Obituary Record

Military rites were conducted at the graveside by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9633 of Pascagoula for Benny Messick, Jr., veteran of World War II who was buried Monday afternoon in the Griffin Cemetery in Moss Point. The firing squad was furnished by Keesler Air Force Base.

Young Messick's body was found about 3 o'clock Saturday afternoon floating about a mile south of the mouth of Bayou Cassotte following an intense search for 12 preceding hours.

Messick, who is a crab fisherman for the Pascagoula Crab Company, left the crab packing plant Friday to set his traps. He was seen engaged in this activity late Friday afternoon by the Barg brothers who passed him in their power boat.

The motor skiff which Messick was using was found beached, out of gas, with the throttle wide open, by a Ladner boy Saturday morning in the vicinity of the Welch Tourist Court on East Beach, Pascagoula. Messick's cocker spaniel was in the skiff at that time.

That afternoon Oscar Hill and Cecil Parker came upon the floating body.

A coroner's jury was empanelled by James Ira Grimsley, Jackson County coroner, and issued a verdict of death by accidental drowning.

Members of the coroner's jury were R. M., J. W. and K. D. Peden, S. L. Savage, Sr., and Jr. and R. L. Kirkland. E. E. Blakeney, chief deputy sheriff of Jackson County, and Floyd Byrd, also a deputy sheriff, were present at the inquest.

The deceased was a native of Bay St. Louis and is survived by his mother, Mrs. L. H. Fountain, and his step-father of Bayou Cassotte; four sisters, Mrs. Louis Hook of Michigan, and Mesdames Catherine Scovall, Rose Emerson and Eunice Forten, all of Bayou Cassotte; and a half-brother, Leffie Fountain, Jr., of Bayou Cassotte.

Source: unknown newspaper