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Funeral Service honoring the life of Doretha Brown will be held Saturday, January 20, 2017, 11 a.m., at Asbury United Methodist Church, Franklin, La. Pastor Darlene Moore will officiate the service.
The family has requested that visitation be Saturday, January 20, 2017, from 9 a.m.-11 a.m., at Asbury United Methodist Church.
She will be interred in Pecot Street Cemetery.
“A Woman for the Ages”
Doretha Brown was born in rural St. Mary Parish and at age 11 her family moved to Franklin, La. She was the daughter of Johnny Brown Sr. and Viola Drexler Brown. She was the last survivor of the eight siblings.
Doretha earned her high school diploma from the former Willow Street School and her Bachelors of Arts Degree in Elementary Education from Dillard University with honors. She completed her graduate studies program at Scarritt College in Nashville, TN. She taught at Sager Brown Elementary in Baldwin, La. for two years. She began her work as a commissioned United Methodist missionary in October 1960 in Monrovia, Liberia. She chose Africa as the country to continue her teaching career because she felt that there was a “great need for teachers” and she also wanted to see the world in which she fondly referred to as her “land of ancestry.” During her tenure in Africa, Doretha worked as the Director of the Ganta Hostel for Girls in Monrovia. She taught girls ranging from elementary to college age. She was the recipient of several seed grants and awards in education which helped her to continue her post-graduate studies. Also, these grants-awards provided her with an opportunity to do working visits in other regions of the world including Great Britain, Australia, Canada, France, Spain as well as neighboring countries within the African continent. She participated and worked with many leaders in Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone to promote the interests of local communities, churches and schools on a nationwide basis.
Doretha remained in Liberia for 38 years and returned to America due to political and social unrest. In 2010, she was honored by the Louisiana Conference United Methodist Women for 50 years of service to the mission and for the work she did with children worldwide. Also, in 2010, The Doretha Brown Mission Youth Scholarship Fund was set up in her honor to award deserving students who expressed an interest in the mission programs sponsored by the Louisiana Conference United Methodist Women. Later, she became a member of the Asbury United Methodist Church Ad-Hoc History Committee which was set up to preserve historical church documents dating back to 1890 to eventually be placed on the internet for public research. Also, she is one of the missionaries featured in the book, Return to Africa, A Journal by Ester L. Megill for her work in Liberia from 1968-1980.
Doretha was an advocate for education and was tireless in her pursuit to teach everyone she encountered. She had a deep love for reading and language arts. She had a professional working proficiency in many languages including French, Spanish and three indigenous African languages. She believed that “language” was fundamental to all facets of life and that children who did not learn to read proficiently were greatly disadvantaged throughout their lives. As an educator, Doretha believed that teaching should not be limited only to the classroom, but every space a child entered.
Her love of God was paramount in her life. She was a member of Asbury United Methodist Church in Franklin, Louisiana throughout her life. She dearly loved her church family and attended for as long as she was physically able to do so. She loved both her family at home and in Liberia. She often spoke of them in the fondest terms. Her proudest and happiest moments were those she shared with them.
Doretha leaves to cherish her memory an adopted daughter, Shirley Phillips Steward of Jeanerette, La. and her children Hershal Phillips, Krystal Phillips, and K’wan Steward with whom she spent the last seven years of her life. She is also survived by her neices: Hendri Brown of Marrero, La., Jewel Lynn Thompson of Harvey, La., Yeil Thompson of Beaumont, TX, Johneice Brown and Yolanda M.Turner and her sister-in-law, Clara Bell Brown all of Franklin, La. She also leaves a host of cousins, other relatives and devoted friends both here and in Africa.
She is preceded in death by her parents Johnny Brown Sr. and Viola Drexler Brown, her siblings: Johnny Brown, Jr., George Brown, Albertha Brown Hilliard, Anna Brown Rhein, Beatrice Brown Smith, Carolyn Brown Turner, and Helen Brown Logan; her devoted aunts Callie Brown, Elma Brown, Katherine Brown, Anna Metz, Daisey Broussard, and uncle Oscar Drexler, Jr.

