Rosa Ward Heatherly, 91, died Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, in Myrtle. The funeral service will be held Monday, Feb. 13, 2017, at 11 a.m.at Philadelphia Baptist Church in Etta, with the Rev. Bobby Irvin, the Rev. Vaughn Grisham and Edwin Burchfield officiating. Burial will follow in Philadelphia Cemetery with Mikey Burks, C.J. Burks, Austin Whiteside, Mack Burchfield, Brannon Rice and Nic Demoran serving as pall bearers and Jason Ivy, Paul Press, Mitchell Whiteside, Phil Rice, Robert Rice, Shane Whiteside, Michael Heatherly, Steven Heatherly, Jr., Hunter Rice, Dylan Rice, Jake Rice, Henson Whittington, Elijah Price and Jayme Heatherly serving as honorary pall bearers. Visitation was held Sunday evening, Feb. 12, 2017, from 4-6 p.m. at Waller Funeral Home and also Monday prior to the service beginning at 10 a.m. at the church.

Born in the Rocky Ford community to the late Nesbit Lindsey and Ella Waters Ward, Mrs. Heatherly was retired from the United States Post Office where she worked as a postal clerk for many years. Also in her lifetime, she worked at Kellwood, was a restaurant manager and caregiver to many. She was the longest standing member of Philadelphia Baptist Church. Her great grandfather was an original settler in Lafayette County in the Rocky Ford community, which is now known as Etta. Mrs. Heatherly was a member of the Philadelphia Homemakers’ Club and was a Master Gardener, found great pleasure in quilting and loved to make jams and jellies. She was a devoted wife and avid storyteller who had a great love for her family and was a selfless woman who served others for her 91 years of life.

Along with her parents she was preceded in death by her husband of 62 years, Clyde Lee Heatherly; daughter, Susan Henson; son, Clyde Ward Heatherly; sister, Mary Ann Horton; half-sister, Lenora; brother, Lynn Ward; daughter-in-law, Mary Ruth Rice; son-in-law, Paul Press and grandchildren, Elijah Price and Jayme Heatherly.

Survivors include her daughter, Peggy Jean Whiteside and her husband, Larry of Water Valley, Rosa Lee Price and her husband, John of Etta, Pamela Ivy and her husband, James of Oxford, Deborah Gail Heatherly Press of Memphis, Tennessee; sons, Bobby Rice of Byhalia and Steven Heatherly of Pine Flat; son-in-law, James Henson of Etta; sister, Marie Brown of St. Charles, Arkansas; 15 grandchildren; 27 great grandchildren and three great-great grandchildren.

Memorial contributions in Mrs. Heatherly’s memory may be made to Philadelphia Baptist Church, 456 CR 255, Etta, MS 38627 or to the Gideons International, P.O. Box 142, Oxford, MS 38655.

For additional information or to sign an online guestbook, please visit www.wallerfuneralhome.com or call 662-234-7971.