Hometown Rankin - June & July 2017

Hometown Rankin
READER
SPOTLIGHT
Kathy Deer
Why did you decide to make Rankin
County your home?
I moved to Pearl 32-years ago with the intentions
of it being temporary. I enrolled my daughter in
first grade at Pearl, but still thinking that I would
probably move to Clinton or Madison. In the
meantime I became very involved in the Pearl
Jaycees, a fun close-knit bunko group, and a
wonderful local church. Within no time, my
daughter was fully immersed in Girl Scouts,
Sunday school, pee-wee cheerleading, softball, and
dance. It quickly became home and in a few years I
met the love of my life and we got married and
joined our families. The rest is history. God worked
every detail of it out for me.
Tell us about your family.
I am married to Kirby Deer who is an SAP
manager at Ergon. Together we have three
daughters: Jennifer, who is married to Ethan
Mayeu and they have one beautiful daughter Cavie
that we call “The Princess”; Kelsey, who is married
to Justin Lancaster and they have one son, Shaw;
and Emily, who is married to Brian McGairty and
they have one son, Jon Davis who is almost three,
and identical twin boys, Tatum and Tucker, who
will be two in August. We are members of
Crossgates United Methodist Church and we love
sports, hunting and fishing and just spending time
with our family.
What is your favorite memory of living
in Rankin County?
Living here as long as I have I really struggle with
naming just one memory a favorite. My mind is
flooded with memories of family, friends and
good times.
Where are your 3 favorite places to eat
in Rankin County?
We have so many great restaurants in Rankin
County that it would be hard to only pick three, so
I will narrow it down to Pearl, and give you a few
of my favorites: Moss Creek Fish House, Little
Willie’s BBQ, Jose’s Mexican Restaurant, Darwell’s
To Go, and Frisco Deli.
What are some fun things to do in Rankin
County on the weekends?
Attend a Mississippi Braves baseball game, go to a
movie at Tinseltown Theatre, play a round of golf
at Patrick Farms Golf Club or, the best kept secret
in town, the Pearl Municipal Golf Course. The city
of Pearl has three city parks that have playground
equipment, walking trails, pavilions, picnic tables
and big gorgeous oak trees that shade the parks.
We have a lot of family-friendly events in Rankin
County such as festivals, car shows and concerts.
Share some things you enjoy doing in your
spare time.
With five grandchildren that live close, spare time
is not always available. They are my heart and
doing things with them is what I treasure the most.
Outside of family gatherings, sports is my
passion—primarily football, basketball and
baseball. We attend our grandson’s games and we
also love high school and college level sports as well
as minor and major league games.
What are three things on your bucket list?
When I think of a bucket list I think of places that
would like to go, like Washington State, New York
City, and Hawaii. But I would mainly like to watch
our grandchildren grow up and be happy and
well-adjusted adults.
Who is someone you admire and why?
I admire all of the people that work with shelters
like the Center for Violence Prevention. Sandy
Middleton and Paula Vaughn and their staff work
tirelessly for those that need help the most. I
personally could not deal with the violence and
tragedy that they see on a daily basis. God has truly
called them to their profession.
Where do you see yourself ten years
from now?
I would like to be retired or semi-retired and
working on my bucket list!
What is your favorite childhood memory?
My parents gave me the opportunity to do all kinds
of things like Girl Scouts, piano lessons, art lessons,
sports, summer camps, and other fun things.
My favorite memory is just playing outside, riding
my bike and climbing trees.
If you could give us one encouraging
quote, what would it be?
“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord,
plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give
you hope and a future.” Jer. 29:11
What is your favorite thing about
Hometown Magazines?
I’ve never seen a magazine that I will grab up as
soon as they are delivered and read from cover to
cover. It is always full of interesting articles and I
love all of the pictures of events that are held in
Rankin County.
110 • June 2017