Norma Whitaker Hurt, 86, of Starkville, Mississippi passed away on August 19, 2020. She was born in Germania (Yazoo County), Mississippi March 5, 1934 and lived her early life in the small communities of Germania and Satartia, in the Mississippi Delta. She was the daughter of a farmer and a homemaker, James Vernon (J.V.) Whitaker and Lila Christine Howell Whitaker. As a child, her family was well known in the community. Her siblings were Edwin Whitaker, James Vernon Whitaker, Jr. , and Christopher Howell Whitaker. She played basketball at and was a graduate of Satartia High School and attended the Mississippi University for Women and Mississippi State University. She married Dr. Verner Gene Hurt November 27, 1954. She was a loving mother and grandmother, an avid gardener, reader, loved animals, was a great baker and cook, enjoyed spending time with her family, and had a great interest in family genealogy. She was a member of the Genealogy Society and the local Garden Club.
She is survived by her husband of 65 years, Dr. Verner Gene Hurt, her son and daughter-in-law Gene and T.J. Hurt of Vaiden, MS, her son and daughter-in-law John and Shari Hurt of Yazoo City, her daughter Susan Russell of Starkville, her grandchildren Jason Hurt, Joseph Hurt, Tyler Russell, Caitlin Buckner, James Michael ‘Jay’ Hurt Jr., and John David Hurt as well as several great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents James Vernon (J.V.) Whitaker and Lila Christine Howell Whitaker, her brothers Edwin Whitaker, James Vernon Whitaker, Jr., and Christopher Howell Whitaker, and her son James Michael ‘Mike’ Hurt. The family would also like to thank and recognize her caregivers Q.T. Butler, Nancy Jones, Sandra McCarter, Thelma Evans, and others at Generations Care.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to the Alzheimer’s Association or the American Lung Association. The graveside service will take place at Memorial Garden Park Cemetery in Starkville, MS at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 22, 2020.
