Rosemary Neill Furr

Rosemary Neill Furr, 82, of Ocean Springs, MS passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her family on Tuesday, May 19, 2015. Rosemary grew up in Leland, MS and has been a resident of Ocean Springs since 1958. She graduated from the University of Mississippi with a degree in psychology. While pursuing her degree, she met and married Richard T. Furr, had their first two children, and was one of the first female students to attend Emory University in Atlanta. Rosemary founded an elementary school, Gulf Day School, and tutored many students in Ocean Springs over the years including special needs children. Rosemary instituted school readiness testing in Ocean Springs at St. John’s Episcopal Church Preschool. Her adventurous spirit led her to learn to sail, fly solo in a small plane, and learn to play tennis after she was forty. She had a lifelong passion for learning, exemplified by her certification in Choice Theory at age 73. Rosemary was known as an avid gardener with a magical green thumb and she brought this gift with her when she joined her husband at the Furr Clinic as office manager. Her beautiful plantings around the clinic inspired many businesses in downtown Ocean Springs to follow suit. Rosemary was one of the first women to join the Rotary Club of Ocean Springs and she was passionate about making the world a better place. She helped pioneer and inspire the renaissance of downtown Ocean Springs through her redevelopment efforts. She is preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Richard T. Furr; her parents, Sam and Rose Neill; and her sister, Margaret Neill. Rosemary’s survivors include her six children, Margaret (Larry) Barnett, Rebecca (Jules) Ivester, Theron (Merileigh) Furr, Sara (Jack) Schatz, Sam (June) Furr and Henry (Heather) Furr; and twelve grandchildren, Robin, Anna, Richard, Max, Alice, Katherine, Sam, Emily, Rosemary, Eva, Isabella, and Campbell. A Memorial Service will be held at St. John's Episcopal Church on Friday, May 22, 2015 at 10:00 am. Friends may visit from 9:00 am until service time in the parish hall. A reception will follow in the Parish Hall. The Ocean Springs Chapel of Bradford-O’Keefe Funeral Home is handling arrangements.