Celia Pate Ledbetter McDonald, born October 17, 1947, passed away at Sunrise Assisted Living on Tuesday January 1, 2013, at age 65. She was retired from the position of CFO at Dairy Fresh of LA located in Baker, LA. Survived by her loving husband of 45 years, Richard Micheal McDonald of Central, LA; daughters, Stacy McDonald Poor of Prairieville, LA and Shannon McDonald Miller of Watson, LA.; son-in-law, John Lucas Miller; 1 grandson, Devin Michael Poor; 3 granddaughters, Kelsey Pate Miller, Kayla Renee Miller and Madison Loretta Poor; 2 sisters, Peggy Ledbetter Parham of Amory, MS, and Karen Ledbetter Tiffin of West Point, MS, 3 brothers, Mark Ledbetter of Tupelo, MS, Tom Ledbetter of Wilmington, DE, and Terry Ledbetter of Tupelo, MS; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Helen Pate Ledbetter and Robert Marcellous Ledbetter of Amory, MS, and son-in-law, Brent Patrick Poor of Prairieville, LA. She enjoyed spending time with her family, cheering on LSU Football, traveling, and watching her grandchildren play sports. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Alzheimer's Services of the Capital Area, Inc. 3772 North Blvd. Baton Rouge, LA 70806, in Celia's name. Visitation at Resthaven Funeral Home, 11817 Jefferson Hwy, on Friday January 4, 2013 from 6:00 to 9:00 pm and will resume on Saturday, January 5, from 9 am until religious services at 11 am. Burial will follow in Resthaven Gardens of Memory. Pallbearers include Clint Parham, Clint Alan Clay, Tyler Clay, Thomas Tiffin, Nicholas Poor and Jay Miller. Please visit www.resthavenbatonrouge.com to sign the online guestbook. Published in The Advocate from January 2 to January 3, 2013   Picture available at http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/theadvocate/obituary.aspx?n=celia-pate-ledbetter-mcdonald&pid=162096702&fhid=17444#fbLoggedOut.

GRAHAM - Mr. James Milton "Buddy" Smith, 78, of 3667 South NC 87, died Friday, Jan. 4, 2013 at 5:50 a.m. at Alamance Regional Medical Center. A loving and devoted husband, father and paw paw, Mr. Smith was retired from Canfor (Sizemore) Lumber Company and a veteran of the U.S. Army, serving during the Korean Conflict. He attended the First Wesleyan Church of Burlington. Surviving are his wife of 49 years, Doris Johnson Smith, of the home; daughters, Patricia Smith and fiancé Nelson Hammond of Reidsville and Pamela Smith Grubb and husband Jamie of Graham; granddaughter, Amber Daves, of the home; great-granddaughter, Elainea Daves, of the home; granddog, Harley; sisters, Louise Pate, Pearl Meshaw, Dorothy Strickland, Linda King and Annie Muriel; brothers, Glenn Smith and Larry Smith; and special sister-in-law, Janice Register. He was preceded in death by his parents, James Franklin and Burdette Guy Smith. The funeral will be conducted at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 6, 2013 in the McClure Funeral Home Chapel in Graham by the Rev. Dennis Boone and the Rev. Steve Saunders. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. At other times the family will receive friends at the residence. Burial will be in Mt. Hermon UMC cemetery. The family would like to extend a special thank you to Dr. Marshall W. Anderson and staff for providing excellent medical care for Buddy over the years. Memorial donations may be made to the charity of one's choice . Online condolences may be sent to www.mcclurefuneralhome.net Published in TheTimesNews.com from January 4 to January 5, 2013

CLINTON - Victor Lynnon Hunter, 66, of Clinton, died Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013. Services: Funeral, 11 a.m. Saturday in Christ Ministries Church. Burial in church cemetery. Visitation, 6 to 8 tonight at Royal-Hall Funeral Home in Clinton and other times at the home. Survived by: Wife, Wanda; daughter, Vickie Guy; sons, Michael, Wayne, Johnny and Jeffrey; sisters, Edna Pate and Helen Bass; brother, Willie; and five grandchildren. Published in Fayetteville Observer on January 4, 2013

