Irene Elizabeth Toney

Irene Elizabeth Speights Toney, a retired minister’s wife, passed away peacefully on Thursday, December 26, 2019.  She was the wife of the Reverend G. Hobson Toney, a retired United Methodist minister. The funeral service will be held at 11am on Saturday, December 28th at Crossgates United Methodist Church where she was an active member with visitation from 9am until the service time.  Burial will be at Crestview Cemetery in Brandon, MS. Ott & Lee Funeral Home in Brandon, MS is handling the arrangements.

Irene Elizabeth Speight was born on April 11, 1936, to Horace L. Speights, Sr., and Bessie Allen Speights in Oakvale, Mississippi.  She was reared on a small farming community in Lawrence County Mississippi.

At a very young age she realized she had a talent for music.  One of her pastors taught Irene the basics of piano music.  Soon she learned she could play music by ear.  She developed this talent by playing for the worship service in her local Baptist church and in the local Methodist Church, to which she was happy to give her talent.

It was while she played at the local Methodist Congregation that she met her future husband.  They soon fell in love and after six weeks of dating, her future husband proposed marriage.  On August 22, 1955, they were united in Christian Marriage at her church.  This year they celebrated our 64th Wedding Anniversary.

Irene was a gifted housewife.  Through 65 years of marriage she was a dedicated hard working and compassionate wife and mother. It was her dedication to her family and was the glue that kept them strong.  With her persistent wisdom and guidance she left a family legacy. She reared two wonderful talented and gifted children.

In the majority of the pastorate they were appointed to, Irene volunteered to play the piano.  It was a gift for the Lord that she enjoyed.  Irene was been a faithful pastor’s wife.  She sang in the church choirs.  When it came time for visitation she was constantly a pastor-partner – to home and to hospitals she was there.  Mrs. Toney was the favorite in many of the 21 congregations they served.

She cultivated a natural activity in the church ladies’ Woman Society of Christian Service (later called “United Methodist Women”) activities by teaching courses and giving programs and offering herself in whatever effort was required.

Mrs. Toney was preceded in death by her parents Horace Bessie Speights and 4 siblings: Horace L. Speights, Jr. (“Junior’), Lowery Speights, Sarah Hilton and Barbara Jean Speights.

Mrs. Toney is survived by her husband, Rev. G. Hobson Toney; two children and their spouses Becky and Sammy Fisher and David and Lesia Toney; five grandchildren Elizabeth Ann and Dave Ship, Toney Fisher, Alison and Clark Campbell, Blair Toney and Cara Elizabeth Toney; three great grandchildren: Annadell, Nona Lynn and Hattie Clair Shipp; a brother-in-law, Jimmy Hill.