Velma Harris, daughter of the late Harvey Phillips and Bertha Brown Phillips was born on May 28, 1935 at Hayti and departed this life in her residence at Dexter on July 5, 2013 at the age of 77.
Mrs. Harris was of the Baptist Faith, a home-maker and a resident of Dexter.
She is survived by three daughters, Sherry (Darrell) Ray of Bloomfield, Debbie Smith of Bloomfield and Bridget (Jimmy) Bowers of Dexter: by five sons, Dale (Tammy) Harris, Robbie (Susan) Harris, Michael (Tamra) Harris, Jason (Samantha) Harris all of Dexter and Brian (Julie) Harris of Poplar Bluff: by one sister, Jenny Willoughby of the State of Michigan: by two brothers, Harvey (Betty) Phillips of Farmington and Arvell (Linda) Phillips of Poplar Bluff.
She is also survived by thirty- three grandchildren, Jason Harris, Chris Harris, Nathan Harris, Blake Harris, Brandi Bennett, Marissa Lesley, Arthur Love, Michelle Ray, Dana Degen, Misty Garner, Jamie Kuykendall, Jeremy Conner, Nick Harris, Taylure Harris, Kristy Testa, Mandy Adams, Afton Harris, Kyle Bowers, Brianna Bowers, Zach Bowers, Natasha Harris, Ashley Jones, Tiffany Hernandez, Michael Harris, Jonathan Sullivan, Jacob Curry, Brianna Harris, Emily Harris, Katie Cletcher, Sienna Cletcher, Brittany Harris, Christina Harris and Jeanna Harris: and by thirty- three great-grandchildren.
Besides her parents, she was preceded in death by one daughter, Dona Sue Harris: by one son, Ranley Harris: by one granddaughter, Stephanie Harris: by one brother, William “Buddy” Phillips: by five sisters, Patricia Roberts, Ora Burgess, Dorcie Arnold, Hazel Phillips and Mattie Crafton.
Friends may call at the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home, Monday, July 8, 2013 from 5:00 until 8:00 P.M.
Funeral services will be conducted at 10:00 A.M., Tuesday, July 9, 2013 at the Lighthouse Christian Center in Dexter with Rev. Tim Russell officiating.
Interment will follow in the Hagy Cemetery.
Dr. Wayne Wood, son of the late Estes Worth Wood and Emily Margaret Johnson Wood, was born on November 11, 1926 in Karnak, Illinois and departed this life on July 3, 2013 at Golden Living Center in Dexter, Missouri at the age of 86 years.
Dr. Wood was a member of the First Baptist Church in Dexter and was a resident of Dexter. He pastored several churches in Southeast Missouri. He retired as the head of the Education Department at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar. He was a Veteran of the United States Army and served in World War II.
On January 13, 1945, he was united in marriage to Ruth N. Hickerson in Blytheville, Arkansas. Mrs. Wood preceded him in death on February 24, 2012.
He is survived by one daughter, Maria Chamberlain and husband, Tim, of Dexter, Missouri; by two grandchildren, Wesley Tolbert and wife, Allison, of Houston, Texas and Emily Crow and husband, Dr. Brad Crow, of Danville, California; by two great-grandchildren, Sarah Tolbert and Lydia Tolbert; by one great-great-grandchild, Jaxon Slavings; by two step-grandchildren, Ashley Thomas of Tallahassee, Florida and Beau Chamberlain of Dexter, Missouri; by one step-great-grandchild, Brayden Thomas; by two sisters, Edith Collie of Peoria, Illinois and Nila Kotter of Metropolis, Illinois; and by a niece who was raised in the home as a daughter, Sue Foster and husband, Ernest, of Mountain View.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by two brothers, Paul Wood and Raymond Wood and by six sisters, Opal Lowe, Sylvia Johnson, Fern Meyer, Niva Bremer, Evan June Riepe and Helen Wood.
Friends may call at the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter on Friday, July 12, 2013 from 11:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M.
Funeral services will be conducted in the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Chapel on Friday, July 12, 2013.
Interment will follow in the Missouri State Veterans Cemetery in Bloomfield, Missouri.
Mrs. Fullerton was a member of the Apostolic Pentecostal Church in Dexter, had worked on the farm with her husband and was a resident of Dexter.
She was united in marriage to Charlie I. Fullerton on October 26, 1935 at Marks, Mississippi. Mr. Fullerton preceded her in death on May 29, 2002.
Survivors include one daughter and son-in-law, Barbara and James Lack of Marble Hill: by one grandson, Nathan Charles Lack of Dexter.
