Today’s item from my filing cabinet is a photocopied obituary for my Uncle Walter. The original clipping came from the Emporia Gazette, the hometown newspaper of his mother and sister, who were living there at the time of his death. Although I couldn’t locate a digitized version of that obituary on Newspapers.com, I did find a death notice in The Sun of Biloxi, Mississippi—where Uncle Walter passed away. I also located another obituary published in a Covington, Louisiana area newspaper, where he had lived for several years.
Summary of Obituaries for Walter Emory Briles
Walter Emory Briles, age 64, of Covington, Louisiana, passed away on Wednesday, July 14, 1982, at Keesler Air Force Base Hospital in Biloxi, Mississippi. A Kansas native, he had lived in Covington for the past seven years. He was a U.S. Army veteran who served for many years and retired with the rank of sergeant.
Walter was the son of Mrs. Pauline (E.O.) Briles of Emporia, Kansas. He is survived by his wife, Fay Fern Briles; two children, David Briles of Georgia and Kathleen Baham of Covington; and three grandchildren. Additional survivors include his mother; two sisters, Mrs. Eugene (Roberta) Crawford of Emporia and Mrs. George (Letha) Doolittle of San Bernardino, California.
Funeral arrangements included services in both Gulfport and Covington. His body was transported from Riemann Funeral Home in Gulfport to Schoen Funeral Home in Covington, where services were held on Saturday, July 17. Interment followed in Barker-McManus Cemetery.
Below are the transcriptions of all three articles, each offering unique details about his life and passing.
WALTER BRILES
GULFPORT — Walter E. Briles, a resident of Covington, La., died Thursday in Biloxi. The body was sent from Riemann Funeral Home in Gulfport to the Schoen Funeral Home in Covington, La., for services and burial.
Walter E. Briles
News was received by Emporia relatives of the death of Walter E.
Briles of Covington, La., who died July 14 at a hospital in Biloxi, Miss. Mr. Briles, 64, was the son of Mrs. E.O. Briles of Horizon Plaza. He was in service with the U.S. Army for many years and was a sergeant at the time of his retirement.Services are pending.
Survivors besides his mother are his wife, Faye, who lives in Covington; one daughter and one grandson, and two sisters, Mrs. Eugene Crawford, 2314 West 21st Ave., and Mrs. George Doolittle of San Bernardino, Calif.
BRILES
Walter Emory Briles of Covington died on Wednesday, July 14, at the Keesler Air Force Base Hospital. He was 64 years old, a native of Kansas, and a resident of Covington for the past seven years.
He was the husband of Fay Fern Briles, the father of David Briles of Georgia and Mrs. Kathleen Baham of Covington, the son of Mrs. Pauline Briles of Emporia, Kansas, the brother of Mrs. Eugene Crawford of Emporia and Mrs. Lethia Doolittle of San Bernardino, California. Also survived by three grandchildren.
Services were held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, July 17, in the Schoen Funeral Home parlor. Interment followed in the Barker-McManus Cemetery.
