Nov. 10, 1926 – April 3, 2016

FAYETTE — A celebration of life worship service for Eleanor Johnson Corban, 89, who died Sunday, April 3, 2016, in Jackson, will be 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the Fayette United Methodist Church.

Visitation will be from 10:30 a.m. until service time at the church.

Arrangements are under the direction of Laird Funeral Home.

Eleanor Johnson Corban was born on Nov. 10, 1926, the daughter of Jackson Millsaps Johnson and Loulie Maples Johnson, at their home, Eleven Oaks, near Harriston and her hometown, Fayette.

She was a graduate of Fayette High School and Millsaps College.  In 1947, Eleanor married Harry Lee Corban, also from Fayette, and they enjoyed a strong and loving partnership until his death in 2006.  Their home on her birthplace land, “Meadowview”, was a warm sanctuary for their friends and family.

“Miss Eleanor,” “Aunt El,” “Mom El,” and “The Matriarch” were her special names used by many who were influenced by her genuinely warm southern hospitality and sustained by her terrific food with skillets of cornbread, cornbread dressing and her mother’s brand of pot roast being only three of her top treats..

Eleanor’s life was guided by her faith in God, her love for Jesus Christ and her instinctive ability to process, translate, and communicate this eternal love into love and respect for her family, friends and neighbors.  As a life-long member of the Fayette United Methodist Church, she carried out her vow to serve God with her time, talent, prayers and gifts.  She was truly a “prayer warrior.”

Active in her community, Eleanor served others in an unselfish manner.  Her work life in Fayette included employment at the Jefferson County Health Department and The Jefferson County Bank.  As a loving daughter and daughter-in-law, she and Harry Lee provided love and nurture for their parents.

Eleanor was preceded in death by her parents; her brother, Jackson Millsaps Johnson Jr.; her husband, Harry Lee Corban of almost 60 years; and an older sister, Mary Todd, who lived in Kosciusko but was a long-time resident of the Jackson area.

Survivors include her two children Robert “Bob” Millsaps Corban and wife, Florence Jo, of Tupelo, and Jackie Lee Owens and husband, Tommy, of Brookhaven;  five grandchildren, Amy Lee Mullins and husband, Jeff, of Meadville, Jennifer Lynn Bell and husband, Adam, of Brandon, Carla Johnson Kath and husband, Ryan, of Boston, William Bradford Corban and wife, Kathleen, of Hattiesburg, and Robert Liming Corban of New York City; seven great-grandchildren, Eleanor, Taylor, and Drew Mullins, Adalyn, Aden, and Asher Bell and Belle and Millie Kath; a Corban great-grandchild due in July; and her life was also enriched by the love of her nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Fayette Cemetery Association, P.O. Box 424, Fayette, MS  39069, the Fayette United Methodist Church or to a charity of choice.

Online condolences may be sent to lairdfh.com.