James Vann Jackson

Funeral services for Mr. James Vann Jackson, 40, of Auburn will be at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2002 at Frederick’s Funeral Home in Opelika with the Rev. Paul Downing officiating. Burial will follow at Auburn Memorial Park Cemetery.

Visitation was from 6-8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 14 at Frederick’s Funeral Home.

Mr. Jackson, who passed away Jan. 12, 2002, at his residence was born Feb. 22, 1961 in Troy. He had received his aviation certificate for his private pilot license and was a computer technician. He was an All State Defense and offense lineman in 1978 at Lee Academy. Mr. Jackson was an avid fisherman. Before working in the family property management, he worked in the family grocery business. He loved children and pets.

Mr. Jackson was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents Mr. and Mrs. Tom Rex and Lillian Overstreet Jackson and his maternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. James William and Vester Lene Nelson Ennis.

Survivors include his parents Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Dozier Jackson Sr. and Margaret Jean Ennis Jackson of Auburn; brothers, Thomas Dozier "Chip" Jackson Jr. and his wife, Lynne, of Roger, Ark., and John Terrell "Terry" Jackson Sr. and his wife, Heather, of Auburn; sister, Kelly Leigh "K.J." Jackson of Auburn; six nieces and nephews, Sydney Lauren Jackson, Thomas Dozier "Tripp" Jackson III, Collin Martin Jackson, John Terrell "J.T." Jackson Jr., William Gage Jackson and Grace Michelle Jackson; two maternal aunts, Julia Jackson Buting and Joanne Jackson Middlebrooks and husband, Charles Swayne Middlebrooks; a close family friend, Peter Andrew Durkin; a faithful American bulldog, Shark.

Frederick’s Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Margaret Cordell Stephens

Services for Margaret Cordell Stephens, 79, of Troy, who died Friday, Jan. 11, 2002, were held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 13 in the chapel of Dillard Funeral Home in Troy with the Rev. W.O. Sanders

and Minister George W. Merritt officiating.

Burial was at Antioch Cemetery in Shellhorn under the direction of the funeral home.

Visitation was from 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

She is survived by four daughters and three sons-in-law, Patricia and Thomas White of Oak Grove, Bonnie F. Stephens of Troy, Wanda and Jim Adams of Shellhorn and Peggy and Patrick Nonnenmann of Troy; five sons and three daugthers-in-law, Wayne Stephens of Shellhorn, Tommy and Peggy Stephens of Shellhorn, A.B. Stephens Jr. of Shady Grove, Doug and Sara Stephens of Shady Grove, and Mike and Patricia Stephens of Troy; a son-in-law, Chalker Wayne Branton of Springhill; 24 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, A.B. Stephens Sr.; a daughter, Shirley Jean Branton; and a son, Charles Kenneth Stephens.

Pallbearers were her grandsons, James Tillery, Jeffery Stephens, Johnny Stephens, David Stephens, Kris Stephens, Kenneth Stephens, Ronnie Minor and Todd Stephens.

James Lorenzo Taylor

James Lorenzo Taylor, 78, of Brundidge died Sunday, Jan. 13, 2002 at Edge Regional Medical Center.

Services will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 15 at Bethlehem Baptist Church with the Rev. Mack Lowery officiating. Burial will be at Bethlehem Baptist Church Cemetery in Brundidge with Dillard Funeral Home of Brundidge directing.

Survivors include his wife, Miriam S. Taylor of Brundidge; son, James Bradford Taylor of Brundidge; two granddaughters, Tiffany Taylor and Stephanie Morgan; two great-grandchildren, Kacie Lane Brooks and Malloree Taylor Morgan; three sisters, Evelyn Lee of Phenix City, Carolyn Osteen of Troy and Betty Wilson of Huntsville; brother, Jerry Taylor of Montgomery.

Pallbearers were Jack Haisten, Jim Haisten, Jerry Lott, Robert McLendon, Landon Morgan and Kreg Rhodes.

Visitation was 6-8 p.m. Monday at Dillard Funeral Home in Brundidge. There will be a 30-minute lie-in-state prior to the service.

Dale W. Smith

Dale W. Smith of Troy died after a brief illness at Baptist Hospital in Montgomery on Jan. 13.

He was born in Des Moines, Iowa, to Roscoe E. Smith and Charlotte (Schneider) Smith. He entered the armed services at 21 and served proudly in Vietnam. His only brother, Harold Lee Smith, was killed in Vietnam in 1968.

Dale married Barbara A. (Smith) Smith in 1978 and raised two children, Douglas A. Smith from Carlsbad, Calif., and Airman First Class Maureen A. Smith based at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota.

He was a master bomb technician in the United States Army for many years and, after retirement as a master sergeant, was employed by Lockheed Martin in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. In 1998, Dale and Barbara moved to Troy and Dale continued work for Lockheed.

Viewing is scheduled for Wednesday night Jan. 16 at Skeen Funeral Home on George Wallace Drive in Troy from 7-9 p.m. Services will be held at St. Martin’s Catholic Church on Elba Highway on Thursday, Jan. 17 at 11 a.m. The family will be receiving friends at home after the service.

Interment for Dale will be Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2002 at 2 p.m. EST at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.

For those who choose to make monetary contributions, the family requests they be sent to the contributors’ veteran’s organization of choice in the name of Dale W. Smith.

Lura Belle Taylor

Lura Belle Taylor, 88, of Gardner Bassett Road in Troy died Thursday, Jan. 10, 2002 at her residence.

Funeral services for Mrs. Lura Taylor were held at 10 a.m. Monday Jan. 14 from Skeen Funeral Home Chapel in Troy with Chaplain Rick Harden officiating. Burial followed in Ebenezer Baptist Church Cemetery with Skeen Funeral Home of Troy directing.

Survivors include five daughters, Betty Sunday, Billie Gibson, Clyde O’Steen, Dorothy Cobb and Francis Adamson, all of Troy; two sons, John Taylor Jr. of Bessemer and Jimmy Taylor of Troy; 20 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren; several nieces, nephews, family and friends.

Visitation was held Saturday, Jan. 12 from 6-8 p.m. at Skeen Funeral Home in Troy.