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C. Ferman Westbrook
C. Ferman Westbrook was an honest man with a "strong work ethic," according to his wife, Wanda Westbrook.
"He was a hard, dedicated worker," Wanda said. "And he always made sure he took care of his customers."
Ferman died April 25. He was 70. He is buried in Autumn Woods Memorial Park in Olive Branch.
Ferman was born Oct. 27, 1934, in Tippo, Miss. He grew up with his family in Sledge, Miss., where his father worked as a mechanic and owned an auto repair shop.
"My husband grew up in the auto repair business," Wanda said. "His father taught him the tricks of the trade."
Ferman graduated from Sledge High School in 1955 and moved to Memphis in 1960.
The couple met in the summer of 1961, at a Pontiac auto dealership in Memphis, Tenn., where Ferman was employed as a mechanic.
"I had a new car and the windshield wipers wouldn't work so I took my car to the dealership to be repaired," Wanda said. "While I was waiting on my car, a service representative, a friend of Ferman's at the time, introduced us and from that day on we were together."
Wanda said she was first attracted to Ferman's smile and work ethic.
"He had a beautiful smile and his work ethic was unbelievable," she said. "I was from a family with a strong work ethic myself. We just had a lot of things in common. We were both settled, steady and dependable people."
Wanda said one of the reasons Ferman was so dependable may have been because he was a single father at the young age of 25.
"He was a very strong man. And I know he got that strength from God," she said.
The couple married later that same year on Nov. 3, 1961, at Elliston Baptist Church in Memphis. They have been married nearly 44 years.
Shortly after the couple married, Ferman went into business for himself at Westbrook Auto Service and Body Shop in Memphis. He owned the family-operated shop for 31 years.
Wanda, who worked alongside her husband at the shop for many years, said she admired Ferman most for his honesty and loyalty to his customers.
"Ferman was a very honest person who treated his customers very good," she said. "His customers trusted him. They would just leave their cars with him knowing he wouldn't do any work that wasn't necessary.
"He didn't beleive in overcharging his customers. In fact, if a customer's car wasn't worth putting any money into to get it repaired then he would tell them to go get a new car."
Wanda also admired Ferman's dedication to the job.
"Ferman wouldn't let anything keep him away from work or from taking care of his customers," Wanda said. "He was a workaholic.
"I remember one day he was working on a car and it blew up and blew carbon dioxide in his eyes. He went to the hospital and was at work the next morning."
Wanda said Ferman even continued to work after he was diagnosed with colon cancer about five years ago.
"He would go get his chemo treatments and then go to work the very same day," she said. "He would just never give in to sickness. Even when he just had a cold, he would lay in bed all weekend to make sure he was well enough and ready to get back to work on Monday."
Ferman was also an active coach. He coached youth sports through the Memphis Parks and Recreation from 1962-1972.
Wanda and Ferman moved to Olive Branch in 1987.
Ferman began playing and coaching men's softball in Olive Branch in 1992.
He coached a men's softball league at Gracewood Baptist Church in Southaven, where he was a member. And he coached men's softball at Southaven's Trinity Baptist Church, where he helped create a baseball field in 1994.
"He was very active in sponsoring sports and youth sports events," Wanda said. "He believed that keeping kids active in sports kept them out of trouble."
Aside from coaching and running his own business, Ferman did make time for family.
"We enjoyed weekend trips at our vacation home on the Tennessee River," Wanda said. "The whole family has been going there since 1983 to do some boating, fishing and water skiing."
Ferman was a U.S. Army Korean Veteran and an ordained deacon. He was also a past president of state and local Automotive Service Association (ASA), regional director of the national ASA and served on the Ford Motor Co. Arbitration Board.
Ferman never retired, Wanda said.
"He wanted to work until the day he died, and he did," she said. "He died at the shop."
The shop is currently being operated by Ferman's children, Scott Westbrook and Trina Slocum.
Ferman also leaves his daughter, Kathy Westbrook, three sisters, two brothers and seven grandchildren.
