She is survived by her husband, Joseph E. Stockwell, Jr; children Joseph “Buddy” Stockwell III (Melissa) and Anne Stockwell (Rita Williams); sisters Debbie Collier (Vince) and Sarah Moon (Greg); and brother Ben “Bert” Simmons.
She was born Mary Rebecca Simmons, on November 13th, 1938, in Hartford, Geneva County, Alabama, to Ben Hubert Simmons and Hilda Jean Saunders Simmons.
She graduated from Baker High School, in Columbus, Georgia, in 1956. She earned a B.A. in History at LaGrange College in Georgia. She continued her education for her Master’s and PhD. at MSU (Mississippi State University). While at MSU, in 1963, she received a Fulbright scholarship to study the Viennese theatre at the University of Vienna, Austria.
She returned and continued her career, teaching History at Mississippi University for Women (known as the ‘W’), for 24 years in Columbus, Mississippi.
She married the love of her life, Joe Stockwell, at the MSU chapel in 1979 and they resided in Starkville, MS.
She loved history, bringing it to life through world travels in her younger years. She also loved gardening, attending MSU baseball games, painting (especially floral watercolors), and listening to music with her husband, Joe. She loved reading books, especially mysteries, and doing crossword puzzles, like her mother, Hilda. She was a gourmet cook and gracious hostess.
She was devoted to her beloved Joe, her family, and her Christian faith.
She was a great inspiration to us; and her kindness, charm, and dry wit will be sorely missed.
There will be an interment service at the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection Columbarium on Thursday, January 13, 2022 at 11:30 a.m.
