Funeral services for Durward O. Bearden, 93, of West Monroe LA will be held at 10:00 AM, Monday, July 6, 2015 in the chapel of Kilpatrick Funeral Home West Monroe. Rev. Tuck Roberts, Dr. Lionel Crowell and Rev. Calton Yeager will officiate. Interment will follow at St Pascal section in Hasley Cemetery on Arkansas Road in West Monroe under the direction of Kilpatrick Funeral Home West Monroe.Durward was born March 11, 1922 in Wilhite, LA and died peacefully at home with his daughter on June 30, 2015 in West Monroe. He was preceded in death by wife Dorothy Dot BeDoit Bearden; brother, Norwood Bearden; sister, Patsy Bearden Revill; mother, Tina Henry Bearden; father, Ernest O. Boss Bearden; numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. He was a longtime member of Ridge Avenue Baptist Church. A U.S. Army veteran of World War II, he served in the Pacific Theater with the 88th Signal Battalion during the campaigns for the Northern Solomons and the Island of Luzon in the Philippines. He received numerous accommodations including two bronze stars.After WWII, Durward joined South Central Bell Telephone Company where he helped run some of the first telephone lines in Louisiana. He supervised areas in Lake Charles, Baton Rouge and Monroe. Durward was the past president of the Telephone Pioneers of America. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, and good times with family and friends.Mr. Bearden is survived by daughter, Terri Gilmer and husband Jim; brothers, Kermit Bearden and wife Darlene, Ben Bearden and wife Sally; sister-in-law, Zemma Bearden; brother-in-law, Gene BeDoit and wife Karen; numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.Pallbearers will be Steve Bearden, Stan Bearden, Kevin Bearden, Bob Hodge, Bob Hodge, Jr. and Trey Bowling. Honorary pallbearers are the Ridge Avenue Baptist Church Senior Sunday School Class.Visitation will be held Sunday, July 5, 2015 from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM at Kilpatrick Funeral Home West Monroe.A special thanks to the wonderful people at Cornerstone Hospital, LA Hospice and Palliative Care, and his devoted aides.