OUIDA BARNETT ATKINS
September 4, 1933 - February 22, 2023
Services to celebrate the life of Ouida Barnett Atkins will be held on Saturday, March 4, at 3:00pm at First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Mississippi. Visitation will begin at 1:30pm in the courtyard until service time. A private family burial will be at Lakewood Cemetery.
Born on September 4, 1933, Ouida was the oldest of former Mississippi governor Ross Robert Barnett's and Pearl Crawford Barnett's three children. Growing up in the Belhaven neighborhood in Jackson, she attended Bailey Junior High School and Central High School. A true daughter of the state of Mississippi, she attended Mississippi State College for Women ("The W') and the University of Southern Mississippi where she obtained her degree in history. In 1971, Ouida completed her education with a master's degree in history from Louisiana Tech University in Ruston. Ouida was a member of Chi Omega social sorority, and she was presented by The Debutante Club of Mississippi in 1953. She represented Jackson as the Lady of the Realm in the Memphis Cotton Carnival in 1954.
Ouida's lifelong passion and career as a teacher began in Mobile, Alabama, where she met her husband, Ab Atkins Jr. After their marriage in 1957, they moved to his hometown of Homer, Louisiana. Having been told that it would be a miracle for her to have children, she had 5 miracles within seven years! Before and after the divorce and death of her husband, Ouida experienced the agony and the ecstasy of raising and teaching her five children and many of their friends in Homer and Ruston. Ouida's home was the place to be for her friends and her children's friends. From her fun eclectic happy hour crowd to her sons' all night wiffle ball tournaments, it was not unusual to find Ouida in the kitchen at three o'clock in the morning. She was always available to those in need from all walks of life.
After Ouida became an empty nester in the late 1980's, she returned to her hometown of Jackson where she taught at Lanier High School for over a decade. The daughter of a segregationist governor, Ouida garnered much unsought, yet very favorable recognition by the national media during her tenure at Lanier and she remained close to many of her students after her retirement. In addition to being mentioned in many news articles and books, Tom Brokaw devoted a chapter in his New York Times bestseller Boom! Voices of the Sixties to Ouida's life journey as a symbol for the efforts toward racial reconciliation in Mississippi.
As a lifelong student and teacher of history, Ouida served as president of the North Louisiana Historical Association. In Homer, she was one of the founders and chairman of the Claiborne Jubilee and president of the Women's Department Club. Always a social butterfly, Ouida enjoyed many luncheon and philanthropic clubs and organizations throughout her life such as the Junior Guild in Ruston where she developed many lifelong friendships. In Mississippi she was very involved with Young Life at Lanier and was an original member of William Winter's Institute of Racial Reconciliation.
Ouida was a world traveler and bequeathed her love of experiencing new places and learning about other cultures to her children and grandchildren. Prior to Ouida departing on a trip when her children were young, they would ask her to wave goodbye to them from the car all the way down the driveway and to the top of the hill on their street until she was out of sight. On February 22, 2023, Ouida waved her final earthly goodbye from the top of that hill, and we celebrate her amazing life with assurance that we will someday see her waving a heavenly welcome to us.
Ouida is predeceased by her parents and sister, Virginia Barnett Branum.
September 4, 1933 - February 22, 2023
Services to celebrate the life of Ouida Barnett Atkins will be held on Saturday, March 4, at 3:00pm at First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Mississippi. Visitation will begin at 1:30pm in the courtyard until service time. A private family burial will be at Lakewood Cemetery.
Born on September 4, 1933, Ouida was the oldest of former Mississippi governor Ross Robert Barnett's and Pearl Crawford Barnett's three children. Growing up in the Belhaven neighborhood in Jackson, she attended Bailey Junior High School and Central High School. A true daughter of the state of Mississippi, she attended Mississippi State College for Women ("The W') and the University of Southern Mississippi where she obtained her degree in history. In 1971, Ouida completed her education with a master's degree in history from Louisiana Tech University in Ruston. Ouida was a member of Chi Omega social sorority, and she was presented by The Debutante Club of Mississippi in 1953. She represented Jackson as the Lady of the Realm in the Memphis Cotton Carnival in 1954.
