Willard L. Hughes Sr.

Willard L. Hughes passed away January 16, 2016 at the age of 96. W.L. was born April 29, 1919 in Clinton, MS to Richard V. and Sarah Gaar Hughes. He was known as “Chut” to family and friends and later in life as W.L. As the son of a sharecropper his life was not one of ease. Shoeless feet on dirt floors, a cold sweet potato and biscuit in his lunch pail at school, his life greatly resembled that of Huck Finn.

As he told his children and later his grandchildren, “When the depression began in 1929, I never even noticed. Nothing changed for us, the poor stayed poor." In 1937 he moved to Lake Providence, LA with his family. He attended Lake Providence High School and it was there he met the girl that he loved for the next 73 years. He was the star football player and she, Mabel Hamley, was the cheer captain. W.L. would go on to make All-State twice before graduation in 1939.

Like many couples of the time, W.L. and Mabel became engaged on December 7, 1941 not knowing what the future would hold. Unable to serve he contributed to the war effort through his extensive volunteer work. As the years came and went W.L. and Mabel where blessed with 5 children. W.L. spent his life ensuring he would be able to provide his children with the necessities his early years had lacked. Meager Christmases were common place in his childhood and as such he strove to make every holiday with his children and later his grandchildren special. During the Christmas holidays the dining room table was always covered with nuts, fresh fruit, and hard candies, the few things he remembered receiving as a child on Christmas morning.

Always one to offer help to those in need he was a member of the Lake Providence Volunteer Fire Department and went on to become the Fire Chief for 15 years. The family moved to Dallas in 1963 where W.L. went to work as an electrician and plumber for Huey Construction. He would retire in 1983.He spent the later years of his life introducing his grandchildren to the many works of John Wayne and other old westerns like Gunsmoke and Bonanza. He regaled them with tales from his childhood, laughing with them as he told them of the time he had “shot a bear off a horse.” The memories of times spent at grandma and grandpa's house and on camping trips will forever be cherished by his grandchildren. Through his example W.L. taught his children and grandchildren that hard work, honesty, following the rules, and loyalty were the only way to live a good life. He went from having nothing in the truest sense of the word, to having everything he had ever dreamed of: the love and respect of a good woman, a home for his family, a car in the garage, an RV to take on vacation, a little cushion in the bank, and many grandchildren to spoil and love.

W.L. was a simple man in the way that many great men are. He never strived for recognition or reward, he was happy to be loved and be able to love in return. In a world where simplicity is significantly undervalued he will be greatly missed.

W.L. is preceded in death by his wife, Mabel H. Hughes, his brother Jack Hughes, his sister Charlotte Hughes Byrom.

He is survived by daughters, Allyene Shoemaker of Caddo Mills, TX, Mary Frances Hughes of Forney, TX, Louise “Wheezy” Livengood of Forney, TX, and Mabel “Bunchy” Phillips and husband Bob of Mesquite, TX; son Willard “Pug” Hughes of San Antonio, TX; seven grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren.