Lottie “Pearline” Griffin also known as Mam Maw, Maw Maw, Ninney, but to her great grands and great great grands, and in her later years she was most known as “Gan Gan”, born to Jettie Griffin and Berti-Mae Hester-Ann Fortenberry Griffin on December 4, 1923, in Laurel, Mississippi. She grew up in Laurel during the depression, living with her beloved parents, sisters (Hestine, Bobbie, Margaret, and Louise) and brother, (Clinton) on their family farm in a home built by her daddy, which still stands today. Having depression rationings, they all helped on the family farm and she recalled once allowing the cow to get into the collard greens.
In later years, she loved cooking and sharing with family her collard and turnip greens….a sweet childhood memory led to a life time of goodness with family. She was married at a young age of 17 to Daniel Monroe Hill on March 30, 1940. The birth of their first born son, Charles Monroe Hill, came one year later in 1941, followed by the births of Bertie Jeanine, Jettie Harold, Alma Elaine and Sarah Joyce.
Being a Laurel native, she lived in Jones county attending grade school at Prentiss Elementary and Laurel High School. She completed her high school education and in later years went on to graduate from Jones County Junior College in 1973. After the death of her husband and graduating from college, she relocated with family to Raymond, Mississippi in 1973, working as a wonderful, caring nurse as remembered by co-workers at Hinds General Hospital. She met her next door neighbor, “Mr. Mac” and being the gentleman he was, he asked her son if he could take her to dinner. Well she and Paw-Paw Mac were married in 1974 and truly lived happily ever after. She loved him and was known to him as “sweetie”. Their bowls of ice cream at midnight after her hospital shift is a sweet memory she cherished after his death. Retiring and relocating to be with her oldest son, she moved to Hot Springs, Arkansas, where she has lived for the past 25 years.
Upon declining health in January 2019, she moved back to Mississippi to return to Laurel one more time to visit family and friends and be under the care of family in a local medical practice. She truly “lived until she died” on September 12, 2019, under the care of Compassus Hospice surrounded by family praying and singing at Brandon, Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.
She is now rejoicing with her Savior and Lord, Jesus, and is reunited with many family and friends. She will be truly missed beyond measure by all that knew her. She just drew people to her with her precious ways, kindness, caring heart, sweet smile, funny faces, love for all, humor, wisdom, love for family and the Lord which you knew immediately in talking to her. In her sister, Margaret’s words this morning, “she was the most loving, caring, kind person that loved Jesus with all of her heart and you just knew that being around her”. “She was our second momma”, her sister recalled. She would get up at night and fix us something to eat if we even hinted we were hungry. Just to share a glimpse….
“Pearline” as she was known to her sisters and friends, co-workers and family, was a member of first Pentecostal Church of Laurel. She received the Holy Ghost and was saved at a young age and truly lived a life pleasing before the Lord. Her beloved daughter-in-law, Judy Howell Hill, recalls “she took her Bible to school with her and left it on her desk”. She wanted to share her faith with all. Sister Pearline began teaching Sunday School and her love for children led her to open a day care at her home in Laurel. Her backyard was full of swing sets and the well-remembered merry-go-round, not just by her day care children but to her own grands that loved going to her big “play ground”. Her caring heart led her to begin teaching her own children to serve others. She and her daughters, Alma Elaine Hill Ishee Gieger, Sarah Joyce Gieger, and Bertie Jeanine Hill Hite (of Laurel) began serving as candy-strippers in 1964 volunteering, serving patients at Laurel Hospital. This led her to a career in nursing as a licensed practical nurse and after retiring from nursing went on to serve as a home missionary with her son, Dr. Charles Monroe Hill, and daughter-in-law, in an old logging camp in Jessieville, Arkansas.
“Blakely Camp” loved this guitar playing, singing, Sunday school teaching, good cooking, loving, hugging, precious lady. Her son was honored to baptize her at Village United Pentecostal Church of Blakely Camp, AR. She served in the food bank ministry of this small mountain church for over 20 years providing thousands of pounds of food to families throughout Garland county. She taught Bible school and served in a charity store sorting clothes for needy families. She cared so greatly for others. She is known for her sweet spirit, caring and loving. She is also quite the comedian and kept her grandchildren, great grands and great great grands laughing with funny faces and funny jokes! But with the jokes came much love and imparting Jesus to all! Her volumes of journals include sweet notes of her love for the Lord and her family. Her writings include poetry and daily journaling of events and the weather. She kept sweet notes in her Bible too!
Her Bible is worn from reading and writing notes on just about every page. She wrote prayers for her children and family and her love for Jesus! A truly prized possession for her family that includes 13 grandchildren, 31 great grands, 14 great-great grands. On the last page of the book of Malachi chapter 4 she wrote, “Thank you Lord for everything, for breath to breathe, eyes to see and a voice to worship God. Lord help us all to be ready when you come or call for us. Help us to ever praise you and worship you in spirit and in truth. Help my children and their family. Bless all my grandchildren and loved ones. Bless my sisters and brother with strength. Thank you Lord. I love You”. She would love nothing better than her life celebration to be a call for all to be saved and live for Jesus.
She was preceded in death by her father and mother, her children Charles, Elaine, Sarah and Jettie Harold. She is survived by her daughter-in- love Judy Howell Hill of Hot Springs Arkansas, daughter Jeannine Hite (Leon) of Laurel, Sister, Margaret Anding of Dallas Texas, and a whole lap full of grands, great- grands and great-great grands.
The family wish to thank Dr. Michael Albert and nurse practitioners, Mitch Clark and Stephanie Jones with Southern Medical Consultants for the excellent, never-ending care they provided as well as the staff at Brandon Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. Special thanks to Lynden Bishop in activities for being our angel to Gan Gan and “T” in therapy who spent many hours with our sweet Gan. Special thanks also to Compassus Hospice and unit four who in the words of one of the sweet CNA’s, “loved her the most”. Thanks to Senior Care Merit Rankin, Home Care Hospice, Jones County Rest Home, and Cottonwood Manor for the TLC you provided as well as Dr. Finch in Hot Springs, Arkansas for over 20 years of caring for this precious lady.
Services are being handled by Memory Chapel in Laurel, Mississippi. Rev. Chad Landrum of Life Church of Laurel will officiate. Visitation 5pm-7pm Sunday September 15 and 1:00 p.m.- 2:00 p.m. Monday September 16, 2019, with Funeral service at 2:00 pm at Memory Chapel. Burial and grave side service will follow at Sharon Community Cemetery, Laurel.
