Obituaries 10-12-23

LUCILLE DYKES

March 17, 1931-Oct. 7, 2023

Funeral services for Lucille Dykes, 92, will be at 11 a.m. on Friday,

Oct. 13, 2023 from the Chapel of Leitz-Eagan Funeral Home in Metairie,

La., with visitation starting at 9:30 a.m. Graveside services and

interment will take place at 1 p.m. at St. Charles Cemetery in Luling,

La.

Born on March 17, 1931, she was a native of Clara, she had been a

resident of Lulin for the past 55 years. Formerly married to the late

Joe Dykes for more than 50 years, she was an avid gardner with a green

thumb and especially loved the fragrant blooming flowers that God

blessed us with.

She treasured time spent with family and friends, loved to eat out as

well as cook for her loved ones. She was very proud of her grandchildren

and great-grandchildren. Her beautiful smile brightened our days.

She died on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023.

She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Deborah Dykes and Chris

Badeaux; her son, Donald Joe Dykes; her grandchildren and their

respective spouses, Christopher J. Badeaux, Amber Badeaux and Matthew

Stone and Brandon M. Badeux; her great-grandchildren, Collin and Jordyn

Badeaux and Wolfe and Scarlett Stone; and her sisters and

brother-in-law, Gladys Cooley Hinton and Robert and Robbie Dale Cooley.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Joe Dykes; her parents, George

W. Cooley and Ruthie Hinton Cooley; and her siblings, Gaston Cooley,

Grady Cooley, Geneva C. Langhuaser, Buford Cooley, Zettie Eve C. Brewer,

George W. Cooley, Jr., Betty Lee C. Brewer, Huber Cooley, Mattie Ruth

Cooley, Paul E. Cooley and Bonnie Pearl C. Smith.

An online guestbook is available at www.leitzeaganfuneralhome.com.

Leitz-Eagan Funeral Home of Metarie is in charge of arrangements.

JIMMY NEAL BOWEN

Sept. 15, 1939-Sept. 21, 2023

A memorial graveside service for Jimmy Neal Bowen, 84, of Waynesboro,

will be at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023 from Serenity Gardens

Cemetery in Waynesboro. Visitation will take place from 1-3 p.m. on

Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023 from the Parlor of Freeman Funeral Home.

Born on Friday, Sept. 15, 1939 to Jesse Carroll Bowen and Rosa Lee

Thornton Bowen, he was a member of Pleasant Grove Church of Christ.

He joined the United States Navy in 1961, obtaining the classification

of Hospital Corpsman the same year. He served aboard several ships,

including the USS Boxer (LHD-4), during the Cuban Missile Crisis in the

early 1960s. Later, he served aboard the USS Bushnell (AS-15) in Key

West, Fla.

After being discharged, he attended Jones County Junior College and

obtained his Registered Nurse Degree. He attended the School of

Anesthesia Charity Hospital in New Orleans, La., and was awarded the

degree of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist.

He worked at several hospitals, including H.C. Watkins, and retired from

Wayne General Hospital.

He died on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023 at Wayne General Hospital.

He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Linda Cantrell Bowen; his

brother-in-law, Ray Cantrell; and two cousins, Una Faye Pitts of Ovett

and Barbara Jean Bompressi.

He was preceded in death by his son, Marcus Howard Bowen (age 13); his

daughter, Jill Maria Bowen (age 9); his father, Jesse Carroll Bowen; and

his mother, Rosa Lee Thornton Bowen.

An online guestbook can be signed at www.freemanfh.com.

Freeman Funeral Home of Waynesboro is in charge of arrangements.

ALLEN LEE "BIG AL" HYATT

Oct. 19, 1948-Oct. 8, 2023

Funeral services for Allen Lee "Big Al" Hyatt, 74, of State Line

were conducted on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023 from the Chapel of Freeman

Funeral Home, with Rev. Marvin "Bo" Farrior, Jr., officiating.

Interment followed at State Line Cemetery.

Born in Laurel on Tuesday, Oct. 19, 1948 to the late Allen Boyd and

Evelyn (Stephenson) Hyatt, he retired as a Welder with Alabama Electric

Corporation.

He died on Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023 at Landmark of Collins in Collins.

He is survived by his son, Cody Hyatt of Buckatunna; two daughters and

sons-in-law, Jaime and Jeremy Crager and Kristen and Jarrett Moss, all

of State Line; two stepsons and their respective spouses, Terry and

Leigh Smith of Hattiesburg and Paul and Felicia Smith of Collins; 10

grandchildren, Braxton, Sayer, Ryder, Kyndall, Hayden, Taylor, Zackary,

Kealey, Abrianna and P.J.; and two great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Benita Hyatt; and his parents,

Allen Boyd and Evelyn Louise Hyatt.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Mississippi Organ Recovery

Agency (MORA), 4400 Lakeland Dr., Flowood, MS 39232.

An online guestbook can be signed at www.freemanfh.com.

Freeman Funeral Home of Waynesboro was in charge of arrangements.

PATSY L. WILKINS

Oct. 10, 1936-Sept. 30, 2023

Funeral services for Patsy L. Wilkins, 86, of Waynesboro and Columbus,

Miss., were conducted on Monday, Oct. 9, 2023 from First Baptist Church

of Waynesboro, with Brother Steve Smith officiating.

Internment followed at Mt. Zion Baptist Church Cemetery.

