A two-vehicle accident on Airport-Fernwood Road Tuesday morning has claimed the life of Magnolia librarian Sonya Reeves.
Reeves, 46, of 1013 Helen Drive, McComb, died from injuries she received in the 10:57 a.m. accident when the motor scooter she was riding collided with an empty Harvest Haul log truck on Airport-Fernwood Road at the southbound Interstate 55 Fernwood entrance ramp near Love’s Truck Stop.
She was taken by ambulance to Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center, where she died in the hospital emergency room, said Deputy Walthall County Coroner Chris Blackwell, who was filling in for Pike County Coroner Percy Pittman.
He said the cause of death was blunt force trauma.
According to Magnolia police reports, Reeves was eastbound on Airport-Fernwood Road when she collided with the westbound 18-wheeler driven by Kenny Smith, 50, 11 Eugene Bacot Road, Tylertown, who was attempting to turn left from Airport-Fernwood onto the I-55 ramp to go south.
No charges have been filed in the accident, pending further investigation, Police Chief Ray Reynolds said.
Reeves was a graduate of the University of Cincinnati with a degree in classical civilization and had a master’s degree in fine arts with an emphasis in creative writing from the University of Arkansas.
She taught as an adjunct instructor at the University of Southern Mississippi in English composition for a semester, and also worked as a technical writer for Colfax Image Products in California. She held several jobs in Pike County, including a brief stint as an Enterprise-Journal correspondent, before becoming Magnolia librarian.
Toni James, interim director of the Pike-Amite-Walthall Library System, said Reeves was named Magnolia librarian in November 2006. James and others who knew her described Reeves as a being very popular with library patrons and staff.
“She was a great librarian in Magnolia and everybody loved her,” James said. “She continued with the Munch-a-Lunch program and also did open mic poetry programs.”
During her tenure as librarian, Reeves increased the number of computers in the library and supervised their use, James said.
“She was a warm, friendly person,” she said. “The library family is stunned.”
Jo Ann Kaelin Jones, who was Magnolia librarian from 1994-2006 and a close friend of Reeves, noted that Reeves was an organ donor.
“She was a kind and gentle person and she was so knowledgeable about the computers and so patient in helping others with the computers.
“All the patrons loved her,” Jones said. “She was a loving human being.”
Monica Wilkinson, circulation librarian at the McComb Library, said Reeves was well-liked by the library staff.
“She was always cheerful and would go that extra mile to help you if you needed assistance,” Wilkinson said. “All of our patrons at the McComb branch enjoyed seeing her on Saturdays. She was well-thought of and we’ll miss her.”
“I knew her very well. I loved her dearly,” said Sue Nunnery of Magnolia.
“Sonya was full of love for all humanity and all of God’s creatures, and that love flowed out to everyone she met,” she said. “The world will be a sadder place without her. She was a wonderful person.”
