Obituary – Mavis L. Sawyer

Published 10:20 pm Monday, August 26, 2024

Mavis L. Sawyer passed away on Aug. 24, after a brief illness.

Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, Aug. 31, at 11 a.m. from the chapel of Dunklin Funeral Home with Brother Herbert Brown officiating. The family will begin receiving friends one hour prior to service time. Burial will follow at Forest Home Cemetery with Dunklin Funeral Home directing. 

She was preceded in death by her parents, J.G. and Lucille Little, husband, Nathan Sawyer and brother, Herman Little.

She is survived by her nephew, Rick (Shirley) Little and family of San Antonio, Texas and niece, Ann (Bill) Sanders and family, of Goshen.

Mavis was a faithful member of Southside Baptist church in Greenville after moving from Forest Home where she was also a faithful member of Forest Home Baptist Church.  She never missed sending her tithe to either church.  When she could not attend, the radio would always be on for Sunday service.

Mymae, (because her nephew and niece could not say Mavis), was the name affectionately used by her family.  She and Little Mama (her mother) became joint grandparents to a growing family and doted over them for many years.  Her husband, “Uncle Buddy” often treated the boys to outdoor adventures and stories of his war and hunting exploits.

Mymae was a gentle, soft-spoken lady, with a frugal soul, shaped as a child of the depression, always grateful for the needs of life and especially the pleasures above her needs.  Very seldom would anyone hear from her a harsh word and never a regret of her circumstance.  

Her yard was always immaculate, even to the end.  She would often be seen by her neighbors cutting grass and pulling weeds from her flower beds, even in the heat of the day. Very often reprimanded by her neighbor doctor for staying in the hot sun too much. Mymae loved to garden. With her tiller, she would plant corn, onions, okra, and other vegetables, freezing and canning for the winter.  

Loved so much by her neighbors, that when she could no longer cut her grass, they would cut it without being asked, sometimes twice a week by different ones. And also loved by the neighbors who would check on her daily, make small repairs to her house, visit and make sure of her safety and wellbeing.

Mymae will be missed, but her love of family and all of their memories will forever be cherished.

For online condolences, please visit www.dunklinfh.com.