Martha W. Bates

Mrs. Martha W. Bates, 55, of Biloxi, MS, died Wednesday, March 8, 2006, in Biloxi. Mrs. Bates was a native of Mobile, Alabama and had been a resident of Biloxi for the past 12 years. She was employed with the Grand Casino in Gulfport as a baker/ line cook. Mrs. Bates was preceded in death by her parents, Florian "Crawford" and Mattie Belle Carl Switzer. Survivors include three daughters, Sharon Switzer of Alavarado, Texas, Wanda Vangilder and her husband, Doug, and Angela Reid of Mt. Vernon, Illinois; one son, Ledger Smith, III, and his wife, Michelle, of Georgetown, Ohio; one brother, Johnny Godwin and his family of Mobile, AL, two grandchildren, Abigal and Noah Smith and her fiance, Doug Rider. Memorial services will be held Sunday, March 12, 2006, at 1 p.m. at Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Home in Ocean Springs where friends may visit one hour before service time.