“Mamie R. Ware, 81, died Saturday, April 5, 2003, in Long Beach. Mrs. Ware was born May 19, 1921 in Highpoint, Mississippi, daughter of James Lee and Minnie Mae Ray. At the age of 5 she moved to Long Beach where she resided until she was called home to heaven. Her survivors include a son, Edwin Ray Ware of Long Beach; a daughter, Sandra Joyce Bullen of Perkinston; a brother, Elbert Arnell Ray of Long Beach; a daughter-in-law, Susan Ware of Long Beach; a son-in-law, Jimmy Lee Bullen of Perkinston; three grandsons, Jay Bullen of Metairie, Louisiana, Jeff Bullen of Wiggins, and Chad Bullen of Perkinston; two granddaughters, Jennifer Kriner of Long Beach and Margaret Ware of Long Beach; a grandson-in-law, Scott Kriner of Long Beach; one granddaughter-in-law, Jennifer Bullen of Wiggins; two great grandsons, Hunter Bullen of Wiggins and Andrew Kriner of Long Beach; and two great granddaughters, Megan Durel of Long Beach and Kayla Bullen of Wiggins. Mrs. Ware was preceded in death by her husband, Ernest Edwin Ware in 1982; four sisters, Minerva Ray, Sarah Ray, Virgie Suber, and Nola Toillson; and three brothers, Lenward Ray, Oma Ray, and Grady Ray. Mrs. Ware was a member of the First Baptist Church of Long Beach and had the privilege of being its longest standing member. Her church and her faith were very important parts of her life. In her work, she quietly touched the lives of many young people during her tenure at Long Beach High School. For 26 years she was cafeteria manager there and was known for her excellent food and her homemade yeast rolls, in particular. After leaving the school system she worked many more years in the food service for Gulf Park College. Cooking and quilting were her favorite pastimes and she lovingly baked and decorated cakes for special occasions throughout the community and made many quilts for her children and grandchildren. As a devoted mother and grandmother, her family was by far her greatest source of pride. Nothing gave her more satisfaction than her family gathered around her table, sharing their thoughts and their lives. We all will sadly miss her love, devotion and courage. The funeral service will be at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 9, 2003, at the Long Beach chapel of Riemann Funeral Home, where friends may call one hour prior. Burial will follow at Floral Hills Memorial Gardens and Mausoleum in Gulfport. Memorial Contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, 417 Security Square, Gulfport, MS 39507; or to MHG Hospice, P.O. Box 1810, Gulfport, MS 39502. Riemann Funeral Home, 505 Jeff Davis Avenue, Long Beach, in charge of arrangements.”
I CARE Added: May. 31, 2011
Source: The Sun Herald, 2003
FindAGrave
dbran Record added: Sep 03, 2008
WARE REMEMBERED FOR KINDNESS, DAILY BREAD
Her yeast rolls were legend; her smile unforgettable.
Mamie Ware greeted several generations of students at Long Beach High School with a kind word as she dished up their lunches. The 26-year cafeteria manager believed in staying involved, even to the point of making her famous rolls from scratch and whipping up the kinds of desserts that made students eat at school rather than bring lunch.
If not for her diminished eyesight, the 81-year-old would have worked in a cafeteria until her last breath. She didn’t quit until age 75, and at that time she’d already retired from Long Beach but was preparing convention foods at the University of Southern Mississippi.
“She was very independent and wanted to do things for herself,” said son Edwin Ray Ware of Long Beach. “Cooking was her life. That, and church.”
Ware was proud to hold the oldest membership in First Baptist Church of Long Beach. In fact, she had moved to Long Beach when she was 5 and never left, always living within a mile of the church.
She married Ernest Ware the day before Pearl Harbor was attacked and soon waved goodbye as he headed to France, where he was injured. After World War II, he was a nursing assistant but became city chief of police in the 1960s when the department was composed of four men and one patrol car.
When their two children became old enough, she started her cafeteria career and continued until she lost her eyesight. Ware never got to “see” her last two great-grandchildren, but was pleased she could hold them.
“Mama was a caring person — for everybody,” said daughter Sandra Joyce Bullen of Perkinston. “She didn’t talk bad about anybody.
“It’s hard to talk about her now. We all loved her so much.”
—Kat Bergeron can be reached at 896-2309 or at kbergeron@sunherald.com.
