The first few days of November always bring up memories for me. My deceased sister’s birthday was this month, and my late husband Bernell’s Uncle Hansford Simmons’ was, too.
After Bernell’s mother died when he was 4, several times he lived with his Uncle Hansford and Aunt Mattie.
These are some stories about Uncle Hansford that I will be telling my family this week.
Following his Army service, Hansford taught school several years at Scooba. He married, he and his wife Mattie had a boy, Hansford Jr., and they came to McComb. He had studied to be a lawyer and opened an office. He became a member of the American Legion immediately; the organization was a valued part of his life until he died.
When bodies of soldiers returned to McComb during World War II, Hansford was the American Legion representative to meet the train. He helped with burial arrangements, attended funerals and assisted families with their legal and insurance affairs.
Hansford Jr., a student at Ole Miss at Oxford, joined the U.S. Air Force.
Little did Uncle Hansie know that soon he and Aunt Mattie would have two servicemen at their door, bearing the news that their son, too, had been killed in a plane crash.
I have often wondered how heavy Hansford’s heart was when he went to the train station to receive the body of his only child, and arrange for his burial in Magnolia Cemetery. This was about a week before Bernell and I were to be married in Liberty on a Saturday afternoon.
I had come from home to McComb that morning to get our marriage license. But when it was time for us to leave for our wedding, Bernell’s best man, his cousin Lamar, called and said he was not able to come.
Uncle Hansford stepped in, saying, “Don’t worry, son, I will stand with you.”
Hansford continued to meet the trains and assist veterans’ families with arrangements as war casualties returned.
My son-in-law Gary Fuller, who was in the McComb High School band, recalls that for three years he was the bugler assigned to go with Hansford to the graveside to play “Taps.” He was dismissed from school for the occasion, and in summer left his job at Gillis Drugs when needed.
Uncle Hansford’s house was “our house” when Bernell and I were home from the Army and later during Bernell’s three years in dental school.
When we moved here, Aunt Mattie gave me a present —membership in the American Legion Auxiliary. This group of dedicated women met regularly, on the same night as their spouses or sons. They listened to the programs, often served meals, and made dozens of poppies to sell on Memorial Day.
Hansford and Mattie placed small flags on servicemen’s graves in McComb and Magnolia for years. When we first came here, my young son Bill and I went with them every November, when they placed flags on Armistice Day, as Veterans Day was known then.
As the years passed, Uncle Hansie was our family patriarch, and we would celebrate his birthday at our house, inviting his siblings and their families and some of my kin, too. Sometimes there would be a house overflowing.
After Mattie’s death, Hansford came to eat dinner with us just before his 80th birthday, and left right after the meal. Soon the phone rang. Bernell answered. and told me that Uncle Hansford wanted me to come and see him.
I arrived, filled with wonder.
He said, “Bess, I am going to get married.”
My eyes probably almost popped out and I asked, “To whom and when?”
“Tuesday, on my birthday, after I vote. Her name is Ottie Lee Thornton.”
Hansford had met with his future bride and her family when her son was killed in World War II. He helped them with their burial arrangements and veteran’s affairs, as he had done with many others.
Ottie Lee had moved from the Mount Olive community in Amite County to McComb and had been attending First Baptist Church, where Hansford and she renewed their acquaintance.
On voting day, Uncle Hansford picked up a neighbor and long-time friend to take her to the polls, as usual. She noticed how dressed up he was and said, “Oh, Mr. Simmons, you look so nice. Where are you going?”
Imagine her surprise when she received the same answer I had heard only 36 hours before.
Hansford and Ottie Lee married at her daughter Jessie Lee Etheridge’s house. Hansford now had a wonderful new family, for Aunt Ottie Lee had six daughters who showered him with love and attention.
In a few years, his eyesight began to decline, and he could no longer drive.
I can just hear him saying, “I need to get ready for the Legion meeting tonight.” He still wore his navy blue cap as he had for more than 50 years. His good friend, Earl Godbold, would come pick him up and bring him home.
Hansford and Ottie Lee spent their last several years in a nursing home. He was buried in Magnolia by his son who died serving his country. She was buried in the Mount Olive Church cemetery by her son, who also gave his life for his country.
To me, Hansford was a true patriot, a great citizen, someone who cared for others and their welfare. I treasure the example that he was in my life. His acts of kindness and caring could fill more than a book, though he did not seek recognition.
There was a picture of him, proudly wearing his Legion cap, saluting the American flag, in the Enterprise-Journal eight or 10 years ago, on Memorial Day. He was a soldier, a veteran who served his country in so many ways for so many years.
As we observe Veterans Day tomorrow, may we be thankful for those who are serving our country today, for the sacrifices they are giving and for their love of freedom. Let us pray for our men and women here and afar, and hope that peace can come to dwell in our land and the entire world.
