March 31, 1918 – Jan. 8, 2013

NATCHEZ — Services for James Francis Ware, 94, of Natchez, who died Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013, will be at 11 a.m. Monday at First Presbyterian Church with the Rev. Dr. Matthew Covington officiating, assisted by the Rev. Denny Read, the Rev. Noelle Read and the Rev. Sam Tomlinson.

Burial will follow at Greenlawn Memorial Park Cemetery under the direction of Laird Funeral Home.

Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until service time Monday at the church.

Mr. Ware was born March 31, 1918, in Boyce, La., the son of Edward Leslie Ware and Stella Hagewood Ware, the ninth of 10 children. Following high school, he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps and participated in construction projects in a number of areas, including Hoover Dam on the border of Arizona and Nevada.

Mr. Ware served as safety engineer at the Oak Ridge National Atomic Energy Laboratory near Knoxville, Tenn. It was there that he met and married Edythe Painter, his wife of 43 years until her death in 1988. Two children were born to James and Edythe, Linda Susanne and Edward Leslie.

Soon after World War II, the Wares moved to Natchez where he was employed by Stahlman Lumber Company for a number of years, retiring in 1983. He served as a ruling elder of First Presbyterian Church and was active in the Natchez Homebuilders Association, the Natchez Lions Club, Sons of the American Revolution and the Order of Eastern Star Natchez Chapter No. 75. He was a Master Mason of the Andrew Jackson Lodge.

In 1989, Mr. Ware reconnected with his high school sweetheart, Dorris Johnston, Kelley, at the last high school reunion to be held in Boyce. They were married May 6, 1989, and enjoyed a wonderful life together for 23 years.

Mr. Ware was preceded in death by his parents; his first wife, Edythe; nine brothers and sisters; one grandson, Nicholas Ware; and his lifelong friend, Logan Sewell of Vidalia.

Survivors include his wife, Dorris Ware; one son, Edward Leslie “Tip” Ware and wife, Terri, of Mountain Home, Ark.; one daughter, Linda Schooler and husband, Rich, of Tempe, Ariz.; one grandson, Pittman Ware and wife, Brooke, of Little Rock, Ark.; and a number of nieces and nephews in Louisiana, Texas and Oklahoma.

Pallbearers will be John Holyoak, Bobby Meason, George T. Bates, Pittman Ware, James Parker, Charles Yerby, William Seyfarth and Ryan Charles Yerby.

Honorary pallbearers will be John Williams, Cappy Stahlman and all the present and former members of the Men’s Prayer Breakfast at First Presbyterian Church.

Memorials may be made to the Choir Scholarship Fund at First Presbyterian Church and to the Natchez-Adams Humane Society.

Online condolences may be sent to www.lairdfh.com.