Thursday, October 29, 2020
Marg and Judy's Mom, Sue, was actually second oldest of the 5 "Willis Girls" in Graysport MS. Aunt Becca was older by two years. Her only child, a son with Walter V. Davis was our first cousin to die. He was a Navy Jet pilot who was catapulted into the Mediterranean about 1963 from the USS Forrestal and his body was never recovered. The treasured oldest son and grandson, his golden memory colored each of our lives.
Aunt Sue was the first of the children of John William Willis Sr. and Hallie Parker Willis to pass away, of lung cancer in 1966 or 67. I read the letter sent to Grandmother Hallie from her husband, Marg's Dad, John Hall, when she passed away. It is eloquent and full of feeling as he shared details any mother would want to know when she was unable to be with her child- even though Grandmother Hallie was nearly 90 years old at that time. The next sister was way too fun, Aunt Katie. Her first husband Mr (?). McCune, father of our next-to-Walter cousin Maxine was murdered when Maxi was very young. Then Katie married William Hoffa and their son, William, is a few years younger than his sister. After Katie was widowed the second time she eventually became a housemother at Miss. State Univ. in the late 60's and early 70's.She drove a T-Bird then and I can still hear her laugh and recall the scent of her signature perfume (Shalimar?)
The next sister was Mildred, Aunt Millie. She and her optometrist husband William Goyer lived in Hattiesburg MS and had one daughter who was a bit older than my brother, Winky Willis. Laura and I were very close as she stayed with our grandparents several weeks every summer. Since we all lived on the same farm, that's how Marg and I became such a pair, too. Laura married John Rogers and their son Stephen lives in Hattiesburg with his dad since Laura died after a decades long battle with severe MS. John Rogers cared for her so tenderly and then for her mother, Aunt Millie who passed away a few years ago at age 102. John has posted many details on Ancestry about the Willis and Parker families.
There was a 2 year interval between each of the Willis sisters, so Aunt Bucy was the youngest sister, two years older than my Daddy, John William Willis Jr. I'm uncertain where the 2 older girls were born, but I believe after Katie all were born in Starkville Miss, where Grandpa was a professor of Agriculture for many years. They lived on the campus and were "Campus Brats" until the late 1920's. Starkville is Miss. State U. Now on the the cousins on the farm. Bucy (real name Frances, same as my middle name, I am proud to be her namesake!) was born in 1918 and my sweet Daddy in 1920. Well, Daddy was the end of the line. Political pressure put Grandpa out of a job about 1929 (Gov. Bilbo was a despot) so he went to work for the U.S. Govt and helped establish the Agriculture department Extension Service offices in several southern states.Grandpa Willis is actually mentioned in history books and his picture is on the wall at the Miss. Agriculture Museum in Jackson, MS.
Long story, but all the older girls were married and did not live on the farm in Grenada County, Miss. where I grew up. Bucy and her husband Lee Rouse lived on her farm, one mile from her front door to ours. our nearest neighbors. Grandpa and Grandmother Willlis' house was about halfway between us. My other Grandmother, Ivy Criss, lived across the road from our house with Mama's baby sister, Betty Ann (now Hendricks.) Bucy and "Leebo" had 4 children. Oldest was Lee Jr, called "Butch" He and his wife Brazzie live in South Miss. near their only child, Maylindy who is a veterinarian. Butch and Maxine and Betty Ann were all the same age. 8 years older than me. Marg's sister Judy and Tena Rouse (now Taylor) were about the same age, then my brother JWW III (1947) and I came along in 1948 and our baby sister Hallie, in 1950. Bucy's younger sons, Billo and Robin are age-mates of me and Hallie. Marg was a year younger than me and Billo. So there was quite a crowd in the summertime at that farm. We traipsed all over the place going down to the fishing pond or playing in the creek, having picnics in the woods or playing dress up in the big old back hallway at Grandmother Hallie's. Of course, I left out lots of progeny of older cousins, not deliberate, just these are the memories that came to mind. Lots of love and happiness were shared when the other cousins came to visit. What Fun!
