Jirlean Anderson Laird

Jirlean “Aunt Jerry” Anderson Laird was born in Ponce de Leon on Crooked Creek Road. She was born on January 28, 1928, to the late Daniel Newton Anderson Sr. and Eunice Campbell. She was the second oldest sibling of 10 children. As a child and youth, she attended Walton County Public Schools under Principal Fairy Jackson. Jirlean was a member of Temple Missionary Baptist Church and served on the Usher Board. She loved the lord and listening to gospel music. Her last song request was “Another Day’s Journey”. The last prayer that Jirlean prayed was over her great-great niece and her unborn child.

            Jirlean worked at the Henry Koeber Chicken Plant (Cooking Goods, Showell Farms, Perdue Farms) for 17 years. After retirement, she opened an at home daycare, watching and caring for the children of the community. Jirlean loved to pass time by listening to her scanner. She also loved cooking for her brothers, and spending time at family cookouts or events, enjoying good meals. When Toccara got off from work at 5:00pm, she would fuss that it should not take her 30 minutes to go pick up her shrimp fried rice and bring it to her.  Jirlean’s desire in her last days was to have chicken livers, lima beans, fried okra, mashed potatoes with gravy, and a hot cup of coffee.

Jirlean thought that family was the most important thing, and she spent time with them as much as possible. She enjoyed going to the pea fields with her great-grandson Dillan. She loved watching college football and baseball; often referring to the Florida Gators as “Ricky’s Team”. Jirlean cherished spending the weekends with her great-great-grandchildren, the “McDonald Crew”. She also enjoyed loving on her great-great nephew Nehemiah and hearing him call her “Aunt Cherry”. Jirlean loved the times she spent cooking with her grandson, Markees; she would relax in her recliner and be his professional taste tester. She also shared a special emotional bond with her great niece, Kathy, you could often find them together at family functions, crying together and loving on one another. 

Jirlean loved talking with the residents of Hall 2, “The Suburbs”, at the
Chautauqua Nursing Home; she was known as the hall monitor. She tagged teamed this duty with her brother Jim; as she worked one hall, he would work the other. Jirlean and Jim not only grew up together but spent most of their lives living down the road from each other and spent the last few years of life in the nursing home together. Jirlean was always well cared for, right until the end, by her dedicated and loyal daughter/granddaughter, and partner in crime, Toccara Addison. 

Jirlean is preceded in death by her brothers Rovell Anderson, William Henry “Bill” Anderson, Daniel Newton Anderson Jr., Aubrey D. Anderson, Ben F. Anderson, her sisters Willie “Louise” Hogans, Eliza “Ann” Anderson, Luetrishe Goode, and Talcumia Bell, and daughter Gail Laird. 

She is survived by her youngest brother James “Jim” Anderson, daughters Elnora Laird and Detral Lewis, both of Evansville, Indiana, son Van Laird of DeFuniak Springs, Florida, and Grandson-in-Law, Markees (Toccara) Addison. She is also survived by two devoted great-grandsons, Xavier (Grace) McDonald of Pensacola, Florida and Dillan Brinson, 10 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren, 8 great-great grandchildren, and a host of nieces, nephew, cousins, and friends.

A time of visitation will be held Friday, September 19, 2025 in the chapel of Davis-Watkins Funeral Home from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Funeral services will be held Saturday, September 20, 2025 in the chapel of Davis-Watkins Funeral Home, 1474 State Highway 83 North beginning at 11:00 a.m. Committal will follow at Euchee Valley Cemetery.

Arrangements and services are under the direction of Davis-Watkins Funeral Home of DeFuniak Springs.