Terry Headlight News

There are two deaths to report this week. The first one is that of longtime Terry resident Mary Joyce Kister. She attended high school here in Terry, although she graduated from Central High School in Jackson. She worked in the U. S. Post Office in Terry from many years. The second death is that of Mr. Roy Dixon. He did not live in Terry, but he worshiped here at the synagogue Temple of Yah Hebrew Israelite Assembly on the corner of L.J. Beasley Street and East Frontage Road. Mary Joyce Nelson Kister (February 19, 1936-February 19, 2023)

Mary Joyce Nelson Kister, 97, of Terry left this world on Sunday February 19, at her home in Terry. She was surrounded by her loving family. Visitation will be Wednesday, February 22, 2023, at The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Terry from 10:00 am to 11:30 am, with the service following. Interment will follow in Terry Cemetery.

Mary Joyce was born in Jackson to parents Thomas Hugh Nelson and Ruth Fleck Nelson Mustin. She was always active in her community and had many friends. Her kind heart and gracious spirit will be greatly missed. Mary Joyce played in three Bunco groups and was always ready to substitute when called.

She was a member of the Terry Woman’s Club, the Terry Garden Club, and enjoyed going to the Silver Belles and the Thirty-Niners at First Baptist Church Terry. She also belonged to the Friends of Terry and looked forward to the Dinner Theatre. She thought she had to set the tables on the days of the plays.

Mary Joyce retired from the Terry Post Office after 38 years and enjoyed every minute of retirement. Mary Joyce is survived by her stepmother, Dottie Nelson; daughters, Claudia Kister Burleson, Pam Kister Jones, Nancy Kister Cohn, half-brother, Stephen Nelson, step-sisters, Patti Johnson and Donna Andresen, and daughter-in-law Lisa Kister. Her grandchildren include Angela Humphreys, Joel Burleson, Tara Clymer, Kimberly Jones, Kevin Jones, Christopher Cohn, Misty Lyon, and Jill Kister. She had fifteen great-grandchildren and five great-great grandchildren.

Along with her parents, she is preceded in death by her husband, Tommy Kister, son Mike Kister, sons-in-law, Ronnie Jones and Kelly Cohn and grandson-in-law Scott Clymer

Memorials may be made to The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, Post Office Box 325, Terry, Mississippi 39170.

Roy Dixon, Sr. (1933-2023)

Roy Dixon Sr., founder of Dixon’s Pork Skins, died over the weekend at age 80. He was a native of Georgetown.

Dixon’s son said his father started the company bearing his name in 1974, selling fried pork skins, a favorite for many people in Mississippi and around the South. Dixon’s son, Barry Dixon, believes his father was one of the first African-Americans to have a product manufactured and sold in stores in MS.

“He was really a entrepreneur from the beginning,” Barry Dixon said.

The skins are still sold at stores around MS. The package still bears Dixon’s name, even though it merged with another company, Central Snack.

He later owned and operated a restaurant in front of his home in Jackson.

The following birthday have recently been celebrated: Feb. 15- Curtis Skipworth; Feb. 20- Mary Helen Parker Abel; Feb. 21- Pam Mangum Burt; Feb. 22- Rep. Brad Oberhausen, Freddie Terry; Feb. 23- Michelle Bland, Anna Barnett Lee, Tiffany Williams Cole, Dell Pleasant Vandiver; Feb. 24- Judy Hegwood Walker; Feb. 25- Renay Wright, Judge Latrice Westbrooks; Feb. 26- Rita Wilson Davis, Ricky Graham, Curt Pechloff.

Please add to prayer lists these names: Gayla Garrett Bailey, President Jimmy Carter, the Dixon family, Sen. John Fetterman, James Grace, the Kister family.

The church season of Lent began this past Wednesday (Ash Wednesday, Feb. 20), and this Sunday will be the first Sunday of Lent. The scripture readings are Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 (the beginning of sin), Psalm 32 (It is better to confess sin.), Romans 5:12-19 (Adam and Christ compared) and Matthew 4:1-11 (the temptation of Jesus).

Terry High School will conduct its soccer try-outs for the teams soon. Both boys and girls will be trying out on March 6th and 7th on the practice field. Girls will be seen at 4:30 p. m.; boys will be seen at 5:30 pm. It is required that potential players attend both days and that they have up-to-date physicals. Cheer-leaders for next year will be trying out on Feb. 27th and 28th and on March 1st and 2nd.

Upcoming sports competitions at Terry High School include the following. The baseball team will play Raymond High School on Feb. 21, Yazoo City High School on Feb. 28th (both at 5:00 pm), Morton High School (Scott County) on Feb. 25th at 3:00 pm, Wesson High School (Copiah County) on March 3 (8:00 am) and Vicksburg High School (Warren County) on March 4 at noon. The softball team will play McLaurin High School (Rankin County) on Feb. 21, Enterprise High School (Lincoln County) on Feb. 23, Pelahatchie High School (Rankin County) on Feb. 28 and Brookhaven High School (Lincoln County) on March 2 (all games beginning at 5:00 pm). The track teams will compete against Madison High School on Feb. 24 at 3:00 pm and Flowood High School (Rankin County) on Feb. 27th at 4:20 pm.

There are still some corrections to the last list of candidates’ names which were published in last week’s edition of the Hinds County Gazette. A revised list will appear soon. Some of the information that I had was erroneous or incomplete. The executive committees of the two parties also have rejected some of these people to run for various reasons.

I close this week with the words of a great American spiritual, Jesus Walked This Lonesome Valley. I remember that, in the 1980s, I was accompanying the choir at Terry High School and this was one of the songs being sung at a state competition in Biloxi. These words remind me of the fourth verse of the 23 Psalm: “Even if I walk through a very dark valley, I will bot be afraid, because you are with me. Your rod and your shepherd’s staff comfort me.”

“Jesus walked this lonesome valley. He had to walk it by Himself; O, nobody else could walk it for Him, He had to walk it by Himself.

“We must walk this lonesome valley, We have to walk it by ourselves; O, nobody else can walk it for us, We have to walk it by ourselves.

“You must go and stand your trial, You have to stand it by yourself, O, nobody else can stand it for you, You have to stand it by yourself.”

Thank you for reading this column about Terry each week in the Hinds County Gazette! Your readership is appreciated and needed. News is shared in this newspaper from Raymond, Terry, and Utica each week about engagements, sickness, rejoicings, births, and deaths. If you have any comments, omissions, additions, or complaints, please contact this writer.