Mary Lou West

Mary Lou West (LuLu), 82, passed peacefully at her residence on Wednesday, January 28, 2026. Born May 16, 1943, in Monroe County, she was a daughter of Roy C. and Gwendolyn Boyd West. Mary Lou graduated from Amory High School in 1961. She worked as a bookkeeper for Strevel and Sons and later, JBS Construction. Mary Lou loved the Lord and was a member of Calvary Baptist Church for many years and then later joined Athens Baptist Church. She thoroughly enjoyed the fellowship with her church family and attended until she no longer could due to health reasons.

Even though she did not have children of her own, she was a mother figure to her nieces and nephews. She spent countless hours with them, playing board games, going on walks, working on homework, telling stories and many other fun activities. Anyone who had the pleasure of knowing her, knew she was the kindest, most generous person with a witty sense of humor and a quick comeback. Mary Lou was a strong pillar in her family, the glue that held everyone together. She had a listening ear, and was a source of comfort for anyone going through a difficult time. She knew exactly what to say or not to say in the moment, but always letting you know that “maybe tomorrow will be better” and “everything happens for a reason.” She truly was the definition of “putting others before yourself.”

Mary Lou had a unique personality and was a perfectionist in everything she did from her neat handwriting to the way she iced her delicious tea cakes to her perfectly wrapped Christmas presents. If Mary Lou did something, it was going to be done right, no guessing or cutting corners! Her favorite place to be was in her yard, picking up sticks, raking, and mowing grass with her push mower in the summer heat. If you came to visit, she was going to make sure you had something to drink and something sweet to eat. Her house was known as the place to find snacks, whether that was M&M’s, Hershey’s or Little Debbie cakes. Before her health declined, she always had a cup of black coffee in hand and a pot of coffee on standby.

Mary Lou did not let age slow her down; she was always ready for an adventure, from going on an Alaskan cruise at the age of 74, parasailing at 75, and being part of a mission team to Africa at 76. She was strong and a fighter, battling numerous health conditions her last few years, but God said it was time for her to take her Heavenly flight. She will be dearly missed by all who knew her.

Survivors include one nephew: Steve Phillips of Becker; four nieces: Pamela Rumsey (Shawn), Lisa Denson (Ted) of Birmingham, AL, Karen Williams (Danny), and Paige West of the Athens community; and a host of great nieces and nephews; and a special caregiver and friend, Sherry Moss Faulkner. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by brothers Roy E. West and Louis T. West; a sister Betty Jane West Phillips; and a great niece Emily Lockhart. 

A Celebration of Life Service will be on Sunday, February 1st at 2:00 PM at Cleveland Moffett Funeral Home in Amory with Chuck Moffett and Bro. Willis Peek officiating. Burial will be in the Durrett Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Danny Williams, Dawson Williams, Ted Denson, Weston Colvin, Mason Cates, and Andrew Kennedy. Honorary pallbearers will be Wiley Morgan and Tracy Callick. Visitation will be on Saturday from 5:00 - 7:00 PM at the funeral home.

 Memorials may be given to Rett Syndrome at www.sukifoundation.org or St. Joseph’s Indian School at https://tinyurl.com/4rtmrd7x. Memories and condolences may be shared with the family at https://www.clevelandmoffettfuneralhome.com/.