My brothers and I had the best Grandparents. I don't have the vocabulary to express what we owe to them. They truly went without so that we would have everything - not only what we needed, but also what we wanted!
They were the Grandparents who didn't have to be, but were. They were our stability and provided the structure and security all children needed - not only to us, the three grandchildren, but to many of our friends. Not a school event or sporting activity passed without having one, but most of the time both of them, in the audience cheering us on!
Grandma would be the one to "stand beside us" - even if we were wrong. This especially became true as the great-grandchildren started coming along. I think the older she got, she didn't see any of us "doing wrong"!
Grandma didn't like her first name of Mildred and never used it. She was a wonderful cook! We all loved her homemade biscuits and chocolate syrup (really gravy). Her pies and cakes were amazing!
She loved her siblings and really thought the world of her three younger brothers, Freddie Ray, Harold Gene and Big Boy. Her brother Harold Gene, age 85, spoke at my Grandpa's brother (George Eugene "Gene" Basinger, Sr.) funeral in October 2019 and cried as he recalled how my Grandparents ensured that he had a high school ring. He was speaking about what such a good family the Basinger's/Staggs were.
Grandma was a Prayer Warrior and loved her church. She loved cooking for them until she was no longer able to. The church was where she and Grandpa first met as very young children.
Probably one of the most important things Grandma ever taught me was the honesty about marriage. She let it be known that there would be hard days and you would have to work through them. And boy how correct she was! Jody and I honored my Grandparents by being married on their 46th wedding anniversary, 20 March 1992.
As I type this it's been more than two years since she passed away and we continue to miss her and Grandpa. I continue to give thanks for their sacrifices in making me who I am today.
**************************************************************************************
VERNELL MORGAN STAGGS
Funeral services for Vernell "Nell" Morgan Staggs, 87, of Sarepta were held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, June 13, 2017 at Kings Corner Assembly of God with Pastor James Lowe officiating. Interment followed at the Old Sarepta Cemetery under the direction of Bailey Funeral Home in Springhill.
Visitation was held from 5 until 8 p.m. Monday, June 12, at Bailey Funeral Home in Springhill.
Mrs. Staggs left her earthly home on Sunday, June 11, 2017, at Minden Medical Center following a massive stroke after having hip surgery. She was born on June 20, 1929 to Horace Luther "Luke" Morgan and Nancy Mahilda Dover Morgan in Sarepta. Nell married the love of her life, Leo Riley "Sonny" Staggs on March 20, 1946, in Magnolia, Arkansas. Shortly after marriage, they moved to Houston to find employment. In Houston, Nell and Sonny managed several apartment complexes and adopted many of the residents as their own children. They also raised their three grandchildren.
Grandma was always the one who provided the discipline. She was a stern woman who very rarely said "I love you" but showed it by providing for her family, which she said was done the same way by her parents. After retirement, Nell and her family returned back to Sarepta where she enjoyed cooking, attending church, and the great-grandchildren.
She is preceded in death by her husband of 62 years, Sonny Staggs; her parents; sisters, Tempie Henson, Ruby Pickard, Ruth Gish Shepard, Cecile Driggers; and brothers, Howard, Talmadge, Harlon, William Ambrose, J. A., and Wallace Morgan.
Nell is survived by her daughter, Shirley Giddings and husband, Charles of Sarepta; grandchildren, Randall and Heather Alfred of Sarepta, Colette Alfred-Sikes and Jody Sikes, and Chuck Warford, all of Minden; great-grandchildren, Cameron Alfred and wife, Baillie, Presley, Kielerr, and Chastan Alfred, all of Sarepta; great-great-grandson, Lincoln; her brothers, Freddie Ray Morgan of Lake Erling, Harold Gene Morgan and wife, Virginia, of Springhill, Horace "Big Boy" Morgan and wife, Gloria Jean, of Porterville; brother-in-law, Eugene Basinger of West Memphis; and sister-in-law, Joyce Boyett, of Sibley.
Serving as pallbearers will be Gavin Morgan, Butch Basinger, Gary Don Basinger, Wendell Wright, Jimmy Harrison, and Wayne Nuckolls.
