Shirley “Nunnie” Pharr, 72, of Marietta, went to her heavenly home on Saturday, January 3, 2026, at North MS Medical Center in Tupelo. Shirley was born on April 5, 1953, to Wilford and Elizabeth Gray. She was a very beautiful woman, both inside and out and those traits shined through her. Throughout her younger years, she enjoyed competing in beauty reviews, and won Most Beautiful almost every time. She was a graduate of Marietta High School where she was crowned the Homecoming Queen in 1971. While spending time at her father’s grocery store, she met the love of her life Gene Pharr. They had a beautiful wedding, decorated with her favorite color, pink, and they were married on March 6, 1970, at Zion Rest Church of Christ. They had two children, Shana (1974) and David (1978) and three grandchildren, Ashton (2003), MacBeth (2006) and Zoie (2008). She found comfort and strength by being a devoted member of the Zion Rest Church of Christ all her years. She added more people to her family through serving, praying, and caring for her brothers and sisters in Christ. Her favorite things to do were watching Days of our Lives, Gunsmoke, basketball games, doing crossword puzzles, and cooking. Shirley loved her family deeply and found her greatest joy in being with them. Being “Nunnie” was one of her proudest roles, and her grandchildren were the light of her life. She never missed a chance to spoil them and give them all the love she had. She cared for so many people throughout her life and treated everyone she met with love and compassion. She spent her life living for everyone else. Shirley will always be remembered for her giving heart, her kind soul, always putting others first, and how strong she was in her faith and love for Jesus. Her life reflected her strong faith in the Lord, which guided her words, her actions, and the way she loved others. While our hearts are broken, we rejoice knowing she is now at peace and reunited with her loved ones in Heaven.
A Celebration of life will be on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, at 3:00 P.M. at Zion Rest Church of Christ. Minister Tony Brown will be officiating. Burial will be in the Zion Rest Cemetery. Visitation will be from 11:00 A.M. until service time at the church.
She is survived by her daughter, Shana (Darren) Hughes; her son, David Pharr; her grandchildren, Ashton (Elizabeth) Pharr, MacBeth (Easton) Boren, and Zoie Hughes; her nephew, Wesley (Tina) Gray; 2 great nieces, a special cousin Kay (Joe) Justus; and a host of other family and friends.
She is preceded by her parents, her husband, her brother, Larry Gray, and her sister-in-law, Diane Gray.
Pallbearers will be Eric Gray, Ken Gray, Mark Thomas, Dylan Warren,
Eddie Gray, Blake Pounds, and Anthony Pharr.
Honorary Pallbearers will be Collin Pharr, Gus Pharr, Hoyle Pharr, Bobby Pharr, Tilman Floyd, Davis Floyd and Justin Warren.
Condolences may be left at www.mcmillanfuneralhome.com
