The Vicksburg Post prints obituaries for residents, former residents and residents’ immediate family members who resided elsewhere when notified by a family member or a funeral home. There is no charge for printing an obituary, but all are edited to meet the newspaper’s requirements.

OLLIE MESSIE BLAND

PORT GIBSON Services for Ollie Messie Bland will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at Barnes Cemetery in Hermanville with the Rev. Horace McBride officiating.

Visitation will be from 5 until 7 tonight at Williams Funeral Service in Port Gibson.

Miss Bland died Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2002, at her niece’s home in Jackson. She was 78.

A domestic worker, Miss Bland was a former Port Gibson resident and member of St. Luke M.B. Church in Carlisle.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Dave and Ollie Bland; a brother, Kelly Bland; two sisters, Nora Bland and Tina Coleman; and a daughter.

Survivors include seven nephews, Richard Coleman and Eugene Coleman, both of Chicago, Booker Coleman and Ernest Coleman, both of Port Gibson, Henry Coleman of Harvey, Ill., Chester Coleman of Broadview, Ill., and Robbie Coleman of Fayette; five nieces, Dorothy Claiborne and Pershelia Coleman, both of Port Gibson, Melissa Coleman and Pearl Mobley, both of Jackson, and Mary Coleman of Country Club, Ill.; and other relatives and friends.

LILLIE RUTH CHAMBERS-CLARK

PORT GIBSON Lillie Ruth Chambers-Clark died Monday, Dec. 9, 2002, at Earl K. Long, LSU Medical Center in Baton Rouge. She was 54.

Ms. Clark was preceded in death by her parents, Martin and Ruby Braxton-Chambers.

Survivors include a brother, Bennie Chambers of St. Louis, Mo.; two sisters, Ruth Moore of Bolton and Claudia Chambers of Chicago; aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends.

Services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at Second Baptist Church in Port Gibson with the Revs. Russell Myers and Leon Nelson officiating. Burial will follow at McCay Cemetery in Russum, Miss., under the direction of Thompson Funeral Home.

Visitation will be from 1 until 6 tonight at the funeral home and from 1 p.m. until the service Saturday at the church.

HEZEKIAH G. ELLIS

PATTISON, Miss. Hezekiah G. Ellis died Monday, Dec. 9, 2002, at Veterans Administration Medical Center in Jackson. He was 73.

A resident of Pattison, Miss., Mr. Ellis was a member of White Hall Baptist Church.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Riley and Idella Graves Ellis.

Survivors include his wife, Josie Ellis of Pattison; four sons, Dennis Ellis, Curtis Ellis and Hezekiah Ellis, all of Pattison, and Dale Ellis of Hermanville, Miss.; three daughters, Louise Ellis of Pattison, Nita Stephens of Vicksburg and Linda Johnson of Tyler, Texas; three brothers, Thomas Ellis and Michael Ellis, both of Chicago, and Riley Ellis of Hermanville; four sisters, Rosia Pearl of Los Angeles, Ruby Lee Brown of Longview, Texas, Maple Jones of Chicago and Lucy McGee of Pattison; 13 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and other relatives and friends.

Services will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at White Hall Baptist Church in Pattison with the Rev. Leroy Dee officiating. Burial will follow at the Ellis Family Cemetery.

Visitation will be from noon until 5 tonight at Rollins Funeral Home Chapel in Port Gibson. Family hour will be from 5 until 6.

WILLIE BEATRICE ELLIS

Willie Beatrice Ellis died Thursday, Dec. 12, 2002, at River Region Medical Center. She was 102.

A homemaker, Mrs. Ellis was a member of Mount Olive M.B. Church.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Willie and Janie Price Johnson.

She is survived by two sons, James Ellis of Chicago and Willie Cook of Orlando, Fla.; seven daughters, Barbara Jones and Janie Mae Williams, both of Vicksburg, Stella Cason, Mary Ellis and Juanita Boyd, all of Baltimore, and Josephine Tolliver and Evelyn Jackson Gray, both of Cleveland, Ohio; 30 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; and nieces, nephews, cousins and other relatives.

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