Ouida's lifelong passion and career as a teacher began in Mobile, Alabama, where she met her husband, Ab Atkins Jr. After their marriage in 1957, they moved to his hometown of Homer, Louisiana. Having been told that it would be a miracle for her to have children, she had 5 miracles within seven years! Before and after the divorce and death of her husband, Ouida experienced the agony and the ecstasy of raising and teaching her five children and many of their friends in Homer and Ruston. Ouida's home was the place to be for her friends and her children's friends. From her fun eclectic happy hour crowd to her sons' all night wiffle ball tournaments, it was not unusual to find Ouida in the kitchen at three o'clock in the morning. She was always available to those in need from all walks of life.
After Ouida became an empty nester in the late 1980's, she returned to her hometown of Jackson where she taught at Lanier High School for over a decade. The daughter of a segregationist governor, Ouida garnered much unsought, yet very favorable recognition by the national media during her tenure at Lanier and she remained close to many of her students after her retirement. In addition to being mentioned in many news articles and books, Tom Brokaw devoted a chapter in his New York Times bestseller Boom! Voices of the Sixties to Ouida's life journey as a symbol for the efforts toward racial reconciliation in Mississippi.
As a lifelong student and teacher of history, Ouida served as president of the North Louisiana Historical Association. In Homer, she was one of the founders and chairman of the Claiborne Jubilee and president of the Women's Department Club. Always a social butterfly, Ouida enjoyed many luncheon and philanthropic clubs and organizations throughout her life such as the Junior Guild in Ruston where she developed many lifelong friendships. In Mississippi she was very involved with Young Life at Lanier and was an original member of William Winter's Institute of Racial Reconciliation.
Ouida was a world traveler and bequeathed her love of experiencing new places and learning about other cultures to her children and grandchildren. Prior to Ouida departing on a trip when her children were young, they would ask her to wave goodbye to them from the car all the way down the driveway and to the top of the hill on their street until she was out of sight. On February 22, 2023, Ouida waved her final earthly goodbye from the top of that hill, and we celebrate her amazing life with assurance that we will someday see her waving a heavenly welcome to us.
Ouida is predeceased by her parents and sister, Virginia Barnett Branum.
OUIDA BARNETT ATKINS
September 4, 1933 - February 22, 2023
Services to celebrate the life of Ouida Barnett Atkins will be held on Saturday, March 4, at 3:00pm at First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Mississippi. Visitation will begin at 1:30pm in the courtyard until service time. A private family burial will be at Lakewood Cemetery.
Born on September 4, 1933, Ouida was the oldest of former Mississippi governor Ross Robert Barnett's and Pearl Crawford Barnett's three children. Growing up in the Belhaven neighborhood in Jackson, she attended Bailey Junior High School and Central High School. A true daughter of the state of Mississippi, she attended Mississippi State College for Women ("The W') and the University of Southern Mississippi where she obtained her degree in history. In 1971, Ouida completed her education with a master's degree in history from Louisiana Tech University in Ruston. Ouida was a member of Chi Omega social sorority, and she was presented by The Debutante Club of Mississippi in 1953. She represented Jackson as the Lady of the Realm in the Memphis Cotton Carnival in 1954.
Ouida's lifelong passion and career as a teacher began in Mobile, Alabama, where she met her husband, Ab Atkins Jr. After their marriage in 1957, they moved to his hometown of Homer, Louisiana. Having been told that it would be a miracle for her to have children, she had 5 miracles within seven years! Before and after the divorce and death of her husband, Ouida experienced the agony and the ecstasy of raising and teaching her five children and many of their friends in Homer and Ruston. Ouida's home was the place to be for her friends and her children's friends. From her fun eclectic happy hour crowd to her sons' all night wiffle ball tournaments, it was not unusual to find Ouida in the kitchen at three o'clock in the morning. She was always available to those in need from all walks of life.
After Ouida became an empty nester in the late 1980's, she returned to her hometown of Jackson where she taught at Lanier High School for over a decade. The daughter of a segregationist governor, Ouida garnered much unsought, yet very favorable recognition by the national media during her tenure at Lanier and she remained close to many of her students after her retirement. In addition to being mentioned in many news articles and books, Tom Brokaw devoted a chapter in his New York Times bestseller Boom! Voices of the Sixties to Ouida's life journey as a symbol for the efforts toward racial reconciliation in Mississippi.
