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.

Charles Barnes

Charles Barnes died Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2005, at Delta Regional Medical Center in Washington County. He was 41.

Mr. Barnes was a truck driver for Waring Oil Co.

Lakeview Funeral Home has charge of arrangements.

Clara Watkins Brown

TEXARKANA, Texas – Clara Watkins Brown died Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2005, at her home in Texarkana, Texas. She was 86.

Mrs. Brown was a Warren County native. She was retired from The Street Clinic and was a former member of Mount Zion Christian Church in Claiborne County.

She was a member of St. Paul M.B. Church in Texarkana.

She was preceded in death by her husband, James &#8220Jim” Brown; a sister; and a brother.

She is survived by two sons, Columbus Watkins of Brown Deer, Wis., and Bobby J. Brown of Jackson; one daughter, Mollie Brown Jackson of Texarkana; two sisters, Sallie Collins and Lucille Sanders, both of Milwaukee, Wis.; six grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and other relatives.

Services will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at Cedar Grove M.B. Church with the Rev. T.J. Roberson officiating. Burial will follow at Mount Zion Christian Church Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 2 until 5 p.m. Friday at W.H. Jefferson Funeral Home with family hour from 5 until 7.

Mary Magdelene Wade Higgins

ALEXANDRIA, La. – Mary Magdelene Wade Higgins died Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2005, at Rapides Regional Medical Center in Alexandria, La. She was 84.

Mrs. Higgins was born in Richland Parish, La., and was a former resident of Delhi.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Carl W. Higgins; a son, Charles W. Higgins; a grandson, Charles E. Higgins; her parents, George A. Wade and Susie Hart Wade; a sister, Carmon Wade Rice; and seven brothers, C.M. Wade, Elvin Wade, Kirby Wade, Hiram Wade, Willis Wade, Arnold Wade and Huey Lee Wade.

She is survived by a son, Lawrence E. Higgins of Raleigh, N.C.; a daughter, Mary Alyce Higgins Bordelon of Alexandria; four sisters, Doris Wade Weems and Una Hart, both of Monroe, Celie Wade Flynn of Bastrop, La., and Wilma Wade Hart of Rayville, La.; five grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and nieces, nephews and friends.

Services will be at 10 a.m. Friday at Cox Funeral Home of Delhi with Dr. Marcus Murphy and the Rev. David Boothe officiating.

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

Pallbearers will be Kirby &#8220Buddy” Wade, David Wade, James &#8220Jimmy” Wade, Willis &#8220Billy” Wade, Samuel &#8220Sammy” Weems and Charles Flynn.

Honorary pallbearers will be all nephews.

Johnnye Mae Davis Mayfield

STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. – Services for Johnnye Mae Davis Mayfield will be at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Second Union M.B. Church in Claiborne County with the Rev. Phillip Burkes officiating. Burial will follow at Second Union Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 2 until 5 p.m. Friday at W.H. Jefferson Funeral Home.

Mrs. Mayfield died Friday, Nov. 25, 2005, at Riverside Hospital in Atlanta. She was 46.

Mrs. Mayfield was a care coordinator at Dogwood Forest Nursing Home in Atlanta. She was a member of Second Union Church.

She was preceded in death by her father, Johnny Davis.

She is survived by her husband, Johnie L. Mayfield of Stone Mountain, Ga.; her mother, Geneva M. Davis of Utica; one son, Shavon Nervis of Clinton; one daughter, Jamertra Michelle Mayfield of Stone Mountain; a brother, Ralph Lorenzo Davis of Natchez; a sister, Shannon Denise Davis of Utica; and aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins.

John Leonidas McRae

John Leonidas McRae, civil engineer/consultant, died this past Saturday, Nov. 26, 2005, at the age of 88 in Knoxville, Tenn., of natural causes.

Born in Acona, Holmes County, Miss., Sept. 16, 1917, he was the son of James Wright McRae and Lota O’Bryant McRae.

Mr. McRae, a resident of Vicksburg for over 50 years, is survived by his son, John M. McRae of Knoxville, Tenn., and daughter, Margaret Murphree of Tallahassee, Fla., and six grandchildren. John and his wife, Sharon, have three children – Shane, Kelley and Ryan. Margaret is married to Boyd Murphree and she has three children – Rachel, Jordan and Nathan. Mr. McRae’s wife, Thelma, died in January 2000.

