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Lizzie Chambers Smith
CANTON -- Lizzie Chambers Smith, 93, died July 1, 1999, at Madison County Medical Center in Canton.
Services were held last Thursday at Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist Church with interment in Madisonville cemetery. Peoples Undertaking of Canton handled arrangements.
A Madison County native, Mrs. Smith became a member of Pilgrim Rest M.B. Church at a young age and was active in the church for many years until her health failed. In 1925, she met and married
Charlie Smith Jr., with whom she had eight children.
She was educated in rural Madison County schools and often spoke about the good old days of her childhood, those who knew her said.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Charlie Smith Jr.; a daughter, Ruby L. Kelly; and a grandson, Johnny Lee Smith.
Survivors include her daughters, Ollie Mae Harris and Willie Mae McGruder of Canton; sons, Charlie C. Smith 3rd of Columbia, S.C., George Smith of New Orleans, La., Otis Smith, Sammy Smith and Ervin Smith of Canton; one grandson she reared, Van Smith of Canton; one sister, Mary Jones of Canton; 35 grandchildren, 86 great-grandchildren, five great-great-grandchildren, sister-in-law, Ruth Smith of Canton; brother-in-law, Harvey Smith of Canton; and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
James Hamilton Mathews, Jr.
MADISON -- James Hamilton Mathews Jr., 60, chief of right-of-way for the Mississippi Department of Transportation, died Wednesday, July 7, 1999, of respiratory failure at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.
Services were held Friday at Montgomery cemetery in Madison. Wright & Ferguson Funeral Home of Ridgeland handled arrangements.
A Greenville native, Mr. Mathews was a graduate of the University of Mississippi. He had been a resident of the Jackson area for 35 years. He was a licensed appraiser, a member of Christ United Methodist Church and an active member of the International Right of Way Association, being its 1983 recipient of the Professional of The Year Award.
Mr. Mathews was also a member of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, receiving its Meritorious Public Service Award in 1994. He served in the U.S. Air Force Reserves and had worked for MDOT for 30 years.
Survivors include his wife, Sandra Fendley Mathews of Madison; sons, Christopher Hamilton Mathews of Ridgeland and Stephen Gregory Mathews of Madison; and parents, Gladys Lowrey and James Hamilton Mathews of Greenville.
Memorials may be made to the Kidney Foundation of Mississippi, 2640 River Hills Drive, Jackson, MS 39216.
Roberta Sanders Tolbert
BRANDON -- Roberta Sanders Tolbert, 85, a retired cosmetologist, died Wednesday, July 7, 1999, of heart failure at Jaquithe Nursing Home in Whitfield.
Services were held Friday at Shockalow cemetery in Carthage. Nowell-Flippin Funeral Home of Ridgeland handled arrangements.
A Carthage native, Mrs. Tolbert moved to Brandon 15 years ago. She was a member of First Baptist Church of Philadelphia.
Survivors include her daughter, Carolyn Rucker of Brandon; and two grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to French Camp Academy, One Fine Place, French Camp, MS 39745.
Minnie Belle Arnold Culley
Mrs. Minnie Belle Arnold Culley, 92, of Hawthorne Court, Jackson, died July 13, 1999 at the Mississippi Baptist Medical Center of heart failure.
Funeral services are at 9:30 today at Wright and Ferguson Funeral Home on High Street in Jackson. Burial will follow in Cedarlawn cemetery.
A native of Vicksburg, Mrs. Culley moved to Jackson when she was four years old. She attended Davis School and graduated from Central High School in 1924. She attended Belhaven College and was a charter member of the Magnolia State Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution. She was also a charter member of the Meadowbrook Garden Club and also "Young At Heart." She was a member of First Christian Church. She was preceded in death by her husband Lewis Culley, Sr., and her son, Lewis Culley, Jr., of Madison, a longtime area Realtor.
Survivors include her daughter-in-law, Bethany Watkins Culley, of Madison and her grandchildren, Bethany Culley Harless of Jackson and Lewis Culley III, of Madison.
Memorials may be made to the First Christian Church or to a charity of choice.
Thomas Lamar Lunardini
JACKSON - Thomas Lamar Lunardini, 36, president and founder of the Mississippi Paralysis Association of I-55 North, died of respiratory failure Thursday, July 8, 1999, at the Mississippi Baptist Medical Center in Jackson.
Services were held Saturday at St. Richard's Catholic Church. Mark E. Seepe Funeral Directors & Crematorium of Jackson handled the arrangements.
Mr. Lunardini was a native and longtime resident of Jackson. He was a graduate of St. Joseph High School. He attended Hinds Community College, Millsaps and Belhaven. In 1982 as a freshman at Hinds Junior College he was injured; as a result he became a quadriplegic. He thereafter founded the Mississippi Paralysis Association, the first statewide association for the paralyzed. He was the recipient of WLBT's Spirit of Mississippi Award and a graduate of Leadership Jackson. He was a member of St. Richard's Catholic Church.
