Martha Etta McWilliams Pass Hodnett, 97 of Memphis, TN & Water Valley, MS passed away at Methodist Hospital Central on April 24, 2012 with her daughters by her side.
One of nine children, Etta was born in McGee, Mississippi on June 27, 1914 to Miles McWillams and Lily Fortenberry McWillams. Throughout her life, she embodied the meaning of love. She was a loving daughter, wife, mother, chef, seamstress, carpenter, farmer, gardener, skilled hunter, avid reader and very much a Lady.
At 18, Etta married Jessie Harold Pass in 1931 and moved to a small farm near Belzoni, MS. and had four children; Bobby, Betty, Wanda and Leigh. Later in 1950, Harold and Etta moved to Harold’s mother’s home in Water Valley, MS. In 1967, Etta’s husband, Harold Pass, died. Two years later she married her childhood sweetheart, Bill Hodnett. They had not seen each other in 36 years, but love blossomed while Etta visited her sister in the Straight Bayou community near Belzoni, MS. Now a newlywed for the second time, she moved into a turn of the century red brick school house that she made home. She was the fabric that held the 3000-acre family farm together as she graced the community.
After Etta finished renovating the schoolhouse, it was not uncommon to see her driving the twelve row tractor, burning straw from the fields, or caring for the 500 acres of catfish ponds while also tending to her own 3 acre garden and canning fruits and vegetables which she prepared and cooked in a fashion that would make Paula Deen jealous! Keeping five commercial sized freezers full, Etta shared her bounty with family and their many friends who visited the farm and would soon learn to bring along a cooler.
Over the years Etta and Bill took many hunting trips outside of Mississippi. She shot elk, mule deer in Colorado and Utah, and wild goat and antelope in New Mexico. But her most exotic trophy comes from Mississippi - an albino mallard duck appraised by State of Mississippi as “one in a million”. The prized mallard hangs today in her Parkview apartment in Memphis. In fact, Etta had many bragging rights to her credit. When in her “young seventies”, she was the first woman to win the coveted “Delta National Guard Armory Trophy” claiming the biggest turkey weighing in at 24lbs! Etta loved to tell stories of how she shot 3 deer in one day (Twice!), got 2 turkeys with one shot, and bagged 15 ducks with 5 shells. One of the family favorites occurred when Etta shot three Canadian Geese, two fell and the third was wounded and flying towards her; she jumped straight up in the air and pulled that goose down. All three were mounted and given as gifts to her grandsons.
In 2000, Bill passed and Etta moved back to Water Valley, MS where she continued to garden and lived independently enjoying her church activities, reading three to four novels a week and volunteering in a reading improvement program for first graders. After the loss of a son and daughter, Etta moved from Water Valley to the Parkview Retirement Community in Memphis, TN in 2009. She liked to be busy and still showed her competitive spirit shooting pool and playing Wii bowling with her Parkview friends. Etta was affectionately called Momma, Mamaw and “Miss Etta” by those who loved her, and you were always greeted as if you were family. Etta would have been the first to tell you that her life was both hard and good, but truly blessed. She had a strong body, a “can do” gracious attitude and a generous heart. Her love of the Lord and her passion for His Word sustained her through all her challenges and gave her eternal perspective for all her blessings. Etta will forever truly be a pillar of strength, hope, love and faith for all who have been blessed to know her.
Etta was preceded in death by her husbands, Jessie Harold Pass and William (Bill) Hodnett Sr., a son, Bobby John Pass of Collierville, TN and a daughter, Betty Pass Harris of Water Valley, MS, a daughter Sara Hodnett and sons, Ruben Hodnett and DeWit Hodnett all of Straight Bayou, MS. She is survived by two daughters, Wanda Pass Page and Leigh Pass Lichterman Davis of Memphis, TN, daughter-in-law, Sylvia Starnes Pass of Collierville, TN, and son-in-law, Charles Lynn Harris of Water Valley, MS, and eight grandchildren, John Pass (Heather) of Huntsville, AL, Tracy Pass Freed (Bill) of Olive Branch, MS, Charles Harris Jr. of Southaven, MS, Candice Harris Kidder (Glen) of Baton Rouge, LA., Brian Page (Cathy), Phaedra Page, Kimberly Lichterman Carlson (David), and Jamie Davis, all of Memphis, TN, and thirteen great-grandchildren. She is also survived by sons, William Hodnett, Jr. (Ruth), Gene Hodnett (Carolyn), and daughters-in-law Barbara Hodnett, and Jane Hodnett, six grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren all of Straight Bayou, MS.
Visitation will be Saturday, April 28, 2012 from 11:00 AM until 1:00 PM at Woodland Hills Baptist Church in Water Valley, MS. Funeral services will follow the visitation at 1:00 PM also at Woodland Hills Baptist Church with Bro. Ken Izzard officiating. Burial will be in the Oak Hill Cemetery in Water Valley, MS. A reception celebrating Miss Etta’s life will follow the burial in the Fellowship Hall at Woodland Hills Baptist Church. Seven Oaks Funeral Home (662-473-2363) in Water Valley, MS is in charge.
The family requests that memorials be sent to Woodland Hills Baptist Church in Water Valley, MS or The Parkview Retirement Community, 1914 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, TN 38104.