Leslie Adkins

Guntown - Leslie Renee Paslay Adkins, 44, died Monday, May 24, 2010, at The North Mississippi Medical Center after a lengthy illness. A Tupelo native, she was born August 11, 1965 to Lea Clayton and Adelaide Otto Paslay. She graduated from Tupelo High School and then attended Northeast Community College. She worked for her father as administrative manager at Lea Paslay Insurance for many years. Earlier in her life she ran the Mother's Day Out Program at the First Methodist Church in Corinth and later worked as a four year old preschool teacher at the Strawberry Patch Daycare. She was also the activities director at Dogwood Plantation, now Homeplace Assisted Living. She loved animals and enjoyed spending time outdoors. She enjoyed all sports and was an avid Ole Miss fan. A loving and caring individual, her family will remember her as one who always made people feel special. She was a member of St. James Catholic Church.

Services will be 10:30 a.m. Friday at St. James Catholic Church with Father Tom Lolar and Father Henry Shelton officiating. Burial will be in Tupelo Memorial Park. W. E. Pegues Funeral Directors is in charge of the arrangements.

Survivors include two daughters, Adelaide Ashlea Shannon and Anna Grace Shannon of Saltillo; one son, Paslay Clayton Adkins of Guntown; her mother, Adelaide Paslay of Saltillo; three sisters, Lynn Corbett (Creig) of Tupelo, Lisa Ford (Ron) of Saltillo, and Mary Ann Pack (Greg) of Park City, UT; one brother, Lea Paslay, Jr. (Rhonda) of Lumberton; eight nieces, Kristin, Kimberly, Kathryn, Keeley, Mallory, Morgan, and Alex; four nephews, Lea III, Drew, Charley, and Noah; and four great-nephews.

She was preceded in death by her father, Lea Clayton Paslay, Sr.

Pallbearers will be Ken Hayes, Austin Speck, Bo Jeffares, Josh Nance, Lea Paslay III, and Drew Paslay.

Honorary Pallbearers will be Jerry Clayton, Mark Bullard, Chuck Imbler, Ronnie Bell, Randy Kelley, Bill Caples and Felix Rutledge.

Visitation will be 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home.

A survivor of childhood cancer, Leslies family requests that memorials may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105; St. James Catholic Church, 845 Lakeshire Dr. Tupelo MS 38804; or a favorite charity.