Nelda Oleta Townsend

Nelda Oleta Townsend went to be with her Lord and Savior on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Brandon, MS. She was 84 years old. The family will receive friends and extended family for visitation from 9:30-10:30 a.m. on Saturday, August 3, 2024, at Briar Hill Baptist Church in Florence. The funeral service will begin at 10:30 and the burial will follow at Briar Hill Cemetery in Florence.

Nelda was born on December 22, 1939, to Walter McFarland and Beulah Hagan McFarland in DeKalb, MS. She has lived in the Florence community since 1970. Nelda was a member of Briar Hill Baptist Church where she taught three-year-old Sunday School for many years. Teaching was her legacy. She loved to read, work in her flower bed and crafting. But above all else, she loved her children. She will truly be missed.

Nelda is preceded in death by her parents, Walter and Beulah McFarland, and her husband, John Henry Townsend. She is survived by her stepson, John Mark Townsend (Gail) of Brandon; stepdaughter, Melany Ann Israel (Allen) of Alaska; 5 grandchildren; 17 great grandchildren; brother, Walter Hayse McFarland (Patsy) of Florence; and sister, Sharon Marlene Cullum of DeKalb.