Sybil Lurlene Fowler

Ms. Sybil Lurlene Fowler, 89, died Sunday, December 31, 2023, at Baptist Memorial Hospital – North Mississippi. The family will hold a reception and receive friends and family on Wednesday, January 3, 2024, from 10:00 A.M. until 12:00 noon in West Hall of Waller Funeral Home. She will be buried in Oxford Memorial Cemetery.

Sybil was born on June 14, 1934, in Lafayette County, MS, to the late Maude Berryhill and Fenton Hayward Fowler. Throughout her professional career, she worked in healthcare as a nurse’s aid, eventually switching from a hospital to North Mississippi Regional Center. It was here that Sybil found her true passion in taking care of the beloved residents. She treated her care for the residents of NMRC as more than just a job, always going above and beyond to provide the best for them, and in turn was met with mutual love and admiration. Her lively, yet nurturing demeanor made her a favorite amongst the residents and her co-workers.

Outside of work, Sybil found enjoyment in peaceful afternoons fishing and traveling with her daughter, Shirley. Together the pair ventured to Washington, The Biltmore Estate in North Carolina, Gatlinburg, and Florida. The memories of these beloved trips contain echoes of laughter and contagious joy. Sybil spent some time living in California with her daughter, Janet, taking in a world totally different from the one she grew up in. To her daughters, she had become more like a sister or best friend. As they took on so many new experiences together, they did their best to keep up with Sybil and her youthful spirit. One of eight children, she was most at home when her house was filled with family. Sybil’s mother had entrusted her to continue the family get-togethers. Keeping this promise to her mother, she would host the family reunions each year for as long as could. Her great talent in the kitchen made her a popular host, as she was always sure to have everyone’s favorite dish on the table. She lovingly prepared huge spreads containing her famous dishes of chicken and dumplings, meatloaf, and pineapple cake. Sybil will always be remembered for her fun, full of life personality, and her infectious laughter and joy. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her son-in-law, Joel Rhodes; and sisters, Nadine Bland, Emogene Houston, and Hilda Wilburn.

Sybil is survived by her daughters, Shirley Michael and her husband, Gerald, of Oxford, MS, Janet Rhodes of Oxford, MS, and Phyllis Lynn Dolan of Hernando, MS; son, Charles Edward Flemons of Memphis, TN; sisters, Arlene Harwell of Oxford, MS and Annabelle McCullar of Oxford, MS; brothers, James Benny Fowler of Texas and Thomas Fowler of Indiana; eight grandchildren, Chuck Hastings, Cynthia Kisner, Gaylen Michael, Ginger Crowther, Craig Flemons, Emily Underwood, Randi Lynn Melton, and Matthew Dolan; as well as 23 great-grandchildren and many great-great-grands.

Expressions of sympathy or memorial contributions in Sybil’s memory may be made to Lovepacks, Post Office Box 721, Oxford, Mississippi 38655.