Mrs. Lillie Evelyn Walker's Obituary
Lillie Evelyn Harrell Walker, of Meridian, MS, passed away on June 25, 2020 at Poplar Spings Nursing Center. She was 82 yers old. Lillie Evelyn was born to the late Bennie L. Harrell, Sr. and Lora Evans o May 10, 1938 in Fernwood, MS. At an early age, Lillie Evelyn, her brother Nate, and her mother, moved to the Sandflat Community, where she attended elementary and middle school at Tabernacle School. She was a 1956 graduate of St. Joseph’s Catholic School. After graduating from high school, she moved to Detroit, MI to help her Aunt Evenlyn care for her three children. While in Detroit, she joined and was baptized at the Greater St. John Missionary Baptist Church, where she was a faithful member of the Sunday School, music, and usher ministries. Upon returning to Meridian, she united with the St. John Missionary Baptist Church, under the pastorate of the late Rev. W.C. Griffin, Sr. She was a faithful attendee and supporter of Sunday School and Sunday worship until her health prevented her from attending.
After marrying and starting a family, Lillie Evelyn worked alongside her mother, Lora, in operating Wingate’s Barbecue, a popular eatery located in the East End community. Following the death of her mother in 1983, Lillie Evelyn continued to operate Wingate’s until 2006, ending a family owned and operated restaurant legacy that spanned nearly fifty years. She was preceded in death by: her parents, Bennie L. Harrell, Sr. Lora Evans Myers; stepfather, Calvin Myers; maternal and paternal grandparents; brothers: Bennie Harrell, Jr., Sgt. Aubrey Nathaniel Harrell, and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Lillie Evelyn is survived by: two daughters: Shelia Y. Walker of Meridian, MS; Vonda Walker of Clinton, MS; daughter in love, Cassandra Bodie (Dale); and children, of Meridian; two grandsons whom she loved dearly: Marques D. Walker, Sr. (Dina) and Quincy C. Brown, of Ridgeland, MS; a beloved great-grandson, Marques D. Walker, Jr.(MJ), who was the joy of her life, of Ridgeland, MS; two very special nephews: Michael A. Gathright of Flint, MI; and Officer F. Aundre Harrell of Arlington, TX; niece in love, Donna Finley Robinson, of Meridian, MS; aunts: Madelyn Evans Bell (Charles); and Bertha Rance, both of Jackson, MS; sister-in-law, Annette Harrell of Killeen, TX; her Walker nieces and nephews, great-nieces and nephews, Godchildren, God-grandchildren, and a host of Evans, Harrell, Varnado, and Washington relatives, faithful Wingate’s patrons, classmates, and friends.
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