Notable South Mississippi deaths of 2015
As the Coast prepares to ring in a new year, residents remember those whose deaths in 2015 affected the community.
Ernest King Batey Sr.: The longtime resident of Long Beach and former Harrison County tax collector died peacefully Nov. 4. He was 87.
Ava Baughman: The 5-year-old Bay St. Louis girl died Sept. 14 two days after she was found unresponsive in a swimming pool while attending a birthday party.
Julie Brightwell: The 52-year-old worked as a waitress at a Biloxi Waffle House until Nov. 27 when she was shot to death after she asked a customer to put out his e-cigarette.
Bob Carroll: The former Biloxi councilman died Nov. 7 at age 59. Carroll served on the council from 1985 to 1989. He later served as executive director of the Biloxi Housing Authority and deputy court clerk for Harrison County Justice Court.
Nicky Creel: The longtime chancery clerk for Harrison County died of a stroke Jan. 15 at age 85. Creel held his office for 24 years, from 1972 to 1995.
Herb Glavan: A pioneer of Biloxi's Maritime & Seafood Museum, Glavan died Oct. 30 at age 85. The avid storyteller and skilled net-maker owned Glavan Trawl before 2005's Hurricane Katrina and was the father of Biloxi Councilman Kenny Glavan.
Eldridge "Capt. Al" Hermann Jr.: The 40-year law enforcement veteran and commander of the Diamondhead Police Department was on duty when he collapsed and died from a heart attack Feb. 28. He was 71.
Bert Jenkins: The legendary Gulfport High School basketball coach died Sept. 23 at age 90. Jenkins was head coach for 28 years, with a career record of 866-180, seven state championships and 13 Big Eight titles.
Keith Joseph Sr. and Keith Joseph Jr.: Joseph Sr., the former Mississippi State linebacker, 1989-92, had blazed a trail for his son. Both played football at Pascagoula High School and MSU. The 44-year-old died alongside his 18-year-old son in a one-car accident near Leakesville on Nov. 6.
Stephanie Lee: Known as Patient Zero for her part in an experimental cancer study chronicled in Esquire Magazine, Lee died Feb. 4 in Ocean Springs at age 37.
William Martin: The Harrison County supervisor and former prosecutor died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound Feb. 26 just hours before his scheduled arraignment on a federal indictment. Martin had represented the only majority-black district in Harrison County for more than 15 years.
Paul McGarry: The Coast's only forensic pathologist died Jan. 10 in Ocean Springs at age 86. McGarry conducted thousands of autopsies for more than three decades and was working on cases right up until his death.
Glenn Mitchell: The former Long Beach mayor died Aug. 16 at age 59. Mitchell became Mississippi's youngest mayor in 1980 when, at age 24, he won the seat in a special election by just seven votes. He was reelected three times and served the city for more than 15 years.
James Murray Sr.: The former Ocean Springs fire chief, who has a fire station named after him, died June 18 at age 74. Murray served the city for nearly 30 years until he retired in 1998.
Glenda Rockwell: The Hancock High School softball player died June 13 at age 17. Rockwell's schoolmates and the community rallied around her as she battled Hodgkin's lymphoma for 16 months.
Donal Snyder: The longtime Biloxi school teacher, coach and sports director died July 30 at age 93. Snyder served as commissioner of the Mississippi Amateur Softball Association, sports director and superintendent of Biloxi Parks and Recreation, assistant director of Keesler Air Force Base's Morale, Welfare and Recreation Division, and secretary-treasurer of the Biloxi Businessmen's Club.
Matthew Weede: The 18-year-old bicyclist died June 5, a day after he was hit by a car on Mississippi 63 in George County. Weede's death was met with growing concern over cyclists' safety on South Mississippi roads as he was among several to be struck by vehicles over the summer.
Josie Wells: The 27-year-old deputy U.S. marshal died March 10 in a shootout with a fugitive in Baton Rouge. South Mississippi honored the Pascagoula native with a large funeral procession as his body was carried from Louisiana to Jackson County. He was the first deputy marshal killed in the line of duty since 2011.
Mercedes Williamson: The transgender teen from Alabama, whose birth name was Michael Wilkins, was slain in early summer. The 17-year-old's body was found dumped in a field in George County. Williamson's death made national news when Caitlyn Jenner mentioned it during her acceptance speech for the ESPY's Arthur Ashe Courage Award.
This story was originally published December 29, 2015 at 5:38 PM with the headline "Notable South Mississippi deaths of 2015 ."