Mr. McRae, a civil engineering graduate of Northwestern University, was chief of the Bituminous Laboratory, U.S. Waterways Experiment Station (WES), for over a decade and served in other key positions as well over his career with WES. McRae was founder and CEO of Engineering Developments Company. He dedicated his professional life, over the last 40 years, to refinement and promotion of the Gyratory Testing Machine (GTM), a machine he invented for designing and testing bituminous pavement, for utilization in highway and airfield design. The GTM, accepted as part of the standards of the American Society of Testing Materials, has been sold in numerous U.S. states as well as foreign countries. Mr. McRae was a fellow in the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Lon, as he was called by friends and family, was a member of Bowmar Baptist Church during all his life in Vicksburg and served often as a deacon. He was also a member of the Gideons.

The funeral arrangements are being made by Glenwood Funeral Home, Vicksburg. The visitation is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 2, at Glenwood from 5 until 7 p.m. The funeral service will be at Glenwood at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3. Burial will follow at Cedar Hill Cemetery.

Memorial gifts may also be made to Hospice and Gideons.

Lorene Priddy Ragsdale

NEWELLTON – Lorene Priddy Ragsdale died Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2005, at Richland Manor Nursing Home in Delhi. She was 98.

Mrs. Ragsdale was born in Danville, Ark., to Judge A.B. and Augusta Priddy. She graduated in 1929 from the former Galloway Women’s College in Searcy, Ark.

She taught school before moving with her husband to Tensas Parish to farm Raritan Plantation. She was a member of Newellton Union Church, where she taught ladies’ Sunday school for 10 years. She was a founding member of the Delta Art Association, serving as its first president.

Mrs. Ragsdale was preceded in death by her husband, Glen Monroe Ragsdale; two grandsons, Keith Wood and Neil Wood; and five siblings.

Survivors include two daughters, Marian Mulligan of Newellton and Evelyn Russell of Delhi; two sons, Arthur Buril Ragsdale of Dallas and William Glen Ragsdale of Newellton; seven grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren.

Services will be at 10 a.m. Friday at Legion Cemetery in Newellton with the Rev. J. Fulton McGraw officiating. Burial will follow under the direction of Crothers-Glenwood Funeral Home.

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

Delores Baker Reynolds

Delores Baker Reynolds died today, Dec. 1, 2005, at River Region Medical Center. She was 68.

Mrs. Reynolds was a member and mother at Beech Grove M.B. Church. She had worked for Mississippi Action for Progress and Warrenton Elementary School.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Walker Reynolds Sr.; her parents, Leandrew Sr. and Lablanche Baker; and one sister, Alfreda Kline.

She is survived by two sons, Johnny Reynolds and Walker Reynolds III, both of Vicksburg; six daughters, Patricia Smith, Shirley Allen, Linda Smith and Carolyn Reynolds, all of Vicksburg, Lisa Kennard of Jackson and Kathy Clyde of Covington, Ga.; two sisters, Pattie Jeffrey of Vicksburg and Blanche Stewart of Columbia, S.C.; one brother, Leandrew Baker Jr. of Vicksburg; and nieces, nephews, cousins and other relatives.

Robbins Funeral Home has charge of arrangements.

Irene Wright

FAYETTE – Irene Wright died Monday, Nov. 28, 2005, at Jefferson County Hospital in Fayette. She was 70.

Ms. Wright was a native of Jefferson County. She was a member of Greenleaf Baptist Church.

She is survived by two daughters, Doris Jackson and Joyce Wright, both of Fayette; three brothers, Samuel Wright, Jimmy Dale and Joe Lewis Wright, all of Florida; three sisters, Mildred Thomas of Pompano Beach, Fla., and Elsie R. Shorter and Betty Wright, both of Harriston; eight grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; and other relatives and friends.

Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Greenleaf Baptist Church with the Rev. Percy Turner officiating. Burial will follow at Greenleaf Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 2 until 6 p.m. Friday at Rollins Chapel in Fayette.