A Tribute to Diane – Follow-up

From The Natchez Democrat

Sunday, February 10, 2019

Diane Persons Forrest 

May 3, 1963- February 7, 2019

NATCHEZ — Services for Diane Forrest, 55, who died Thursday, February 7, 2019 in Natchez will be at 2 p.m. Monday at Laird Funeral Home Chapel in Natchez with the Rev. Dan Ratcliff officiating.

Burial will follow at Greenlawn Memorial Park under the direction of Laird Funeral Home

Visitation will be from 1 p.m. until service time Monday at Laird Funeral Home.

Mrs. Forrest was born May 3, 1963 in Jackson, the daughter of Forest and Barbara Persons.

She completed studies in health care and practiced as a nurse for many years. She was a member of First Baptist Church of Natchez. She was thoughtful, unselfish and caring. She enjoyed making cards for friends and relatives for all occasions. She loved all holidays and would prepare greetings and gifts far in advance. 

She was preceded in death by her husband, Dave Forrest; her brother, Rodney Persons Jr.; daughter-in-law, Lauren McCoy; Aunt, Patricia Persons and uncle, Joe Craddock.

Survivors include her parents, Forest and Barbara Persons, of Natchez; one son, Jason McCoy, of Memphis; one grandson, Ethan McCoy, of Memphis; two aunts, Annie Bess Saul and her husband TK, of Clinton and Carolyn Craddock of Plano, Texas; two uncles, TD Persons and wife Linda, of San Antonio, Texas, and Jack Spradling and wife Judy of Florence; her loving Shih Tzu, Snoopy, and a number of cousins and other relatives and friends whom she loved very much.

She will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her.

Pallbearers will be friends of the family.

Honorary Pallbearers will be the members of the Bill Rice Sunday School class.

Online condolences may be sent to lairdfh.com.

Getting lost…

As a guitarist, I play many gigs. Recently I was asked by a funeral director to play at a graveside service for a homeless man. He had no family or friends, so the service was to be at a pauper’s cemetery in the backcountry. As I was not familiar with the backwoods, I got lost.

I finally arrived an hour late and saw the funeral guy had evidently gone and the hearse was nowhere in sight. There were only the diggers and crew left and they were eating lunch.

I felt badly and apologized to the men for being late. I went to the side of the grave and looked down and the vault lid was already in place. I didn’t know what else to do, so I started to play.

The workers put down their lunches and began to gather around. I played out my heart and soul for this man with no family and friends. I played like I’ve never played before for this homeless man.

And as I played ‘Amazing Grace,’ the workers began to weep. They wept, I wept, we all wept together. When I finished I packed up my guitar and started for my car. Though my head hung low, my heart was full.

As I opened the door to my car, I heard one of the workers say, “I never seen nothin’ like that before and I’ve been putting in septic tanks for twenty years.”

Apparently, I’m still lost…