Funeral services for Irene Lofton Brister,of Brookhaven, are 10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 12, at BrookhavenFuneral Home on North Jackson St., with burial in RosehillCemetery. The Rev. Pat Lofton and The Rev. Rob Hill will beofficiating.

    Visitation is Friday from 5 until 7 p.m. at the funeral home.

    Mrs. Brister, 90, died Nov. 10, 2011, at Golden Living Center. Shewas born in Lincoln County on April 25, 1921, to Zack Lofton andHaze Moak Lofton.

    Mrs. Brister was a member of First Baptist Church in Brookhaven.She left a legacy of service to the state and her family. After thedeath of her husband in 1965, Irene went to work for Dr. JimBarnett and raised her two children, Bill and Susan, while workingfull time as a registered nurse. She also instructed hundreds ofthe state’s nurses as Instructor of Nursing at Copiah-LincolnCommunity College and continued to mentor and train nurses asDirector of Nursing at King’s Daughters Hospital and Brook ManorNursing Home. She was the oldest daughter of 10 children and herbrothers and sisters were her best friends. Irene had a great senseof humor and loved spending time at home with her family. She tookgreat pleasure in springtime and filled pots with flowers on herporch and always had water and food for the birds. Irene was anavid genealogist and spent many hours visiting cemeteries toconduct research about the family tree. While husband M.L. wasserving as chief warrant officer with the U.S. Army after World WarII, she accompanied him to Japan and Germany. She loved her countryand always tried to give something back to help veterans.

    Preceding her in death were her parents; husband, Malcolm L.Brister; brothers, J.T. Lofton and James Lofton; and sister, AgnesForeman.

    Survivors are her son, Bill M. Brister and wife, Liz, of Jackson;daughter, Susan Morrison and husband, Rick, of Nashville, Tenn.;sisters, Shirley Whittington, of McComb, Peggy Impson, of BatonRouge, La., and Brenda Tesselli, of Loveland, Colo.; brothers, MikeLofton and wife, Patsy, of Baton Rouge, La., and The Rev. PatLofton and wife, Katherine, of Epps, La.; and six grandchildren,Wesley Brister, Rebecca Kaufman, Natalie Russell, Molly Morrison,James Brister and Zach Brister.

    Memorials can be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, Attention:Donor Services, 4899 Belfort Road, Ste 300, Jacksonville, FL 32256for the “Warriors to Work” program in Houston.