 Fred Charles Brooks COLUMBIA Memorial service for Fred Charles Brooks, 64, will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 5, 2013, at Redeemer Lutheran Church. Fred was born January 23, 1948, in Greenwood, SC, and passed away January 2, 2013. He was the son of the late Charles and Lucille Cannon Brooks. Fred was an employee at SCE&G for more than 40 years. He was an active member of Redeemer Lutheran Church where he was on the church council and served on several committees. He was on the board of Palmetto Assisted Animal Life Services. He was an avid outdoorsman that loved to skeet shoot and fish. He enjoyed music and playing the guitar. Fred served in the U.S. Navy on the USS Pocono. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to PAALS, PO Box 25679, Columbia, SC 29224 or Redeemer Lutheran Church, 525 St. Andrews Rd., Columbia, SC 29212. Fred is survived by his wife Charlotte T. Brooks; daughter, Amy Brooks Pate (David) of Chapin; sister, Sylvia Grubb of West Columbia, Miriam Willis of New Bern, NC; brother, David Brooks of Greenwood, SC; grandchildren, Cole, Hayden and Lizzy Worthey, Stephen and Ashley Pate; and 6 nieces and nephews. Everyone enjoyed his subtle sense of humor and warm smile. http://www.caughmanharmanfuneralhome.net/ Published in The State on January 4, 2013 Read more here: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thestate/obituary.aspx?n=fred-charles-brooks&pid=162126109#storylink=cpy Picture available at http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thestate/obituary.aspx?n=fred-charles-brooks&pid=162126109#fbLoggedOut.

Carrie Sue Coffey Synnott, 77, of Montgomery, TX, passed away on December 23, 2012 from cardiac arrest. The memorial service will be held at 10:00 am, January 4, 2013 at Sam Houston Memorial Funeral Home, Montgomery, TX. Matthew Synnott will be officiating. Sue was born in Aransas Pass, TX on October 20, 1935. She graduated from La Marque high school and continued on to receive a BBA from Stephen F. Austin State University and an M.ED in Education from Sam Houston State University Sue was married to Jimmy Synnott on August 1, 1981; they were married 21 years. Sue worked as an educator for 36 years retiring as an Elementary Principal from Spring ISD. She enjoyed her grandchildren, golf and antiquing. She was also actively involved in Bentwater Ladies Golf Association and various charity events through local organizations. Sue is survived by spouse, James D. Synnott Jr., children; Elizabeth Ann Pate, Ronald Len Pate, and Thomas James Pate, III (Jim), and stepson Ryan Synnott., grandchildren; Lauren Elizabeth Rogers, Robert Taylor Dement Pate, Samuel Thomas Pate, brother; Patrick Coffey, and other family and friends. Sue is preceded in death by her father LF Coffey and mother Caldonia Coffey, brothers Ronald Coffey, and Leroy Coffey The family of Carrie Sue Synnott wishes to thank all friends and relatives for their thoughts, prayers and many condolences. In lieu of flowers, we ask that any donations be made to a charity of your choice in her memory. You are invited to leave any memorial condolences at www.shmfh.com. Published on yourhumblenews.com from January 2 to January 15, 2013 Picture available at http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/humble/obituary.aspx?n=carrie-sue-coffey-synnott&pid=162097430#fbLoggedOut.

ELDORADO - Simeon "Sim" Pate, Jr., 88, died Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013, in Ferrell Hospital. Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday in Colonial Terrace Funeral Home in Eldorado, with the Rev. Herb Busche officiating. Visitation will be from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to Eldorado First United Methodist Church.   Published in The Southern Illinoisan on January 4, 2013

For any who have been interested in testing at 23andMe but found the cost prohibitive, the company has permanently reduced the cost to $99 this past month, and there is no longer a monthly subscription fee. This is a reduction from the previous price of $299, plus a $9 per month annual subscription for updates. I have had several inquiries about 23andMe in general. So for those who may be curious, I am including information sources in this message. But first, an absolute disclaimer: I am neither recommending nor disapproving this service. I have not become a customer at this time. Anyone interested should read through all the references I am providing at a minimum, then make your own decision about its value for you personally. More material on this company and genomic analysis is available on the Internet. This company also has competitors which can be researched on the Internet. 23andMe is a company in the field of personal genomics. The name is derived from the 23 pairs of chromosomes in each normal human cell. The company analyzes DNA to provide unique personal information for each customer. This includes personalized genetic analysis of diseases, conditions, and traits. Since every aspect of this company’s services are relatively complex, I will make no attempt to summarize them, but refer you to the articles below. This article is quite detailed about the testing process, including photos of all the materials a customer will receive from 23andMe (written about three years ago): http://paulstamatiou.com/review-23andme-dna-testing-for-health-disease-ancestry More articles by another 23andMe customer and reviewer, written a few months ago: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-knoepfler/personal-genomics_b_1943532.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-knoepfler/personal-genomics_b_1963776.html Reviews of 23andMe by various sources, all from 2012: http://www.theverge.com/2012/12/12/3759198/23andme-genetics-testing-50-million-data-mining http://www.yalescientific.org/2012/03/23andme-a-genetic-social-network/ http://livelonger.hubpages.com/hub/23andme On all the above, be sure to read the comments and responses to the articles. Also note most prices that may be indicated in the articles have been superseded by the current price. 23andMe also provides ancestry services, similar to those provided by Family Tree DNA, though more comprehensive. However, their tests are not directly compatible with FTDNA testing, though conversions are available from FTDNA. For any who have already tested with 23andMe or will in the future, I recommend that you visit the website of Gedmatch ( http://gedmatch.com/ ). This website accepts data from both FTDNA and 23andMe and provides amazing sets of comparisons. This is a free service. Here are two articles which explain more about Gedmatch and its tools for genetic genealogy research: http://www.legalgenealogist.com/blog/2012/08/12/gedmatch-a-dna-geeks-dream-site/ http://capeflier.com/wp/2011/08/01/gedmatch/ Comments and discussion may be valuable for other subscribers of this listserve, especially from those who may have experience with 23andMe and its services. A. J. Pate

