POPE — Joseph Carithers Kellum, Jr, born August 8, 1975, passed away on Monday, Oct. 3. He was 47 years old. A native of Charleston, he currently lived in Pope.
Visitation will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 5, in the Lamb Fish Chapel at Newsom Funeral Home in Charleston. The service will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6, at First Baptist Church, Charleston, with interment following at Charleston City Cemetery.
Joe is survived by a son, Joseph Carithers Kellum III (J.C.) of Pope; his mother, Pam B. Kellum McFerrin of Charleston; sister, Amy Kellum Hillyer (Matt) of Louisville; two nieces, Bella Hillyer and Chloe Hillyer; and step-brothers, Barry McFerrin (Gene) and Larry McFerrin (Louise).
He was preceded in death by a daughter, Adrian Nicole Kellum; his father, Joseph Carithers Kellum, Sr.; step-father, WL McFerrin; his grandparents, WT and Geneva Brunson and Wade and Francis Kellum, all of Charleston.
Joe graduated from Charleston High School in 1993, afterwards attending Northwest Community College. He was employed as a Customer Service Field Inspector by ACI Building Systems in Batesville.
To know Joe, or Jody as a lot of us still called him, was to love him. One of his best friends said of him: “His personality was big, loud, funny, weird and mainly sarcastic. Jody could have been anything he wanted to be. In the end he chose to be a great father, son and brother.”
An avid outdoorsman, Joe was a second-generation landowner at Bear Lake Hunting Club where he enjoyed hunting and fishing. He was a member of First Baptist Church in Charleston.
Pallbearers will be: Tyler Brunson, Justin Brunson, Alan O’Quin, Will Price, Tracy Davis and Randy Davis.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests any memorials be made to First Baptist Church Charleston.
Online condolences may be made at www.newsomfuneralhome.com.
