Mattie Pearl Youngblood Shuff of Laurel died peacefully at home surrounded by her family on Wednesday, August 12, 2020, at the age of 98.
Dr. Randy Turner will officiate the service, which will be live streamed through the First Baptist Church of Laurel Facebook page on Friday, August 14, 2020, at 11:00 am. Following the live streamed service, Mattie will be buried at Lake Park Cemetery. The burial will be limited to family.
Mattie was born on August 9, 1922, in West Point, Mississippi, to Eula Lee Weeks Youngblood and Jonathan Alexander Youngblood. After graduating from Meridian High School, Mattie worked as a switchboard operator and florist. She married Bernard Shuff on April 17, 1944. Mattie and Bernard made Laurel their home and raised four daughters.
Mattie loved her Savior, her church, her family, golf, bridge with her friends, gardening, fishing, baking and sharing all those things with people she loved. She was a first-class homemaker and spent much of her life ministering to others through the bounty from her garden and kitchen. She continued her ministry in her later years with the help of her girls and beloved sitters, Sheila, Patsy and Ramona. She served God all the way to heaven and was a blessing to all who knew her.
To her husband, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and extended family, Mattie was supportive, welcoming, inspiring and loving. She leaves a legacy of how to live a life of meaning and purpose to all of her family, and she will be an example of a meaningful Christian life for generations to come.
Mattie was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 70 years, Charles Bernard Shuff; her parents; her sisters, Bessie Simmons (Wilbur), Polly Wilson (Bill), Gene Fountain (Bill) and brother, Jack Youngblood; her great granddaughter, Avery Kaye Belk; and sons-in-law, Rhes Low, Sr. and Mitch Mauldin.
Mattie is survived by her four daughters, Kaye Belk (Jim) of Ellisville, Marsha Low of Laurel, Patty Mauldin Anthony (Joe) of Laurel, and Cheryl Johnson (Bill) of Foley, Alabama. She is also survived by eight grandchildren, Rhes Low, Jr. (Alden), Lindsay Low Beauchamp (Bret), Kate Mauldin Embry (Case), all of Oxford; Jimmy Belk (Marsha) of Chase, Kan.; Megan Mauldin Leake (Hunter) of Madison; Shuff Mauldin of Laurel; Vince Johnson (Brooke) of Sumter, SC; and Gaines Johnson of Foley, AL. She is also survived by her beloved great-grandchildren, Mattie Beauchamp, Rhex Low, Walon Belk, Davis Leake, Hardy Donahoe, Luly Beauchamp, Harry Embry, Alice Leake, Holland Low, Grier Low and Ruby-Jean Embry.
Serving as pallbearers are: Rhes Low, Jr., Shuff Mauldin, Case Embry, Jim Belk, Joe Anthony and Bill Johnson.
Honorary pallbearers are Vince Johnson, Gaines Johnson and Jimmy Belk.
Memorials may be made to the First Baptist Church of Laurel, 607 West Fifth Street, Laurel MS 39440.
Memory Chapel is in charge of arrangements. To view and sign the family guestbook, visit www.memorychapellaurel.com
