Faye Watkins McNemar Gambrell

Published 8:27 am Saturday, July 20, 2024

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Faye Watkins McNemar Gambrell on Tuesday, July 16. And we rejoice in the assurance that she is now in Heaven with the Lord.

Mrs. Gambrell was born in Neshoba County, Miss. September 23, 1933, to the late Clifford and Myrtle Gainey Watkins.

She graduated from Dixon High School in 1951 and soon after, moved to Vicksburg and began working as a Telephone Operator at Southern Bell.

She married Robert Eugene (Bobby) McNemar in 1955. Together they raised three children. Robert Earl (Robby) McNemar, Julia Jeanine McNemar Craig and John David McNemar.

After a long illness, Bobby passed away in 1991. In 1993, she met and married Doyle Harry Gambrell of Wellborn, Florida. She resided in Florida until Doyle died in 1999, returning to Vicksburg.

A longtime resident of Vicksburg, she was an active and faithful member of the Trinity Baptist Church where, over the years, she taught children, youth and adult Sunday School classes and held various leadership roles. Sharing her faith with others was a source of great joy in her life and was always ready to tell of God’s faithfulness extended to her over the years.

She enjoyed being a constant friend to many in her church and community. Faye worked many years for the Telephone Company in Vicksburg, retiring in 1987 as an Assistant Manager in the Jackson Office of BellSouth.

She developed many life-long friendships during her years working for the Telephone Company in Vicksburg and Jackson.

Faye was preceded in death by her husbands, Bobby McNemar and Doyle Gambrell; her parents, Cliff and Myrtle Watkins; her sister, Jean Watkins (Richard) Schmidt and her brother Homer Watkins.

She is survived by her son, Robby McNemar and his wife Paula of Vicksburg; her daughter, Jeanine McNemar Craig and her husband, Danny of Hayesville, NC and her son, David McNemar and his wife Denise of Brandon, MS. She is also survived by five grandchildren; Cory McNemar and Casy McNemar of Vicksburg, Bobby Craig (Shay) of Greensboro, GA, David Craig of Cary, NC and Emily McNemar of Brandon, MS. She is also survived by two great-granddaughters, Julia Rose Craig and Abigail Louise Craig of Greensboro, GA. Other survivors include her two sisters; Ann (Arthur) Lawrence of Dowling Park, FL and Nell (LaVern) Green of Philadelphia, MS.

The family would like to thank Dr. Lee Giffin and Gentiva Hospice for the care provided to Faye. We would also like to thank her caregivers Amber Harrison, Danielle Hazelwood, Mel Griffing and Celeste Tillotson for the great care, kind attention and constant companionship extended to Mrs. Gambrell over the past two years.

Pallbearers will be Scott McClellan, William Cook, Bobby Craig, David Craig, Casy McNemar, Cory McNemar, Todd Lawrence and Brantlee Lawrence. Honorary pallbearers will be Arthur Lawrence, LaVern Green and Mark Sanders.

Visitation will be Friday, July 19, at Glenwood Funeral Home at 9 a.m. with the Funeral service at 11 a.m.

Interment will follow at Green Lawn Gardens Cemetery.

The family has requested that memorials be made to Trinity Baptist Church or Samaritan’s Purse.