Her life was marked by her love of music, beginning at the age of 12, when her mother allowed her to travel with Truett Mounce accompanying his quartet at engagements in the area.
She attended most of her school years at Ecru, but began Pontotoc High School her junior year where she was voted Most Beautiful and graduated in 1949.
While working at Ray’s Department Store, DeVan Dallas looked out the door one day and saw, as he put it, the prettiest girl he had ever seen crossing the street and added, “That’s the girl I’m going to marry,” and he did and remained so for 68 years until his death.
Most of her adult life was spent attempting to make ladies out of her three daughters, but she did venture out into the business world as music director at Callie Young’s kindergarten for many years, as a Welcome Wagon hostess and as an employee at what was originally Brown’s Flower Shop.
Her greatest contribution, though, was her service to her church and community. As a member of First Baptist Church, she shared her God-given talent in all areas of the music program, from accompanying choirs of all ages, solo handbells, ensembles, but with her greatest passion being the adult choir, where she was known to cock her head to a certain side if you sang a note off key.
Her community service included being one of the original Board of Directors of the Bodock Festival. She could be found anywhere from entertaining at nursing homes, to working with Pete Doles and The Young Inspiration, making a record album with her trio, performing numerous times on the Buddy and Kay early morning TV show and playing for the Elvis Presley Christmas program with her band, Remember When. She was a member of the Pontotoc Music Study Club and the Fine Arts Club.
Her sweetest and most time-consuming commitment was being Mommie and Nana.
Her services are scheduled for 1:00 p.m. Monday, May 3, 2021, at First Baptist Church Pontotoc with Dr. Ken Hester officiating. Burial will follow at Pontotoc City Cemetery. Visitation will be from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Sunday at Browning Funeral Home and from 12:00 noon to service time Monday.
She is survived by her daughters, Dr. Diane Sauers (Jack), Pam Dallas and Sandy Dallas. She is also survived by three grandchildren, Cinda Dallas Browning Nicholson (Danny), Preston Leathers (Kala) and Melissa McAnally (Jason), and her beloved great-grandchildren, Piper Ellouise Nicholson, Presley Kate Leathers, Emerson James Leathers, Bo Hughes Leathers and Ellouise Love McAnally. She was compassionately cared for by Annie Brown, Peggy Lauderdale, Hazel Harrell, Connie Morris Satterwhite and Erma Satterwhite.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother, Dewayne Boyd, and her husband, DeVan Dallas.
Pallbearers will be Preston Leathers, Danny Nicholson, Jason McAnally, Bill Warren, Don Leathers, Tommy Butler, Lee Hatcher and Mike Dillard.
Honorary pallbearers will be Larry Young, Janis Burns-Tutor, Barnell Griffin, Billy Clay Rodgers and Larry McCord.
