By Jason C. Mattox

Friends and family of the late Como Mayor Judy Sumner will begin saying their goodbyes tonight with funeral services Wednesday, according to Ray Nowell Funeral Home of Senatobia who has charge of the arrangements.

Visitation is tonight from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Ray Nowell Funeral Home in Senatobia. The funeral will be Wednesday at 11 a.m. at Como Baptist Church with burial to follow in Friendship Cemetery.

She is survived by her husband Mike and four children: Courtney Collins, Wendy Bailey, Sassene Dyer and Nick Sumner.

Sumner, 58, died of natural causes early Saturday morning. She was pronounced dead at her home at 1:27 a.m., Panola County Coroner Gracie Grant-Gullede said.

“CPR was attempted by her husband and emergency personnel, but they were unsuccessful in reviving her,” Gulledge said.

The mayor had suffered health problems in recent months.

Sumner was in her first full term as mayor after winning re-election without a runoff against two opponents May 2009. She had served about a year of her first term after her challenge of the 2005 municipal vote count wound its way to the state Supreme Court before being resolved in her favor.

During her mayoral tenure, she guided the town toward resolution of a debt crisis with the Internal Revenue Service and a host of other creditors while helping to coordinate celebrations of  Como’s musical and ethnic heritage and its Main Street business revival.

“This is a great loss for the Town of Como, and we will miss her dearly,” Alderman-at-Large Forster Ruhl said. “She has worked hard for the town and helped us move forward during this difficult financial time.”

Ruhl said the town board would meet next Tuesday as planned, but did not know what comes next.

“It is too early for us to know what the plan is for going forward,” he said.

Reached by phone Monday morning, Town Attorney Parker Still said Ruhl would serve as interim mayor until a special election can be scheduled.

“According to the statute, a special election has to be scheduled within 30 days of the creation of the vacancy,” he said. “That is something the board will probably discuss during the meeting next Tuesday.”

Still also expressed his condolences for the late mayor’s family.

“Judy was a great mayor and a pleasure to work with. Her work ethic and desire to see Como succeed was an inspiration to us all.  My condolences go out to Mike and her family.”

Como Municipal Judge Jeff Padgett said the town had “lost one of its biggest fans.”

“My thoughts and prayers go out to the family during these difficult times,” Padgett said.