I met Bill and Vonda Siler through Bill Mayfield just before I started to build my house. They made me feel very welcome, and I found their company to be a joy. Come to find out, I am distantly related to Vonda via the Gee family. Their memories and experiences are very much alive in them. What follows is an oral interview Mary Lynn Lambert recently had with Bill Siler:
William Curtis Siler, born April 18, 1934, is the oldest resident in Silerton. Recently, he reminisced about his military days. In 1955, after graduating from high school, Bill was employed so he was not under consideration by the draft board. Not to be deterred, he made the decision to volunteer for the military,
His military days started on a bus driving to Memphis. From Memphis, he went to Fort Jackson in South Carolina for basic training. He received his MOS in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
When a fellow soldier died, the captain asked for volunteers to be pallbearers. Bill knew him, so he volunteered for the funeral detail. He was to be buried in Michigan. The pallbearers found themselves in the back of a truck bed for the entire spine-shattering, freezing trip and had to camp in the field at night. He said after that he never volunteered again unless he had more information. Sound advice for any soldier.
His company was flown to Frankfort, Germany, where they rode a train to Holland. There they boarded a boat on the North Sea going to England. Bill stated that he experienced culture shock to be in England. Being a country boy, he was amazed by the tall buildings and the London crowds. Bill’s main duty was driving the officers to their designations. He was also the driver for the radar trucks. He also had two cousins, Udell and Odell Siler, and a friend, Buster Beshires, who were serving in the Korean conflict.
While in England, Bill was able to travel to London where he visited Buckingham Palace and saw the changing of the guard. The London Bridge and Big Ben were two other sites that he enjoyed. Bill stated that he would have liked to travel more, but his pay of only $30/week limited his travels.
Right before Bill was to fly home, news came that a plane crashed in the Atlantic Ocean, and every passenger was killed. On his return flight, the plane was having problems with a loud noise. Every passenger was thinking the worst. Bill said they were all very scared. Even though, his favorite memory was boarding the plane to come home, he is very proud he served his country when needed. He never regretted his time in service. He is of the opinion that military service is a plus in a young man’s life because of the discipline and guidance many need at that stage in life.
Returning to Silerton, Bill found employment and married Vonda Hopper. They are the parents of two boys, Gary and Barry. Bill and Vonda volunteered 30 years at Loaves and Fishes. He also donated 46 gallons of blood to the American Red Cross. Eight units of blood are needed for a gallon, so Bill had blood drawn 368 times.
Bill measured cotton for Hardeman County. He also worked at the Tannery, Harmon Factory, and ended his career with the Hardeman County Land Assessor’s Office.
Bill and Vonda now reside in an assisted living facility in Jackson.
Hello from Deanburg! I know you miss Carolyn Goff’s column. I do, too.
Sunday was a great day with church then lunch with family and friends. The rain has stopped for now. Hopefully, all the crops are harvested.
If you are new to the community and do not have a church home or if you want to stay in the community to learn your neighbors, you are warmly invited to Bethel Baptist, Deanburg Baptist, Bear Creek Methodist, Big Springs Methodist or Pleasant Springs Church, which will have a Thanksgiving dinner at 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 25.
Our community sends out birthday wishes to you if you celebrated this month.
Prayers and condolences to family and friends who have lost loved ones.
The Deanburg Community meets at 7 p.m. on the first Tuesday night of each month. At the meeting this month, officers were elected or re-elected: president – Shane Burkeen, vice president – Bobby Tulley, secretary/reporter – Betty Quarles and treasurer – Brenda Collins.
Deanburg Community Center will have a Thanksgiving-Christmas dinner at 5 p.m. Dec. 7. Everyone is welcome. Come and bring a dish.
Please call 731-988-5122 to get your news, events and items in the Deanburg news.
Until next time! Take care!
Hello from Enville! I hope everyone is having a great week. The weather is holding on to the warmer temperatures, which does not make me mad at all, although the cold temperatures are coming. I am going to soak it up as long as I can.
The Chester County Football regular season is over, and our Eagles took the Region 6 title. We played our first game of playoffs last Friday night and won over Creek Wood High School. We play this Friday night, hoping for another win. We are very proud of our team and coaches!
November is almost half gone already, which means Thanksgiving is just around the corner. We can hardly wait for our families to be together and all that delicious food we will have.
Happy birthday wishes go to Brian O’Neal and Glenn Butts on Nov. 15, Danny Johnson on Nov. 16, Nelson Crowell on Nov. 17, Nita Middleton and Bobby O’Neal on Nov. 18, Frances Willis on Nov.19 and Kelly Weber on Nov. 21. We hope you all enjoy your special day!
Please pray for the families of Inez Etheridge, Sid and Sheila Warner and Mark Daniel and continue prayers for Harold and Janice Maness, Robert and Linda Johnson, Mary Lee Guyon, Robert Smith, Mary Lou Avent, Pat Cates, Ann Pugh, Shirley Hampton, Della Mixon, Kaye Killingsworth, Shirley Bishop, Emily Freeman, Bonnie Johnson, Mildred Goodwin, Janice Massengill Strickland, James Vinson, Jimmy Robertson, Jeff Finley, Rick Ooley, Mike Finley, Glenn Butts, Justin Godsey, our firefighters, first responders, law enforcement, healthcare workers, military, schools and school board, our county and country, all who have lost loved ones and, as always, each other.
If you have news, call me at 608-3058, or if you want to rent the community center, call Pat Cates at 688-5125 or 315-8062.
Have a blessed week everyone!
