ASHE pg 7
FALL BEGINS SEPT. 22
Vol 17, No. 4 •September 2017
Church Usher Union offers support to grieving families at funerals ers who attend a service By Lucy Weber are there serving the The Church Usher one God and showUnion offers quiet coming their respect, she fort and a shoulder to said. lean on in those dark "Funerals are moments of grief. hard. That's why we Continuing its go to assist the decades-long servfamilies. We are ice to others, this there to comfort dedicated group people. We try of volunteers to be strong for stands ready to the families. help the famiYour heart goes lies of the out to them." deceased at Members of funerals in Corinth the group try to and Alcorn County. be strong for the Led by president grieving famiMrs. Dorothy BurtDorothy BurtAlexander lies. "If you're Alexander, the more crying, you're than 50 members of not doing much good for the the organization come from family," Mrs. Burt12 different churches in the Alexander said. community and will provide When she lost her husassistance to anyone who band seven months ago, asks. Mrs. Burt-Alexander said "Our volunteers are willshe appreciated the ushers ing workers serving for being there for her as a God," Mrs. Burt-Alexander group showing "we care, we said. "They are very faithshare your sorrow." ful." The group is associated Whether it's a providing a with Patterson Memorial pat on the back, handing Chapel and Grayson Funeral over a tissue or a fan or Home and has a network of standing at the ready during the funeral, the 10 to 15 ushsee USHER pg 9
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Mrs. Brand celebrates 100 years of family on her birthday are close by," Mrs. Polk said. Mary Harris, the second oldest, said she enjoyed coming back to Mississippi from her home in Chicago to spend time with family and visit her mother for the century mark. "She's good. She is in a nursing home, but she's good," Mrs. Harris said. From 1917 to 2017, Mrs. Brand has called Houston home. She was born there, had her children there and now lives at an assisted living home there. A faithful church-goer, Mrs. Brand was a homemaker, busy raising her children.
By Lucy Weber A room filled with loved ones and friends helped Mrs. Willie Mae Brand celebrate 100 years of living. It took two days of gatherings to honor Mrs. Brand, the loving mother of 13. Nine of her children are still living and family came from near and far to celebrate her Aug. 4 birthday in Houston. "The party was the first time we had all been together in a while," said Carol Polk of Houston, the oldest of the siblings. "It ended up a two-day get-together as we were all taking photographs and singing. She likes her kids to be around." The nine children are spread between Mississippi and Illinois, but "four of us
Willie Mae Brand
More Grandparents are Raising Grandkids: 3 Things They Need to Know
Return Address: P.O. Box 1292 Corinth, MS 38835
POSTAL PATRON
see BRAND pg 4
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(StatePoint) From single parents to traditional and multigenerational households, modern families come in
all shapes and sizes. But did you know there’s an uptick in the number of grandparents raising grandkids?
According to data from The Pew Charitable Trusts, 2.9 million grandparents were raising their grandchildren in 2015 compared with 2.5 million in 2005. Oftentimes, grandparents become primary caregivers due to unforeseen circumstances. Here are three things those taking on this responsibility should consider. Protect their Financial Future A recent study found 30 percent of all households don’t have life insurance, according to LIMRA, a life insurance research organization. Grandparents should be sure this coverage is up to date. They might also consider purchasing term insurance -- life insurance
see RAISING pg 4