March 2016, Vol. 243, No. 3

General

Obituaries

Retha Laird Williams, 91, died Jan. 11 in Conroe, TX. She was the mother of Tambra Shell, wife of Gary Shell, CFO of PE BEN USA Inc. Williams leaves Kenneth Williams, Gerald Williams and three grandchildren. Services were held in Summit, MS; interment at Mt. Zion Baptist Church Cemetery in Smithdale, MS.

Thomas (Earl) Tise, Jr., 89, died Jan. 13. He and his wife, Paula May Farley, moved to Houston where he started to work with his father-in-law, well-known pipeliner, Lloyd “Mizzou” Farley, who owned a pipeline construction firm. This turned into a 50-year career for Tise. He later joined Bechtel and was one of the first sent to Alaska in 1973 to start work on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System.

He leaves his wife Paula; son, Tommy (Jane); daughters, Nancy (Mike) Sageman; Katy (Jimmy) Platt; and Molly (Chuck) Morrison; nine grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren; and brother, Charlie (Frances) Tise. He was preceded in death by his son, Doug Tise, brother, Buddy Tise and sister, Patsy Tise.

Dorothy Carleen Musser Miles, 87, widow of PLCA Honorary Member Leo Miles of Milbar Hydro-Test, died Dec. 24 in Layton UT. She leaves her children, Tom Wilson (Lindsey); Diane Flanagan (Paul); Greg Wilson (Brandy); Laurie Miles Helms (Kenny); Linda Miles Salts; Leo Miles Jr. (Kesy) ; 13 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Services were held in Shreveport, LA.

Vonda Kay Griffith North, 66, died Jan. 2 in Morehead, KY. She leaves her husband, W. Scott North, former business manager of UA Local 789; son, Christopher North (Wendi); daughter, Melissa Leuenberger (Tim); and five grandchildren.

Ron Southern, founder of Spruce Meadows and ATCO, died Jan. 21. He was 85. In 1947, Southern and his father each invested $2,000 in the original Alberta Trailer Hire Co., which later became ATCO. He served as president for 48 years and is credited with transforming ATCO into an internationally recognized conglomerate of industrial and utility businesses.