Mary Lou Minyard

Mary Lou Minyard died Friday, October 30, 2020, at St. Dominic's Hospital in Jackson. She was born Mary Lou Burmeister on September 26, 1927 in Kansas City, Missouri to Karl (Charles) John Burmeister and Madeline Warren Burmeister. She was the youngest of six children; her siblings, who predeceased her, were Margaret Selma Hahn, Charles Warren Burmeister, Frieda Ruth Burmeister, June Madeline Dollar Thigpun, and Carl John Burmeister.

Mary Lou is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Larry and Alice Minyard of Columbia, Tennessee, and her daughter and son-in-law, Ruth and Rickey Shields of Jackson. Three loving grandsons are Larry's sons Jeffrey (married to Elizabeth), Jeremy (Heather), and Joshua (Nicole). Jeff and Liz brought great joy to the whole family with the births of great-grand-daughters Abigail and then Adalyn in recent years, whom Mary Lou welcomed and bragged about when visiting with her neighbors. She will be missed by many nieces, nephews and friends as well as her own descendants.

Mary Lou grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, and married Ben J. Minyard on April 18, 1947 in Hernando, Mississippi. They enjoyed 74 years together until his passing in January of 2020. Ben served in the US Navy during the final years of the second World War, then later enlisted in the US Air Force and the family traveled the world until his retirement in 1974. Mary Lou chose a career as wife and mother, only occasionally working outside the home, but served her children as a Scout Leader, maker of clothes and toys, teacher of crafts and manners, and loving mother.

Ben and Mary Lou lived in various cities after leaving the Air Force, including Jackson, Mississippi, before settling into their long-time residence in Niceville, Florida during the 1980s. They vacationed throughout the United States for many years, and regretted being unable to complete the set with a trip to Alaska! In 2019 they moved to an apartment in Chateau Ridgeland, to be closer to their daughter and son-in-law.

Mary Lou was cremated and will be interred with Ben at the Mississippi Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Newton.

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