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.

Willie Betts

Services for Willie Betts will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Mount Pisgah M.B. Church with the Rev. Dennis Redden officiating. Burial will follow at Cedar Hill Cemetery under the direction of W.H. Jefferson Funeral Home.

Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until the service Thursday at the church.

Mr. Betts died Thursday, April 10, 2003, at his home. He was 83.

He was retired from Illinois Central Railroad. He served in the Army in World War II and was a member of Tyner-Ford Post No. 213.

Mr. Betts was a member and trustee at Mount Pisgah M.B. Church, where he was on the usher board.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Ruth Turner Betts; and a brother, Clabe Thompson.

Survivors include two sons, Willie L. Betts and James L. Betts, both of Vicksburg; a brother, Henry Betts of Chicago; two sisters, Thelma Audley of Wheaton , Ill., and Ida Moss of Hawthorne, Calif.; a grandson, James Betts of Vicksburg; and other relatives including, Debra Betts of Vicksburg.

John L. Coleman

John L. Coleman died Sunday, April 13, 2003, at River Region Medical Center. He was 65.

Born in Claiborne County, Mr. Coleman was a lifelong resident of Vicksburg. He was retired from Dual Carpet and a member of Jackson Street M.B. Church.

He was preceded in death by a daughter, Margaret McGriggs; his parents, Prentiss Coleman Sr. and Mary Turner Handy; two sisters, Lucille Cloud and Wilenna Smith; and two brothers, Prentiss “Slick” Coleman Jr. and Bennie Handy.

Survivors include his wife, Rosa Lee Coleman of Vicksburg; a daughter, Johnita Coleman of Vicksburg; a stepdaughter, Ida Donaldson of Los Angeles; two stepsons, William Stewart and Christopher Stewart, both of Vicksburg; a sister, Ida Mae Evans of Vicksburg; two brothers, Leon Handy of Vicksburg and Johnny Handy of Chicago; three grandchildren; and other relatives including the Coleman, Butler, Turner, Smith, Evans, Yancy and Slaughter families, all of Vicksburg.

Williams Funeral Service has charge of arrangements.

George M. Hearn

George M. Hearn died Tuesday, April 15, 2003, at his home. He was 59.

A lifelong resident of Vicksburg, Mr. Hearn was the son of the late Robert Excell and Evie I. Powell Hearn. He worked for Westinghouse and Cooper Lighting Co. for 42 years.

He was a veteran of the Army and a member of Bradley’s Chapel United Methodist Church.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a son, Timothy Wayne Hearn.

Survivors include his wife, Hilda Faye Hearn of Vicksburg; one son, Nelson E. Hearn of Vicksburg; a daughter, Melissa Ann Collins of Vicksburg; two brothers, James Howard Hearn and Robert Lee Hearn, both of Vicksburg; two sisters, Mary Elizabeth “Doll” Mathes and Nita L. Curtis, both of Vicksburg; and five grandchildren.

Fisher Funeral Home has charge of arrangements.

Naomi P. Knighton

Services for Naomi P. Knighton will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Glenwood Funeral Home Chapel with Billy Brumfield officiating. Burial will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Liberty Hill Cemetery in San Augustine, Texas.

Visitation will be from 5 until 7 tonight at the funeral home.

Mrs. Knighton died Monday, April 14, 2003, at River Region Medical Center. She was 85.

A native of Chireno, Texas, Mrs. Knighton was a resident of San Augustine before moving to Vicksburg in 1968. She was former owner and operator of Tingleville Store and a member of Trinity Baptist Church.

Her husband, Wendell Knighton, preceded her in death.

Survivors include two sons, Gerald Knighton of Lubbock, Texas, and Marlon Knighton of Vicksburg; a daughter, Jean Atkinson of Vicksburg; a brother, Benton Parrish of Houston, Texas; seven grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Grandchildren will serve as pallbearers.

Memorials may be made to a favorite charity.

Willie Smith

Willie Smith died Tuesday, April 15, 2003, at River Region West. He was 84.

A resident of Vicksburg, Mr. Smith was of the Baptist faith.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Marie Shelton Smith; and a son, Willie Wright.

Survivors include a daughter, Vanessa Shelton of Vicksburg; eight grandchildren; and ten great-grandchildren.

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

Anna Moran Whitaker

HERMOSA BEACH, Calif. Anna Moran Whitaker died Thursday, April 10, 2003, in Torrence, Calif. She was 81.

A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Mrs. Whitaker had been a resident of Hermosa Beach, Calif., since 1958.

She was a member of St. Cross Episcopal Church in Hermosa Beach.

Survivors include her husband, Buford R. Whitaker of Hermosa Beach, formerly of Mayersville; one daughter, Linda Stanley of Phoenix, Ariz.; a son, Rick Whitaker of Santa Barbara, Calif.; three grandchildren; and other relatives, including Frank G. Whitaker, Gid Whitaker and Dr. Murray Whitaker, all of Vicksburg, and Doug Whitaker of Clinton.