Mary Elmer “Sis” Nelson Poindexter

January 24, 1940 – October 11, 2026

“A sheltered life can be a daring life as well.

For all serious daring starts from within.”

— Eudora Welty

Mary Elmer “Sis” Nelson Poindexter, 86, of Inverness, Mississippi, passed away on Sunday, October 11, 2026. Known as “Moma” to her five children and “Moo” to her fifteen grandchildren and twenty great-grandchildren, she was a daughter of the Mississippi Delta through and through. She was born on January 24, 1940, in Greenwood to Dr. Howard Alexander and Elmer Draughon Nelson, and she spent the next 86 years proving that a table can always hold one more, that a good meal can mend most things, and that almost everything in life is more joyous, and perhaps funnier, than it first appears.

Sis came of age in Greenwood. She served on the Greenwood Junior High Student Council, received the DAR Good Citizenship Award, acted in school plays, and played on the women’s tennis team. She was named Homecoming Queen, Most Beautiful, and Miss Greenwood High, and, for good measure, Senior Woman’s Most Athletic. Even then she was the perfect combination of prim and proper and a bit of a maverick: a girl who could wear a crown with grace and hold her own on the tennis court.

The maverick won out in January 1958, when Sis and Richmond Lewis “Scott” Poindexter, Jr., of Morgan City, Mississippi, eloped. They were young, a little defiant, and determined to start their life together, and they never looked back. Scott was the love of her life and her very best friend, and to the grandchildren the two of them would forever be simply Moo and Poo. For 67 years they stood side by side through hard seasons and happy ones, and their friendship remained the foundation of everything they built. They made their home in Inverness for more than 65 years, and there they raised the family that would become their greatest accomplishment.

Moma was a full-time mother to five children who were active, driven, and rarely still, and she kept pace with every one of them. She volunteered with the PTO and the Booster Club, chaperoned more field trips than anyone could count, and never sat on the sidelines unless she was cheering from them. She loved her children wholeheartedly while giving them room to become themselves, encouraging their independence and celebrating each of their paths. Her love always made room for more. When Scott’s youngest brother, Robert Van, lost his parents, he came to live with the family at just twelve years old. Moma knew she could never replace his mother, but she gave him a home, unconditional love, and a place where he would always belong. He shared a bedroom with her only son, and she even let him raise honeybees and keep a flying squirrel.

In Moma’s house there was always an extra seat at the table, and it was rarely empty for long. A self-taught cook whose food warmed your soul, she was the epitome of Southern taste and pride, and she believed hospitality was one of life’s highest callings. Her kitchen was the gathering place for family, friends, and neighbors, full of conversation, laughter, and something wonderful coming out of the oven. Her homemade rolls became legendary. She baked them for holidays and celebrations, and she carried them to neighbors in times of grief, so that what began as a family favorite became a quiet ministry. A pan of Moo’s rolls on your doorstep meant you were remembered and you were not alone. It has been said that the size of your heart can be measured by how many extra seats you are willing to add to your table. By that measure, Moo’s heart had no end.

And oh, how she laughed. Moo found humor in everything, and her laughter was contagious enough to brighten any room she walked into. She was lighthearted by nature and never one to dwell in sadness or hardship; she found the funny side and kept going, and she taught her family to do the same. Her household gave her plenty of material. The Poindexter home was rarely without a healthy dose of competition, mischief, and an assortment of animals, including Ginger, the much-loved dachshund, to Moma Cat, the Siamese who lived to the remarkable age of eighteen. Her tenderness reached even the family’s cows and horses, which she insisted receive a proper burial when their time came. She had a soft heart for every living creature, and a good story to go with almost every one of them.

Sis loved music of every kind, and she loved to be on the go. She traveled to the Coast, the Big Easy, Europe, Mexico, and wherever she landed, she never met a stranger. She was a faithful correspondent, keeping up with the people she loved near and far.

For more than 60 years, Sis was a devoted member of Inverness Methodist Church. She taught Sunday School to junior high and senior high students, and her classroom became a place where young people felt safe sharing their worries and seeking advice; to many of them she was as much a trusted listener and confidante as a teacher. She also worked in the Methodist preschool, where she cared for generations of Inverness children, including many of her own grandchildren. John Wesley urged his followers to “do all the good you can, by all the means you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can.” Moo did just that.

Of everything in her life, Sis was proudest of her family. To her children she was Moma, a constant source of strength, honesty, and comfort. To her grandchildren and great-grandchildren she was Moo, a name that meant a warm kitchen, a ready laugh, and love without condition. She celebrated every accomplishment, showed up for every milestone she could, and loved each of them as if they were the only one.

She is survived by her five children: Draughon McPherson (Bill), Elyette Robertson (Jim), Lewis Poindexter (Ruth Carmen), Mary Howard King (Stephen), and Warner Creekmore (Sam).

She is also survived by her fifteen beloved grandchildren: Will McPherson (Meagan), Taylor McPherson Bannihan (Johnny), Jones McPherson (Laura), James Robertson (Anne Barry), John Thomas Robertson, Mary Nelson Robertson, Carmen Allen Poindexter Rogers (Matt), Emma Kate Poindexter Morgan (Matt), Scott Poindexter (Jordan), Daniel King (Michaela), Jace King, Warner Wills, Callie Creekmore Tyler (Bridger), Josh Creekmore (Anna), and Lewis Creekmore (Maggie Jo).

And, as Moma would surely have appreciated saying, she was blessed with a slew of great-grandchildren: Jack, Charlie, Tatum, Cooke, Helen, Anne Alan, Fisher, Jane, Mamie, Abigail, Ann Chamberlain, Hart, Richmond, Maggie, Dempsey, Libba, Teddy, Warner, Kyle, and Haley.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 67 years, Richmond Lewis “Scott” Poindexter, Jr.; her parents, Dr. Howard Alexander Nelson and Elmer Draughon Nelson; her sister, Gan Nelson; her brother, Howard Nelson; and her brothers-in-law, Will Green Poindexter and Fred J. “Led” Poindexter.

The family is deeply grateful to Moma’s devoted caregivers, Flora Perrin, Annie Ruth Thomas, Mae Ray Stewart, and Sylvia Little. These special ladies became an extension of the family, and their patience, tenderness, and good company brought comfort, joy, and dignity to her days.

Visitation will be at 10 am with the service at 11 am on Friday, October 16, 2026, at the Inverness Methodist Church. Burton Funeral Home of Indianola has been entrusted with arrangements. 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or a charity of the donor’s choice.

Moo lived her whole life with the door open and a seat saved for whoever might need it. Her family will keep setting that extra place at the table, telling her stories, and laughing the way she taught them to.

She was our Moma, our Moo, and a blessing beyond measure.