Survivors include his mother, Deanna Armstrong Lunardini of Richland, Mich.; father and stepmother, Robert C. and Susan H. Lunardini of Madison; maternal grandmother, Eudora DuRocher of Monroe, Mich.; brothers, Robert C. Lunardini Jr. of Tallahassee, Fla.; William P. Lunardini of Ocean Springs, Michael V. Lunardini of Jackson and John C. Lunardini of Atlanta, Ga.; sisters, Karen Theisen of Gull Lake, Mich., Vicki Lunardini of Madison, Maria Lunardini Brown of McComb and Kathy Lunardini of Richland, Mich.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Mississippi Paralysis Association, P.O. Box 4268, Jackson, MS 39296-4268, or to the National Council of Alcoholism and Drug Dependency, 555 North Mart Plaza, Jackson, MS 39216.
William 'Chip' Pace
MADISON - Mr. William "Chip" Pace, 42, a mechanic, died Wednesday, July 21, 1999, of cancer at M.D. Anderson Memorial Hospital in Houston, Texas.
Services were held Saturday at Wright & Ferguson Funeral Home Chapel in Ridgeland with interment in Parkway Memorial cemetery.
A Jackson native, Mr. Pace had graduated from McClure High School and Hinds Community College. He was a mechanic employed by Puckett Machinery for more than 21 years. He greatly enjoyed Harley Davidson motorcycles, those who knew him said, and he was a wrought-iron craftsman.
Survivors include his wife, Pat Pace of Madison; daughter, Amber Lauren of Madison; mother, Carolyn Pace of Madison; brother, James B. Pace of Plano, Texas; and sisters, Kristi Klick of Plano, Texas, and Kimberly Arnold of Portland, Ore.
Jimmie Ruth Pearson
CANTON - Mrs. Jimmie Ruth Pearson, 69, a homemaker, died Wednesday, July 21, 1999, of a stroke at St. Dominic Hospital in Jackson.
Services were held Friday at Nowell-Flippin Funeral Home Chapel in Canton with interment in Lone Pine cemetery in Madison County.
A lifelong Madison County resident, Mrs. Pearson was a member of Deerfield Baptist Church.
Survivors include her husband, Alton J. Pearson of Canton; son, Billy Pearson of Canton; daughters, Carolyn Smith of Madison, Margaret A. Meggs of Monroe, La., Elaine Smith of Jackson and Debbie Wallace of Canton; sister, Lydia Ellison of Madison; 12 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
Suenette V. Dinkins
JACKSON - Miss Suenette V. Dinkins, 78, a retired state employee, died Sunday, July 25, 1999, of pneumonia at River Oaks Hospital.
Services were held Wednesday at Wright & Ferguson Funeral Home Chapel in Jackson with interment in Canton City cemetery.
A Canton native, Miss Dinkins moved to Jackson, where she became a student at Millsaps College in 1940. She worked for 25 years as a lab technician for the Mississippi Department of Health. She was a member of St. Stephens Episcopal Church and a former member of Grace Episcopal Church in Canton. She was also a member of the Magnolia State Chapter DAR, National Society of Colonial Dames in America, the Maids and Matrons Club of Jackson and Phi Mu fraternity.
Survivors include her nephew, Lane Dinkins of Jackson.
Ruth A. Moore Lawrence
CANTON - Ruth A. Moore Lawrence, 88, a retired sales clerk, died Sunday, July 25, 1999, of respiratory failure at Mississippi Baptist Medical Center in Jackson.
Services were held Tuesday at Breeland Funeral Home Chapel in Canton with interment in Canton cemetery.
A Walnut Ridge, Ark., native, Mrs. Lawrence had lived in Canton since 1927. She was a retired sales clerk with C&C Store for 17 years. She was a member of First Baptist Church.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Sylvester Dewye Lawrence, in 1975 and a son, Dewye Sylvester Lawrence, in 1978.
Survivors include her son, Edwin Lee Lawrence of Canton; daughter, Patsy R. Johnson of Canton; 10 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to First Baptist Church Homebound Ministry, P.O. Box 377, Canton, MS 39046.
Virginia Bellenger
RIDGELAND - Mrs. Virginia Bellenger, 96, a homemaker, died Tuesday, July 20, 1999, of cardiac arrest at Pear Orchard Retirement Center in Ridgeland.
Services were held last Thursday at Lakewood Memorial Funeral Home in Jackson with interment in Lakewood Memorial Park in Jackson.
A Crystal Springs native, Mrs. Bellenger was a member of St. James Episcopal Church in Jackson.
Survivors include her son, Paul P. Bellinger of Jackson; one grandchild and two great-grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to the American Heart Association or to a favorite charity.
Lena Mae Williams Akins
JACKSON - Lena Mae Williams Akins, 80, a retired hotel manager and owner, died Tuesday, July 20, 1999, of heart failure at Myles Retreat Nursing Home for the Golden Age in Jackson.
Services were held last Thursday at Breeland Funeral Home Chapel in Canton with interment in Canton cemetery.
A Baton Rouge, La., native, Mrs. Akins had lived in Madison County most of her life until moving to the nursing home in 1997. She was a member of First Baptist Church of Canton.
She was preceded in death by a 14-month-old daughter, Joan Elaine Akins.
Survivors include her husband, W.D. "Duane" Akins of Canton; sons, Eddie Gene Akins of Canton and Terry A. Vance of Ft. Wayne, Ind.; brothers, Carl Williams of Canton and A.P. Williams of Clinton; and four grandchildren.
