Argie Mae Wynn

Argie Mae Ward Wynn was born on February 5, 1937, to Zell and Dorothy Ward of Pike City, Arkansas. She came from a generation that valued hard work, perseverance, and making your own way in life. Those qualities became such a part of Argie that it is difficult to tell her story without talking about them.

She shared her life with her husband, J.F. Miller, and together they had four children: Barbara McKinnon, Martha Reich, J.W. Miller and wife Angie, and Jimmy Miller. Over the years, the family grew to include five grandchildren—Amy Nixon, Crystal White, Justin Reich, Lisa Jones, and Jonathan Miller—and 10 great-grandchildren.

Anyone who knew Argie knew she was a strong woman with a strong personality. She was independent, strong-willed, and did things her own way. She didn't always explain herself or tell you what she was thinking—sometimes, she simply did what she felt was right for her. That could make relationships complicated at times, especially within the family. But families are made up of real people, and real people are rarely simple.

Argie loved in her own way. It may not always have looked the way others expected, and she wasn't necessarily someone who expressed everything she felt. But each of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren became part of her life story, just as she became part of theirs.

Faith was also part of Argie's life. She and J.F. were members of Immanuel Baptist Church for many years, and later in life, Argie became a member of Ridge Way Baptist Church. Her connection to the church remained another part of the life and community she built over the years.

Perhaps the quality that defined Argie more than any other was her work ethic. She worked at New Way Cleaners and Nashville Nursing Home before beginning what would become a 32-year career at Tyson Foods.

Argie finally retired from Tyson at the age of 86.

For those who knew her, that probably isn't surprising. Sitting still and taking it easy simply wasn't Argie's way. She believed in working, being independent, and taking care of herself. While many people spend years counting down the days until retirement, Argie just kept going.

That determination carried her through nearly nine decades. Think of everything she witnessed during those years—the changes in the world, the changes in her family, children growing up, grandchildren arriving, and then another generation after them.

And through all those years, Argie remained unmistakably Argie.

She wasn't perfect, and she never pretended to be. She could be strong-willed. She could be difficult. She could make you shake your head. But she was also resilient, independent, hardworking, and strong. She lived life on her own terms for a very long time.

There is something meaningful about being able to look around today and see the generations that came after her. Four children. Five grandchildren. 10 great-grandchildren. Every one of them carries a connection to a woman born nearly 90 years ago in Pike City, Arkansas.

That is part of Argie's legacy.

Today, we don't have to pretend that any life—or any family—is perfect in order to celebrate it. We can be thankful for the good memories, smile at the stories only Argie could tell, acknowledge the complicated ones, and still recognize the importance of the life she lived.

Because after 89 years, there are a lot of stories.

There are some stories that will make her family laugh, probably a few that will still make them shake their heads, and others that will become more precious as the years pass. Together, those stories make up the life of Argie May—a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a great-grandmother, a woman of faith, and without question, one of the hardest-working women you could ever know.

Visitation will be 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., Friday, October 9, at Latimer Funeral Home in Nashville.

Funeral services will be 2:00 p.m., Saturday, October 10, at Ridgeway Baptist Church in Nashville, with Bro. Alan Cook officiating, burial will follow in Pike City Cemetery, under the direction of Latimer Funeral Home in Nashville.

You may send an online sympathy message at www.latimerfuneralhome.com