Mary Williams Barnette Obituary

Mary Elizabeth Williams Barnette, 93, passed away at her home in Houston, MS on Sunday, January 19, 2025. Born August 19, 1931 in Learned, MS, she was the daughter of the late Robert Robertson Williams and the late Mary Jane Johnson Williams. Mary was the valedictorian of the Houlka High School class of 1950, and she was a member of Pearson Chapel Church of the Nazarene. On March 16. 1966 married Jackie V. Barnette, and they spent 40 wonderful years together until his passing in 2006. Mary never left Houlka before she graduated high school. Then in 1950, she took the Civil Service test and aced it. Her dad put her on a Bus in Houston, and she went to Washington DC to work as a secretary for the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the Department of Justice Building. She worked for nearly 2 years, until becoming a mother and eventually settling in Houston. Mary was of small stature, but she was a feisty woman who you didn't want to cross. She also loved the Lord, and she was thankful for every blessing throughout her life. She loved her children and her many grandchildren. A very kind and loving woman, Mary will be missed deeply by her family and friends. Southern Funeral Home has the honor of serving Mary's family. Funeral Services celebrating her life will be held on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, at 11:00am at Pearson Chapel Church of the Nazarene. Visitation will be held on Tuesday, January 21, 2025 from 10:00am to 11:00am at Pearson Chapel Church of the Nazarene. Interment will follow at Rose Hill Cemetery in Houlka. Bro. Cody Childress and Bro. Scott Samuel will be officiating. Pallbearers will be Ross Griffin, Andrew Griffin, Thomas Troupe, III, John McKinney, Brad Funderburk, and Clay Funderburk. She leaves behind her son, Thomas E. Troupe, Jr. (Linda) of Pontotoc; daughters, Phyllis Funderburk (Kenneth) of Houston and Cherry Griffin of Calhoun City; grandchildren, John McKinney (Cynthia), Brad Funderburk (Melissa), Clay Funderburk, Emily Funderburk, Thomas Troupe, III (Mary Ann), Shauna Waters (Chris), Ross Griffin, and Andrew Griffin (Makayla); great-grandchildren, Landon Waters, Everly Waters, Gavin Earp, Garren Earp, Gage Earp (Shay), Olivia Funderburk, Ethan Troupe, Clara Grace Troupe, Tatum Griffin, and Presley Funderburk; and great-great-grandchildren, Ellie Earp and Nelson Earp. She was preceded in death by her husband, Jackie V. Barnette; daughter, Susan Troupe McKinney; brothers, Edgar Williams, Robert Williams, Virgil Williams, Vernon Williams, and John Williams; and sisters, Mattie Mae Gore, Martha Moss, and Dorthy Crowley. Expressions of sympathy may be left for the family at www.southernfuneralchapel.com To plant Memorial Trees in memory of Mary Elizabeth Williams Barnette, please click here to visit our Sympathy Store.