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Edith King Polk, a woman of faith and family, passed away peacefully at her home on May 3, 2026. Edith was born to Joseph Bert King and Irene Flynt King on September 18, 1927, at the family home in Oak Grove, Smith County. The fifth of six sisters, her childhood was full of farm work, love, and laughter. Edith was stubborn and independent from the start. As a child, she would become so engrossed in reading she would forget the butter needed to be churned. She was the only sister brave enough to wring a chicken’s neck so they could have their special Saturday meal. She would climb the tallest trees and Granny Ella’s gentle coaxing was required to bring her safely down. Mischief was never far, especially with her sister Kat, who once found herself in trouble alongside Edith after an innocent experiment with rolling papers and rabbit tobacco left them both feeling quite ill.
Incredibly hard working, Edith started her first job at thirteen at Ray’s Grocery in Mount Olive where her job was to do “everything except cut the steaks.” It was there she noticed Ray’s nephew Eugene Polk and romance blossomed. On Fridays after her shift would end, they would sit beside each other at the movie theater. Eugene would call her on her party line #5512 and eavesdropping neighbors would request he deliver their groceries before picking her up for a date.
Edith was studious. After graduating from Mize High School in three years, she attended Mississippi College. Edith saved every penny she made at her part-time jobs to pay for college. She took a year off school and taught in Mize to save the last money for tuition. With the help of her sister Ival, Edith was able to afford her final tuition payments, and she graduated from Mississippi College in 1949 where she was elected class secretary and voted a school beauty
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A woman ahead of her time, Edith insisted she would not marry until she held both her degree and a teaching position. Once these were secured, she and Eugene wed in December of 1949. Their life together was marked by joy and labor, as they were blessed with three beloved children. In 1962, they opened Gene Polk’s Pharmacy in Magee, and Edith left teaching to keep the books and manage the gift shop.
As a mother, Edith was firm but full of love, teaching her children the value of hard work and responsibility. The family store was a place of gathering and growth, where each child learned to contribute from an early age. Edith’s strong opinions and decisive nature were met with both respect and playful ribbing from her children.
The partnership between Edith and Eugene was balanced and based on their deep and abiding respect and devotion to each other. She managed the business with sharp intelligence; he cared for the community as a devoted pharmacist. When asked who wore the pants in their marriage, Edith would say, “He had one leg, and I had the other.”
Edith was a problem solver. Frustrated with the difficulty local businesses faced borrowing money, Edith, Eugene, and several other Magee business owners founded a local bank. Every Friday, Edith was responsible for depositing the money raised from selling shares. Many weeks she would drive to Jackson with tens of thousands of dollars hidden in her purse. In 1975 Simpson County Bank opened. Edith sat on the board for years and watched her dream grow into what is now PriorityOne Bank. She continued to handle the store’s banking and visiting the Magee branch well into her 90s. Some of her closest friendships have come from people she met at “the bank.”
Edith may have been at her best as a grandmother. Her oldest granddaughter dubbed her “Maw” and this is how she was known far and wide. Her grandchildren would say she was famous for her biscuits, advice, and fried chicken. She taught them to put up corn and peas and turn cucumbers into pickles. They found her magical, squabbling over who would sit beside her or ride with her. There were many nights Edith slept with six grandchildren piled into a king-sized bed, all wanting to be as close as possible to her. She did not miss a ball game or an awards ceremony and delighted in their accomplishments. If her grandchildren asked, she was there; whether it was moving one to the Caribbean, chaperoning a senior trip to New York, or visiting with the Ole Miss football team, she never hesitated, and when called on, would simply say, “Let me get my purse.”
Her beloved sisters remained lifelong companions, and their gatherings were filled with chatter, love, and family stories. When the King sisters came together, the decibel level would rise. Over the years children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren joined the sisters at events and Edith evolved into the matriarch of the extended family, maintaining a close relationship with her nieces and nephews.
Edith had special friendships with her brother and sister-in-law Will and Jean. She and Eugene had to laugh when they realized Edith and Jean and Eugene and Will would both talk to each other for an hour most days, paying a hefty telephone bill for the long-distance calls from Magee to Batesville. She and Jean were not only childhood friends, but also college roommates before marrying brothers and Edith borrowing Jean’s wedding dress for her ceremony. Will was a confidant and trusted advisor to Edith after Eugene passed away.
She was sixteen the first time she went to Jackson from Shady Grove, but she made up for her lack of travels later in life. Edith traveled extensively in the United States and across the globe with many trips to Europe as well as Russia, Australia, and Israel. Her favorite trip, however, was with her daughters and granddaughters to Ireland where she kissed the Blarney stone at 88 years old, a nod to her heritage and sense of adventure.
Edith was a proponent of education, and she sponsored ACT prep courses for local students who could not afford it. She loved doing crossword puzzles and playing along with Wheel of Fortune. She imparted advice and sage wisdom when asked. She had a deep and unwavering faith and was an active member of the First Baptist Church of Magee where she taught Sunday school for over 40 years.
She loved watching sports and was an Ole Miss fan for over 75 years, but if another school had a hometown or family connection, she was a fan of theirs as well.
Edith was preceded in death by her parents, her five sisters, Irma, Sybil, Kathleen, Ival, and Betty, the love of her life, Eugene, and her son-in-law, Larry Clark. She is survived by her three children, Judy Polk Clark, Brinson Polk, and Sherrye Polk Brame. She was Maw to eight beloved grandchildren, Anne, Brynna, Melissa, Laura, Lauren, Thomas, Tre, and Tayler; eleven adored great-grandchildren; and Aunt Ede to a host of nieces and nephews.
Services will be held on Thursday, May 14, 2026, at First Baptist Church of Magee. Visitation will begin at 9:30 am with the service at 11:00 am. Interment will follow at Magee City Cemetery.
Edith often remarked how her mother would feed anyone who stopped by her house as they were lucky to have more than enough for their family. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to an organization that provides meals to the less fortunate.
Thursday, May 14, 2026
Thursday, May 14, 2026
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