Besides her husband and parents, she was preceded in death by six brothers, A.G. Kirby, Harold Kirby, Tyrone Kirby, Carlos Kirby, O’Neal Kirby and Charles Denver Kirby.
Friends may call at the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter from 9:00 A.M. until 10:00 A.M., Saturday, July 6, 2013. Funeral services will then be conducted at 10:00 A.M. in the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Chapel with Rev. Jimmy Kirby officiating. Interment will follow in the Malden Memorial Park Cemetery.
Tom Foard Womack, 87, of Sikeston, Missouri, passed away of natural causes on July 2, 2013 in Sikeston, Missouri. He was born on August 17, 1925 in Hohenlinden, Mississippi to Byron Minter Womack and Hattie Wofford Womack, the youngest of four children. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Anna Elizabeth Womack (nee McKibben).
He attended Parma High School and graduated from Lilbourn High School in Lilbourn, Missouri in 1943. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1943 and served with the 2017th Ordinance Maintenance Company in the Pacific Theater of Operations with service on Biak Island and Okinawa. He was honorably discharged in March, 1946. His military decorations include the Army Good Conduct Medal, the Asia-Pacific Service Medal with one Bronze Star, and the World War II Victory Medal.
He was employed for 40 years by the U.S. Postal Service as a rural letter carrier. He retired in 1989 and was recognized for accumulating over 2,000 hours of unused sick time. In addition, he worked as a private electrical contractor for many years.
Prior to moving from Parma, Missouri to Sikeston, Missouri in 2007, Mister Womack was an active member of the Parma United Methodist Church where he served in many capacities including representative to district board, chairman of the local church board, Sunday school teacher, choir member and on numerous church committees. He was also one of a small group who participated in rebuilding the church following a fire in the late 1950s and for many years he maintained the church and surrounding grounds.
Mr. Womack was an avid supporter of the Boy Scouts of America. He was a scoutmaster for 15 years and provided leadership for many boys, including a number who became Eagle Scouts. He led 15 Southeast Missouri Council expeditions to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. In 1969 he was awarded the Silver Beaver Award by the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America for "Distinguished Service to Boyhood" in the Southeast Missouri Council. He was also awarded the Southeast Missouri Council Order of Merit in 1968 for distinguished service to scouting. In 1988 he served as a commissioner for the Midwest region for the World Scout Jamboree at Fort Sam Eustis, Virginia.
In addition to his wife he is survived by two sons, Kenneth W. Womack (Alice) of Carlisle, Pennsylvania and Thomas H. Womack (Rebecca) of Sisters, Oregon; 10 grandchildren; 17 great grandchildren; and one sister, Opal Womack Bondurant of Olathe, Kansas.
He was preceded in death by a brother, Henry Harrison Womack, a sister, Joe Minter Womack, and a son, Jeffery G. Womack (Marva).
Visitation will be held at Watkins and Sons Funeral Home in Parma, Missouri on Friday, July 5, 2013 from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon. A burial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. at the Missouri Veteran's Cemetery in Bloomfield, Missouri with full military honors.
The family has requested that memorial contributions be made to the Wesley United Methodist Church, 918 Hawthorn Drive, in Sikeston, Missouri, or to a charity of the donor's choice.
Online register book is available at www.watkinsfuneralhome.com.
Watkins & Sons Funeral Service
Freda Iona Becking, 97, passed away at Winchester Place in Bernie, Missouri on Sunday, June 30, 2013.
She was born on July 22, 1915, at Greenbriar in Bollinger County, the daughter of Harvey Thurston and Elizabeth Boyd.
On August 20, 1932, she was united in marriage to Victor Becking of Bernie, who preceded her in death in January of 1977. To their union four children were born: George Becking of Clinton Twp, Michigan, Evelyn M. Marshall of Wintergreen, Florida and Larry Becking of Dexter, Missouri. The fourth child, Mary Ann Becking, was stillborn.
She is survived by the above three children and one sister, Bonnie Humphrey of Swartz Creek, Michigan. She had one brother, Cletus “Red” Thurston and a sister, Norma Jean Thee, both preceding her in death. She is also survived by nine grandchildren, ten great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.
Freda Becking was a homemaker and an equal participant in farming during the 41 years the family was engaged in farming. After raising her family, she served the community as a beautician. She was a lifelong member of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Dexter, Missouri.
Friends may call at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Dexter from 10:00 A. M. to 11:00 A. M., Wednesday, July 3, 2013.
Funeral mass will be held at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church on Wednesday, July 3, 2013 at 11:00 A.M. followed by graveside services at Bernie Cemetery with Father David Dohogne officiating.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home of Dexter, Missouri.
