Avis Jerrel Keele, 82, of Burnsville, Mississippi, died Saturday, December 16, 2023, at the North Mississippi Medical Center in Iuka. Born March 23, 1941, Jerrel was a jack-of-all-trades. He was a former timber cutter, helped to build the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, and later retired from World Color in Corinth. Jerrel was an avid outdoorsman and was known to many as “Turkey Hunter.” Every Spring you were guaranteed to see him riding around in his green Bronco chasing longbeards. Picking and grinning to Bluegrass and Gospel music created many lifelong friendships while attending festivals, and there was never a shortage of funny stories or life lessons when he was around. As a lifelong member of Burnsville Tabernacle, he was a true man of God spreading the word to anyone that would listen. He is survived by a grandson, Zachary Keele (Brittany); and a great-grandson, Lawson Keele. He was preceded in death by his wife of 53 years, Fleeda Keele; a son, James Keele; and his parents, Edgar D. and Mable Gean Keele. Cutshall Funeral Home of Iuka, MS is entrusted with arrangements. Funeral services are scheduled for 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, December 27, at Cutshall Funeral Home Chapel in Glen, officiated by Bro. Sheldon Lambert, Bro. Wayne Crum, and Bro. James Austin. Interment will follow in Fairview Cemetery. Visitation is scheduled for 4:00 until 8:00 p.m., Tuesday, December 26, at Cutshall Funeral Home in Glen. Memorials may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
