Evelyn Gurley Crockett

Evelyn Gurley Crockett was born in Tyro, Mississippi in 1944, the second child of William Leonard Gurley and Merle Norfleet Gurley. [Her older brother Billy (1941-1942) did not survive infancy.] Raised in Dawson Springs, Kentucky, Evelyn was orphaned suddenly in 1955 at the age of eleven, and she moved overnight to the place of her birth in Tyro to live with with the family of her Uncle Richard and Aunt Pearl Norfleet Smith. In 1965, Evelyn married Larry Lee Crockett of Independence, Mississippi, and they soon made Oxford, Mississippi their permanent home. In Oxford, Evelyn dedicated her life to running a household, raising her children, and supporting Larry as he managed a large dairy product distribution facility in Oxford during the work week and a farm with cotton, soybeans, and cattle in Independence, Mississippi on weekends. Along the way, she became a popular regional artist of southern-themed oil paintings as well as an accomplished writer. Evelyn was also very active as a volunteer in Oxford civic activities. As the President of the Oxford Artists Guild (OAG), Evelyn was the driving force behind the establishment of Oxford's annual "Art and All That Jazz Festival," the forerunner of Oxford's enduring and highly popular "Double-Decker Arts Festival." She also became the North Mississippi Regent of the David Reese Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). Later in life, Evelyn worked as the Marketing Director for Azalea Gardens, a large retirement home in Oxford. Evelyn and Larry both died in 2003, leaving behind two sons, Michael Lawrence Crockett (wife Rebecca) of Norfolk, Virginia, and Phillip Norfleet Crockett (wife Lisa) of Hendersonville, Tennessee as well as five grandchildren (Lauren, Hannah, Madeline, Andrew, and Molly).