Carrie Favors Pitts, 73, a resident of Patterson, La. and native of Calumet, La., passed away on Wednesday, January 10, 2018 at 9:07 a.m. at her residence.
Visitation will be observed on Saturday, January 20, 2018 at the St. Luke Baptist Church, 1709 Harry St., Patterson, La., from 9:00 a.m. until funeral services at 11:00 a.m., with Reverend Keith Verrett, Officiating. Burial will follow funeral services in the Home Industrial Cemetery in Patterson, La.
Memories of Carrie will forever remain in the hearts of her son, Lawrence (Jerl) Edwards, III; her daughter, Monica Charles both of Patterson, La.; one brother, Willie Favors, Jr. of Sacramento, CA; one sister, Pearl Favors of Franklin, La.; ten grandchildren, twelve great-grandchildren as well as a host of nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends.
Carrie was preceded in death husband, a son, her parents, two sisters, and four brothers.
Jones Funeral Home of Morgan City/Franklin/Jeanerette/Houma in charge of arrangements.

Mary “Elaine” Henslee Verret, 62, a resident of Bayou Vista and former longtime resident of Franklin, passed away Thursday, January 11, 2018 at Teche Regional Medical Center.
Elaine was born on June 26, 1955 in Kassel, Germany the daughter of Ernest Henslee and Margot Hoya Henslee.
Elaine loved to spend time in the outdoors tending to her garden and enjoyed spending time doing various craft projects. She had a love for all animals, but especially loved her dog Petey. Of all the things that Elaine did in her life, the joy and love of her life was her son, Roy Jr. and everything that she did, she did for him.
She will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered by her son, Roy P. Verret Jr. of Bayou Vista; her beloved dog Petey; her husband Roy P. Verret Sr. of Franklin; three brothers, Michael Henslee and wife Karen of Sorrento, Florida, Mark Henslee of Franklin, Shane Hoya and wife Donna of Bayou Vista; one sister, Lorraine Sinitere and husband Arthur of Berwick; one sister-in-law, Earline Picard of Franklin; numerous nieces and nephews.
Elaine was preceded in death by her parents, Ernest and Margot Hoya Henslee; brother-in-law, Ray Picard; mother and father-in-law, Ozemae (Paul) and Bernice Verret.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, January 19, 2018 at Twin City Funeral Home with Rev. Marty Harden officiating. A visitation will be held from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. on Thursday, January 18, 2018 at Twin City Funeral Home with the visitation resuming from 10 a.m. until the service time at 11 a.m. on Friday at the funeral home. Following the services Elaine will be laid to rest in the Franklin Cemetery.

Funeral Service for Jamie Wynette Wheller will be Friday, January 19, 2018, 11 a.m. at MK DIXON Funeral Home.
Visitation will be Friday, January 19, 2018, from 9 a.m. until the commencement of the funeral service.
Jamie will be interred in Morning Pilgrim Cemetery in Jeanerette, La.
Jamie Wynette Wheller was born on January 1, 1979 to the union of Paul and Flora Green Wheller in Fort Knox, Kentucky. She was the third of six children. She was educated and reared in Jeanerette, La. On Saturday, January 6, 2018 this loving and caring angel transitioned to her heavenly home.
She accepted Christ at an early age, she was baptized at St. Mark Baptist Church by Rev. Greene. Jamie loved to shop, cook, and clean. She was a devoted mother to her four children, always taking care of them as well as her nieces and nephews.
Jamie was preceded in death by her parents, one brother, Renee Green, maternal grandparents, Horace and Myrtle Green, and her paternal grandfather, David Wheller.
Her lasting memory will forever be embedded in the hearts of her four children: Ja’Liyah Wheller, Ja’Mia Wheller, Ja’Hyre Wheller and Jacey Proctor all of Jeanerette, La.; her siblings: Wayne (Tracey) Green, Paul (Ruth) Wheller, Gloria (Wesley) Hypolite, Chanel Wheller; her paternal grandmother, Ruby Scott Wheller; loving companion who stuck by her side, Darien Hoskins along with a her aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.