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.

John Davis

CARY – John Davis died Saturday, Aug. 27, 2005, at Heritage Manor Nursing Home in Cary. He was 80.

Mr. Davis was a retired farmer and truck driver.

Survivors include three sons, Roosevelt Thomas, Clyde Davis and Isiah Shephard, all of Chicago; two daughters, Bettye Davis Stafford of Memphis and Mary L. Davis of Dallas; one brother, J.P. Calvin of New Jersey; three sisters, Edna Davis of Memphis and Hattie Sanders and Rosie Stamps, both of Cary; 19 grandchildren; and 27 great-grandchildren.

Services will be at noon Saturday at Guiding Star M.B. Church in Cary with the Rev. Carl Dorsey officiating. Burial will follow at Cary Community Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 11:30 a.m. Saturday until the service at the church.

Berthina Gilmore

PORT GIBSON – Berthina Gilmore died Saturday, Aug. 27, 2005, at her home in Port Gibson. She was 48.

Mrs. Gilmore was preceded in death by her parents, Phil and Alma Johnson-Gilmore; and three brothers, James Gilmore, Percy Gilmore and Phil Gilmore Jr.

She is survived by a son, Allen Gilmore of Port Gibson; two brothers, Eddie Gilmore Sr. of Port Gibson and Ernest Gilmore Jr. of Jackson; a granddaughter; and nieces, nephews, friends and other relatives.

Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Rose Hill Christian Church in Russum with the Rev. Eugene Coney officiating, assisted by Walter Chambers. Burial will follow at the church cemetery.

Visitation will be from 1 until 5 p.m. today at Thompson Funeral Home and Saturday at the church from 10 a.m. until the service.

Eva Coleman Loewenberg

Eva Coleman Loewenberg died Thursday, Sept. 1, 2005, at Heritage House Nursing Home. She was 97.

Mrs. Loewenberg was a native of Union Church and a resident of Vicksburg. She worked as a bookkeeper at 522 Service Station. She was also employed with the House of Fashion and McRae’s before retiring. She was a member of Crawford Street United Methodist Church.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Ralph M. Loewenberg; eight brothers; and five sisters.

Survivors include four daughters, Rachael Patterson of Pascagoula, Ruth Weir of Huntsville, Ala., Evonne Hudson of Sebastopol and Janice Howerton of Montgomery, Ala.; 10 grandchildren; and 23 great-grandchildren.

Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Green Acres Memorial Park with the Rev. Geoffrey Joyner officiating.

Pallbearers will be Dwight Patterson, Craig Patterson, Brad Patterson, Loewen Beasley, Bobby Hudson III and Glenn Howerton III.

Honorary pallbearers will be Norman Patterson, Ernie Weir, Bob Hudson Jr., Glenn Howerton, Dr. Thomas Sligh, Robert Greer and other employees at the Heritage House Nursing Home.

Memorials may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or to a favorite charity in honor of Mrs. Loewenberg.

Olive Dinkins Purviance

Services for Olive Dinkins Purviance were at 11 a.m. today at Gibson Memorial United Methodist Church with the Rev. Ed Hightower officiating. Burial followed at Green Acres Memorial Park under the direction of Fisher Funeral Home.

Mrs. Purviance died Sunday, Aug. 28, 2005, at her home in Raymond. She was 77.

A native of Canton, Mrs. Purviance was the daughter of the late C.C. and Olive Beatrice Jones Dinkins. She was a graduate of Canton High School. She lived in Vicksburg for more than 44 years and had been a Raymond resident for the past four years.

One of the first women Realtors in Vicksburg, Mrs. Purviance worked for a number of years with P.L. Hennessey Realty. In the early 1970s, she developed Olive Purviance Realty, which she owned and operated until her death. She was named Realtor of the Year by her peers in the early 1980s and won numerous real estate awards.

She was past president and vice president of the Board of Realtors, as well as the Professional Ethics Committee for the Board of Realtors. She served as an independent Realtor for more than 25 years.

Mrs. Purviance was a member of Gibson Memorial United Methodist Church.

Survivors include three daughters, Nancy Purviance Neilsen of Edwards, Marilyn Purviance Johnson of Clinton and Meta Purviance “Mimi” Koestler of Murfreesboro, Tenn.; two sons, H.L. “Lang” Purviance Jr. of Port Gibson and Frank C. Purviance of Utica; a brother, Theo Dinkins of Madison; 15 grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and other relatives.

Pallbearers were Chris Purviance, Lum Purviance, Scott Burr, Pat Koestler, Chip Burr, Craig Millett, H.L. “Trip” Purviance III, Michael Millett, Ray Neilsen and Bradley Millett.

Honorary pallbearers were Parker Stevenson, Dave Dinkins, Ted Dinkins, John Dinkins, Paul Barrett, Martin Pace, Jay McKenzie, William Shappley, S.C. Thomas, Mark McComb, Charles “Bo” Koestler and Steve Millett.

Memorials may be made to Gibson Memorial United Methodist Church, 335 Bowie Road, Vicksburg, MS 39183; Haven House Family Shelter, P.O. Box 57, Vicksburg, MS 39181; or the American Heart Association.

Hort Curtis Stutts

PIONEER, La. – Hort Curtis Stutts died Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2005, at Richardson Medical Center in Rayville. He was 91.

He was preceded in death by his parents, John Jessie Stutts Sr. and Virginia Murray Stutts; four brothers, John Jessie Stutts Jr., Floyd Stutts, Willard Stutts and Luther Stutts; and two sisters, Ruby Elam and Pearl Pace.

Survivors include his wife, Pearl Jeanette Dawkins Stutts of Oak Grove; one son, William Curtis Stutts of Oak Grove; one brother, Sidney Stutts of Bastrop; two grandchildren; and other relatives and friends.

Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Cox Funeral Home Chapel in Oak Grove with the Revs. Roy Pepmiller and Paul Ninemire officiating. Burial will follow at Unity Cemetery in Epps.

Visitation will be from 5 until 9 this evening and from 8 a.m. Saturday until the hour of service at the funeral home.

Pallbearers will be Danny Gunter, John F. Prine, Robert H. “Butch” Jones, Charles Frisbee, James Tidwell and Leonard Wicker.

Dr. Otis Alexander Williams Jr.

Services for Dr. Otis Alexander Williams Jr. will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Mount Calvary M.B. Church. Burial will follow at Cedar Hill Cemetery.

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

Dr. Williams died Monday, Aug. 29, 2005, at his home. He was 42.

He was born in Woodville and attended Vicksburg Public Schools. He was a 1980 graduate of Vicksburg High School, where he was a member of the National Honor Society, Key Club and ROTC. He was a member of the community’s Civil Air Patrol.

He was a graduate of Mississippi State University and Meharry Medical College in Nashville.

He was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents, Severa Gaines and Louise Sims; and paternal grandparents, Alex and Louise Williams.

Survivors include his parents, Otis A. Williams Sr. and Odessa Gaines Williams, both of Vicksburg; and one sister, Opal Williams White of Duluth, Ga.