This note comes from MaryAnn Pate Hormuth. Please keep this family in your thoughts and prayers. Joel -------- Original Message -------- Subject: President of Pate Cemetery in Montgomery County, Texas. Date: Wed, 2 Jan 2013 09:18:55 -0600 From: MaryAnn Hormuth <mahormuth@gmail.com> To: Joel M. Pate <patej@nettally.com> Joel, Jerry Vessels and his wife, Madeline, died in an early Sunday morning fire in Cherokee County, Texas, near Troup. The Tyler newspaper of Dec 31 gave their names. I have had much contact with Jerry since he has been the one who is President of the Pate Cemetery in Montgomery County, Texas. He is a descendant of William Nelson Pate through the daughter, Eugenia "Jennie" Pate. Jerry became a facebook friend in early November. A family member made a post that I saw. Jerry was 68. I have not seen an obituary. MaryAnn Pate Hormuth

KINSTON - Jackie Lee Jarman, 69, died Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012, at Kinston Rehabilitation. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 22, at McDaniel's Chapel in Dover with Dolton Stroud officiating. Survivors include his daughter, Candace Jarman of Grifton; son LeRoy "Tommy" Jarman of Autryville; sisters Dora "Nell" Williams of Kinston and Eliza Stroud of Greenville; brother Russell Pate of Trenton; and one granddaughter. Arrangements are by Garner Funeral Home. Published in Free Press from December 21 to December 24, 2012

NEW BERN - John H. Behrmann, 85, died on Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012, at his residence. An engineer by profession, he had worked for many years with Grumman Aerospace as a quality manager. Memorial service will be 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012, in the Chapel of Centenary United Methodist Church with the Rev. Susan Pate Greenwood officiating. He is survived by his wife, Edith A. Behrmann of New Bern. Arrangements are by Pollock-Best Funerals & Cremations. Published in Sun Journal from December 21 to December 24, 2012

CARTWRIGHT, Okla - Lavelle Ray (McLarry) Clay, 90, passed away Saturday, December 22, 2012 in Denison. Funeral services will be held 10 a.m., Thursday, December 27, at the First Baptist Church in Colbert, Okla with Landon Jestis and Rev. Roddy Arnold officiating. Burial will be at the Garden of Memories in Colbert. Survivors are her sons, Larry Clay of Colbert, Okla., and Robert Clay of McAlester, Okla.; daughters, Rene Jestis of Soper, Okla, Letetia Pate of Durant, Okla., and Connie Barnett of Kingston, Okla; sister Norma Moore of Longview; eight grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren and one great-greatgrandchild. Arrangements are under the direction of Brown's Funeral Service of Durant, Okla. Published in The Herald Democrat on December 24, 2012

Barbara Ann Beard, 78, of Cecilia, passed away Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012, at Hardin Memorial Hospital. A native of Scranton, S.C., she was a member of Franklin Crossroads Baptist Church. She was preceded in death by a son, Ronald Beard; parents, A.J. Pate Sr. and Mamie Singletary Pate; and 14 brothers and sisters. Survivors include her husband of 61 years, Fletcher Beard; three children, Fletcher Allen (Pam) Beard, Jerry Wayne (Dolores) Beard, and Patricia Wright and her long-time companion, Rick Willis; a foster son, Robert (Nancy) Humphrey; daughter-in-law, Tammy Beard; a brother, David (Ruth) Pate; eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. The funeral is at 11 a.m. Friday in the chapel of Dixon-Atwood & Trowbridge Funeral Home. Burial follows in Elizabethtown Memorial Gardens. Visitation is from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Dixon-Atwood & Trowbridge Funeral Home in Elizabethtown is in charge of arrangements.   Published in The News-Enterprise on December 24, 2012

