Mavis Gail White

Mavis Gail White passed away peacefully in her home on December 7, 2023, surrounded by her loved ones. Although her 64 years of life seems like it will never be enough, the imprint she made on us and the memories we made with her will live with us forever. 

Mavis was born on December 8th, 1958, in Jackson, Ms. She was the daughter of Anna Lorene Burks and Robert Burks (Bob). She loved telling stories about growing up with her sisters and brothers and all she had to do was yell “Momma” and no questions asked her sisters and brothers were in trouble and she was out of whatever mess she had gotten herself into.  

In the 64 years that Mavis lived, she was so many things to so many people. She was a daughter, a sister, a niece, and a mother, not only to her daughters but to some of her grandchildren as well. She was an Aunt Gail and a Mamaw to more kids than one could imagine. Gail genuinely had an impact on everyone she met. She was a wife to her husband Calvin for 40 years, they would go out of town and years later some of the people they would meet would recognize her. She was and is truly unforgettable, she was kind, compassionate, funny, and sometimes mean. In all her years of life, she never once made an enemy. Anyone who met her loved her, and you could feel the love that she had for everyone around her. She was the perfect mixture of loving and caring, but harsh enough to get her point across. She loved the small things in life, the fieldtrips she got to go on with her grandchildren, the mornings with her husband, the random lunch dates, even just a trip to Walmart with those she cared for. She was so unique, she didn’t like what everyone else did, she found love in the things that were different. She loved collecting salt and pepper shakers, especially the kind of weird ones. She truly was a thoughtful and amazing woman.  

Mavis is survived by her husband Calvin, her daughters Miranda Collins (and her spouse, Brett Hill) and Ashley Laney (and her husband, Trent Laney), and her sisters, Pam Wright (Bubba), Robbin Clark (Dwayne), Kelly Burks, and her brother, Bart Massey, and her grandchildren, James Collins Jr, Novella Luree Collins, Caden Laney, Brianna Laney, Elexis Collins, and Leon Laney. 

Mavis is preceded in death by her father, Robert Burks, her sister Phyllis Sills, and her brother Wayne Massey. 

All those whose lives were touched by Mavis are welcome to pay tribute to her great legacy Monday, December 11, 2023 with a Visitation starting at 11:00 am until the hour of the Memorial Service at 12:00 pm at Chancellor Funeral Home of Byram.