Laureline Lee Evans, well-known local author, story teller, teacher, local theater productions, passed to her maker November 6, 2008, ending an amazing and exhilarating journey lasting 81 years in this world.

Laura, as she was better known, first left the Caesar Community in Pearl River County when she was 17, immediately following graduation from Pearl River Central High School in 1945, she journeyed to Washington, D.C., employed by the Federal Government. After two years in D.C., she returned to Mississippi to attend Clarke College. She then enlisted in the Air Force, traveling to Massachusetts and Hawaii. Upon completion of her military tour she returned to Oklahoma Baptist University where she received her bachelors degree. Laura then traveled back to Mississippi to earn a Masters degree in Education at the University of Southern Mississippi. Laura then taught high school in Oregon for two years before doing further post graduate studies at the University of Tennessee, traveling overseas again to teach at the University of Guam.

It was here that she met and wed her husband, Sidney Evans. They transferred to Germany a year later, traveling extensively all over Europe before being reassigned to Atlanta where she resided for two years, one of which Sidney spent in Vietnam where she could not accompany him. Their next assignment was to Germany, enjoying Europe again for a year and a half before being unexpectedly transferred to Iran, where they enjoyed visiting numerous Persian Empire historical sites. After two years, Laura and Sid were reassigned to South Korea where they spent the last two years of their military travels, stopping only briefly in Atlanta to retire from the military, before traveling back to and settling in the Lee homeplace in Caesar Community.

At this point, after writing three excellent local histories and one self-published fiction between numerous visits to interesting and historical sites of the South.

Laura then became very active in the Picayune and Poplarville theater groups and the Poplarville Storytellers Group. She joined and became very focused on the Picayune Writers and Gulf Coast Writers Guilds before working on several fiction novels and short stories. Her best known novel of this period was The Redemption of Nettie Sykes which was published and well-received. Laura never lost her enthusiasm and zeal for life, writing her last short story three weeks before her death. Three days before her unexpected death she was still enjoying life; still having lively exchanges with her family and friends in Caesar Community.

Funeral services will be held Monday, November 10, 2008 at 11 a.m. in Union Baptist Church, Caesar Community for Laureline (Laura) Lee Evans, 81, of Caesar Community, who passed away on Thursday, November 6, 2008 in Hattiesburg.

Burial will be in Caesar Community Cemetery under the direction of McDonald Funeral Home.

The Rev. Buddy Sheriff will officiate at the service, assisted by the Rev. John McNair.

She was a member of Union Baptist Church and a Sunday School Teacher.

She was preceded in death by: her parents, The Rev. Thomas (Singing Tom) Lee and Hester Fern Lee; her brothers, Landre Lee and Landris Lee; and her sister, Phala Lee Bell.

Her survivors include: her husband, Sid Evans of Caesar Community; her brother, Robert E. Lee of Caesar Community; and her sisters, Clancy Lee Roth of Williamsburg, Ky., Mabel Lee Jones and Durscherl Lee Holloway, both of Caesar Community; and many loving nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be Sunday, November 9, 2008 from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. at McDonald Funeral Home in Picayune.

Obituary, register book, and driving directions can be found on the internet page, www.mcdonaldfh.com.