Bernice Morgan Ruff

Carole and I extend sympathy to the family of Bernice Morgan Ruff who died in Vicksburg. I did not know until reading her obituary that Greg worked for the Corp of Engineers and lives in Vicksburg.

Bernice, as many of you know, was my step-father, Raymond Stovall's niece; her mother, Anna Stovall Morgan was Raymond's oldest sister and like a mother to him.

Birthday Boy

Today is my 71st birthday, where have the years gone; with me in the picture taken a couple of months ago is Laurie George with whom I worked at Hinds.

I haven't become as enchanted with Facebook as some, but do have a Facebook page, and today have received over 30 birthday greetings which has cheered up an old man.

Jeff Wayne Parker

Carole and I would like to express sympathy to the family of Jeff Wayne Parker. Jeff Wayne and I were in school together at Plantersville High School.

Carole's Essay on Her Mom

The 31^st chapter of Proverbs describing a virtuous woman lists a number of talents and traits of women we have all known. Many of the contributions of Altha Camille Jeffreys Tackett to family and friends parallel verses in Proverbs 31, as in “she maketh fine linen . . .” and “strength and honour are her clothing,” “she openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness, and “she looketh well to the to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.”

And her children do indeed “arise up, and call her blessed.” Among the talents she so willingly shared were her gifts of sewing, gardening, and cooking. She was one of those gifted persons who could look at a drawing and make a pattern to sew a dress or gown. She could take a neglected plant into her garden and bring it back to life. Her basic recipes as well as her more exotic ones such as gazpacho enhanced with neatly chopped vegetables and croutons were family delights. She could draw and she could make a house look more like a home with her artistic talent. Her sewing included treasured tooth fairy pillows for many young friends complete with the special tooth fairy poem in the little pockets.

The third child of Mary Jane Dupree and Benjamin Franklin Jeffreys, she heartily focused on her family, devoting herself to her daughters and their families, with a love that has always extended to her sisters and brothers and her nieces and nephews. A sickly childhood made it necessary for her father to home-school her after tonsillitis and a tonsillectomy left her weak and recovering for a long period of time. Family love and nursing finally brought her back to health and allowed her to enjoy relatively good health for years. The influence of her father and his teaching of writing and reading no doubt influenced her in her love for words and her hobby of working crossword puzzles. She chuckled about ‘Papa Jeff’s’ dismay over her lack of aptitude for learning the multiplication tables and studying arithmetic.

Her love for children was shown in her work with five-year-olds in Sunday School at Calvary Baptist Church, as well as nursery work. She worshiped at South Green Baptist Church, and later also found joy in her church home when she joined St. Luke United Methodist Church.

Her ‘outside’ work included years at Reeds and then at South Central Bell where she retired in 1988. She and her family survived the Tupelo tornado of 1936, and she saw her husband, brother and brothers-in-law off to World War II.

She cherishes memories of her parents and her sisters, Velma, Alma and Ann. and her brothers, Bennie Addison (Donk) and J. C. (Billy).

Family members who delighted in and will always cherish her personality and life are her daughters Carole Kelly and her husband George, and Margaret Pickard; her grandson Marshall Jenkins; granddaughter Cameron Kelly Chennault and her husband Tim; her great-granddaughter Carly Grace Chennault; her niece Laney Sims and her husband Tip and their daughter Paula; brother and sister-in-law Huey and Linda Jeffreys; and sister-in-law Betty Jeffreys.

“Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.” Proverbs 31:30 Surely Altha favored this verse, but there was nothing wrong with her asking for her lipstick even when being treated in the emergency room. She confessed with a chuckle that her longevity might be attributed to the fact that she felt her kids don’t have sense enough to handle things without her. . .

Roasted Holland

Plantersville's own Steve Holland had the honor of being roasted last Saturday night in Jackson for a charity event.

Despite the late night Saturday, Steve arrived back in time to play the piano for my mother-in-law's services on Sunday as she had requested.

4-H Legislative Day

Karen Balint sent this a week or so ago while I was in Tupelo.

"Plantersville Pals 4-H Club in Lee County was presented the Lt. Governor's Award with their outstanding 4-H Record Book at the Legislative Luncheon held recently in Jackson. First row, Club members Samantha Chaney, Selena Lyle, Elisa Garcia, Sarah Roper and Katelynn Wood; second row, Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant, Lee County 4-H Agent Beth Randall, Club Leader Karen Balint, Leadership Team member Collin Hutcheson; third row, Representative Brian Aldridge, Representative Jerry Turner, Senator Nancy Adams Collins, Representative Steve Holland and Representative Mark Duvall."

Mrs. Estelle Wade

Carole and I express sympathy to Mrs. Wade's family; Mrs. Wade died Wednesday night at Darlington Oaks in Verona. She and Cecil Duke, who was married to my first cousin, were first cousins. I met and spoke with her son Charles and his wife, Diane, and with her daughter, Betty; however, I don't think I met Hilda Miller, her other daughter.

I read in her obituary that Hilda was married to James Miller who died this past August. I am fairly certain that her husband was James Miller who went to Plantersville High School and who was my basketball coach when he was in high school and I was in the fifth or sixth grade.

Milton Post

Carole and I express sympathy to the family of Milton Post; his services were conducted at the same time as my mother-in-law's.

Visitation

Several of our friends and relatives from Plantersville visited with us during my mother-in-law's visitation at Holland Funeral Home.

Those I visited with were Wanda and Gene Williams, Peggy Cook Brooks, Sue Ellis Thompson, Billie Ellis Stanley, Evelyn Braxton, better known to most of us as Susie Parker, James and Ruth Kelly, Betty Coggin, Larry's wife, Joe and Mary Kathyrn Fowler and their son Chip, his wife and their two sons and Steve and Sadie Holland.

Carole and I appreciate your visits more than we can express.

If I left someone out, please forgive me as I am still a bit numb.

Altha Jeffreys Tackett January 24, 1915- February 24, 2011

Carole's mom and my sweet mother-in-law, Altha Tackett, died Thursday, February 24 at Darlington Oaks in Verona; services were Sunday at two at Holland Funeral Home.

Despite turning 96 in January, Altha had not changed much in the past thirty years except for some hearing loss and some normal aches and pains until just before this past Thanksgiving when she begin to suffer severe pain in her feet and legs.

In addition to Carole, she is survived by her daughter, Margaret Pickard, her grandson, Marshall Jenkins, her granddaughter, Cam Chennault, and her great-granddaughter, Carly Chennault.