Saturday, August 25, 2018

26 July 2018 Obits

Mary Lynn Hardee Lee
The Clarke County Tribune
Mary Lynn Hardee Lee, 72, passed away on March 13, 2018, after a near three year battle with cancer. Mary Lynn was born in Harmony, MS, on August 16, 1945, to Minnie Esta Clay Hardee and Thomas Hardee Sr. and grew up with two older siblings, Dr. Thomas Hardee Jr. and Anita Hardee May. Mary Lynn's love of reading was cultivated during her formative years in the quiet, rural community. She read, by her own account, "Gone with the Wind" twenty-seven times during the summer months of her early teenage years. It was her love of reading that cultivated her strongest attribute: storytelling.
   In high school, Mary Lynn became a cheerleader, developed a crush on Elvis Presley, and began a life-long love of Coca-Cola. She graduated from Quitman High School in 1963. She then attended Mississippi State College for Women where she earned a bachelor's degree in English, graduating in 1967. That same year she headed west where she began her teaching career at Curran Jr. High School in Bakersfield, California. It was here she met her future husband, Lewis David Lee. The two were married on January 31, 1970 and remained so until Mary Lynn met her Heavenly Father forty-eight years later.
   Mary Lynn worked in education as a teacher and librarian for the next 30 years. After working at Curran for ten years, Mary Lynn took a leave after the birth of her only child, Alexander, in 1978. She committed her time and energy to supporting her only child in all of his endeavors. This included countless hours in gymnasiums supporting her son as a basketball player and later on as a coach. She was the epitome of what a parent should be: kind, patient, empathetic, and supportive.
   After her son started school, Mary Lynn resumed employment, switching from junior high to the Kern High School District. In the classroom and library, her ability to spin a yarn, make the mundane miraculous, and spark interest in both her students and peers was a special talent that Mary Lynn shared with those who knew her. Whether it was making Ray Bradbury's Martians come to life, or describing an everyday occurrence, Mary Lynn's ability to mimic voices, mannerisms, and subtle nuances gave her stories a sense of life and humor. Indeed, Mary Lynn's perspective on storytelling may have mirrored another noted raconteur, Mark Twain, who said, "I like a good story well told. This is the reason I am sometimes forced to tell them myself."
   Mary Lynn retired from education in 2000 and was able to ease into a comfortable life with Dave and her immediate family. She was able to travel and make desired alterations to her home. In 2005, Mary Lynn's first granddaughter, Madison, was born, and Mary Lynn officially shifted into her most joyous role as "granny" a title her next two granddaughters, Gracie and Alexis, would call her as well. Granny loved playing board games, reading fairy tales aloud, and watching children's classics such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs; she organized Play-Doh stations and allowed her young sous-chefs to assist her in the kitchen; she continued family traditions, such as dying Easter eggs and making Christmas gumdrop trees.
   Mary Lynn was a voracious reader who counted Eudora Welty and Harry Crews as two of her favorite authors. She listed Akita Kurosawa as her favorite foreign director, and rewatched films such as The African Queen, One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest and Chinatown countless times.
   Mary Lynn is survived by her husband, Lewis David, and son, Alexander Lee (wife Stephanie); her sister, Anita Hardee May (husband Jim May) of Florence; and sister-in-law Anne Hardee of Kerrville, Texas. Mary Lynn also leaves behind her granddaughters whom she adored and deeply loved, Madison (13) Gracie (10) and Alexis (4). Additionally, Mary Lynn loved being "Aunt Mabes" to her many nieces and nephews. Mary Lynn is preceded in death by her parents: Thomas Sr. and Minnie Este Hardee, her brother Dr. Thomas Hardee Jr. and her niece Sharon May.
   Funeral services will be held Saturday, July 28, 2018 at the Harmony Baptist Church at 11:00 AM. A reception will follow. Pastor Terry Irby will officiate.


Virginia Louise Sellers
The Clarke County Tribune
Virginia Louise Sellers, 83, of Quitman, MS, passed away on July 16, 2018, at Jones County Rest Home. She was born on February 22, 1935, to Virgil S. and Bessie Cook in Marietta, Ga.
   Louise is survived by her sons, Bobby N. (Kathy) Sellers, Jr. and David Michael (Betty Carol) Sellers; daughter, Sandra (Michael) Lucas; grandchildren, Ryan M. (Ashleigh) Lucas, Amy Sellers (Benjamin) Morgan, Haley Sellers (Will) Morgan, Joshua K. (Tad) Lucas, Jenna M. (Rustin) Gaines, Robert Benjamin (Julia) Sellers, Brandon Michael Sellers and Hannah Dow (Daniel) Phillips; great-grandchildren, Jadyn Lucas, Zayke Lucas, Swaylor Lucas, Molly Lucas, Jack Lucas, Samuel Morgan, Reed Morgan, Liza Morgan, Emmaline Morgan, Jack Morgan, Teddy Lucas and Daisy Lucas; and sisters, Shirley Cook, Martha DeFide, Betty Harrison and Frances Holliday.
   She was preceded in death by her husband, Bobby N. Sellers.
   Visitation was held Wednesday, July 18, 2018, 9:00 a.m. at Wright's Funeral Home, Quitman, MS.
   Funeral services were held on Wednesday, July 18, 2018, 11:00 a.m. at the Wright's Funeral Home Chapel with Dr. Lee Yancey and Rev Ricky Carlise officiating. Internment took place in the Odd Fellows Cemetery.
   Pallbearers were Ryan Lucas, Robert Sellers, Ruston Gaines, Brandon Sellers, Benjamin Morgan, Will Morgan and Daniel Phillips.
   Online condolences can be given at www.wrightsfuneral.com.

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