Sign our online guest book at www.baileyfuneralhome.net
Published in the MINDEN PRESS-HERALD on Wednesday, June 14, 2017.
They were the Grandparents who didn't have to be, but were. They were our stability and provided the structure and security all children needed - not only to us, the three grandchildren, but to many of our friends. Not a school event or sporting activity passed without having one, but most of the time both of them, in the audience cheering us on!
Grandma would be the one to "stand beside us" - even if we were wrong. This especially became true as the great-grandchildren started coming along. I think the older she got, she didn't see any of us "doing wrong"!
Grandma didn't like her first name of Mildred and never used it. She was a wonderful cook! We all loved her homemade biscuits and chocolate syrup (really gravy). Her pies and cakes were amazing!
She loved her siblings and really thought the world of her three younger brothers, Freddie Ray, Harold Gene and Big Boy. Her brother Harold Gene, age 85, spoke at my Grandpa's brother (George Eugene "Gene" Basinger, Sr.) funeral in October 2019 and cried as he recalled how my Grandparents ensured that he had a high school ring. He was speaking about what such a good family the Basinger's/Staggs were.
Grandma was a Prayer Warrior and loved her church. She loved cooking for them until she was no longer able to. The church was where she and Grandpa first met as very young children.
Probably one of the most important things Grandma ever taught me was the honesty about marriage. She let it be known that there would be hard days and you would have to work through them. And boy how correct she was! Jody and I honored my Grandparents by being married on their 46th wedding anniversary, 20 March 1992.
As I type this it's been more than two years since she passed away and we continue to miss her and Grandpa. I continue to give thanks for their sacrifices in making me who I am today.
**************************************************************************************
VERNELL MORGAN STAGGS
Funeral services for Vernell "Nell" Morgan Staggs, 87, of Sarepta were held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, June 13, 2017 at Kings Corner Assembly of God with Pastor James Lowe officiating. Interment followed at the Old Sarepta Cemetery under the direction of Bailey Funeral Home in Springhill.
Visitation was held from 5 until 8 p.m. Monday, June 12, at Bailey Funeral Home in Springhill.
Mrs. Staggs left her earthly home on Sunday, June 11, 2017, at Minden Medical Center following a massive stroke after having hip surgery. She was born on June 20, 1929 to Horace Luther "Luke" Morgan and Nancy Mahilda Dover Morgan in Sarepta. Nell married the love of her life, Leo Riley "Sonny" Staggs on March 20, 1946, in Magnolia, Arkansas. Shortly after marriage, they moved to Houston to find employment. In Houston, Nell and Sonny managed several apartment complexes and adopted many of the residents as their own children. They also raised their three grandchildren.
Grandma was always the one who provided the discipline. She was a stern woman who very rarely said "I love you" but showed it by providing for her family, which she said was done the same way by her parents. After retirement, Nell and her family returned back to Sarepta where she enjoyed cooking, attending church, and the great-grandchildren.
She is preceded in death by her husband of 62 years, Sonny Staggs; her parents; sisters, Tempie Henson, Ruby Pickard, Ruth Gish Shepard, Cecile Driggers; and brothers, Howard, Talmadge, Harlon, William Ambrose, J. A., and Wallace Morgan.
Nell is survived by her daughter, Shirley Giddings and husband, Charles of Sarepta; grandchildren, Randall and Heather Alfred of Sarepta, Colette Alfred-Sikes and Jody Sikes, and Chuck Warford, all of Minden; great-grandchildren, Cameron Alfred and wife, Baillie, Presley, Kielerr, and Chastan Alfred, all of Sarepta; great-great-grandson, Lincoln; her brothers, Freddie Ray Morgan of Lake Erling, Harold Gene Morgan and wife, Virginia, of Springhill, Horace "Big Boy" Morgan and wife, Gloria Jean, of Porterville; brother-in-law, Eugene Basinger of West Memphis; and sister-in-law, Joyce Boyett, of Sibley.
Serving as pallbearers will be Gavin Morgan, Butch Basinger, Gary Don Basinger, Wendell Wright, Jimmy Harrison, and Wayne Nuckolls.
Sign our online guest book at www.baileyfuneralhome.net
Published in the MINDEN PRESS-HERALD on Wednesday, June 14, 2017.
