Faye DeLaney

Mrs. Nellie Faye Downs Delaney passed from the walks of this life to her heavenly home on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 9, 2021, surrounded by her two daughters and her granddaughter. She was 90 years, 6 months, and 8 days old. Mama Faye, as she was affectionately called, was born in Rienzi, Mississippi, on November 1, 1930, the eighth child of the late Jesse Allen and Georgia Ann Beck Downs. She was united in marriage to James Ray Delaney on October 30, 1954. He preceded her in death in 2015 after over 60 years of marriage.

She leaves behind her ever-devoted daughters, Kay Delaney Hart (Tim) of Reagan and Ruby Delaney of Sardis, two grandchildren, Grant Timothy Hart (Rebecca) of Lexington and Brittany Delana Hart of Jackson and the light of her life for the last 11 months, her great-grandson, Henry Grant Hart of Lexington, along with nieces, nephews, and a score of friends. Preceding her in death are her parents and her seven siblings: George Downs, Donald Downs (Nellie), Verda Basden (Clarence), Hester Caviness (RB), Almos Downs (Dimple), Winford Downs (Ernestine), all of Mississippi, and Sadie Brasher (Thomas C) of Saltillo, Tennessee.

Mama Faye was a faithful Christian who loved the Lord and was a member of Sardis Baptist Church. She was a virtuous, devoted wife, a loving mother and grandmother/great-grandmother, a loyal friend, and a much-loved and respected lady to all who knew her. She possessed such a witty and clever nature, and her selflessness was unparalleled as she always placed others before herself. She valued time with her family and friends and appreciated the simple pleasures of life. She loved being surrounded by her children and grandchildren and sharing in their accomplishments.

In her younger years, along with being a meticulous homemaker and a delicious cook, she was a hardworking woman alongside her husband caring for their farm, picking cotton, cutting and hauling firewood, babysitting children, and being a kind and constant encourager to everyone she came in contact with. Her thoughtful advice and practical wisdom were evidences of her strong faith in God and her desire to be a servant for the Lord. Despite the physical pain that she endured from over 40 years of rheumatoid arthritis, Mama Faye never gave up and always had a positive outlook on life and a heart that was filled with gratitude. She lived her last three years with her daughters (Ruby and Kay) and her son-in-law Tim Hart who in her own words was the “best son-in-law there ever was,” and although she loved her own home, she said almost daily that there was no other place on earth that she had rather be than living with her family.

She was such a strong, loving presence to her family and friends that her passing will leave a void that cannot be filled. Although she will be missed each day, she would encourage her family and friends to prepare to join her in eternity where we will never be separated again.