Born Patsy Louie Lee on Oct. 10, 1936 in Wayne County, she was the

youngest daughter and second-youngest child of Mary Louise Brunson Lee

and James Rufus Lee. After graduating high school in Wayne County, she

began working at Watkins Department Store on Station Street in

Waynesboro, which was owned and operated by her oldest sister and her

husband, Vernon and Robert Watkins.

It was during this time that she met Joe Wilkins, a young man who owned

a radio and television shop. They fell in love and were married at First

Baptist Church in Waynesboro on July 27, 1958.

During the early years of their marriage, they moved about a bit as Joe

had joined the United States Air Force. After the birth of their

daughter, and later, after Joe's service in the Air Force, they

settled in Columbus, a town that they had grown to appreciate while they

were stationed at Columbus Air Force Base. Over the years, their home

was a place that hosted rambunctious nieces and nephews as well as

neighborhood children and several college exchange students from Hong

Kong who were studying at Mississippi State College for Women.

They enjoyed many happy years in Columbus and made many wonderful

friends. Patsy was a member of East End Baptist Church, where she

enjoyed a lively women's Sunday School group. For a time, she was a

member of Bethel Baptist Church, where she enjoyed teaching preschool

Sunday School. She was a lifelong Baptist.

In the early 1980s, she and Joe opened Country Collections --- which

they later renamed Pitty-Pat's --- a gift and decorative accessories

shop which they ran until 2011. Pitty-Pat's was a source of great

enjoyment for Patsy, not only because of her love for beautiful things

but also because she enjoyed meeting new customers. Over the years, many

of these customers became treasured friends.

Aside from Pitty-Pat's, Patsy enjoyed cooking --- and not just any

kind of cooking but good, old-fashioned Southern cooking. She loved

going to farmer's markets to buy the best and freshest produce. In her

younger days, she gardened and grew a lot of the food she cooked so that

even in winter, she would serve summer-fresh vegetables because of her

industrious canning and freezing.

She read cookbooks as voraciously as others read novels. If she cooked

for you and fed you, she loved you. Her specialities were fried chicken,

chicken and dumplings, fried green tomatoes and cornbread dressing that

her daughter has tried and, sadly, has not been able to replicate.

Whenever her grandchildren, Gabe and Eliza, came for a visit, she would

let them each choose what they wanted her to cook for them, right down

to the dessert.

After a series of illnesses, Patsy and Joe relocated to Auburn, Ala.,

where their daughter and her family live. They made many new friends at

Monarch Estates, their retirement living community.

She died on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023 at Bethany House in Auburn.

She is survived by Joe, her husband of 65 years; their daughter, Tamara

Lee "Lee" Wilkins of Auburn; her daughter-in-law, Nan Fairley of

Auburn; her granddaughter, Eliza Faith Wilkins of Auburn; her grandson,

Gabriel Eugene Fairly of Birmingham, Ala.; her brother, John Carl

"Buddy" Lee and sister-in-law, Billie Lee, both of Waynesboro; and

many much-loved nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Mary and James Rufus Lee; her

sisters, Audrey Elizabeth Lee, Vernon Watkins and Nell Jones; and her

brothers, James Roscoe "JR" Lee and Max L. Lee.

Flowers are accepted; however, if preferred, donations may be made to

your local food bank in Patsy's memory.

An online guestbook can be signed at www.freemanfh.com.

Freeman Funeral Home of Waynesboro was in charge of arrangements.

RYAN ELLIS SHIRLEY

Dec. 3, 1969-Oct. 4, 2023

Funeral services for Ryan Ellis Shirley, 53, of Waynesboro, were

conducted on Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023 from the Chapel of Freeman Funeral

Home, with Rev. Roger Douglas officiating.

Interment followed at Philadelphus Cemetery in Wayne County.

Born in Waynesboro on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 1969 to Troy Haskel Shirley and

Emma Louise Ruffin, he worked as a Heavy Rotating Equipment Alignment

Technician.

He died on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023 at Wayne General Hospital.

She is survived by two daughters and a son-in-law, Britney Shirley and

Shandor Windham II and Jennifer Shirley; his grandson, Shandor Windham

III; his father and his spouse, Troy Haskel and Thelma Jo Shirley of

River Ridge, La.; his mother, Emma Louise Ruffin; his brother and

sister-in-law, Ed and Stacy Shirley of Waynesboro; two sisters and

brothers-in-law, Tory and Richard Foster of Waynesboro and Donna and

Scott Dickson of Destrehan, La.; and a host of nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his stepfather, Gerald Davis.

An online guestbook can be signed at www.freemanfh.com.

Freeman Funeral Home of Waynesboro was in charge of arrangements.

MARGIE WILLIAMS

July 24, 1949-September 19, 2023

Funeral services for Margie Williams, 74, of Grove Hill, Ala., were

conducted on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023 with Rev. Willie E. Rankins

officiating.

Interment followed at State Line City Cemetery.

Born on July 24, 1949, she worked in the healthcare profession for 33

years.

She died on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2023 at Merit Health Wesley in

Hattiesburg.

She is survived by her son, Adrion Strickland; two daughters, Angelia

Pugh and Benita Arceneaux; her granddaughter, Alice Pugh; and a host of

great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by Maria Bettis, Roland Chapman and Hezekiah

Chapman.

McDonald and Sons Funeral Home of Waynesboro was in charge of

arrangements.