My brothers and I had the best Grandparents. I don't have the vocabulary to express what we owe to them. They truly went without so that we would have everything - not only what we needed, but also what we wanted!
They were the Grandparents who didn't have to be, but were. They were our stability and provided the structure and security all children needed - not only to us, the three grandchildren, but to many of our friends. Not a school event or sporting activity passed without having one, but most of the time both of them, in the audience cheering us on!
Grandma would be the one to "stand beside us" - even if we were wrong. This especially became true as the great-grandchildren started coming along. I think the older she got, she didn't see any of us "doing wrong"!
Grandma didn't like her first name of Mildred and never used it. She was a wonderful cook! We all loved her homemade biscuits and chocolate syrup (really gravy). Her pies and cakes were amazing!
She loved her siblings and really thought the world of her three younger brothers, Freddie Ray, Harold Gene and Big Boy. Her brother Harold Gene, age 85, spoke at my Grandpa's brother (George Eugene "Gene" Basinger, Sr.) funeral in October 2019 and cried as he recalled how my Grandparents ensured that he had a high school ring. He was speaking about what such a good family the Basinger's/Staggs were.
Grandma was a Prayer Warrior and loved her church. She loved cooking for them until she was no longer able to. The church was where she and Grandpa first met as very young children.
Probably one of the most important things Grandma ever taught me was the honesty about marriage. She let it be known that there would be hard days and you would have to work through them. And boy how correct she was! Jody and I honored my Grandparents by being married on their 46th wedding anniversary, 20 March 1992.
As I type this it's been more than two years since she passed away and we continue to miss her and Grandpa. I continue to give thanks for their sacrifices in making me who I am today.
**************************************************************************************
VERNELL MORGAN STAGGS
Funeral services for Vernell "Nell" Morgan Staggs, 87, of Sarepta were held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, June 13, 2017 at Kings Corner Assembly of God with Pastor James Lowe officiating. Interment followed at the Old Sarepta Cemetery under the direction of Bailey Funeral Home in Springhill.
Visitation was held from 5 until 8 p.m. Monday, June 12, at Bailey Funeral Home in Springhill.
Mrs. Staggs left her earthly home on Sunday, June 11, 2017, at Minden Medical Center following a massive stroke after having hip surgery. She was born on June 20, 1929 to Horace Luther "Luke" Morgan and Nancy Mahilda Dover Morgan in Sarepta. Nell married the love of her life, Leo Riley "Sonny" Staggs on March 20, 1946, in Magnolia, Arkansas. Shortly after marriage, they moved to Houston to find employment. In Houston, Nell and Sonny managed several apartment complexes and adopted many of the residents as their own children. They also raised their three grandchildren.
Grandma was always the one who provided the discipline. She was a stern woman who very rarely said "I love you" but showed it by providing for her family, which she said was done the same way by her parents. After retirement, Nell and her family returned back to Sarepta where she enjoyed cooking, attending church, and the great-grandchildren.
She is preceded in death by her husband of 62 years, Sonny Staggs; her parents; sisters, Tempie Henson, Ruby Pickard, Ruth Gish Shepard, Cecile Driggers; and brothers, Howard, Talmadge, Harlon, William Ambrose, J. A., and Wallace Morgan.
Nell is survived by her daughter, Shirley Giddings and husband, Charles of Sarepta; grandchildren, Randall and Heather Alfred of Sarepta, Colette Alfred-Sikes and Jody Sikes, and Chuck Warford, all of Minden; great-grandchildren, Cameron Alfred and wife, Baillie, Presley, Kielerr, and Chastan Alfred, all of Sarepta; great-great-grandson, Lincoln; her brothers, Freddie Ray Morgan of Lake Erling, Harold Gene Morgan and wife, Virginia, of Springhill, Horace "Big Boy" Morgan and wife, Gloria Jean, of Porterville; brother-in-law, Eugene Basinger of West Memphis; and sister-in-law, Joyce Boyett, of Sibley.
Serving as pallbearers will be Gavin Morgan, Butch Basinger, Gary Don Basinger, Wendell Wright, Jimmy Harrison, and Wayne Nuckolls.
