Funeral services for Mr. James Elton Mann, 82, of West Monroe, LA, will be held at 2:00 P.M., Friday, January 21, 2011, in the chapel of Kilpatrick Funeral Home West Monroe. Bro. Wesley Pittman will officiate the services, and interment will follow at Walnut Grove Cemetery. Mr. Mann was born on November 24, 1928, in Eros, LA, and joined his Heavenly Father on January 18, 2011, after a lengthy illness. He was a member of Trinity Baptist Church, where he enjoyed study, worship and fellowship with his Sunday school class. Having been drafted in the U.S. Army in 1951, Mr. Mann was extremely proud to have served this great country. Following his honorable discharge from the military , Mr. Mann started working at Brown Paper Company Graphic Packaging. He remained a dedicated employee of this company for thirty years before his retirement in 1985. He then worked another fourteen years for M & N Utilities in West Monroe. Mr. Mann was always known as a perfectionist when it came to his work; he never settled for second best. Mr. Mann was preceded in death by his parents, Alonzo and Florence Mann; a daughter, Barbara Allen; a sister, Edith Head; brothers, Lt. Colonel Alonzo F. Mann and Harvard , J.D. and Bernard Hightower. He leaves his cherished memory to his devoted wife of forty-four years, Voe Cummings Mann; sons, Stuart C. Mann and wife Jamie, James Rodney Mann and wife Jayneen, Jim C. Mann and wife Alexis; his daughter, Carmen Cardin and husband Bruce; grandchildren, David Mann, Laney Mann, Kaylee Mann, Tyler Mann, Hannah Mann, Graham Mann, Luke Cardin, Sarah Cardin, and Philip Cardin; his sister, Louise Fuller; and, his brother and sister-in-law, Joe and Nellie Mann. Mr. Mann was a member of what is now known as the “Greatest Generation.” He and millions like him struggled through adversity during some of our nation's darkest hours. Too young for enlistment during World War II, he found work in a sawmill to help care for his mother during the depression. Meanwhile, his brothers fought in the South Pacific during the war. The fortitude gained during his youth shone through in recent months with the strength and grace he exhibited in the face of debilitating disease and illness. He will be greatly missed. Pall bearers will be Chris Mann, Dale Mann, Darren Fuller, Mark Fuller, Jr., Gleason Copeland and Bruce Cardin. Honorary pall bearers are Kenneth Richardson's Sunday school class. Visitation will be held Thursday, January 20, 2011 from 5:00 PM until 8:00 PM at Kilpatrick Funeral Home West Monroe.