Obituaries 01/23/20
Claire Maxyne Carter
WATER VALLEY—Claire Maxyne Carter, 103, passed away December 25, 2019, in Water Valley.
Maxyne was born in Water Valley October 27, 1916, to Claire Everett Monroe and Frank Harold Monroe.
She is survived by son, Harold Eugene Carter (Elle) of Indianapolis, Ind.; a daughter, Susan Carter Reed of Carbondale, Colo.; grandchildren, Cody Carter Reed, Carly Claire Reed, Todd Carter (Michele), Brad Lee Carter (Sheryl), and Lisa Ellen Carter; great grandchildren, Paige Carter, Elliot Carer, and Claire Mae Carter; and a great-great granddaughter, Mia Cordero.
Though Maxyne was born and raised in Water Valley and retired back in Water Valley in 1979 with her husband, L. W., she spent many wonderful years working and raising her family in Homewood, Ill., a suburb of Chicago.
The family expresses sincere appreciation for the loving care given to Maxyne by the staff at Yalobusha Nursing Home. A beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, Maxyne was an inspiration to all who knew her during her amazing 103 years.
A memorial service to honor Maxyne will be held in Oak Hill Cemetery Saturday, February 22, at noon.
Patricia Ann Gay
OXFORD – Ms. Patricia Ann Gay, 84, passed away peacefully on January 13, 2020, in her residence at Oxford, while surrounded by her family.
Visitation will be held Saturday, January 25, from 9-11 a.m. in Coleman Funeral Home at Oxford with a memorial service immediately following at 11 a.m. in the funeral home chapel.
Born in Memphis, Pat grew up spending much of her time in the Overton Park area, enjoying movies and weekends at the bowling alley. She worked in the medical insurance field for many years, while raising her children, and she loved spending holidays with family and friends. Pat was an avid music lover and enjoyed singing in the church choir. She thoroughly enjoyed nature and living in her wooded neighborhood, which was home to many deer. She enjoyed being in her garden or tending her house plants. Pat especially loved watching her beloved bluebirds come and go each year from the birdhouse off her patio. She enjoyed constant companionship with her dog, Rusty, who was beloved (and well-fed). She also enjoyed crafts, puzzles, playing bingo, and watching movies.
Survivors include her daughter, Cheryl Conlee (Michaelene) of Oxford; one sister, Kay Owens (Ernie) of Forney, Texas; a daughter-in-law, Jill Samuels of Memphis; three granddaughters, Anna Graves, Liat Samuels, and Lynnie Samuels, all of Memphis; one niece; two great-nieces; a close friend and movie partner, Bill Rogers of Oxford.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Ralph Gay; two daughters, Rosemary Conlee and Deborah Conlee; and her parents, Garland and Vera Waggoner.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation or the Audubon Society.
Lillie Lanell Weeks Harris
VARDAMAN—Mrs. Lillie Lanell Weeks Harris, 82, died Wednesday, January 15, 2020, in Vardaman.
Visitation was held in Waller Funeral Home from 4-7 p.m. Thursday, January 16. The funeral service was held Friday, January 17, in the chapel of the funeral home with Rev. Bobby Cobb officiating. Burial followed in Eastover Memorial Cemetery.
Born in Bruce, Mrs. Harris was a daughter of the late George Alonzo and Irene Davis Weeks. She was a member of Taylor Baptist Church. She worked four and a half years at Kellwood and 22 years at Emerson.
In addition to her parents, Mrs. Harris was preceded in death by her husband, Jessie Benjamin Harris; a daughter, Diane H. Murphrey; three sisters, Christine Watson, Georgia Ree Harris and Charlene Hollinger; and two brothers, Jimmy Weeks and Elmer Weeks.
Survivors include a daughter, Sandra Harris Lowe of Vardaman; four sons, Kenneth Harris of Taylor, Larry Wayne Harris of Oxford, Danny Ray Harris of Oxford and Jesse Eugene Harris of Taylor; one brother, Delmer Weeks of Water Valley; 12 grandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren.
Lilly Loyce Horan
WATER VALLEY—Lilly Loyce Horan, age 89, of Water Valley died peacefully with family by her side on Monday, January 13, 2020.
Known to most family and friends as “Lou,” she was born September 24, 1930, in Water Valley to the late James and Aileen McCulley Bell. She married Benjamin F. Horan in 1952, and together they lived and raised their six children in Water Valley during their 67 years of marriage.
Visitation was held Friday, January 17, from 5-7 p.m. in Seven Oaks Funeral Home. A celebration of Lou’s beautiful life began on Saturday, January 18, at 11 a.m. in the funeral home with Brother Jerry Holt officiating. Burial was in Oak Hill Cemetery with Tim Bell, Craig Bell, Ryan Brown, Rhea Brown, Donnell Bell, and Colby Lafayette as pallbearers.
Survivors include five sons, Michael Horan (Pasty) of Harrisburg, Brennan Horan of Southaven, Clay Horan (Debbie) of Senatobia, Kevin Horan (Clarissa) of Grenada, and Sean Horan (Melissa) of Denver, Colo.; a brother, Larry Bell (Rachel), and one sister, Carol Bell Brown (Breck), both of Water Valley.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Ben in 2019; her daughter, Kim Horan Bruner, in 2016; and her youngest brother Sonny (Ding Dong) Bell.
