Graveside services for Elaine Giardina Dawkins, 83, of Brandon formerly of Leland, will be held on Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. at Greenville Cemetery. She died May 31, 2015 at University Hospital, Jackson after a brief illness.
Elaine was born January 23, 1932 in Leland, the daughter of Vincent and Lucy Carollo Giardina. She was a communicant of St. James Catholic Church in Leland and graduated in 1949 from Leland High School where she excelled in varsity basketball. She later attended Mississippi State University and enjoyed a lifetime career in bookkeeping and accounting. In the past few years, she was a communicant of St. Jude Catholic Church of Pearl. Elaine was special to her many friends and family for her wonderful sense of humor and her genuine concern for others.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her son, David L. Dawkins of Dallas, Texas, and her sisters, Sarah G. Lee, and Rosa Lee G. Thompkins, and her brothers, Tony Giardina and Frank Giardina. Elaine is survived by a son, H.L. Jim (Lottie Mae) Dawkins, Jr. of Greenville; her daughter, Phyllis Dawkins (Mark) Edwards of Brandon; her sisters Mary Lee G. Ferracci of Shaw, Annette G. Wells of Yazoo City, and Elizabeth G. Crawford of Greenville; five grandchildren, Will (Leah) Dawkins of Portland, OR; Rob (Paden) Dawkins of Leland; Jane Marie Dawkins of New Orleans, LA ; Amanda H. (Russ) Pate and Aaron Henderson of Brandon, and two great grandchildren, Walker Dawkins of Leland and Sidney Dawkins of Portland, OR. She will also be missed by her many nieces and nephews who loved her dearly.
Visitation will be from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. Tuesday at Boone Funeral Home, Leland. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to St. James Catholic Church, P.O. Box 352, Leland, Mississippi 38756 or to a charity of one’s choice.