The World Dimmed Last Week

The world dimmed for a few minutes last Wednesday. In the tiny, south Georgia town of Ocilla it felt like an eclipse. After ninety seven years, Mrs. Louise Hancock, better known by all that knew her as Miss Louise, passed from this world to the next.

Miss Louise was one of those larger than life personas that filled small town Georgia. By all accounts, there was nothing in her obituary that would stand out. At first blush, it looked like another elderly widow had passed away. There were no academic accolades. There were no big, time business accomplishments. In fact there was a real lack of formal civic leadership roles given her standing in the community.

Her obituary merely stated the facts of her life. She was born in 1910 in Cordele, Georgia. She married James Newton Hancock and moved to Ocilla in 1927 and remained married for 67 years. Miss Louise worked for the phone company for 25 years. She was an active member of Ocilla Baptist Church for over 70 years. She was a Boy Scout den mother. These are nice factoids which describe some key events in her life but they fail to capture the essence of Miss Louise.

Some people go through life quietly, barely leaving a footprint, much less a legacy. Others barrel thorough life and are a force to be reckoned with. She was the latter. She was a woman of her convictions. Church, family and community shaped her very being.

She loved her church but she was by no means a passive member. After 60 plus years at First Baptist Ocilla, she had a falling out with the pastor. [I think all of you church leaders can appreciate that.] That did not stop her from supporting her church though. While she could no longer support the pastor, she remained involved in the daily and weekly activities. She was not going to let a pastor “ruin” her Sunday morning experience. Each Sunday she continued to attend her Sunday School class and then walked across town to the Methodist Church for worship service. As with most things with Miss Louise, she lasted longer than the problem. Eventually the pastor left and she returned to faithful worship attendance.

As I drove down to Ocilla last Friday, perhaps for the very last time now that all of my relatives have died or moved away from the small town, I had plenty of time to remember Miss Louise. I can still hear her calling me out when I had done something terribly wrong. Her punishment was quite unique but very effective. She would tell me to go outside and pick out a switch (a piece of shrubbery or a tree branch) for it was time for a “switching”. I would spend what seemed like hours picking out just the right switch, not to hard, not to long - hoping that she would change her mind. In the end I never remember the switching but I can still picture the large camellia bush that was so beautiful yet the harbinger of pain.

Five minutes later she was loading the car to take us fishing, our favorite pastime. She would sit under the shade of a tree while my cousins and I would fish in an old farm pond trying to catch that elusive lunker. She would never complain, despite the 100+ heat of a south Georgia summer afternoon.

Miss Louise loved everyone. More importantly she cared for everyone. For her it was not enough to just say you loved your neighbor. You had to show it. She and my grandfather put this love into action. For twenty years they drove the sick and the infirm to the doctors. This meant trips to Jacksonville, Macon or Atlanta. They never asked for anything in return. Why would they? It was just the right thing to do.

This last spring she was honored at the capital in Atlanta as the Distinguished Older Georgian of the year. Several van loads of Ocilla citizens loaded up from Ocilla to see her honored for her years of quite service to her community. She never sought any attention. But that day she had a special twinkle in her eye as the House and Senate read the proclamation.

Her funeral was a couple of days ago. It is amazing how little I remember of it. While it was not sad; it was emotional saying goodbye to my Miss Louise, my mama. As the family and friends shared stories and I listened to the eulogies I had one thought. Somewhere in heaven she was greeted by two men: her husband of 67 years and her Lord and Savior. I feel confident that both will say “you have done well my good and faithful servant.”

Good bye Miss Louise, you will most certainly be missed.