Lilly and Ben were the proud grandparents of 21 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, with one on the way. Although she would never admit, one of Lilly’s great joys was having the most number of family members present with her at First Christian Church, where she was a life-long member. She was a member of the Junior Auxiliary and the Town Talk Rook Club. Some of Lilly’s oldest and dearest lifelong friends regularly joined her for monthly Rook Club play.
A 1948 graduate of Water Valley High School, Lilly was actively involved in many extra curricular clubs and organizations, including the paper and annual staff and was a class officer. She was an active member of the Water Valley community, opening and operating the first pre-school, the Water Valley Kindergarten, from 1968 to 1976. In her early years she spent many nights and days attending football, basketball, and baseball games where her six children were involved. For a span of about 14 consecutive years there were Horan children involved in Water Valley High School sports and she and Ben were always in attendance and cheering on the Blue Devils. Lilly served as a trustee on the Water Valley School Board during the 70s and 80s. Later in life she was a fixture in the Yalobusha County Chancery Clerk’s office for 23 years, a job she thoroughly enjoyed. She served as clerk for Bobby Clark and Amy McMinn until retiring. It is believed that Lilly was one of a few, or maybe the only person to have more then one retirement party held in her honor at the courthouse.
Lilly’s true passion in life was her family and friends. She always had a genuine smile and kind words for friends and strangers alike. Throughout her life, Lilly was happiest when she was surrounded by children in her home. She was known for her Christmas get-togethers, with family and friends, and for her day-long Easter Egg hunts. She was truly the matriarch for the Horan family.
The family request that in lieu of flowers, memorials be sent to First Christian Church of Water Valley, Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Research, or Batson Children’s Hospital in Jackson.
Tyler Heath Magee
WATER VALLEY—Tyler Heath Magee, age 23, passed away Monday, January 6, 2020, at his residence in Water Valley.
Visitation was held Thursday, January 9, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. in Coleman Funeral Home. A memorial service immediately followed at 1 p.m., also in the funeral home, with Keith Burney officiating.
Tyler was born in Jackson. He loved to be outdoors, riding back-roads, fishing, hunting, and riding his horses. Most importantly Tyler’s true passion was to be around and take care of his horses. When a question arose about horses,Tyler was always able to answer it. He was also a hard-worker and loved to spend time with his family. He will be dearly missed.
Tyler is survived by his wife, Kandi DeAnna Magee, of Water Valley; his father, Brandon Magee of Water Valley; his step-father, Michael Shannon Carr of Lafayette County; one sister, Molly Carr, of Lafayette County; his grandparents, Becky (Tony) Way, Donna (Jimmy) Chapman, and Eddie (Cathy) Magee, all of Water Valley, and James Keel of Calhoun County; his great-grandfather, Pete Tyler of Water Valley; and one nephew, Sawyer Heath Appleton, of Lafayette County.
Tyler is preceded in death by his mother, Elizabeth Ann Keel, and his great-grandmother, Carolyn Tyler.
Billie Jean Mahan
WATER VALLEY—Billie Jean Mahan, age 82, died peacefully Thursday, January 16, 2020, in her home surrounded by family.
Born June 3, 1937, in Lafayette County, she was a daughter of the late Hiram and Mary Huckaby Shepherd. She worked first at Rice-Stix, later becoming Big Yank, and retired after 38 years. She loved first, anything and everything that concerned family, and a close second was serving her church, which she did until she fell ill. She also enjoyed canning things from the garden that she and her late husband, Ralph, grew each year. Billie was a faithful member of Friendship Baptist Church, where she played piano for over 40 years.
Visitation was held Sunday, January 19, from 1-3 p.m. in the Gardiner Room of Seven Oaks Funeral Home. The funeral service began at 3 p.m. in the Henry Chapel of the funeral home, with Bro. Bill Forsyth officiating. Burial was in Drivers Flat Cemetery, with Josh Burrowes, Matt Burrowes, Wayne Burrowes, Scott Story, Bubba Reeves, and Michael Stevens as pallbearers.
Billie is survived by two sons, David Burrowes (Rhonda), and Kenny Burrowes (Doris), all of Water Valley;
Along with her parents, Billie, was preceded in death by her first husband, Gene Burrowes; her second husband, Ralph Mahan; two sons, Gene Burrowes and Dennis Burrowes; and one sister, Martha Caulder.
Mason Turner Williams
WATER VALLEY—Mason Turner Williams, age 10, of Water Valley died Thursday, January 16, 2020, at his home.
He was born October 30, 2009, in Oxford, to Justin Williams and Patricia Williams (Gullett). Mason was loved by his family, friends and classmates. He was the kind of person that never met a stranger and loved being around other people. He was a boy’s boy, with a very determined and out going spirit. His joys were many, which included Dallas Cowboys Football, watching the Avengers movies, as well as the “IT” movies. He also loved fishing, where he was proud to be the one that baited the hooks for the ladies. He attended Davidson Elementary School, where he excelled in his studies as an A and B student.
Visitation was held Monday, January 20, from 10 a.m. until noon, in the Gardiner Room of Seven Oaks Funeral Home. A service to remember the life of Mason was held immediately following visitation in the Henry Chapel of the funeral home, with Bro. Ernest Gordon officiating.
Mason is survived y his parents, Justin Williams and Patricia Gullett (Jason); one brother, J. P. Williams; and a host of other family that adored him.