Marilynn "Mernie" Joyce (Mitchell) Outland

Marilynn Joyce Mitchell Outland “Mernie,” a beloved wife, mother, sister, grandmother, and great-grandmother passed away peacefully on Monday, October 13, 2025, at the age of 78.

"Mernie” was born in Wake County on April 16, 1947, and was the daughter of the late Morris Milton Mitchell and the late Myrtle Richardson Mitchell. She grew up in Spring Hope, North Carolina and attended Richmond Polytechnic Institute. She later moved to Farmville, North Carolina where she met her husband, Hubert Chester Outland Jr. and where they raised their family. She was an outstanding cook and believed that food brought people together. She adored the beach, and always looked forward to spending time in Emerald Isle with her family.

“Mernie” enjoyed a variety of careers during her life: she was a cosmetologist; owned a needlework shop in Farmville; was a volunteer for the Farmville Rescue Squad; and was a bookkeeper at Farmville Central High School until her retirement.

“Mernie” is survived by her son, Mark Rodgers Drummond and his wife Kim of Florence, South Carolina; her daughter, Emily Outland Garris and  fiancée Billy Stafford of Snow Hill; son, Benjamin Rush Outland and wife Beth, of Farmville; brother, Morris Vann Mitchell and wife, Kay of Spring Hope; sister-in-law, Niki Evans of Farmville, and her dear grandchildren: Abby, Alyssa (Chad), Austin (Elizabeth), Gaige, Hailey, Hunter (Haley), Jamison (Cameron), and Landon (Ashley); and her great-grandchildren: Emersyn, Stafford, Thomas, and Weston.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Hubert Chester Outland Jr., her father, Morris Milton Mitchell, and her mother, Myrtle Irene Mitchell Tucker.

A graveside service celebrating her life will be held on Friday, October 17, 2025 at 11:00 A.M. at Hollywood Cemetery in Farmville. Visitation will follow the service or at other times at the home of Billy and Emily at 1523 Davis Road Snow Hill, NC 28580.

Please consider donating in her name to The Children’s Home Society of North Carolina, P.O. Box 14608, Greensboro, N.C. 27415 or to the Baptist Men’s Projects in her name to FBC P.O. Box 34 Farmville, N.C.

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