Sign our online guest book at www.baileyfuneralhome.net
Published in the MINDEN PRESS-HERALD on Wednesday, June 14, 2017.
They were the Grandparents who didn't have to be, but were. They were our stability and provided the structure and security all children needed - not only to us, the three grandchildren, but to many of our friends. Not a school event or sporting activity passed without having one, but most of the time both of them, in the audience cheering us on!
Grandma would be the one to "stand beside us" - even if we were wrong. This especially became true as the great-grandchildren started coming along. I think the older she got, she didn't see any of us "doing wrong"!
Grandma didn't like her first name of Mildred and never used it. She was a wonderful cook! We all loved her homemade biscuits and chocolate syrup (really gravy). Her pies and cakes were amazing!
She loved her siblings and really thought the world of her three younger brothers, Freddie Ray, Harold Gene and Big Boy. Her brother Harold Gene, age 85, spoke at my Grandpa's brother (George Eugene "Gene" Basinger, Sr.) funeral in October 2019 and cried as he recalled how my Grandparents ensured that he had a high school ring. He was speaking about what such a good family the Basinger's/Staggs were.
Grandma was a Prayer Warrior and loved her church. She loved cooking for them until she was no longer able to. The church was where she and Grandpa first met as very young children.
Probably one of the most important things Grandma ever taught me was the honesty about marriage. She let it be known that there would be hard days and you would have to work through them. And boy how correct she was! Jody and I honored my Grandparents by being married on their 46th wedding anniversary, 20 March 1992.
As I type this it's been more than two years since she passed away and we continue to miss her and Grandpa. I continue to give thanks for their sacrifices in making me who I am today.
**************************************************************************************
VERNELL MORGAN STAGGS
Funeral services for Vernell "Nell" Morgan Staggs, 87, of Sarepta were held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, June 13, 2017 at Kings Corner Assembly of God with Pastor James Lowe officiating. Interment followed at the Old Sarepta Cemetery under the direction of Bailey Funeral Home in Springhill.
Visitation was held from 5 until 8 p.m. Monday, June 12, at Bailey Funeral Home in Springhill.
Mrs. Staggs left her earthly home on Sunday, June 11, 2017, at Minden Medical Center following a massive stroke after having hip surgery. She was born on June 20, 1929 to Horace Luther "Luke" Morgan and Nancy Mahilda Dover Morgan in Sarepta. Nell married the love of her life, Leo Riley "Sonny" Staggs on March 20, 1946, in Magnolia, Arkansas. Shortly after marriage, they moved to Houston to find employment. In Houston, Nell and Sonny managed several apartment complexes and adopted many of the residents as their own children. They also raised their three grandchildren.
Grandma was always the one who provided the discipline. She was a stern woman who very rarely said "I love you" but showed it by providing for her family, which she said was done the same way by her parents. After retirement, Nell and her family returned back to Sarepta where she enjoyed cooking, attending church, and the great-grandchildren.
She is preceded in death by her husband of 62 years, Sonny Staggs; her parents; sisters, Tempie Henson, Ruby Pickard, Ruth Gish Shepard, Cecile Driggers; and brothers, Howard, Talmadge, Harlon, William Ambrose, J. A., and Wallace Morgan.
Nell is survived by her daughter, Shirley Giddings and husband, Charles of Sarepta; grandchildren, Randall and Heather Alfred of Sarepta, Colette Alfred-Sikes and Jody Sikes, and Chuck Warford, all of Minden; great-grandchildren, Cameron Alfred and wife, Baillie, Presley, Kielerr, and Chastan Alfred, all of Sarepta; great-great-grandson, Lincoln; her brothers, Freddie Ray Morgan of Lake Erling, Harold Gene Morgan and wife, Virginia, of Springhill, Horace "Big Boy" Morgan and wife, Gloria Jean, of Porterville; brother-in-law, Eugene Basinger of West Memphis; and sister-in-law, Joyce Boyett, of Sibley.
Serving as pallbearers will be Gavin Morgan, Butch Basinger, Gary Don Basinger, Wendell Wright, Jimmy Harrison, and Wayne Nuckolls.
Sign our online guest book at www.baileyfuneralhome.net
Published in the MINDEN PRESS-HERALD on Wednesday, June 14, 2017.
