Funeral Services for Mary Penton Fowler, 73, of Picayune, Miss., who passed away on Wednesday, April 17, 2013, will be held Tuesday, April 23, 2013 at 2 p.m. at Westlawn Baptist Church. Visitation will be held from 1-2 p.m. at the church.

Mrs. Fowler grew up in Gainesville, Miss. and later moved to Picayune. She was a long-time member of Westlawn Baptist Church where she served as Sunday School teacher, church clerk, youth director and WMA president.

Mrs. Fowler purchased the first franchise of EconoTax in 1968, and enjoyed 45 years of service to the community in her role of the “Tax Lady”, as she was known by many.

Also known as “Mrs. Mary”, she dedicated her life to loving and serving others, whether they were family, friends, or complete strangers. Her passion was sharing God’s love and reaching out to those who were in need. She had a special love for babies, which led her to spend several years as a peer counselor for crisis pregnancy services before accepting her current position as Executive Director of Sav-a-Life Pregnancy Support Services of the Pearl River area in 2003. She cherished her role and spent 10 blessed years working tirelessly to provide support and encouragement to young mothers.

In lieu of flowers, Mrs. Mary would have preferred donations to the Sav-A-Life Pregnancy Support Center.

Mrs. Fowler was preceded in death by: her parents, Columbus B. and Jackie O. Penton; and two brothers, Donald R. Penton and Thornton B. Penton.

Survivors include: Charles Fowler, her beloved husband of 53 years; and her three children Barry Fowler (April), Lisa Fowler Jenkins (Stan), and Gina Fowler Spiers (David). She is also survived by her sister, Dorothy Penton Dillard. Mrs. Fowler had three grandchildren whom she loved dearly, Dart Spiers, Samantha Spiers, and Ben Fowler.

Arrangements are under the direction of Picayune Funeral Home. Please visit our website for the obituary. You can leave an online condolence or share photos and memories. www.picayunefuneral.com