Services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Thursday, July 23, 2020, at Beaumont United Methodist Church for Mrs. Mary Ruth Taylor Overstreet, 85, of Vancleave, MS who passed away peacefully, July 10, 2020 in Hattiesburg, MS. Rev. Larry Maugh and Rev. Chuch Frost will officiate with burial to follow in the Beaumont Cemetery.
Mrs. Overstreet was born on March 13, 1935, and raised in Beaumont, MS. She graduated early from Beaumont High School and received her degree in Music Education from the University of Southern Mississippi. While attending Southern Mississippi she was active in the Wesley Foundation and after graduating, married her college sweetheart, James Howard Overstreet of Brooklyn, MS.
Her gift was teaching music and she taught thousands of elementary school children to love music in Mississippi, Florida, Maryland, Japan and Germany. Tragically, she became a Gold Star widow in 1969 at the age of 34, while living in Japan. She returned to Hattiesburg and raised her four boys there while teaching for the Hattiesburg Public School System. In 1986 she was recruited to work for the Department of Defense Schools System and moved to Germany where she taught for the next ten years. She traveled extensively throughout Europe and served as an enthusiastic tour guide for her family and many friends. Upon retirement in 1996, she returned to Mississippi and settled in Vancleave, MS. Throughout her life, she continued to travel broadly, even making return trips to Japan and Europe. Everywhere she lived, Mary Ruth was devoted to the Methodist Church and served countless hours as choir director, pianist and organist for her churches in Vancleave, Ocean Springs, Germany and Hattiesburg. She was a devout Christian and was often referred to as a saint by those who knew her best. With her pleasant demeanor, consistently positive outlook, and incredible strength during adversity, she was a lifelong witness for Christ. She was a devoted daughter and mother, who set the standard for caring for her family. She will be deeply missed, but her family and many friends are comforted knowing she is rich among the saints in heaven, joyously singing and worshipping at the Lord’s throne.
Mary Ruth is preceded in death by her parents, Daniel and Mildred Taylor of Beaumont, MS; her husband, LCDR James Howard Overstreet (1969) of Brooklyn, MS; her sons, Howard Clavan Overstreet (2005) of Vancleave, MS, and Daniel Keith Overstreet (2015) of Biloxi, MS.
She is survived by her eldest son, James Kenneth Overstreet of Vancleave, MS; her daughterin-law and grandchildren, Kim, Shane and Ashley Overstreet of Biloxi, MS; and her youngest son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter, Joe, Julie and Sydney Overstreet of Pebble Beach, CA.
Visitation for Mrs. Overstreet will be held from 5:00 until 8:00 p.m. Wednesday, July 22, 2020, at Jones and Son Funeral Home in Richton.