Floyd Herman Dees, 87, a lifelong resident of Hope Mills, died Saturday. He was the son of Gentry and Ida Beasley Dees. He was preceded in death by his parents, his first wife, Mildred Pate Dees, and eleven brothers and sisters: Bertha, Charlie, Claude, Hattie, Kathryn, Lessie, Perry, Raymond, Sally, Walt and Pauline. He was a textile worker at the No. 4 Plant in Hope Mills before enlisting in the U.S. Army during World War II. He served in the 66th infantry as a field sergeant. He survived one of the greatest tragedies of the war. On Christmas Eve of 1944, he was among some 2,200 American troops aboard the transport ship Leopoldville being carried from England to France to relieve American forces fighting in the Battle of the Bulge. The Leopoldville was torpedoed in the English Channel by a German submarine and sank. Some 700 to 800 soldiers aboard the ship lost their lives. Dees survived and went on to win a Purple Heart. Following the war he worked for 40 years at Bryan Pontiac Cadillac retiring as a service manager. He was a longtime member of Highland Baptist Church, and later joined Lafayette Baptist Church. He was a volunteer fireman for many years and was an avid golfer and fisherman. He also served as a political adviser to his son while he was mayor of Hope Mills. He is survived by his son, Eddie Dees and his wife, Susan, of Hope Mills, and his twin granddaughters, Carey and Casey Dees.  He is also survived by a sister, Lois Smith, of Hope Mills, and his second wife, Anita, of the home.  Other survivors include two step-daughters, Hope Kelley, and her husband, Mark, of Melbourne, Fla., and Susan Appleby and her husband, David, of Beaumont, Tex., one step-daughter-in-law, Melanie Rains, and her husband, Bob, of Tulsa, Okla. He had eight step-grandchildren and 12 step-great grandchildren. Visitation will be Wednesday from 1-2:45 p.m. at Pinecrest Funeral Home in Hope Mills, with the funeral service to follow at 3 p.m. Dr. Brian Lee will officiate. Burial will follow in Gilmont Cemetery in Hope Mills. Memorials may be made to Lafayette Baptist Church or a favorite charity. Funeral arrangements will be handled by Pinecrest Funeral Home in Hope Mills. See http://www.pinecrestfuneralservice.com/obits/obituary.php?id=240734 for more information.

Independence - WAYNE PATE, 60, died December 23, 2012. Ray-Nowell, 662-560-4430   Published in The Commercial Appeal on December 25, 2012   Mr. Pate, 60, of Independence, passed away on Sunday, December 23, 2012 at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, TN. Mr. Pate, an avid Nascar fan, is survived by his wife, Judy Kay Pate of Independence, MS; two daughters, Dana Cecil of Independence and Lisa Faulkner of Byhalia, MS; one son, Paul Strickland of Independence, MS; one sister, Belinda Cooley and his mother and step-father, Norma Ray Ball Boyce and James Boyce, all of Baldknob, AR; nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild. He was preceded in death by his father, The Late Dewayne Pate.   Funeral services will be held on Thursday, December 27, 2012 at 12pm in the Senatobia Chapel of Ray-Nowell Funeral Home. Burial will follow in New Hope Baptist Church Cemetery in Independence, MS. Visitation will be held at the funeral home Wednesday, December 26, 2012 from 6-8pm. Ray-Nowell Funeral Home - Senatobia Chapel is in charge of arrangements. The family requests that memorial contributions be made to: The American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 22718, Oklahoma City, OK 73123-1718 http://www.cancer.org/ or  The National Kidney Foundation, 30 E. 33rd St., New York, NY 10016 http://www.kidney.org/.   Obituary information courtesy of Ray-Nowell Funeral Home. See http://www.heartfeltconnections.net/ViewTribute.aspx?id=41159.

