County’s Oldest Resident Died Tuesday, Was A Day Shy Of Her 107th Birthday
Georgia White
WATER VALLEY – Just a day shy of her 107th birthday, the county’s oldest living resident passed away at 2:15 Tuesday morning at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Oxford. Born on April 24, 1912, Georgia Ann White was officially recognized as the oldest person in Yalobusha County during a ceremony last December that included a resolution from the Yalobusha County Board of Supervisors.
White had been in the hospital since April 3 with pneumonia and missed her birthday party last Saturday, an event that had been planned long before she became ill.
Four of her six children are still living and all attended the party – John White, Shelby White, Annie Miles and Catherine Harvey – along with grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren and countless relatives and friends.
White was a resident of the Yalobusha Nursing Home and was still able to see, hear and read up until the time of her death explained her granddaughter, Ann Minor. White was born in Water Valley and shared details about her life during a 2016 interview with the Herald.
“Everything has changed so much,” she recalled. She remembered many years of hard work and taking a wagon into town to sell the goods or crops from the farm to make a living. She also recalled picking cotton, plowing fields and raising chickens, adding, “We had a lot of hard times, but we made it.”
During her time in Water Valley she spent countless hours keeping house for people around town. She would cook, wash and generally keep things in order. She remembered working for several families around town, adding, “All of the older people in Water Valley know me.”
For her, the best part about Water Valley is that she loved the people, regardless of who they are or where they come from.
“Live by the Bible and love one another,” she recommended.
“She was ready,” Annie Miles explained when she shared the news about her mother’s death at the Herald office Tuesday morning.
“She didn’t want to be a burden,” a granddaughter added.
White’s wake is scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m. at Bayson Chapel M.B. Church on Friday. Her funeral will be at noon on Saturday at the church. Townes Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
