John Gifford

EAST PRAIRIE - John L. Gifford Jr., 77, died at 8:55 a.m. Sept. 24, 2002, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau.

Born Nov. 7, 1924, in Tomato, Ark., son of the late John L. and Sarah McGaugh Gifford Sr., he lived in East Prairie most of his life where he was a retired farmer. He was a member of St. James General Baptist Church in East Prairie.

On June 30, 1959, he married Reva D. Calhoun who survives of the home.

Other survivors include: two sons, John L. Gifford III of East Prairie and Daniel Gifford of Marble Hill; one daughter, Shirley Watson of Kelso; two stepsons, William Weatherford of Santa Fe, Texas, and Thomas Weatherford of Collierville, Tenn.; one stepdaughter, Patricia Fowler of San Angelo, Texas; and nine grandchildren, 10 stepgrandchildren, one great-grandchild and four stepgreat-grandchildren.

One daughter, one stepdaughter, two sisters and one brother preceded him in death.

Visitation begins at 5 p.m. today at Shelby Funeral Home in East Prairie, where services will be conducted at 2 p.m. Thursday. David Dowdy and Burl Britt will officiate.

Burial will follow in East Prairie Memorial Park Cemetery.

Pallbearers will be: Mike Keller, Lowell Watson, Ronnie Amick, Gary Moore, Lester Layton and William Thorne.

Honorary pallbearers will be: Pete Ivie, L.B. Ivie, George Ivie and Henry Stone.