This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: wcr1951_1 Surnames: Farris, Jones, Norris, Pleso, Fussel, Mercer, Thibault, Mullins, Franklin, Bass Classification: obituary Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.farris/2753/mb.ashx Message Board Post: New Bern Sun Journal New Bern, NC June 5, 2007 Frank E. Farris SFC Frank E. Farris, U.S. Army (Ret.), 86, of New Bern, died Monday, June 4, 2007, at Two Rivers Healthcare Center. He was born on April 8, 1921, in Payne, Miss., to parents, Walter and Addie Lee Farris, who preceded him in death. In May of 1941, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps by mail and hitchhiked to Memphis, Tenn., where he caught the bus that would take him to boot camp at Parris Island, S.C. When World War II began, he fought in the South Pacific and in 1942 landed at Guadalcanal with the First Marine Division, where he was wounded. After the war, he returned home and worked with his in-laws in the family grocery store and later opened his own grocery store. He served as a police officer with the New Bern Police Department and the U.S. Army Reserve from 1949 until 1959 when he re-entered active military service, this time enlisting in the U.S. Army. During his career with the Army, he served in many duty stations throughout the world as a military policeman. In his later years with the Army from 1965 to 1975, he served as a Sr. Instructor training sentry dogs, narcotics dogs, and bomb-sniffing dogs. After retiring from the Army, he was an active life member of V.F.W. Post 2514 and M.O.C. Wharf Rats No. 14. He was also a member of Broad Street Christian Church and enjoyed carpentry and fishing in his spare time. Funeral service will be 2 p.m. Friday at Pollock-Best Funeral Chapel with the Rev. Karen Snyder officiating. Burial will follow at Greenleaf Memorial Park with military honors. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Mabelle Jones Farris; his twin sister, Pauline Bernice Farris; brother, Walter Alton Farris; sister, Cora Lee Norris; and granddaughter, Rebecca Pleso. He is survived by his wife, Lottie Geraldine Farris, of the home; one son, Paul Richard Farris and wife, Margie, of Augusta, Ga.; three daughters, Susan Farris Fussel and husband, Regan, of Florida, Sandra Lee Mercer and significant other, Clay Swain, of Vanceboro, and Stacy Annette Thibault and husband, Peter, of Lexington, S.C.; two brothers, Eugene Anderson Farris of the Philippines and Gene Mullins of Charleston, Miss.; two sisters, Dorothy Franklin of Saucier, Miss., and Louise Bass of Long Beach, Miss.; one brother-in-law, P.R. Jones and wife, Betty Lou, of River Bend; seven grandchildren, Wendy Lockley, Lee Billingsley, John Paul Farris, Travis Mercer, Danielle Thibault, Noah Thibault, and Mickie Smith; one great-grandchild; and numerous nieces and nephews. The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday evening at the funeral home. Flowers are appreciated or memorials can be made to V.F.W. Post 2514 Cancer Aid and Research, 113 Yucca Lane, New Bern, NC 28562. Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.pollockbest.com. Arrangements by Pollock-Best Funerals & Cremations, New Bern. Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.