Mr. James Melvin Westmoreland, Jr., 84, died Friday, January 20, 2017 at his residence following an extended illness. He was born October 5, 1932 to Hazel Hussey and Melvin Westmoreland, Sr. of Richmond Community. Upon graduating high school, he attended Itawamba Junior College (ICC). He married his sweetheart, Norma Gayle Snipes in 1953. She died March 22, 2001. He served in the U.S. Army, stationed in Germany training truck drivers. After his honorable discharge, he returned to the Mooreville-Richmond area. Melvin worked many years as a sales representative for Pillsbury Flour Company. He was a member of Allen’s Chapel Methodist Church and was instrumental in the building program there. Melvin was an excellent steward of his family farm land and enjoyed fishing, farming and raising cattle.
A celebration of life service will be at 1:00 p.m., Sunday, January 22, 2017 in the Tupelo Chapel of Holland Funeral Directors with Bro. Robert McCoy officiating. Private burial will follow in the Westmoreland family plot at Andrews Chapel Cemetery. Visitation will be Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to service time.
Survivors include his children, Melba Pettigrew (Carroll) and Fran Jones (Mike) all of Nettleton, and Sara Smith (Frank) of Tupelo; sisters, Barbara Harris (Titus) of Tupelo and Helen Harris (Ken) of Tupelo; brother, Dan Westmoreland of Tupelo; grandchildren, Connie Rodgers, James Carroll Pettigrew, Alisha Bledsoe, and Brad Jones; great-grandchildren, Cori Christian, Carter Owens, George Bledsoe, Sam Bledsoe, and Sofie Bledsoe. He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Gayle; step-mother, Opal Westmoreland; sister, Lenora Goodwin and his brother, Beau Westmoreland.
