LEON HAYS KILLED FRIDAY BY TRACTOR SERVICES HELD SATURDAY FOR PARSONS RESIDENT Funeral services for Milford Leon Hays were held at the home of his mother Mrs. D.M. Hays and at the Bear Creek Baptist Church on Saturday afternoon and burial was in the Bear Creek Cemetery. He was 28 years of age. Leon died instantly Friday morning as the result of an accident in which he was thrown from the drivers seat of a bulldozer and his body terribly mangled when the machine passed over him. The addicent occurred near Paris where he was working for Ayers and Hays in stripping dirt from clay mine. Leon was the youngest son of the 12 children of the late Mr. D.M. Hays and Mrs. Hays. He is survived by his mother; his wife, who was Miss Mary Lee Gray; by two young children; six brothers and four sisters. He was a member of the Bear Creek Baptist Church and was a splendid young man. He was a veteran of World War II and escaped uninjured from many engagements of that war. Funeral services were conduced by Reverends G.G. Joyner, Wade Carver and W.A. Moody; and rites of the Masonic Lodge were conducted by the members of the Parsons Lodge. Parsons Mortuary had charge of arrangements. BUD TAYLOR DIES OF GUNSHOT WOUND Mr. Bud Taylor, aged about 60 years and a resident of the Poplar Springs community, near Prospect, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Monday. He was buried at Prospect on Tuesday. Mr. Taylor, the youngest son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Tom Taylor, had not been mentally well for a number of years but it was not realized that his condition was such as would cause action such as brought about his death. He had walked about half a mile from home and a short distant from the road for the act. His body was not discovered for several hours. His wife, their only two children, andseveral more distant relatives survive. MRS. BELLE STAGGS BURIED AT MT. CARMEL Mrs. Belle Staggs was buried in the Mt. Carmel cemetery on Sunday following her death at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Lilly Sisk, in Jackson on Saturday. She was 69 years of age and had suffered a stroke. Mrs. Staggs was a splendid woman and highly regarded by her neighbors and friends. She was a member of the Little Waxie Pentecostal Church and funeral services were conducted by Rev. W.A. Moody of Parsons. Surviving relatives include the above named daughter; four sons, Coy Smothers of Lenox, Jake Smother of Finly, Ernest Day of Decaturville and J.F. Day of Lenox and a brother, A.M. Norman of Decaturville. Parsons Mortuary had charge of all arrangements. SERVICES LAST FRIDAY FOR JOHN H. NORMAN Funeral services for Mr. John H. Norman were held at the Mt. Carmel Methodist Church on Friday of last week and cunducted by his pastory, the Rev. S.T. Parham. He was 76. Burial was in the nearby cemetery. Mr. Norman was a farmer, a local preacher in the Methodist Church and for several years was Superintendent of the Sunday School at the Mt. Carmel Church. He was highly respected and a man of good influence in his community. He was a brother of Mrs. Belle Staggs whose death is reported elsewhere in this issue and is survived by his wife; two daughters, Mrs. Bob Wilson of Dyersburg and Mrs. Ben Williams of Decaturville; 21 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. ________________________________________________________________ Sent via the WebMail system at decaturcountytn.org