Mr. Pitts was an absolute angel on earth. He could build anything, repair anything, and make everything better than new.....he did this with souls as well. He built them up, repaired them, and always made a soul better than new with his love and care for others. His family and friends all truly benefitted from his handy work. He will be greatly missed but we will all meet again.

Darrell was a great friend, a kind and caring man that you enjoyed every time you saw him. We pray for comfort for all of his family at this time.

We are sorry for your loss . Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Mike and Mendy Kilgore

DARRELL PITTS by Tony Green Learning a Trade from the Master Somehow the years just get away from us, don't they? It's at least partly true that we are the sum total of all of those that we have spent time with, in work and play. I have always felt very blessed, to have been born in this state and to have worked with some of the very best in their craft. MS has always been a special place. It's special because of its people. And, this country is very special because of the people, the hard working people who built it. In 1 Thessalonians 4:11 Paul says, And to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you. And in Colossians 3:23, Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men. These verses make me think of my ole friend and workmate, Darrell Pitts. This week I got to talk to Darrell. For almost 30 years Darrell helped his brother Hoyett manage Pitts Cabinet Shop. When I was 17, 18, and 19 years old I worked there a couple of summers and part time during the holidays. It was in those years of my youth when I felt but probably was not actually, like the song described, "Like a Rock." The work crew included Darrell's son Scooter, Mr. "R" Robinson, Tom House, Freeman Rogers, Freeman's brother whose name I have forgotten, Eddie Kilgore, myself, and several others I can't recall. My high school friend Jon Long and I worked part time while we were at IJC. One summer, Jon and I, along with his daddy Jim, with Halbert(Doc) Pitts (Darrell and Hoyett's brother) built a house at Ecru. We loaded up, all four of us in a standard cab pickup, at 6 each morning and drove over there. It was a large house, a doctors house. We worked four ten hour days and had a three day weekend. Maybe that was the best summer of my life. Nothing but a pair of cutoff jeans and tennis shoes on my body, and armed with a 20 ounce hammer. Koolaid and a Bologna sandwich almost every day for lunch. For those 2 1/2 months, I stayed the color of a dark brown Native American. And, was in the best physical shape of my life. But, I digress. At Pitts Cabinet Shop, we built cabinets, beautiful residential cabinets that went into houses for several counties around Fulton and Itawamba county. Darrell basically oversaw and managed the work each day with Hoyett. Tom House was the stain and finish man. The rest of us, sawed, glued, stapled, and sanded. One of my primary jobs was sanding the cabinets. We had a great time. It's always a great time when you are surrounded by those who are Believers. Every day was fun and we made it fun with jokes, pranks, and silly stuff, while still getting the job done. The days went by fast. Darrell was always positive and almost always smiling and laughing. And between him and Hoyett there was not a dull moment. I learned the important things in being successful in business. "Hurry, hurry, hurry." "Meet the people, meet the people, meet the people!" I can still see him with his pencil tuffed in his hair and held in place by his ear and his measuring tape sitting on his belt. He was missing the tips of a finger or two from an earlier encounter with a table saw. The first and only raccoon that I've ever eaten, he prepared. It was really quite good in the barbecue sauce. Usually with his work jeans he wore a MSU Bulldog cap or T-shirt or both. Like his other brothers, he stood solid in his Christian beliefs. And, every day it was a joy to work with him. There was a lot of joking around and good clean fun. I write about him and those others I mentioned, and that time and that workplace place, because I know it was a "once in a lifetime deal." A "once in a lifetime" collection of days and moments that went by too fast. For a brief time, I experienced some of best workdays and in this day's language, the best team that I may ever be around. I have had many other great teammates from Tupelo to Grenada to Vicksburg to Fulton and now at CSB. However, Darrell and Pitts Cabinet Shop occurred during my formative years, when I was young and still very much impressionable. Anything good that I have in me, I owe to God first, but I also know that how God does that is the polishing, the honing, and as the Bible says, "as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another" that occurs when you are surrounded by Christian, God loving folks like Darrell. I just wanted to thank and salute him today. He is finishing this race called life very strongly, at the Countrywood Manor Assisted Living home in Mantachie. When I talked to him this week, he said something that cut pretty deep, that was almost true. He said, "Tony Green, I haven't seen you in 49 years!" He was only off a few years. I did see him five years ago at his birthday gathering. Like many folks I know, I love him like the brother I never had. But, praise the Lord, we got to be brothers and shared a wonderful few years from 1977-1979, building a beautiful product, and having a lot of fun doing. And did I say, if you see any, any good in me whatsoever, I have Darrell Pitts to thank for some of that. Like so many others I have worked along beside, he was a great influence on me, and what a difference he made in my life! We love you Darrell!

Prayers for your family! May God hold you in his arms and Comfort you! Debbie

Praying for your family. I enjoyed getting to know Darrell whenever I visited with my mother at Lakeview Place. Thankful that Darrell is with the Lord now. No more suffering! Laurie McBride

Deepest Sympathy. Darrell was a wonderfully hilarious person with a strong work ethic , love of God & of his family.