Lamont Rowlands Jarrell, age 97, of the Pine Grove Community passed away at Timeless Grace Assisted Living on Friday, July 21, 2023.

He was born November 15, 1925 to the late Sylvester Lawrence ‘Bud’ Jarrell and Bertha Roxanna Prince Jarrell of the Henleyfield Community. He was the namesake of Lamont Rowlands, President of the Goodyear Yellow Pine Company who along with Miles Goodyear and L. O. Crosby once owned 72,000 acres of virgin pine timber in the Picayune area. He was a member and retired deacon of Pine Grove Baptist Church. He served for many years as a member of the Pine Grove Volunteer Fire Department and in 2002 was named its ‘Firefighter of the Year’ and received an American flag flown over the U.S. Capitol upon his retirement. He also helped charter and served as the first President of the Henleyfield Community Center. As instructed in the Bible, he dedicated his retirement years to the service of others. He helped build four churches: Hillcrest Baptist Church; Rolling Hills Baptist Church; Emanuel Baptist Church (Nicholson) and the House of Deliverance. He also helped build numerous Habitat for Humanity houses; other houses for the homeless and helped make repairs to many homes of relatives, friends and neighbors, especially following fires or hurricanes. He was an inventor and holds one U.S. patent. An avid gardener, many relatives, friends and church members were the recipients of his bountiful harvests. For more than thirty years, he set aside a portion of his garden as the ‘widows pea patch.’ Each year he grew, picked, often shelled and delivered peas to widows within the community and beyond. He set a wonderful example for his Grandsons by often taking them with him to deliver peas. He also served as the ‘Grandfather Wolf’ to the Wolfpack (Women Of Loving Faith), a group consisting of his daughters and 8 nieces and grand-nieces who strive to live their faith in service to others. He was a treasured source of inspiration and guidance to the Wolfpack. For more than seventy years, he and his beloved wife, Mary, faithfully supported The Baptist Children’s Village. He truly had a servant’s heart and will be missed by all who knew and loved him.

For the past 20 months, he has resided at the Timeless Grace Assisted Living Facility in Henleyfield. As proof you never get to retire from Christian service, he faithfully served residents and staff as the volunteer counselor and conducted church services each Sunday as his health allowed. He was lovingly elected ‘Mayor’ of Timeless Grace even though he jokingly said the pay was not great!

He is preceded in death by his parents, S. L. ‘Bud’ and Bertha Roxanna Prince Jarrell; loving wife of 72 years, Mary Rebecca Wise Jarrell; brothers, Lemuel, James, Bennie and infant brother; sisters, Fannie Pittman, Pearlie Amacker, Trannie Wiseman, Flossie Rymer, Sara Anna Black, Shirley Wise and Gladys King.

He is survived by one son, William Lamont (Dorothy) Jarrell of Myrick (Jones County, Mississippi) and two daughters, Mary Yvonne (Dr. Bill) Wolverton of Picayune and Karen Carleen (Noel) Crowson of Carriere, Mississippi; two grandsons, Jonathan Kyle (Jamie) Gasper of Picayune and Matthew Allen (Olivia) Gasper of Petal, Mississippi and one Step-Grandson, John (Deirdre) Wolverton of Picayune; three Step-Great-Grandchildren, Lily Bazor, Justin and Emily Wolverton and an honorary son, Steve (Kay) Deshotel of Picayune. He is also survived by a host of nieces and nephews.

Funeral services under the direction of McDonald Funeral Home will be held Wednesday, July 26 at the First Baptist Church of Henleyfield at 2:00 p.m. Visitation will be held from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. prior to the service at the church. The Reverend R. T. Buckley will officiate. Burial will be in the Henleyfield Cemetery.

Pallbearers will be: Kem Jarrell, Don McDaniel, Stan Mitchell, Chuck Simmons, Joel Stevenson, and John Wolverton; honorary pallbearers will be: Jack Amacker, Steve Deshotel, Ryan Dow, George Jarrell, Glen Taylor, and David Wise.

The family would like to express their sincere thanks to the staff at Timeless Grace who took such wonderful and loving care of him. The family would also like to express their sincere thanks to Home Care Hospice, especially Michelle Shell, who saw to all of his medical needs and was a true friend to the whole family. In lieu of flowers, the family requests any donations in his memory be made to The Baptist Children’s Village, P. O. Box 27, Clinton, MS 39060-0027, a charity to which he faithfully gave for 77 years.