Mrs. Lucy M. Willis Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

MRS. LUCY MAE MCCLENDON-WILLIS WAS BORN ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1921 TO THE LATE HENRY AND NORSIS MCCLENDON IN EXPOSE, MS. SHE WAS THE 4TH OF FIVE CHILDREN BORN TO THIS UNION. WITH HER PARENTS AND 4 SIBLINGS PRECEDING HER IN DEATH AS SHE WAS THE LAST SURVIVING MEMBER OF HER IMMEDIATE FAMILY SINCE MAY 2016. AS WELL AS THE LAST OF THE IST GENERATION WILLIS FAMILY, SHE RECEIVED HER EDUCATION WITHIN THE MARION COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT, HOWEVER WAS SELF-TAUGHT ON MANY THINGS AND VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE. A TRUE BELIEVER IN CHRIST SHE ACCEPTED THAT PRESENCE IN HER LIFE AT AN EARLY AGE AND CONTINUED TO MANIFEST IN THAT BELIEF UNTIL HER CALLING TO BE AN ANGEL IN HEAVEN ON TUESDAY, JUNE 30, 2020. ON OCTOBER 12, 1935 SHE MARRIED THE LOVE HER LIFE, THE LATE ANDREW J. WILLIS, SR WHOM SHE WAS DEVOTED TO FOR 58 YEARS UNTIL HIS DEATH ON NOVEMBER 16, 1993. TO THIS UNION 10 CHILDREN WERE BLESSED TO BE, THOUGH TWO HAVE PRECEDED HER IN DEATH. FROM 9 OF THE 10 CHILDREN SHE LIVED TO 6 GENERATIONS WITH THE ANTICIPATION OF A 2ND TO BE ADDED TO THAT 6TH GENERATION, SHE BLESSED THEIR LIVES WITH HER WARM EMBRACE AND TO HEAR HER, "HEY CHILE" AS SHE WOULD GREET YOU WHEN YOU WALKED THROUGH HER DOOR. THOSE CHILDREN WERE RAISED WITH UNDEFINABLE UNCONDITIONAL LOVE AS SHE PASSED THE SAME LOVE ON TO HER GRANDCHILDREN, GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN, GREAT-GREAT GRANDCHILDREN AND GREAT-GREAT-GREAT GRANDCHILDREN. ALWAYS WITH AN ENCOURAGING WORD FROM THE LORD AND THE TELLING OF TRUTH AS SHE SAW IT AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT WITH A "HMPH, WELL CHILE," AND A CROSSING OF HER HANDS IN HER LAP. MRS. WILLIS RESIDED IN PEARL, MS AREA ALL HER ADULT LIFE AND WAS WELL KNOWN TO VERY CARING TOWARDS OTHERS AND LOVED WITHIN THE PEARSON COMMUNITY. AS SOME CALLED HER "MRS. LUCY" OR SIMPLY "MOTHER" SHE LOVED TO TRAVEL AS HIYE OF HER CHILDREN LIVED IN VARIOUS STATES DURING HER LIFE. SHÉ ALSO ENJOYED A GOOD JSU FOOTBALL GAME WHEN SHE WAS ABLE TO ATTEND. A DEVOTED MEMBER OF MT. ELAM MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH FOR OVER 50 YEARS SHE CONTINUED TO SERVE WITH BELIEF IN ALL THINGS GOOD AND EVEN TITHING UNTIL THE SUNDAY BEFORE HER DEATH. HER FAVORITE SCRIPTURE WAS ISAIAH 41:13 - "FOR THE LORD THY GOD WILL HOLD THY RIGHT HAND, SAYING UNTO THEE, FEAR NOT, I WILL KEEP THEE." MRS. WILLIS BELIEVED IN HELPING OTHER AS MUCH AS SHE COULD, AS THAT WAS SHOWN WITH HER WORK WITH 33 YEARS OF SERVICE TO MISSISSIPPI STATE HOSPITAL. AS THE WORDS OF HER LIFE WERE BEING WRITTEN SHE IS PRECEDED IN DEATH BY HER PARENTS HENRY AND NORSIS MCCLENDON, HER SIBLINGS - MAGGIE, PICE, LONNIE, AND LOU NELL. HER LATE HUSBAND ANDREW J. WILLIS, SR TWO OF HER PRECIOUS CHILDREN, JOSEPH WILLIS AND NETTIE MERLE WILLIS. THREE SONS-IN-LAW: JESSE T. RUSSELL, ORA PETTAWAY AND WALLACE DAVIS. FOUR GRANDCHILDREN: VANESSA WILLIS, JEROME DAVIS, CAROLYN D. WASHINGTON AND ADRIAN PETTAWAY. A GREAT-GRANDCHILD: CHAUNCEY BOGAN AND A GREAT-GREAT GRANDCHILD: CARTER LINDSEY. HER LIFE IS LEFT TO BE CHERISHED AND LOVED WITH HER CHILDREN WHOM WERE WITH HER DURING HER PASSING: ETHEL M. RUSSELL, BIRDIA L. DAVIS, BETTYE J. PETTAWAY, ANDREW J. WILLIS, JR, JOHNNY L. WILLIS(RENEE), SYLVIA A. WILLIS-HUNT, LINDA F. CROSS(WILLIAM) AND GREGORY J. WILLIS (ALEEN). HER SPECIAL CHILDREN: JEROME RAWLS, JOHN (JAKE) EVANS, CATHERINE WILLIS, PHYLLIS WILLIS, REV. PERRY MAGEE, REV. HERRIE JENKINS, JR; REV. RICKY JENKINS, THELMA BROWN AND BILLY T. TERRELL. HER LIFE LONG BEST FRIEND MRS. BARBARA NASH, MRS. CHARLENE LONNIE, AND MRS. OLA HAYGOOD. HER 36 GRANDCHILDREN, 65 GREAT-GRAND CHILDREN, 41 GREAT-GREAT GRANDCHILDREN AND 2 GREAT-GREAT-GREAT GRANDCHILDREN WILL CONTINUE TO LIVE IN HER HONOR AND CHERISH HER MEMORY. SHE ALSO LEAVES TO BY CHERISHED BY 4 SPECIAL NIECES: ESTHER GARRETT(ROWLAND), MATTIE GRAY, KARITA WANSLEY AND LOUISE WILLIS, ALONG WITH 2 BELOVED NEPHEWS: DONARAY BULLOCK AND JIMMIE WILLIS, AS WELL AS 2ND, 3RD, AND 4 GENERATION NIECES AND NEPHEWS.

Mrs. Lucy M. Willis

November 26, 1921 - June 30, 2020