Leslie Winters Hollis of Columbus, Mississippi

April 17, 1975 - July 20, 2021

Leslie Winters Hollis

April 17, 1975 – July 20, 2021

She always leaned to watch for us, anxious if we were late,

In winter by the window and in summer by the gate.

So it was with Leslie Winters Hollis with all who knew her.  Born April 17, 1975 and taken way too soon on Tuesday, July 20, 2021.  It was a hot humid Mississippi morning and the sudden loss of her to a short and evil virus was reflected in the hearts of her family.

Leslie took the common path of most by graduating high school at South Lamar High, right over the Alabama line in Millport in 1993.  She continued her love of education at Mississippi University for Women and received a Marketing Degree.  Leslie had so many talents outside of the school halls and she quickly became an in-demand decorator for so many here in Columbus.  Her beautiful door arrangements brought many smiles from the home owners and ones driving by admiring her designs.  Leslie never met a flower she didn’t like or could make into an arrangement or fix in a pot.  Her favorite, the daisy, will always remind us of her unfailing smile that she had for us anytime we “ran” into her around town.

However, with all of this goodness, her love of family was the most felt.  She married Brent Hollis on October 17, 1998 and was his right hand continually until that fateful Tuesday morning.  She became a doting Mother to Carson and Cade, their two wonderful sons, and these boys became the light of Brent and Leslie’s life.

Naturally, Leslie was a faithful servant at Woodlawn Church of Christ where she and her family worshipped.

There was never a birthday missed or an Easter or a Christmas each with all the trimmings or a balloon not blown-up with Leslie at the helm.  Leslie celebrated everything and isn’t that how it should be?  As her boys grew, along came the baseball games and the football games at Heritage Academy.  She made signs, had food for the coaches, worked the concession stands, sold tickets for these games. You name it, Leslie was behind her boys’ and Brent’s lives. She was working as Office Manager at Heritage Academy and was so looking forward to being with her boys during the school year.  Mostly, though, her voice was the one heard cheering on Carson and Cade.

Leslie was born to the late John Daniel Winters, fondly called Johnny, and was still enjoying a close relationship with her beloved Mother, Diane.  She crossed the Mississippi line but returned often to her Alabama home to visit her brother Matt (Dawn) Winters. Their children Anna and Chase Winters and Eli and Annabeth Dement loved their Aunt Leslie.

Upon her marriage, she was quickly “adopted” into Brent’s loving family.  Grief is too short a word to describe her loss to Clyde and Janice Hollis, as is the word “in-laws” inappropriate to describe Brent’s parents.  They were family, period.

Brent’s sisters Shannon (Jason) Willcutt and Brittney (Andrew) Gilpin along with their children, Macy, Lucy, and Ruby Willcutt and Hollis and Laney Gilpin along with Matt and Dawn and their children will now take the helm and guide Carson and Cade and Brent on the lonesome path forward.

To celebrate Leslie’s short life visitation will be at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 24, 2021 followed by the service at 1:00 p.m. in the Chapel at Memorial Gunter Peel Funeral Home and Crematory, 903 College Street, Columbus, Mississippi.   Burial will immediately follow at Memorial Gardens of Columbus, 176 South Frontage Road, Columbus, Mississippi.  Minister Mark McCrary will be officiating.

Honoring Leslie will be pallbearers:  Jason Willcutt, Andrew Gilpin, Lu McCrary, Jay McCrary, Charlie Jamison along with Robert Sharp. ­­­­­­­­­­­

Serving as honorary pallbearers will be the Heritage Academy baseball team, coaches, faculty and staff and Carson’s Travel Ball teams and coaches.  Also, the Heritage Academy Junior High and Varsity Football members along with their coaches.  Not leaving anyone out, the Heritage Junior High Basketball team and their coaches.

In lieu of flowers and in honor of Leslie, memorials can be made to Heritage Academy, 625 Magnolia Lane, Columbus, MS  39705.

All arrangements are being handled by Memorial Gunter Peel Funeral Home and Crematory.

Without all of your prayers, visits, and comforts all of you have provided us, well, we just could not have made it these last days. Words are so little for all of you but you each have uplifted us and now, will help us carry Leslie to her last ballgame.