Funeral services were held Friday, April 25, 2014, at Harmony MB Church for Mrs. Lela Mae Griffith Ward, age 69, who died Thursday, April 17, at Jefferson Davis Community Hospital. Rev. Ozell White officiated with interment following in the Ward Cemetery.  Johnson Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Lela Mae Ward was born to the late Walter and Elizabeth Griffith. She was reared in the Harmony Community and attended elementary school at Gray School of Prentiss and graduated from Carver Central High School of Collins.

Mrs. Ward was a member of Harmony MB Church and later moved her membership to Mt. Zion MB Church, where she remained a member until death.

She was married to James L. Ward and to this union four children were born.

She is survived by three children, Jacqueline Ward, Wanda Ward and James (Tena) Ward, III; four granddaughters, Cantrell Ward, Dominique Ward, DeUnsae Smith Ward and Takedra Dampier Ward; three grandsons, Justin (Amanda) Ward, Christopher Ward and Denorise Smith; eight great-grandchildren; four brothers, John W. Griffith of Baton Rouge, LA, Willie H. Griffith of Bassfield, Archie Griffith of Hattiesburg and Shelby Griffith of Los Angeles, CA; nine sisters, Annie Wells of Pasadena, CA, Geneva Phillips, Mary Young and Vickie Payton all of Purvis, Harolyn Brown and Virginia White of Mt. Olive, Wynella (Jewel) White of Prentiss; one aunt, Betsy Lou Sanders of Mize; many other relatives and friends.

A son, Christopher Ward and a brother, Walter Griffith, Jr, preceded her in death.