Robert Earl East

Robert Earl East, 73 of Brandon, passed away Tuesday, September 27, 2022, while working at his beloved Trustmark Bank. Robert was born February 6, 1949, in Fort Benning, GA to the late Poche and Dorothy East. He was the Jr. Vice President of the imaging department at Trustmark Bank. As a self-proclaimed “workaholic,” he loved his job and found purpose in working with his banking team.  He was always willing to take on a new and challenging task with great patience and persistence. He was a loyal husband, father, friend, and employee. When he wasn’t working, you could find him feeding wild animals and cultivating his gardens around his beautiful home. He took pride in his yard, and often admired it by sharing stories of the fruit of his labors. Instead of adopting animals, animals seemed to adopt he and his wife, Beverly, like their cat Nubee. In addition to his love for his job, he had a deep affection for his family, especially his grandchildren. He enjoyed spending time with them, and he found great joy in sending his much-anticipated birthday cards. His love for classic cars ran deep, and he could often be found attending local car shows. Without a doubt, every year you could find him at Cruisin’ the Coast proudly driving his 1986 Classic Tiffany (not a “kit” car!) He also loved showing off his 1972 Red Mustang Convertible and trading car stories with others. Without a doubt, he and Beverly would often meet their family and friends on Saturday at the American Legion Post #112 Bingo Parlor for hours of laughter, and he often left with a little extra change in his pocket. Robert enjoyed life and will be remembered by his pranks and dry sense of humor. He easily put a smile on everyone’s face.

Along with his parents, Robert is also preceded in death by his sisters, Dorothy Evelyn East and Betsy East Gray. He is survived by his wife of 10 wonderful years, Beverly East of Brandon. They were often described as two peas in a pod. He is also survived by his sons, Jason (Kerri) East of Mendenhall and Bryan (Anita) East of Mendenhall; daughter, Kelli (Jason) East Dyess of Brandon; step-daughters, Hoi-Anne (Barry) Loftin of Florence and London (Tom) Wagner of Panama City, FL; sisters, Bonnie Neely of Florence and Linda Marble of Florence; brothers, Roy (Diane) East of Yazoo City, MS and Richard (Janice) East of Florence; grandchildren, Kaitlyn, Caroline, Britt, and Chase East and Lilly, Paxton, and Jaggar Payne; step grandchildren, Rod and Taylor Bridges, Carlie Polson, Kaylee Thornton, and Sierra Cushman; step great grandson, Winston Bridges; and a host of other extended family members.