"He was a hard, dedicated worker," Wanda said. "And he always made sure he took care of his customers."
Ferman died April 25, 2005. He was 70. He is buried in Autumn Woods Memorial Park in Olive Branch.
Ferman was born Oct. 27, 1934, in Tippo, Miss. He grew up with his family in Sledge, Miss., where his father worked as a mechanic and owned an auto repair shop.
"My husband grew up in the auto repair business," Wanda said. "His father taught him the tricks of the trade."
Ferman graduated from Sledge High School in 1955 and moved to Memphis in 1960.
The couple met in the summer of 1961, at a Pontiac auto dealership in Memphis, Tenn., where Ferman was employed as a mechanic.
"I had a new car and the windshield wipers wouldn't work so I took my car to the dealership to be repaired," Wanda said. "While I was waiting on my car, a service representative, a friend of Ferman's at the time, introduced us and from that day on we were together."
Wanda said she was first attracted to Ferman's smile and work ethic.
"He had a beautiful smile and his work ethic was unbelievable," she said. "I was from a family with a strong work ethic myself. We just had a lot of things in common. We were both settled, steady and dependable people."
Wanda said one of the reasons Ferman was so dependable may have been because he was a single father at the young age of 25.
"He was a very strong man. And I know he got that strength from God," she said.
The couple married later that same year on Nov. 3, 1961, at Elliston Baptist Church in Memphis. They have been married nearly 44 years.
Shortly after the couple married, Ferman went into business for himself at Westbrook Auto Service and Body Shop in Memphis. He owned the family-operated shop for 31 years.
Wanda, who worked alongside her husband at the shop for many years, said she admired Ferman most for his honesty and loyalty to his customers.
"Ferman was a very honest person who treated his customers very good," she said. "His customers trusted him. They would just leave their cars with him knowing he wouldn't do any work that wasn't necessary.
"He didn't beleive in overcharging his customers. In fact, if a customer's car wasn't worth putting any money into to get it repaired then he would tell them to go get a new car."
Wanda also admired Ferman's dedication to the job.
"Ferman wouldn't let anything keep him away from work or from taking care of his customers," Wanda said. "He was a workaholic.
"I remember one day he was working on a car and it blew up and blew carbon dioxide in his eyes. He went to the hospital and was at work the next morning."
Wanda said Ferman even continued to work after he was diagnosed with colon cancer about five years ago.
"He would go get his chemo treatments and then go to work the very same day," she said. "He would just never give in to sickness. Even when he just had a cold, he would lay in bed all weekend to make sure he was well enough and ready to get back to work on Monday."
Ferman was also an active coach. He coached youth sports through the Memphis Parks and Recreation from 1962-1972.
Wanda and Ferman moved to Olive Branch in 1987.
Ferman began playing and coaching men's softball in Olive Branch in 1992.
He coached a men's softball league at Gracewood Baptist Church in Southaven, where he was a member. And he coached men's softball at Southaven's Trinity Baptist Church, where he helped create a baseball field in 1994.
"He was very active in sponsoring sports and youth sports events," Wanda said. "He believed that keeping kids active in sports kept them out of trouble."
Aside from coaching and running his own business, Ferman did make time for family.
"We enjoyed weekend trips at our vacation home on the Tennessee River," Wanda said. "The whole family has been going there since 1983 to do some boating, fishing and water skiing."
Ferman was a U.S. Army Korean Veteran and an ordained deacon. He was also a past president of state and local Automotive Service Association (ASA), regional director of the national ASA and served on the Ford Motor Co. Arbitration Board.
Ferman never retired, Wanda said.
"He wanted to work until the day he died, and he did," she said. "He died at the shop."
The shop is currently being operated by Ferman's children, Scott Westbrook and Trina Slocum.
Ferman also leaves his daughter, Kathy Westbrook, three sisters, two brothers and seven grandchildren.
Ferman died April 25. He was 70. He is buried in Autumn Woods Memorial Park in Olive Branch.
