Sybil Causey Pendergrass, 94, passed peacefully to her heavenly home on August 1, 2019, surrounded by family and friends. A memorial service to celebrate her life will be held at 2:00 pm on Tuesday, August 6, 2019 at the Oaks of Louisiana chapel. Sybil was born at home, on November 13, 1924 to Roy Clayton Causey and Annie Nelson Causey in Craven County, North Carolina. She grew up on the family farm with one sibling, her brother, Roy Causey, Jr., and a multitude of cousins. She attended the College of William and Mary, in Williamsburg, Virginia, and later worked in Norfolk, during W.W.II where she met a young naval officer, James L. Pendergrass (Jimmy). They married in Norfolk on August 3, 1946, and moved to his hometown, New Orleans, Louisiana. There they raised their three children.
For the next sixty years, Sybil devoted her time and energy to her family, friends, church, and the New Orleans community. Her home was referred to as “Mimi’s Bed and Breakfast” because she hosted and fed so many guests. She loved animals, gardening, shopping, bridge, Saints games, and having fun with her grandchildren. After losing their home in 2005 in Hurricane Katrina, Sybil and Jimmy relocated to Shreveport. Soon she became an active resident of the Oaks, where she found many new and lasting friends.
Left to cherish her memory are her children: Donald Pendergrass (Merrie) of Shreveport, Dianne Gosslee (Jimmy) of Shreveport, and Robert Pendergrass of New Orleans; nine grandchildren: Clay, Scott, and Jed Pendergrass, Brad Gosslee, Jeffrey Gosslee, and Krista Gosslee LeBlanc; and Katie Pendergrass, Megan Pendergrass Bailey, and Betsy Pendergrass; and twenty-two great grandchildren. Each and every one held a special place in her heart. Her presence will be greatly missed by all who knew her.
The family wishes to thank all of the staff at the Oaks of Louisiana and all of Mimi’s caregivers for their loving care and support, especially Rowena Amerson and Gladys Walker. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation, the Christmas fund for the staff at the Oaks, or a charity of the donor’s choice.
