Elizabeth "Shug" Morgan

The aides and nurses at Longwood Community Living Center told her family that Elizabeth "Shug" Geno Morgan had a rough facade sometimes, but she had a heart that was huge, that her laughter and smart aleck remarks often made their day. And we saw them hug her and love her and cry over her as she waited to make her journey home. As her family, we already knew that Shug was a survivor who brought home stray dogs and fiercely protected her family. On October 17, after a major stroke, she found the "peace that passeth all understanding'.

She was the middle child of Charlie and Doris Geno of Jumpertown. Surrounding her were Charline, Satch, Billie, Linda, and Mary Ann. Now only Linda and Mary Ann are left to carry on, and that's a hard task when those who filled the house with laughter are now gone. But Shug was a survivor, and she taught her younger siblings to face each day and just keep going. She married young at 15 and went back to school later to earn her GED. After working in the shirt factories to earn a living, she became a hairdresser and opened her own shop. She lost on of her sons, Cary Yates, when he was just 15, and she taught us how to handle grief - not to ignore it but to walk through it, to continue to love but also continue to live. Her sons, Terry Yates (Frances) and Al Yates (Marie) were her loves, and when they brought grandchildren, Terry Yates, Jr. and Josh and Lindsay Yates, Tina Brendle, and Kayla Yates into the home, she became Ma Shug. This role made her so happy. Now with 10 great-grandchildren, someone is going to need "to tell it like it is" and then smile and hug them and hold them tightly.

We honestly never knew what Shug was going to do next. She might lock herself out of your house and show up climbing the wall by your bedroom. She might visit the Grand Canyon and tell you it was just a "big hole in the ground". You might look for her at a reunion and notice that she had exited because it was too noisy. After her father died, she slept at her mother's house every night to keep her from being alone. She traveled with her sisters and kept them in stitches. She and Billie loved gambling; I never knew if it was the slots or just the laughter that kept them going. Kermit spent lots of time trying to chaperone to no avail.

Shug was a lifelong member of Cross Roads Methodist Church. When she saw someone in need, she just acted, didn't wait to be asked, just emptied her cupboard and filled theirs. She also took great pride in keeping them cemetery immaculate for over 20 years.

Shug is preceded in death by her parents, her son, Cary Yates, her brother, Max L. Geno, and sisters, Charline Hamilton and Billie Keenum. She is survived by her sons, Terry Yates (Frances) and Alton Yates (Marie); her sisters, Linda Huddleston and Mary Ann Perri (Bill). She also leaves four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Visitation will be from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Sunday, October 20 at Kesler Funeral Home Booneville. A Celebration of Life will follow at 1:00 p.m. Burial will follow in Oak Lawn Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Caden Padgett, Conner Yates, Mike Phillips, Josh Yates, Trent Huddleston, and Terry Yates, Jr.

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