Marjorie Lorraine Erickson, 86, of Paris passed away Sunday, February 2, 2014 in Paris Regional Medical Center.
Mrs. Erickson was born on November 2, 1927 in Duncanville a daughter of Edward and Alvenia Burt Dewberry. She was a longtime employee of Campbell Soup Company and was a member of Lamar Ave. Church of Christ. She was preceded in death by: her first husband Ralph E. Flippen whom she married on Nov. 2, 1942 and she later married Samuel F. Erickson in 1986; brother and sister-in-law Richard and Earline Dewberry; sisters Lucille Erickson, Grace Travis, and Hazel Jackson.
Mrs. Erickson is survived by her daughters Judy Issette, Kathy Marshall, Cindy Adolf, and Susan Terranova; 8 grandchildren and several great grandchildren; brothers Edward Dewberry and wife Yvonne and Charles Dewberry and wife Nina.
Funeral services will be conducted at 2:00 P.M. Thursday, February 6, 2014 in the chapel of Fry-Gibbs Funeral Home with Patrick Cannon officiating. Burial will follow in the Evergreen Cemetery. Family will receive friends one hour prior to service. Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.fry-gibbs.com.
Mary Jane Vanderburg Medlen Ribble, 92, died Sunday Feb. 2, 2014 in Paris at the Paris Regional Medical Center. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 6, at the Chicota Presbyterian Church with Rev. Mark Hutchison officiating. The family will receive friends at Fry-Gibbs Funeral Home Wednesday from 6 until 7 PM.
A long-time resident of Chicota, Texas, she was born Feb. 14, 1921 to Sallie Vance Marshall and John Wesley Vanderburg. She married Malcolm M. Medlen, (USAAF) (KIA). He was killed in action during World War II. She is survived by one son from this marriage, Michael David (Medlen) Ribble. She then married Lloyd Ribble who died Sept. 7, 1992.
Preceeding her in death besides her parents were two brothers, Marshall and Ray Vanderburg.
Also surviving is a brother Vance Vanderburg and his wife Nancy and ten nieces and nephews. Mary Jane was a graduate of the Paris Training School for Nurses and spent 40 years as a registered nurse at the Sanitarium of Paris and McCuistion Hospital
Mary Jane was born in the old Marshall homestead in Chicota. Her grandfather, Robert Marshall served in the Civil War, after which he and his wife Jennie Vance Davidson left Bedford County, Tennessee and relocated to Chicota. Mary Jane was a life-long Presbyterian and a member and supporter of the Chicota Presbyterian Church where she served as an Elder.
In lieu of flowers the family request memorials be made in memory of Mary Jane Ribble to the Chicota Cemetery Association, P.O. Box 7, Chicota, TX 75425.
Online condolences may be made at www.fry-gibbs.com.
Fred Edwin “Bubba” Morphew, Jr., 87, of Paris, died at 7:21 PM, Saturday, February 1, 2014 at Medical Center of Plano. Funeral services are set for 2:00 PM, Wednesday, February 5, 2014 in the chapel of Fry & Gibbs Funeral Home with Rev. Ken Cannon officiating. Burial will follow in Evergreen Cemetery. The family will receive friends for one hour prior to the service on Wednesday beginning at 1:00 PM. Fry & Gibbs Funeral Home has charge of the arrangements.
Fred was born September 13, 1926 in Clarksville, Texas the son of Fred E. and Theresa Maynard Morphew. He graduated from Paris High School and Paris Junior College. He married Majorie Nell Locke on May 23, 1948 at the First United Methodist Church of Paris.
Mr. Morphew is survived by his wife, Majorie Morphew; two daughters, Janet Morphew and fiancé, Bill Shaw of Corinth, Texas and Marilyn Mattei and husband, Earl “Buddy” Mattei of McKinney, Texas; one grandson, Evan Armand Mattei and wife, Erin Scott Mattei of McKinney; a great-granddaughter, Emily Sarah-Rose Mattei; two nephews, Fred Marshall Smith of Austin and Daniel Edwin Smith of Arlington, Texas; and a brother-in-law, Rev. Holland Smith of Round Rock, Texas. He was preceded in death by a sister, Theresa Morphew Smith; an infant granddaughter, Sarah Mattei; two special nephews, Stephen Holland Smith and Joseph Dee Hopkins; and one niece, Patsy Hugghins.
Mr. Morphew was a member of First Baptist Church of Paris. He was a partner and owner of Morphew Buick-GMC Company for 34 years, retiring in 1980. He served a term as President of the Paris New Car Dealer Association and served as a member of the General Motors Dealers Association. He was a member of Odd Fellows Lodge of Paris for 45 years serving as Noble Grand in 1958 and was Past District Deputy Grand Master of the State of Texas. In 1964, he was named Odd Fellow of the Year by the Wildey Lodge of Paris. He was a former member of the Chamber of Commerce and the Paris Jaycees.
He was a charter member of the original Paris Police Reserve for 17 years obtaining the rank of Lieutenant. He was a member of the National Skeet Shooters Association and won gold and silver medals at the World Championships in 1987. Shooting in Colorado Springs, Colorado, he won the State Championship as High Over-All Champion. He served as a Director of the Texas Skeet Shooters Association on two occasions and was Past President of the Paris Skeet Club and a member for 45 years.