Ferman was born Oct. 27, 1934, in Tippo, Miss. He grew up with his family in Sledge, Miss., where his father worked as a mechanic and owned an auto repair shop.
"My husband grew up in the auto repair business," Wanda said. "His father taught him the tricks of the trade."
Ferman graduated from Sledge High School in 1955 and moved to Memphis in 1960.
Ascedo
ASCEDO, MANUEL, 44, machine fabricator, died Tuesday, May 10, 2005, in Memphis. Services were held Saturday, May 14, 2005, at Byhalia First Baptist Church with burial in Garden of Memories in Salinas, Calif. Holly Springs Funeral Home had charge. He was a Catholic. Mr. Ascedo, the husband of Dana Ginet Ascedo, also leaves his mother, Irene Ascedo; a sister, Betty Lou Vega; a brother, Frank Ascedo Jr., and his grandmother, Betty Lou Vega, all of Salinas.
Betz
BETZ, PAULINE, 66, homemaker, died Sunday, May 8, 2005, at Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto in Southaven. Hernando Funeral Home has charge. She leaves three daughters, Beverly Henderson, Ann Marie Betz and Amanda Betz, and a son, Carl Chesnut, all of Horn Lake; a sister, Cynthia Hopkins, and two brothers, Colin Edwards and Melvin Edwards, all of Manchester, England, and seven grandchildren. The family requests that any memorials be sent to Sunshine Home for Boys & Girls.
Brown
BROWN, RICHARD G., 64, retired president of Quality Companies, died Saturday, May 7, 2005, at his home. Services were held Thursday, May 12, 2005, at Getwell United Methodist Church, where he was a member. Brantley Funeral Home has charge. He was a graduate of Southwestern College. Mr. Brown, the husband of Rachael Brown, also leaves two daughters, Julie Danley of Birmingham and Jennifer Brown of Washington; a son, Jeffery Brown of Germantown; two stepdaughters, Susan Laney of Southaven and Donna Gulledge of Memphis; a sister, Rita Park of Atlanta, and four grandchildren. The family requests that any memorials be sent to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Coleman
COLEMAN, KATHY, 36, homemaker, died Thursday, May 12, 2005, at Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto in Southaven. Services were held Sunday, May 15, 2005, at Brantley Funeral Home with burial in Greenleaf Cemetery in Tate County. Mrs. Coleman, the widow of Alfredo Mejia, leaves a daughter, Elizabeth Coleman, and her mother, Sylvia Hisaw, both of Olive Branch; two sisters, Pamela Figueroa of Olive Branch and Doris Durbin of Independence; four brothers, Tim Coleman and Tony Coleman, both of Hernando, and Terry Coleman and Vincent Middleton, both of Independence, and a grandson, Johnathan Coleman.
Friedrich
FRIEDRICH, MARGARET LOUELLA, 62, retired waitress for 455 Truck Stop in Tupelo, died Tuesday, May 10, 2005, at her home. Services were held Friday, May 13, 2005, at Brantley-Phillips Funeral Home of Hernando with burial in Hernando Memorial Park Cemetery. She was a member of New Life Church of God. She leaves two daughters, Debra Jewell of Blytheville, Ark., and Judy Burns of Eudora; a son, Robert McNeel of Horn Lake; three sisters, Faye Young of Hernando, Rachel Veal of Manila, Ark., and Annie Jarrell of Byhalia; two brothers, Sidney Fair of Steele, Mo., and Roy Fair of Southaven, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Hawkins
HAWKINS, IRIS, 73, retired from Kellogg's, died Saturday, May 14, 2005, at her home. Services were held Wednesday, May 18, 2005, at Twin Oaks Funeral Home with burial in Magnolia Cemetery in Coldwater. She was a Baptist. She leaves two daughters, Rebecca Stacks of Senatobia and Tammy Beene of Lake Cormorant; a sister, Imogene Henry, and a brother, Herbert Hoyle Gullick, both of Hickory Flat, four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