As a lifelong student and teacher of history, Ouida served as president of the North Louisiana Historical Association. In Homer, she was one of the founders and chairman of the Claiborne Jubilee and president of the Women's Department Club. Always a social butterfly, Ouida enjoyed many luncheon and philanthropic clubs and organizations throughout her life such as the Junior Guild in Ruston where she developed many lifelong friendships. In Mississippi she was very involved with Young Life at Lanier and was an original member of William Winter's Institute of Racial Reconciliation.
Ouida was a world traveler and bequeathed her love of experiencing new places and learning about other cultures to her children and grandchildren. Prior to Ouida departing on a trip when her children were young, they would ask her to wave goodbye to them from the car all the way down the driveway and to the top of the hill on their street until she was out of sight. On February 22, 2023, Ouida waved her final earthly goodbye from the top of that hill, and we celebrate her amazing life with assurance that we will someday see her waving a heavenly welcome to us.
Ouida is predeceased by her parents and sister, Virginia Barnett Branum.
September 4, 1933 - February 22, 2023
Services to celebrate the life of Ouida Barnett Atkins will be held on Saturday, March 4, at 3:00pm at First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Mississippi. Visitation will begin at 1:30pm in the courtyard until service time. A private family burial will be at Lakewood Cemetery.
Born on September 4, 1933, Ouida was the oldest of former Mississippi governor Ross Robert Barnett's and Pearl Crawford Barnett's three children. Growing up in the Belhaven neighborhood in Jackson, she attended Bailey Junior High School and Central High School. A true daughter of the state of Mississippi, she attended Mississippi State College for Women ("The W') and the University of Southern Mississippi where she obtained her degree in history. In 1971, Ouida completed her education with a master's degree in history from Louisiana Tech University in Ruston. Ouida was a member of Chi Omega social sorority, and she was presented by The Debutante Club of Mississippi in 1953. She represented Jackson as the Lady of the Realm in the Memphis Cotton Carnival in 1954.
Ouida's lifelong passion and career as a teacher began in Mobile, Alabama, where she met her husband, Ab Atkins Jr. After their marriage in 1957, they moved to his hometown of Homer, Louisiana. Having been told that it would be a miracle for her to have children, she had 5 miracles within seven years! Before and after the divorce and death of her husband, Ouida experienced the agony and the ecstasy of raising and teaching her five children and many of their friends in Homer and Ruston. Ouida's home was the place to be for her friends and her children's friends. From her fun eclectic happy hour crowd to her sons' all night wiffle ball tournaments, it was not unusual to find Ouida in the kitchen at three o'clock in the morning. She was always available to those in need from all walks of life.
After Ouida became an empty nester in the late 1980's, she returned to her hometown of Jackson where she taught at Lanier High School for over a decade. The daughter of a segregationist governor, Ouida garnered much unsought, yet very favorable recognition by the national media during her tenure at Lanier and she remained close to many of her students after her retirement. In addition to being mentioned in many news articles and books, Tom Brokaw devoted a chapter in his New York Times bestseller Boom! Voices of the Sixties to Ouida's life journey as a symbol for the efforts toward racial reconciliation in Mississippi.
As a lifelong student and teacher of history, Ouida served as president of the North Louisiana Historical Association. In Homer, she was one of the founders and chairman of the Claiborne Jubilee and president of the Women's Department Club. Always a social butterfly, Ouida enjoyed many luncheon and philanthropic clubs and organizations throughout her life such as the Junior Guild in Ruston where she developed many lifelong friendships. In Mississippi she was very involved with Young Life at Lanier and was an original member of William Winter's Institute of Racial Reconciliation.
Ouida was a world traveler and bequeathed her love of experiencing new places and learning about other cultures to her children and grandchildren. Prior to Ouida departing on a trip when her children were young, they would ask her to wave goodbye to them from the car all the way down the driveway and to the top of the hill on their street until she was out of sight. On February 22, 2023, Ouida waved her final earthly goodbye from the top of that hill, and we celebrate her amazing life with assurance that we will someday see her waving a heavenly welcome to us.
Ouida is predeceased by her parents and sister, Virginia Barnett Branum.
Family Members
Siblings
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
