Edna Mae Gilbert Morel

Surrounded by family, Edna Mae Morel, 88, passed peacefully into the hands of her Creator on June 24, 2025, in Poplarville, Mississippi. Born Edna Mae Gilbert in 1936, the Biloxi native spent most of her life “down the road” in Buras, Louisiana, before relocating to Pearl River County following Hurricane Katrina. 

She lived a full life – one that included both the heartache of loss and the joy of communion with her Lord and her family. Through it all, she endured with a faithful spirit. 

Family defined Edna Mae. She was “daughter” to Warren and Margaret Gilbert; “big sister” to Barbara, Peggy, Nell, June, Butch, Allen and Ricky; “mom” to Sandra, Candace, Tammy Jo, Arthur ("Tee"), and Scott; “Maw Maw” or "Granny" to 18 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren and 4 great-great-grandchildren; and “Aunt Mae” to a sprawling brood of nieces and nephews, and their own children and grandchildren. 

For three decades, she worked in the rough and tumble world of the oil and gas industry as an assistant to provide for those she loved. 

Edna Mae was in every way a strong matriarch. She was intensely proud of and protective of her family, and unfailingly kind and generous to both kin and stranger—a friend and confidant who saw the best in people. Even as her body and mobility failed her late in life, she could be found on Facebook most days commenting on every family member’s post she could find, always with words of love, pride, and encouragement. 

Edna Mae believed in and depended on Jesus, and would want others to know He died for our sins, offering to those who believe in Him the gift of eternal life. Today she dances in His presence, free from pain, reunited with loved ones. She is preceded in death by her parents, sister Barbara (Gilbert) Franceski, brother Ricky Gilbert, daughter Tammy Jo (Morel) Davis, granddaughter Charlana Marie (Latino) Pickich, brothers-in-law Tommy Frickey and John Franceski, niece Wanda Jeffcoat, nephew Kurt Gilbert, and great-niece Autumn Tarver. 

Her legacy is one of goodness, leaving behind in her wake countless lives touched and changed. 

The family will celebrate her homecoming with a service on Saturday, June 28, 2025 at Edmond Fahey Funeral Home, located at 110 S. Necaise Ave., Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, visitation from 1:00 p.m. till 3:00 p.m. and funeral at 3:00 p.m., followed by burial at Gardens of Memory Cemetery, 630 Central Ave., Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

Edmond Fahey Funeral Home is honored to serve the family of Edna Mae Morel.