Irene Mcphail

Graveside services for Irene McPhail will be Wednesday, May 20, 2020, at 2:00 p.m. from Ebenezer Cemetery in Leake County with Rev. Dudley Winstead and Rev. Clara Moore officiating. McClain-Hays Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Irene McPhail passed from this life and woke to her eternal home in the arms of Jesus on Saturday, May 16, 2020. She was blessed with 90 years of life. Irene was a loving and dedicated wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend. Mrs. McPhail was born June 22, 1929, to Dee and Mary Alice Williams. She grew up in Leake County and married the love of her life, Darwin Earl McPhail, on April 8, 1946. They began their legacy in Leake County where they lived most of their lives as their children grew up. She was a lifelong member of New County Line Baptist Church. Her life was a true example of loving everyone with the heart of Christ. Irene and Darwin Earl commercial fished on the Pearl, Big Black, and Yazoo rivers. More than 18 years were spent on the banks of the Yazoo, where their grandchildren all grew up. They were well-loved in their community as they provided fresh fish and vegetables out of the back of their truck. When they weren’t fishing, they were on the road visiting all their friends at their favorite RV parks. After both Darwin Earl and her son, Dwayne, passed in 1999, Irene picked herself up from the tragedies and spent the remaining 21 years of her life living it to the fullest. From yearly family vacations to bluegrass shows all over the South, Irene stayed on the go and always looked forward to making new friends wherever she went. She even went white water rafting, despite the fact that she couldn’t swim. There wasn’t anywhere her family was going that she wasn’t going with them. A few of her favorite places to visit were the beach, the Smoky Mountains in Gatlinburg, and Mountain View, Arkansas, where she traveled yearly with her daughter to listen to Bluegrass music. Her final trip was spent ringing in the New Year of 2020 with family at Disney World. Irene was very gifted when it came to her cooking. You couldn’t ask her for a recipe because she never measured anything. If you wanted an exact recipe, you had to stand beside her while she cooked and measure the ingredients as she poured them in. She cooked like she lived life: from her soul. A few of her favorite dishes include tomato gravy and homemade biscuits, fried fish and hush puppies, banana nut bread, blueberry cobbler, homemade cornbread, pecan roll and the most notorious of all was her dressing. It was a crowd favorite at every family reunion, Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. Her later years were spent in Pearl, where she spent much of her time enjoying two of her passions; feeding and watching the squirrels and birds, especially her beloved red birds and her flowers. Anytime you visited, you were sure to get a count and an update on the animals that had been visiting her backyard. You would also get a proud grand tour of the newest additions to her flower gardens and the great deal she had gotten on them. Along with her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband Darwin Earl McPhail and her eldest son, Dwayne McPhail. She was also preceded by her brother, Mitchell Williams and sister-in-law Mildred Williams. She is survived by her daughter Dianne (Roger) Israel of Pearl, MS, her son Bo (Sara) McPhail of Ridgeland, MS, and her daughter-in-law Becky McPhail Beckham of Pearl, MS. She leaves behind an incredible legacy of 10 grandchildren - Amy, Jonathan, Rachelle, Misty, Dustin, Mark, Matthew, Presley, Stephanie, Ethan and her 10 great grand children - Emma, Ben, Elijah, Landon, Lilly, Logan, Brody, Peyton, Knox, and Maddox.