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.

James Lewis Jr.

ROLLING FORK James Lewis Jr. died Thursday, May 6, 2004, at his home in Rolling Fork. He was 72.

Mr. Lewis was retired.

He is survived by his wife, Willie Mae Lewis of Rolling Fork; six sons, Roderich Lewis and Antonio Lewis, both of Rolling Fork, Michael Lewis and Sammie Lewis, both of Memphis, Willie Lewis of Dallas and Eddie Lee Lewis of Clarksdale; two daughters, Barbara Newell of Cary and Ethel Hoye of Blanton; four brothers, Robert Waiters and Johnny Waiters, both of Mayersville, Sidney Waiters of Memphis and Leroy Waiters of Chicago; four sisters, Minerva Waiters of Mayersville, Josephine Waiters of Memphis, Margaret Joe of Tutwiler and Elizabeth Kennedy of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; and 28 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren.

Services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at Mount Zion M.B. Church in Cary with Pastor Henry Wilson officiating. Burial will follow at Greene Chapel Cemetery in Rolling Fork.

Visitation will be from 1 p.m. Saturday until the service at the church.

Rev. Charles Loyacono

The Rev. Charles Loyacono died Thursday, May 6, 2004, in Baton Rouge. He was 80.

The Rev. Loyacono was a native of Vicksburg and at the time of his death was a resident of the Ollie Steele Burden Manor Nursing Home in Baton Rouge.

Rev. Loyacono was the son of Charles and Eva Coccaro Loyacono of Vicksburg.

He received his education at the St. Joseph Seminary in St. Benedict, La., and at St. John Seminary in Little Rock, Ark. He was ordained a priest at St. Paul Catholic Church in Vicksburg May 1, 1957.

During his career, Rev. Loyacono served at Our Lady of the Gulf in Bay St. Louis, St. Joseph in Greenville, St. John in Biloxi, St. Alphonsus in Ocean Springs, St. Therese in Chattawa, St. Francis of Assisi in Shaw, St. James in Leland, St. Mary in Yazoo City and St. Joseph in Woodville, from which he retired.

He was preceded in death by a brother, Paul Loyacono; a sister, Anna Marie Cangelosi; and a niece, Delia Pyle.

He is survived by two sisters, Sister Mary Eva Loyacono R.S.M. and Eva Coco, both of Baton Rouge; and a number of nieces and nephews including Paul Kelly Loyacono and Mickey Loyacono, both of Vicksburg, Frances Loyacono Griffin of Madison and Bill Loyacono of Hernando.

A Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Monday at St. Paul Catholic Church. Visitation will be from 5 until 6:30 p.m. Sunday at St. Paul followed by the wake service.

Burial will be at Cedar Hill Cemetery with Riles Funeral Home in charge.

Lillian Florence McElroy

Lillian Florence McElroy died Wednesday, May 5, 2004, at River Region Medical Center. She was 82.

A native of Claiborne County, Mrs. McElroy was a resident of Vicksburg. She was an editorial assistant with the Corps of Engineers and a member of Gibson Memorial United Methodist Church.

She was preceded in death by her husband, T.B. McElroy; and a son, Bruce McElroy.

Survivors include two sons, Robert McElroy of Pompano Beach, Fla., and Thomas Michael McElroy of Port Gibson; a daughter, Janice Brown of Tallulah; a sister, Edna Earl Morgan of Virginia; seven grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.

Services will be at 2 p.m. today at Glenwood Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Green Acres Memorial Park.

Pallbearers will be Randy Stewart, Brandon McElroy, C.C. Hamby, Aaron McElroy, Grady Holley and Robert Clark.

Honorary pallbearers will be Sean McElroy and Kerry McElroy.

Frances Regina Ryan

A Mass will be said for Frances Regina Ryan at 2 p.m. Saturday at St. Paul Catholic Church with the Rev. Patrick Farrell officiating. Burial will follow at Cedar Hill Cemetery under the direction of Fisher Funeral Home.

Visitation will be from noon Saturday until the service at the funeral home.

Miss Ryan died Tuesday, May 4, 2004, at Heritage House. She was 93.

She was a lifelong Vicksburg resident and was the daughter of the late George L. and Mary Blanche Kain Ryan.

She retired in 1974 as chief of mail and records from the Lower Mississippi Valley Division Commission after 30 years of service. She was a member of St. Michael Catholic Church and a former member of St. Paul Catholic Church.

She is survived by her brother, Charles C. Ryan Sr. of Vicksburg; three nephews, Charles C. Ryan Jr., John Michael Ryan and James Duffey Ryan; two nieces, Ellen Ryan Jenkins and Milly Ryan Harshman; and other relatives, including members of the Gerache, Waring and Beasley families.

Pallbearers will be John J. Gerache, Joshua J. Gerache, Jonathan M. Gerache, James D. Ryan, Charles C. Ryan Jr. and Eric R. Jenkins.