Milburn Ernest "M.E." Word Jr., 87 years of age, passed away on April 7, 2019, at Baptist Memorial Hospital-North in Oxford, MS.  M.E. was born March 12, 1932, in Stuttgart, AR.  He was the second of four children, and only son born to Milburn Ernest Word Sr. and Mildred.  He was preceded in death by his parents and three sisters:  Kay Doyle, Carolyn Cheatwood, and Phyllis Cowan. M.E. Word was a decorated veteran of the United States Air Force.  He was an Airman First Class, and served from March 1951 until his honorable discharge in March 1955.  This included one tour during the Korean War. On June 18, 1955, M.E. married his sweetheart, Jewel Roberts Word.  They were married for 54 years before she passed away on June 25, 2009.  M.E. and Jewel had five sons:  Milburn E. Word III, Richard A. Word, James G. Word (deceased November 1993), Larry D. Word, and Jeffrey D. Word. M.E. was employed with the United States Postal Service in Memphis, TN, from May 1957 to November 1994. He and Jewel were long time members of Parkway Village Baptist Church and Germantown Baptist Church.  As an avid fan of Memphis State (yes, Memphis State), he enjoyed watching as many basketball games as possible — cheering on his beloved Tigers, especially coaches Dana Kirk and Larry Finch and players Penny Hardaway, Keith Lee, and Elliot Perry. In addition to his four sons, M.E. is survived by seven grandchildren:  Liz Spencer, Grayce Allyn Ransom, Tom Gregory Stewart Word, Joshua Word, Lydia Word, Lillian Word, and Hayden Word; and two great-grandchildren:  Hunter Spencer and Kaleb Spencer. The family will receive visitors at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 11, at Forest Hill Funeral Home and Memorial Park East, 2440 Whitten Road, Memphis, TN. The funeral service will follow at 2:00 p.m.