Individual Details
Bessie FURR
(10 Aug 1898 - 8 May 1997)
The Bessie Furr on the plaque (on a lamp post in front of the Ole Miss Lyceum) is Bessie Furr Sumners, wife of Chester Sumners, who was a partner in Hickman, Sumners Law Firm in Oxford. He died in the 1950’s but Bess lived on for many years in their home on Leighton Rd. She was a contemporary of William Faulkner and participated in many of the Faulkner Conferences on campus. They were the Grandparents of Dr. William Sumners Mayo of Oxford, and the Great Grandparents of Brad and Rush Mayo, both of Oxford. I believe she lived to be close to 100 and was always sharp as a tack and the ultimate Southern Lady.
Events
| Birth | 10 Aug 1898 | Lafayette Springs, Lafayette County, MS | |||
| Marriage | 21 Feb 1925 | Lafayette County, MS - Chester Lamar SUMNERS |  | ||
| Death | 8 May 1997 | Oxford, Lafayette County, MS |  | | |
| Soc Sec No | 427-92-1261 | | |||
| Burial | Oxford Memorial Cemetery, Oxford, Lafayette County, MS | |
Families
| Spouse | Chester Lamar SUMNERS (1896 - 1959) |
| Child | Lester Furr SUMNERS (1926 - 2005) |
| Child | Martha Watson "Watsie" SUMNERS (1928 - 1957) |
| Child | Living |
| Father | Paul Barringer FURR (1858 - 1950) |
| Mother | Martha Elizabeth WATSON (1862 - 1924) |
| Sibling | Iona Doyle FURR (1883 - 1963) |
| Sibling | Quinn D. FURR (1885 - 1962) |
| Sibling | Allison Foster FURR (1888 - 1889) |
| Sibling | Hallie Mae FURR (1892 - 1916) |
| Sibling | Stacey FURR (1894 - 1983) |
| Sibling | Walter Pickett FURR (1897 - 1897) |
| Sibling | Paul Barringer FURR Jr. (1901 - 1967) |
Notes
Death
OXFORD Bessie Furr Sumners, 98, died Thursday, May 8, 1997, at her home. She was born in Lafayette County and lived in Oxford most of her life, except for teaching school before her marriage and 18 years in Corinth, where her husband practiced law before returning to Oxford. She was a 1919 graduate of the University of Mississippi and one of its oldest living alumnae. For several years, she was a panelist at the Ole Miss Faulkner conferences and corresponded with scholars from several countries. She was a 50-year member of the Browning Club of Oxford, where she was active until shortly before her death.Services will be at 2 p.m. today at the First Presbyterian Church in Oxford with the Rev. Sam Marshall officiating. Burial will be in St. Peter’s Cemetery in Oxford. Waller Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.Survivors include one son, Lester F. Sumners, and his wife, Joyce Bonner Sumners, of New Albany; four grandchildren, Dr. William S. Mayo of Oxford, Thomas B. Sumners of Dunnellon, Fla., and Dr. Melinda S. Ray and Leslie E. Sumners, both of Jackson; six great-grandchildren.She was preceded in death by her husband, Chester L. Sumners; her daughter, Martha Watson Mayo; and a son, James J. Sumners.In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Ole Miss Friends of the Library.The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tennessee, May 10, 1997
Endnotes
1. Mississippi, County Marriages, 1858-1979. Database. FamilySearch. https://FamilySearch.org : 26 November 2020.
2. The Commercial Dispatch, Columbus, Mississippi.
3. United States Social Security Death Index.
4. findagrave.com.