Our dear mother, Lillian Marie Atkins Drew, sadly passed away peacefully at home in Southaven, Mississippi, on November 30, 2022, at the age of 91. Responsibility and hard work were instilled in her at an early age.  Being raised in Darling, Mississippi, each fall, the whole family could be found out in the fields, picking cotton.  Lillian had been a resident of Whitehaven in Memphis for 61 years, having raised her four daughters there, beside her beloved husband.  She was a wonderful daughter, daughter-in-law, wife, mother, and grandmother, devoting 10 years in succession to the care of Pearl Rainer Drew, her mother-in-law, her husband, and both parents.  She had a long and full life, which included guiding and building strong young ladies while serving as a Girl Scout leader, gardening, sewing, knitting, and quilting, patriotic service with the Chucalissa Chapter with DAR, and community and church service with Whitehaven Baptist Church.  She lovingly used her seamstress skills to sew a bridal gown for each daughter, bridesmaids dresses, and a bridal veil, hand sewn with pearls, worn by each daughter.  In her senior years, she knitted baby caps and sewed burial gowns for infants, through the Baptist Hospital Women's Auxiliary.  She was very loved and will be missed terribly by family and friends.  She was preceded in death by her husband, Charles D. Drew, her parents, VD and Jimmie Lee Atkins of Darling, Mississippi, her brother, Royce Atkins of Illinois, and her sister, Mary Dover of Orlando, Florida.  She is survived by her brother, Gene Atkins (Maryann) of Olive Branch, MS, her four daughters, Pamela L Drew of Memphis, Debby J McRae of Belmont, N.C., Sherry A Benz (Richard) of Leesburg, Georgia, and Brenda K Joyner (John) of Williston, Tennessee, and grandchildren, Charles W McRae of Rocky Face, Georgia, and Bonnie E McRae (Seth Gainey) of Charleston, S.C., and many beloved nieces, nephews, and extended family.

Visitation will be Monday, December 5, 2022 from 12:00p.m.-1:00p.m. with funeral services starting at 1:00p.m. at Whitehaven Baptist Church. Entombment will follow at Forest Hill South Mausoleum.