Julia H. Thomas, Broadway, died 12-25-2012. Arrangements: Rogers-Pickard F.H., Sanford. Published in The News & Observer on December 30, 2012 Read more here: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/newsobserver/obituary.aspx?pid=162023926#storylink=cpy   Julia Brown Harrington Thomas of Broadway died Tuesday December 25, 2012 at her home. A Memorial service will be held at 11:00 am Saturday at Leaflet Presbyterian Church. Mrs. Thomas was born in Harnett Co., a daughter of the late John Lacy Harrington and Betty Sloan Harrington, and was preceded in death by her husband, Gattis Buie Thomas. In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by siblings, Eliza H. Latchem, Lucy H. Brewer, Mary Lee H. Lewis, John Lacy Harrington Jr, C. Bragaw Harrington, Alex S. Harrington, and Richard B. Harrington. Mrs. Thomas is survived by her daughter, Katheryn Thomas Medley and husband Clem of Dunn; two sons, Gattis Buie Thomas Jr and wife Jan of Goldston and Jeffrey Brown Thomas of Broadway; four sisters, Geneva H. Cameron and Polly H. Chandler both of Broadway, Nell H. Pate of Spring Lake, and Virginia D. Harrington of Sanford; four grandchildren, Heather Thomas Adams and husband Chris of Broadway, Necole Thomas and Lacy Oldham III of Sanford, Jennifer Medley Smar and husband Larry Smar Jr of Alexandria, VA, and Christopher Thomas Medley and wife Anna of Washington, DC; two great grandchildren, Lacy Oldham IV and Jackson Adams Memorial contributions can be made to Leaflet Presbyterian Church, Jeffrey Thomas, Treasurer, 10816 Old US Hwy 421, Broadway, NC 27505. The family will receive friends from 6-8 pm Friday at Rogers-Pickard Funeral Home. The family would like to extend a special thanks to Dr. McConville and the staff at Sandhill's Family Practice, Dr. Sen and Staff at Sanford Hematology & Oncology, Community Home Care & Hospice, the Senior Helpers of Dunn, and special care giver, Shelly Grice.   Courtesy of Rogers-Pickard Funeral Home, Sanford, North Carolina.

Picture available at http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/tbo/obituary.aspx?n=marcia-karel-rogers-howe&pid=161977306&fhid=3691#fbLoggedOut/

HOWE, Marcia Karel Rogers, went home to be with Jesus Friday afternoon, December 21, 2012, one month shy of her 54th birthday. She had a peaceful passing, surrounded by family and friends after fighting a courageous battle with cancer. She was born in Denver, Colorado on January 22, 1959. She is survived by her parents, Royce and Jean Pate and Taylor and Chris Rogers; 3 sons, Zach, Josh (Kim), and Gabe Howe of Plant City; 1 grandson Jude; siblings Dan Rogers (Becky) of Athens, TX., Greg Rogers (Pam) of Tuscaloosa, AL., and Debi Shuman (Rob) of Lakeland, FL.; husband, Dave; and many beloved aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, and cousins. She is also remembered and surrounded in love by Seffner Christian Academy coworkers, scrapbookers, Bible partners, and Photo Shop friends. A Memorial Celebration will be held on Saturday, December 29 at 3:00 P.M. at First Free Will Baptist Church, 11605 U.S. 92 E., Seffner, FL. In lieu of flowers donations in honor of Marcie may be made to Seffner Christian Academy, 11605 U.S. 92 E., Seffner, FL. 33584. Published in TBO.com on December 27, 2012

BASS, Joe a lifelong resident of Dayton passed away Thurs., Dec. 20, 2012. Born Aug. 29, 1944, in Gary, IN & served in the Navy & Marines, member of the VFW & American Legion 328. Joe retired from Miami Valley Hospital & was lifelong skater at Hoover Rink. He is preceded in death by his father, Joe W. Bass; brothers, Norvell & Gregory Bass. Survivors include his mother, Surina Pate; Cynthia Bass; daughter, Vasshon Ancrum; (3) grandchildren, brothers, Jerry & Robert Bass (LaSandra); sisters, Allean Morton (Ronald) & Debbie Falls (Kenny); & a host of other relatives & friends. IN LIEU OF FLOWERS, the family request donations be made to the Cancer Society . Funeral services 1:00 PM FRI, Dec. 28, 2012 at THOMAS FUNERAL HOME, 4520 Salem Ave. The family will receive friends one hour prior to service. Interment: Dayton National Cemetery. Condolences may maybe expressed at www.thomasfunerals.com Published in Dayton Daily News on December 27, 2012 Picture available at http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/dayton/obituary.aspx?n=joe-bass&pid=161978222&fhid=14156#fbLoggedOut.

PATE, Stephen C. Age 91, of Belle Glade, passed away Dec. 26, 2012. Glades Funeral Chapel, Belle Glade, FL.   Published in The Palm Beach Post from December 27 to December 28, 2012

Barbara Pate Cremation of Barbara Pate, 76, of Lufkin, is under the direction of Tims Funeral Home. Mrs. Pate was born April 21, 1936 and died Dec. 25, 2012 in Lufkin.   Published in The Lufkin Daily News on December 27, 2012