Mr. Morphew proudly served his country in the United States Navy during World War II overseas in the Pacific Theater at the Marianas Islands of Guam and Saipan and earned the rank of Mailman 3rd Class. He was decorated with the Asiatic-Pacific Medal, The American Defense Medal, Victory Medal and The American Campaign Medal. He was honorably discharged in 1946. His name was placed on the Wall of Honor at Paris Junior College as a Veteran of World War II and the Greatest Generation.
Asked to serve as pallbearers are James Allcorn, Johnny Williams, Elbert Winn, Stacy McNeal, Seth McNeal, Bill Scudder, Webb Biard, and Michael Bankston. Mr. Morphew’s grandson, Evan Mattei will serve as honorary pallbearer.
Online condolences may be made to the Morphew family by visiting www.fry-gibbs.com.
Claude Lawrence Lollar, Jr., 87, of Paris passed away Monday Feb. 3, 2014 at Brentwood Terrace. Funeral services will be held in the chapel of Fry-Gibbs Funeral Home at 4:00 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6, 2014 with Jim Sustaire and Dennis Lollar officiating. Burial will follow in Evergreen Cemetery. The family will receive friends at the funeral home 30 minutes before service at 3:30 p.m.
Claude Lawrence Lollar, Jr. was born on May 12, 1926 in Columbus, Mississippi where he spent his childhood. He was the child of Claude Lollar, Sr. and Eva Edwards Lollar.
On July 15, 1943 he joined the U.S. Navy at age 17 and served in Oceanside and San Diego, California as a Pharmacist Mate 2nd Class. He returned home to Columbus after the war and married his high school sweetheart, Dardanell (Nell) Franks. Together they raised 3 children.
Claude received a commission in the Mississippi National Guard as a 2nd Lt. Medical Service Corps in 1949. In Dec. of 1950 he was called into active duty and sent to Korea where he served six months as a clearing platoon leader with the 2nd Infantry Division and six months at the 8055 Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) whose commanding officer later wrote a book “MASH” that became a movie and then a TV series.
Following discharge in Oct. 1953, he returned to Columbus and worked as a lab and x-ray tech. while also attending Mississippi State University where he earned a B.S. Degree. He became hospital administrator of Field Hospital in Centerville, Miss. for several years. While there he took a leave of absence and obtained a Masters Degree from the University of Chicago. He served as CEO of hospitals in Tennessee, Florida and Natchez, Mississippi. He became CEO of Red River County Hospital in Clarksville, Texas Feb. of 1974.
In 1976 he joined the Joint Commission on accreditation of hospitals as an administrator surveyor. He and his wife traveled all over the United States for the next 19 years, visiting every state, also many military hospitals in Europe including Belgium, Germany, Spain, Italy and England.
They returned to Paris when he retired in 1995. Even then he volunteered at the local hospitals. He has been a 32nd Degree Mason, Shriner Past President of 2 Kiwanis Clubs.
He was ordained as a Baptist Deacon in Meridian, Miss. In 1968.
He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers Glenn and Dempsey Lollar; sister Francis Byers.
He is survived by his wife of 67 years, son, Lawrence Calvert Lollar and his wife Janet of Sevierville, TN; daughter Candice Scott of Orange Beach, Alabama, Michele Cardneaux of Paris, TX. He also has 2 grandchildren Graham Scott of Fayetteville, Ark and Catherine Cardneaux of Dallas.
Mr. Lollar was a quiet, polite and accepting person, he enjoyed fishing, hunting, watching sports and most of all camping with his beloved grandchildren on trips to Branson, MO.
Online condolences may be made at www.fry-gibbs.com.
Robert Odell Scruggs, 98, of Ft. Worth, formerly of Powderly, passed away Thursday, Jan. 30, 2014 at HEB Hospital in Bedford.
Services are scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6th, at Bright-Holland Funeral Home with Rev. Chris Kelley officiating. Burial will follow in Bogata Cemetery. The family will receive friends at the funeral home one hour prior to the service.
Mr. Scruggs, the son of Arthur Logan & Lona Woods Scruggs, was born Aug. 29, 1915, in Allen County, Kentucky.
He married Dorothy Faye Smith on Oct. 2, 1940, building sixty-nine years of family and memories before her death on Jan. 25, 2010.
He worked in the aircraft industry in Ft. Worth for many years. Following retirement in 1982, he & Mrs. Scruggs moved to Powderly.
He was a member of the Gospel Lighthouse Church in Powderly.
Mr. Scruggs was preceded in death by a son, Ronnie Scruggs, a granddaughter, Jamie Renee Scruggs and a great granddaughter, Shannon Faye Scruggs.
Survivors include four sons, Carroll Scruggs of Ft. Worth, Zearl Scruggs of Ft. Worth, Robert Scruggs & wife Susan of Waxahachie and Jackie Scruggs of Ft. Worth, 7 grandchildren, 19 great grandchildren and 2 great great grandchildren.
To leave a message or tribute for the family please visit www.brighthollandfuneralhome.com.
