Mary Bryson

Mary Lou Cantrell Langford was born Feb 12, 1941, in Monroe County, Mississippi, and died on June 1, 2024. She was Formerly of Amory, Mississippi, and most recently a resident of Overland Park, Kansas, for the past 14 years.   Mary Lou was the eldest child in a family of 5 siblings. As the eldest, Mary Lou put family responsibilities first. When family needs became great in high school, she began working in retail to help to provide family support. One of her early jobs was at the Dime store in Amory. As a young lady she met the love of her life, Robert Earl Langford, and they married in 1960. They later had two children. Mary Lou had an exuberant personality, a love of life and a desire for relationships. Connecting with people was important for Mary Lou. People were drawn to her by her lively personality, quick wit, infectious laugh and captivating smile. Her inviting personality along with her love for fashion, beauty and people forged together in her professional life. She found great joy in helping people present their best self.  In the early years of her career, she was a fashion consultant for a local clothing retailer with responsibility for opening a sister store in Fulton. She later moved into the beauty industry as a cosmetic specialist for Merle Norman.  Through her professional career she discovered her interest in travel and was afforded the opportunity to attend fashion shows and explore new cities.  

Mary Lou spent much of her free time as a member of Beta Sigma Phi. Through this sorority she developed and fostered friendships, participated in charity balls, performed community service and helped found the Amory Railroad Festival. In addition, her love of nature drew her to an interest in gardening where she spent a great amount of time. Family connections were important to Mary Lou. She spent most of her life in Monroe County near her mother, brothers and sisters.  In her later years Mary Lou moved to Kansas to be near immediate family. She was able to spend precious time with her daughter and son, 3 grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild. There she continued her life-long pursuit of connection by building new relationships and friendships. 

Funeral services will be held at Cleveland Moffett Funeral Home, Amory, MS, on Thursday June 13, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. Family visitation is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. Public visitation is scheduled from Noon to 1:45 p.m. Service will begin at 2:00 p.m. 

She is survived by her daughter, Vickie Langford Nowell (Jimmy) of Overland Park, Kansas; her son, Robert Langford of Overland Park, Kansas; her brothers, Jerry Cantrell (Linda) of Amory, and Cecil Cantrell (Dot) of Wren; her grandchildren, Jordan Nowell of Overland Park, Kansas; Tatum Langford of Fernandina Beach, FL and Grant Langford of Denver, Colorado; her great-grandson, Leo Tillman Nowell of Overland Park, Kansas; and friend, Betty Lynn Barker. 

Mary Lou was preceded in death by her husband, Robert Earl Langford; her father, Thelton Cantrell, and mother, Allene Ratliff Cantrell; brother, Kenny Cantrell; sister, Linda Sue Colburn (Doug). 

Pallbearers will be Jimmy Nowell, Jordan Nowell, Andy Cantrell, Marty Cantrell, Bobby Cantrell, and Dale Langford.  Honorary pallbearers will be Jerry Cantrell, Cecil Cantrell, and Carter Dobbs, Jr.

Condolences may be shared with the family at clevelandmoffettfuneralhome.com