Hello to all from this little corner of the world. The temperature Sunday was 74 degrees with gray skies and a few faint white clouds noted. Birds and squirrels are back. Can you believe we saw a large flock of robins this week? We have part of an azalea bush blooming, and we continue to have our beautiful, blue hydrangeas. The weather forecast shows moderate temperatures until Nov. 20, and that day, the high is supposed to be 56 degrees with a low of 39. We know it is coming. It has probably been a good thing for the farmers to have the weather we have had as many have just finished harvesting their crops. Soybeans are done, and cotton is baled. Hard working people they are! I appreciate you all!
Monday, Nov. 11, was Veterans Day. Please remember all those who have served and those who gave their lives for their country. There are atrocities with war no man should see or go through, but freedoms are not free. Thank you for your service to those who have served. Thanks to the businesses that acknowledge these veterans with meals or other gestures of gratitude.
Condolences to those who have lost loved ones. Friendship Community Club will meet again at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 22. It is a potluck, and we play games afterwards. Please come and enjoy a few hours with our neighbors. Happy birthday to Kandice Westbrook, 11-12, and Dobber Dyer, 11-14.
Happy anniversary to De and Chuck Barber, 11-10, and Paige and Darion Barber, 11-11.
Please continue to remember these in prayer: Wesley Bates, Paula Berry, Georgia Burkeen, J.T. and Jeannette Butler, Jackie Chambers, Rickey Clayton, Joie Freeman, Jennifer Gateley, Carolyn Goff, Bro. Glen and Judy Harris, Joey Harris, LaDawn Hayes, Danny Hodges, Brenda Hopper, Larry Johnson, Mark Lenow, Doris McKinney, Martha Mainord, Brianne Locke Matheney, Deana Morris, Darryl Newsom, Jim and Sue Newsom, Glenda Parchman, Julia Parchman, James Parrish, Beth Plunk, Trudy Powers, Pam Priddy, Ridge Ray, Todd Rencher, Phillip and Polly Robison, Donald and Doris Rowlett, Mollie Russell, Brenda Seaton, Nona Seaton, Dyke Sells, Cathy Sisson, Jacob Thomas, Kevin Thurman, Toni Trice, Tony Tucker, Cammi Walls, Mike Young, Jeff Johnson, Myra Davis, Jeff Mays and the families of Mike Diggs, Bishop, Kinman and Nerren. Also, pray for our military, law enforcement, our country and first responders. “SOMEBODY CARES” by Helen Steiner Rice – “Somebody cares and always will/The world forgets, but God loves you still/You cannot go beyond His love/No matter what you’re guilty of/For God forgives until the end/He is your faithful, loyal friend/And though you try to hide your face/There is no shelter any place/That can escape His watchful eye/For on the earth and in the sky/He’s ever-present and always there/To take you in His tender care/And bind the wounds and mend the breaks/When all the world around forsakes/Somebody cares and loves you still/And God is the someone who always will.” I pray you all have a wonderful week and may it be filled with love, joy, peace and blessings. Remember: if you have news, please email me at mimmiepots@gmail.com. I would truly appreciate any news. People from here and those who have moved from our area but still want to keep in touch through the newspaper are hungry for news from home.
Until next week, Happy Trails to You.
We are two weeks away from Thanksgiving, and I feel that if we blink our eyes it will be Christmas and year end. I cannot figure out where this year has gone to? It is hard to believe that we have only six and a half weeks from year end.
We appreciate all our members at the center and would love for more of our community to get involved. With more help, we could plan more events for our community. Membership dues are $25 after your first initial year of joining, and they are due for this current year. Membership dues need to be paid now to be considered an active member. We also take donations. Payments can be mailed to Edith Sills at 4475 Sunshine Rd, Henderson, TN 38340. Call Ann Moore at 608-2033 or myself if you have any new ideas for the center or wish to get involved. People who want to rent the community center should contact Betty Cooper at 879-9078 for booking. We ask those renting our facility to please follow our rules and show respect for the building. We try to keep it in the best order possible, and it takes everyone cooperating to make that happen. If you care about this community, please get involved in what is taking place to continue to grow our county and make it a better place to live and raise a family. Get to know what is changing in our local government, schools, churches and communities through the news, friends, your church, teachers, etc., and if it matters to you, there are ways to help make things better. With new leadership taking the seat in January, we can pray that God’s hand will be in decisions made about our country going forward. Pray for a better economy for sure.
Our local governmental meetings are in need of more community support. If you care about Chester County, please pay attention to what is taking place in our county and come out and show your interest. Everyone should be mindful of what is going on in our country and care enough to help make a difference. Montezuma sends out Happy Birthday wishes to Joey Capooth, John Tidwell and Todd Brown on Nov. 13 and Dean Davis and Sue Ann Duke on Nov. 14. There is much spiritual warfare with society accepting things that go against who God is and what HIS laws are that we are to follow. Every day of life has its challenges, but if we look to God for the right path, it can be a good one. Enjoy what time you have with your creator, your family and friends. Please be in prayer for the our local government, federal government, law enforcement, school staff, teachers and the listed individuals of Mike Lott, Linda Hopper, Cindy Kilzer, Quinten Johnson, Connie Dunn, Donna Doyle, Jerry Fletcher, Janice Schultz, Bobbie Bethune, Mark Hall, Curtis Morrison, Renee Jordan, Ruby Hannah, Donnie Brooks, Linda Plunk, Mike Tedford, Sherry Fletcher, Chuck Beacham, Sandra Lott, Faye Crouse, Janice Morris, Jeanette Walker, Paul Schilling, Nancy Crouse and others that are sick or healing. We especially want to remember the families of Sharon Ann Zannos, Tera O’Neal, Inez Holmes Ethridge, Jeff Johnson, Louise Smith, Garrett James Nerren, Justin Nerren and other families that have recently lost loved ones. I am always looking for noteworthy news to share in this column. Please send to gaylescox1977@gmail.com or text me at 608-2857. As always, until next time, I am wishing a very blessed week to all you readers!
