Obituary: Walter 'Bud' 'Chief' Vickers
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Walter "Bud" "Chief" Vickers, 74, of 500 White Oak St., Stonefort, died at 7:19 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012 at Landmark Hospital in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012, at Felty Funeral Home in Carrier Mills. Visitation will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012. Burial will be in Salem Cemetery near Carrier Mills. The Rev. Keith Bunfill will officiate. Memorials may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital; envelopes will be available at the funeral home.
He was born on June 15, 1937 in Calvert County, Ala. to the late Benjamin Franklin and Lemander Walker (Whitlock) Vickers.
He married Joyce (Hiatt) Maple Vickers on Dec. 15, 1962, and she survives.
He was a member of the Stonefort Missionary Baptist Church and an Army veteran.
He was a retired drag line operator retiring from Amax Coal Company in January 1996.
He is survived by his wife: Joyce Vickers of Stonefort; five children, Walter (Debbie) Vickers Jr. of Marion, Benjamin Vickers of Pittsburg, Ron (/Wilma) Maple Jr. of Marion, Deborah (Curtis) Cox of Mayfield, Ky. and Douglas (Anna) Vickers of Stonefort; two brothers, Henry Vickers and Hilard Vickers; five sisters, Lorine Ray, Helen Vickers, Lilly King, Evelyn Maxwell and Betty Boatright; a sister-in-law, Jeanie Vickers of Stonefort; 15 grandchildren; 37 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild.
He was preceded in death by a brother, Sammie Lee Vickers Sr; two sisters, Roxie Ray and Gloria Robinson; and a great-grandchild.