GREENVILLE — Jimmie Joyce Whisenhunt, 86, passed away on Feb.7, 2013, in Greenville. She was born on May 30, 1926, to her loving parents James (Jim) and Hattie Lamm in Greenville.

She lived in Tidwell until she was about 12 years old. She went to Lamar school in Tidwell until she moved to the Wolfe City School District.

Mother began taking piano lessons at around 10 years old but stopped after a year because she could play anything that she heard and did not need to read music.Jimmie and three of her friends from Lamar School formed a quartet when she was around 10, and were highly sought to perform by many churches all around the area.

She was also an expert at crawdad fishing. When she was a little girl, she and her little sister Nell, would catch a tub full of crawdads and her momma would fry up the tails for the family. Mother said they were delicious. 

Momma and her little sister were quit the little rascals also. When they pulled a prank or they were in trouble they would run and hide because they could outrun her momma.

The cats name in the picture with mother is named “Webby”. She loved cats. The picture was taken when she was 12 yrs old after being sick. Her older sisters had fixed her hair in a popular style of that time called rats. Two months after her husband died, February 14 th 2007, her cat, “Wart” died also.

Being heart broken for the second time during a short period. God sent us another cat named “Rascal” through veterinarian Patricia Rife. It was love at first sight for both of them. Rascal and Webby look liked they came from the same litter even though they were born decades apart.

Jimmie went to work at Temco in 1953; she was the 53rd employee hired at the plant. Her husband, J.C., was hired a few weeks later. She met J.C. through her cousin, Bob Harwell, and they were married Oct. 17, 1953.

J.C. and Jimmie got married in Greenville, Miss. by a female preacher across from the Williamson County Courthouse in Greenville. That was the only state they could find  that did not require a blood test as she had an extreme fear of needles.

Momma was a huge fan of country music; George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Dolly Parton, Porter Waggoner, June Carter and Loretta Lynn were her favorites. She could sing and play any song they did.

Her most favorite male country singer was Hank Williams. She played and sang “Your Cheating Heart,” “Jambayla” and “I Saw the Light” many times. When the “Hank Williams Story” was made into a movie, She took her son Richie to see it at the Texas Theater.  She said that Hank’s son did a good job singing his Dad’s songs; actually having a better voice than his Dad did.

She instilled a love for music in her boys.

Jimmie loved to snack on Lemon Drops, Milky Ways, and peanut butter crackers. She also loved to eat Braum’s hamburgers every Wednesday and Saturday.

Momma was a perfectionist and kept an emaculate house. She was unmatched in her cooking and could make pies, cakes and cookies that were impossible to stop eating.

Our mother Jimmie Joyce Whisenhunt was the most beautiful angel that God could have blessed us our lives with. Her memory and the lessons that she taught us will never be forgotten. She will always be “OUR GAL”.

Surviving are her sons, Ronnie James Deas and Rickie Joe Whisenhunt; grandsons, Jeffery Deas and Brian Deas; granddaughter Holly Deas and great-grandson Jacob Deas.

She is preceded in death by her beloved husband, J.C. Whisenhunt; son Robert Lamm Deas;  her parents, James (Jim) and Hattie, and sisters Nell Erwin, Dorothy Lytal, and Kathryn Webb.

Services will be at 2 p.m. today at Peters Funeral Home with pastor Jerrold Snipes of Rivers of Love Church officiating. Interment will follow the service at Tidwell Cemetery in Greenville.  A time of visitation will be an hour before the service also at the funeral home.

Pallbearers for the service include Jeff Deas, Joel Webb, Mike Compton, Jimmy Hamilton, Michael Taylor, and James Forbes, Honorary pallbearers are Michael Hart, Tony Hart, Glenn Colbert and Ray Miller.

Online condolences can be made to the family at www.petersfh.com