of the service. Burial will be at the North Cleveland, Miss., Cemetery.

Arthur B. West

Arthur B. West died Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2007, at River region Medical Center. He was 71.

Mr. West retired in 1989 as a carpenter from Bechtel. He was a former pastor of Montrose Baptist Church in Mound, La. He was a member of Lighthouse Baptist Church.

He is survived by his wife, Bonnie West of Vicksburg; a daughter, Peggy Shows of Florida; two sons, Terry West and Curtis West, both of Vicksburg; two sisters, Bertha Thompson of Alabama and Elizabeth Myrick of Mississippi; four brothers, Billy West and Floyd West, both of Alabama, Edward Lee West of Arkansas and James West of Nebraska; six grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

Services will be at 3 p.m. Friday at Lighthouse Baptist Church. Burial will follow at Cedar Hill Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 5 until 7 tonight at Glenwood Funeral Home.

Pallbearers will be Kayla West, Israel West, Brian Barnes, Max Shows, Josh Moore and Venable Moore.

Honorary pallbearers will be the men of Lighthouse Baptist Church.

Corine Wheeler

Corine Wheeler died Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2007, at River Region Medical Center. She was 58.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Corine Polk and John Ross; a sister, Roberta Mason; and a brother, William Barker.

A homemaker, Mrs. Wheeler was a member of Greater Mount Zion M.B. Church.

She is survived by two sons, Willie Wheeler Jr. and Jerry Wheeler, both of Vicksburg; two daughters, Brenda Williams of Vicksburg and Gloria Royal of Jackson; four brothers, Jimmie Lee McCullum of Germany, Johnell Ross of California, Otis Ross of Vicksburg and Tommie C. McCullum of Florida; a sister, Ollie Mae Harris of Vicksburg; and other relatives, including Artis Williams, Celestine Ross and Tommieceina Harris, all of Vicksburg.

Williams Funeral Service has charge of arrangements.

Janie Mae Cook Williams

Janie Mae Cook Williams died Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2007, at her home. She was 78.

A homemaker, Mrs. Williams was a member and usher at Greater Mount Olive M.B. Church. She was a member of Christian Home Society No. 14.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Willie F. Williams; a brother, Ernest Cook; a sister, Stella Cason; her father, Willie Cook Sr.; and her mother, Willie B. Cook Ellis.

Survivors include a son, Tommy Williams of Vicksburg; three daughters, Willie Mae “Hazel” Phillips, Gracie Mae Williams and Evelyn Williams, all of Vicksburg; two brothers, James Ellis of Chicago and Willie Cook Jr. of Key West, Fla.; five sisters, Evelyn Gray and Josephine Ellis, both of Cleveland, Ohio, Mary Ellis and Juanita Ellis, both of Baltimore, Md., and Barbara Jones of Vicksburg; 16 grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren; and nieces and nephews.

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

Robert Lee Wright

FLORA — Robert Lee Wright of Flora died Saturday, Nov. 24, 2007, at his home after a lengthy illness. He was 79.

Services were at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Glenwood Funeral Home in Vicksburg with the Rev. Michael Fields officiating. Burial followed at Yokena Cemetery.

Mr. Wright was born on Oct. 2, 1928, in Warren County to Charles Lee Wright and Verna Taylor Wright. He worked for many years as an area distributor for The Clarion-Ledger. He was preceded in death by his parents and three grandchildren, Brian, Brittany and Brad Winterstein.

He is survived by his wife, Ann Marie Wright of Flora; his sister, Pat Jackson of Vicksburg; his daughters, Charlotte Kobert and husband Chuck of Gibson, Pa., Carol Winterstein and husband Earl of Florence and Linda Hollowell of Vicksburg; his sons, Robert Wayne Wright and wife Wanda of Magee and Joel Dwight Wright of Vicksburg; six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.