Laurie Bethene (Peterson) Dedeaux

Laurie Bethene Dedeaux, 66 of Gulfport, passed away Dec. 1st at her home. Born November 12, 1955 in Poplarville, she was the fourth of five children to Wallace Joseph and Grethel Marie (Hariel) Peterson. She enjoyed cooking and yes, even cleaning house and became a bit OCD about it as well. Though she was one of the youngest, Laurie was the "ring leader" of the children. She enjoyed bossing them around and did her best to keep them in line with chores, like cleaning and things that needed to be done around the house. Her family owned and operated Grethel's Grocery, where Laurie spent a lot of time growing up, helping out and working in the store. She attended Hancock North Central, graduating with the Class of 1973 and going on to Pearl River Community College where she took the cosmetology course. Laurie had her own shop, Kuts and Kurls for a few years. You see, Laurie was a multi-talented woman who was interested in lots of things, but once she learned how to do it, she was usually moving on to learn something else. She was in to crafts and arranging flowers, ceramics, decorating cakes and more over the years, continuing to do it all for family and close friends. Her primary function over the years, on top of all the other things she did, was domestic engineer. She was never one to sit idle for very long, always busy cleaning, even after someone else had just cleaned. Laurie adored her family and they were at the top of her list. She supported her daughter in everything she was involved in, making sure she was at practices, games or wherever she needed to be. Crystal fondly remembers years of nursing school with Laurie as her study partner. She probably could have passed the nursing exam herself after that, telling many that she could be their nurse. Though she had one child of her own, Laurie was "momma" to so many more of her nieces, nephews and others. She was a Christian by faith and attended Steep Hollow Baptist Church with her family for many years, until moving to Gulfport and attending FBC Lyman for the past several years. Laurie enjoyed going and doing, especially with her sisters and always insisted on driving. A wonderful sister; faithful, devoted wife and the "best mom ever", she will be fondly remembered and sadly missed by all whose life she touched. Laurie was preceded by her parents, Wallace & Grethel Peterson; her brother Dwight Peterson; a brother-in-law, Clifton Dedeaux; her niece Alisha Dedeaux Davenport and her maternal grandmother, "Momma" Docia Hariel. Left to cherish her memories are: her loving husband of almost 49 years, Jerry Dedeaux; her daughter Crystal Dedeaux of Houston, TX; her siblings: Danny Sue Ladner of Necaise, Joy (Donnie) Ainsworth of Gulfport and Robin (Gary Wayne) Smith of Poplarville; her sisters-in-law, Shirley Peterson and Marilyn (Joey) Hayles, and her brother-in-law, Donald Ray (Jill) Dedeaux. Laurie leaves a legacy of many nieces and nephews, including: Scott, Daren, Kamika, Richie, Nyla, Noah, Blake, Lauren, Colby, Lorn, Neil, Jerry and Little Joey, with numerous great nieces and nephews and more friends than one could count. Services are scheduled for Monday, December 6 at Steep Hollow Baptist Church. Visitation will begin at 9:30, followed by the funeral service at 11:00 AM, with Bros. Josh Cougle and Stewart Shelton officiating. Afterward Laurie will be laid to rest in the Smith Cemetery. Trinity Funeral Services is honored to serve the Dedeaux family in their time of need, asking everyone to keep Jerry, Crystal and all of them in your thoughts and prayers in this difficult time.