Everett Sellers Cole, III

Everett Sellers Cole, III, age 71, left The Party on June 28 at his home in Philadelphia, Mississippi. At his side were the love of his life, Julia—who he wooed as a student at Mississippi State University, where they were undoubtedly the cutest couple on campus—his three children, two daughters-in-law, and six grandchildren.

Sellers, a faithful man of God and an Eagle Scout, had a servant’s heart. He often reminded us that we must constantly reach out and offer loving service. As a member of First Methodist Church, he taught youth Sunday School and he led missions to rural villages in Mexico, where he worked with local communities to build vital infrastructure, provide healthcare, and share the love of God. He was a masters graduate of the Louisiana State University School of Banking, and as a community banker, he sidestepped the chains of bureaucracy to help people with their financial burdens by truly listening to their needs, understanding them as humans, and having faith in people beyond the details of their paperwork. He genuinely cared about people. He never saw anyone simply as a business associate or a client. Everyone was important. Everyone was treated with respect. And he proved this over and over by consistently going the extra mile with a heart filled with kindness. In his own words, in a sermon he delivered at a Methodist Cursillo, he said, “Christ’s work is done not by mere doing, but in the true investing of oneself into others. We serve with joy because we rediscover the truth that it is more blessed to give than to receive, and because we re-experience the presence of Christ in unexpected moments.”

He believed in the importance of hard work. And if someone was willing to put in the effort, he gave them the benefit of the doubt, no matter their economic, educational, or cultural background. He thrived on the success stories of determined community members he fostered through periods of growth.

Sellers loved music. While at MSU, where he was a member of his much-loved Kappa Sigma fraternity and earned the nickname “Professor”, he booked the concerts for the university and brought bands such as Chicago, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Barry Manilow, and Dan Fogelberg to Starkville. He made sure his kids knew the whole Elvis catalogue and could identify songs by Wilson Pickett, the Allman Brothers, and the Temptations by age 5. He sang a beautiful tenor in the church choir. He loved to harmonize with the radio on long road trips. He could always be found at late night singalongs at the Neshoba County Fair, bouncing from cabin to cabin from his Happy Hollow home base, with Lindsey’s Lemonade in hand. He was a vigorous hype man for his son Jeremy’s music, and proudly pressed CDs into the palms of countless hands so everyone could hear JJ’s bass riffs. And as his grandchildren grew, he looked to them for new musical inspiration (which is how he inexplicably became a fan of Fall Out Boy in the last decade of his life). Sellers’ home was always full of melody.

In his spare time, he championed Mississippi State athletics, from the baseball team where he rooted on the Dawgs from his seats at Dudy Noble above 3rd base to the football team where he burst with pride when his son Prentiss donned the maroon jersey. He loved casting a line, especially in the company of dear friends and family, whether at his childhood vacation home Shorecrest, on off-shore fishing trips, on visits to Mississippi Delta fish camps, or in the pond behind his house (which was a source of great tranquility for him, aside from his constant battle with beavers). He loved to feed people. The act of breaking bread together was a time-honored tradition for Sellers, and you could always find him tinkering in the kitchen, manning the grill, trying new restaurants, and welcoming guests around his table for dinner parties. He passed this passion on to his daughter Jennifer and celebrated her first cookbook (and every other thing she published) like it was his full-time job.

Sellers had a remarkable knack for building lasting relationships. Among his closest friends were people he met in nursery school. People with whom he cruised Neshoba County backroads in high school while beating time to Mitch Ryder’s “Gambling Man” on his chest, his stomach, his thighs, the headrest, all while singing—no, shouting!—the lyrics at the very top of his lungs. People who stood in testimony at his wedding. People he could count on until the day he took his last breath.

In his community, he served many roles: Sertoma Club where he was a co-creator of the Heart O’ Dixie Triathlon to raise funds for hearing disabled children, Rotary Club, president of the Philadelphia Neshoba County Chamber of Commerce, president (and one of the original organizers) of the Philadelphia Neshoba County Arts Council, the board of Mississippi Young Bankers, creator of the student-incentive Gold Card. But the role that he took most pride in was that of father to Jennifer, Prentiss, and Jeremy, and Big Daddy to Lily Belle, Katelyn, Keaton, Logan, Sam, and Parker. There isn’t a person on the planet who could give a better hug. His door was always open for advice and guidance. He consistently encouraged each of them to forge their own paths and always provided his love as a safety net. And he could deliver the best (worst) dad jokes, where he often destroyed the punch line by breathlessly laughing at his own puns.

Sellers is preceded in death by his father Everett Sellers Cole, Jr., and his brother Dr. Timothy Leigh Cole. He leaves a legacy through his wife Julia Muse Cole, daughter Jennifer Vashti Cole of Catania, Sicily, sons Prentiss Sellers Cole (Keri) of Clinton and Jeremy Muse Cole (Kathryn) of Clinton, and grandchildren Lily Belle Cole, Katelyn Ray Cole, Keaton Sellers Cole, Logan James Cole, Sam Muse Cole, and Parker Muse Cole. He is survived by his mother E. Jane Alexander Cole, his brother Denny Alexander Cole, and his father-in-law Dr. Vernon Clyde Muse.

The family would like to extend their sincere gratitude to Quality Hospice Care and closest of friends.

In remembrance, a visitation will be held in Philadelphia on Sunday, June 30 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at McClain-Hays Funeral Home. On Monday, July 1, there will be additional visitation at 9 a.m. at First Methodist Church, followed by a service at 10 a.m. Burial will be in Cedarlawn Cemetery.

Flowers, a joy for his beloved Julia, are graciously accepted. Donations in his memory can be made to the charity that speaks to your heart.