Born May 11 during the Great Flood of 1927 on Cassidy Bayou in Sumner, Mary Belle Forrest Moore lived a long and colorful life in her beloved Mississippi. Anyone who had the pleasure of sitting on her front porch was guaranteed an earful of quick quips with a puff of smoke and a sip of Chardonnay. Mary Belle passed away peacefully on Sunday, April 2, 2023, in Oxford.
Mary Belle was the daughter of the late Mary Lee Phelps Forrest and Saunders Doty Forrest. In her younger years, she was crowned Miss Charleston and participated as a Lady of the Court in the Cotton Carnival.
She was the devoted wife to the late Walter Vernon Moore Jr., and the mother of their six children, who were raised on the family farm in Oakland. When asked if she was Catholic, her response was “No, I’m just a sexy Methodist.”
Mary Belle was an avid Bridge player, member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, past president of the Grenada Garden Club and a lifetime member of the Garden Clubs of Mississippi.
Frugal with her purse and rich in friendships, Mary Belle was a renowned entertainer and welcomed everyone into her home for a good time. That said, heaven help anyone who suggested going out for dinner, as the egg salad sandwich in the fridge was good enough.
Her legacy of one-liner quotes is sure to live on through her 13 grandchildren and eight great grandchildren, who lovingly called her “Grandmary.” A grandmother of the spicy variety, the grandkids hold fond memories of her homemade dill pickles and the tough, but kind assurance that “It’ll all work out if we just let it.”
The funeral was held at the Oakland Cemetery at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, April 5, as a celebration of Mary Belle’s wonderful life.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be directed to St. Jude Children’s Hospital or The Kevin Phelps Moore Memorial Scholarship Fund at the University of Mississippi.
In addition to her late parents and husband, her brothers, Charles Forrest, Edward Forrest and Reginald “Bubba” Forrest, and her children, Lee F. Moore, Kevin P. Moore (Pam) and Mary Moore Greene (Stan), preceded Mary Belle in death.
She is survived by her sister, Ann Forrest Brasher (Ernest), and brother, James Forrest (Mary), as well as her children, Ruth Moore Davis (Neill), Walter V. Moore (Jerilou) and Edward W. Moore (Dawn).
Online condolences can be expressed to the family at www.mckibbenandguinn.com
McKibben and Guinn Funeral Service in Grenada is in charge of arrangements.
