Born May 11 during the Great Flood of 1927 on Cassidy Bayou in Sumner, Mary Belle Forrest Moore lived a long and colorful life in her beloved Mississippi. Anyone who had the pleasure of sitting on her front porch was guaranteed an earful of quick quips with a puff of smoke and a sip of Chardonnay.  Mary Belle passed away peacefully on Sunday, April 2, 2023 in Oxford.

Mary Belle was the daughter of the late Mary Lee Phelps Forrest and Saunders Doty Forrest. In her younger years, she was crowned Miss Charleston and participated as a Lady of the Court in the Cotton Carnival.

She was the devoted wife to the late Walter Vernon Moore, Jr. and the mother of their six children who were raised on the family farm in Oakland. When asked if she was Catholic, her response was "No, I'm just a sexy Methodist."

Mary Belle was an avid Bridge player, member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, past President of the Grenada Garden Club and lifetime member of the Garden Clubs of Mississippi.  She was also a member of the First United Methodist Church in Grenada.

Frugal with her purse and rich in friendships, Mary Belle was a renowned entertainer and welcomed everyone into her home for a good time. That said, heaven help anyone who suggested going out for dinner, as the egg salad sandwich in the fridge was good enough.

Her legacy of one-liner quotes are sure to live on through her 13 Grandchildren and 8 Great-Grandchildren who lovingly called her 'Grandmary'. A grandmother of the spicy variety, the grandkids hold fond memories of her homemade dill pickles and the tough but kind assurance that "it'll all work out if we just let it".

The funeral will be held at the Oakland Cemetery on Wednesday April 5th at 11am as a celebration of Mary Belle's wonderful life.

In lieu of flowers, donations are welcome to St. Jude Children's Hospital or The Kevin Phelps Moore Memorial Scholarship Fund at the University of Mississippi, 406 University Ave., Oxford, MS 38655.

In addition to her late parents and husband, Mary Belle is preceded in death by brothers Charles, Edward and Reginald "Bubba" Forrest and her children Lee F. Moore, Kevin P. Moore (Pam) and Mary Moore Greene (Stan). She is survived by sister Ann Forrest Brasher (Ernest) and brother James Forrest (Mary), as well as her children Ruth Moore Davis (Neill), Walter V. Moore (Jerilou), and Edward W. Moore (Dawn).