Rebecca “Becky” Nettles Vaughn-Furlow

Published 6:08 pm Friday, November 13, 2020

Visitation for Mrs.Rebecca “Becky” Nettles Vaughn-Furlow will be 1-3 p.m., Sunday, November 15, 2020, at Riverwood Family Funeral Service. Burial will be at 3 p.m. with internment to follow at Easthaven Baptist Church Cemetery.

Rebecca “Becky” Nettles Vaughn-Furlow was born in Pascagoula, MS on June 13, 1944 to parents, W.E. and Elizabeth Nettles. She passed away peacefully at her home on November 12, 2020. She is preceded in death by her parents, husband, Glen Vaughn and husband, Benton Furlow. Brothers, James Nettles and Jeff Nettles, sisters, Joyce Butler, Kathleen Garren, and Peggy Ritchie.

Becky is survived by her children, Angie Jordan and husband, Bob, Chad Vaughn and wife, Mendez, Bethany Lewis and husband, Keith. She was a very proud “Gran Gran” to her grandchildren, Leighton Jordan, Kailyn Jordan, Olivia Grace Lewis, and Glen Vaughn Lewis. Becky also enjoyed the companionship of her beloved dog, Sammy.

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Becky was a graduate of Brookhaven High School; attended the University of MS; was a graduate of School of Bank Marketing at the University of Colorado & Bank Management School for Marketing Managers at the University of Wisconsin. She graduated from the Graduate School of Banking of the South at LSU in 1987.

She worked for 51 years in retail bank and operations at Trustmark National Bank in both Brookhaven and Jackson, MS. She transferred to Marketing and finally to Human Resources where she was the Director of Human Resources when she retired in 2014. She was the first female Executive Vice President at Trustmark. She wrote several articles that were published in banking magazines and journals. After retirement, she enjoyed being a columnist for The Clarion Ledger and The Daily Leader for a short while.

She was an active member of Heucks Retreat Baptist Church where she taught the Adult Ladies Sunday School Class, was a member of the choir, chair of the Personnel Committee, and member of the Stewardship Committee. Before moving to Heucks Retreat, Becky served as a long time Sunday School teacher and chair of the Missions Committee, Transportation Committee, and Building Finance Committee while attending First Baptist Church in Brookhaven.

She was a current member of the Grand Cougars Club at Brookhaven Academy, facilitator for Widows Support Group, board member of Capital Club, treasurer and member of Board of Directors of the Hugh O’Brian Youth Foundation, member of the Board of Directors of the MS Chapter of Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, where she served as the former chair of the Nominating Committee, and a member of the Leadership Council of Greater MS Girl Scouts.

Her former Civic involvement included being a member of the Board of Directors of Junior Achievement, Mississippi’s 50 Leading Business Women where she was a finalist in 2003 for the MS Business Woman of the Year, director of MS Economic Council, participant in MEC’s Leadership MS, consultant for Project Business Division of Junior Achievement and Board Member of the Educational Foundation Trust. Becky was also an active member of the Kiwanis Club, Capital Area Human Resource Associates, Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities, and Board of Hinds County Workforce Investment Network.

Becky’s professional involvement included Financial Women International Member, National Board of Directors of the Bank Marketing and BMA’S National Executive Committee. She was chosen two years to inclusion in the Outstanding Young Women of America and was the Beta Sigma Phi’s “Girl of the Year” of MS in 1968.

She also was a Gala Honoree from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in 2015, received the Woman of Achievement Award from the Girl Scouts in 2015. She was the first woman elected to serve as president of the Brookhaven Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce, where she was the winner of the Membership Award for 3 years. She was the former director of United Way, Linbrook Arts Council, Kiwanis Club, Boys and Girls Club and the American Cancer Society. She chaired the Mayor’s Awareness Committee to make Brookhaven a more accessible city for people with disabilities, was the first female member of the Board of Directors for Brookhaven Academy. Becky organized and led a widowed support group for many years.

Becky was loved and admired by family, friends, and colleagues that she met over the years. She made an impact on many lives and her leadership will be missed by many. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Heucks Retreat Baptist Church, debt reduction fund.

Condolences and other information are available online at www.riverwoodfamily.com.