By Steve Stricker

Columnist

 

Oh my Lord and great God, Jesus, friend Holy Spirit, give me the strength to write this on Thursday, September 19, 2024….

On Wednesday, October 15, 1997, I attended the first Thacker Mountain Radio Show at former Off Square Books (now McEwen’s) because I worked in the Ole Miss Graduate School at the time with friend Caroline Herring, who with Bryan Ledford founded this show.

Arriving an hour early, I helped set up chairs, chatted with Caroline, met the other members of the Sincere Ramblers Band, Bryan, David “Jesus” Woolworth who I knew, Wendell Haig, and then sat in the front row right, first chair.

Minutes later, the doors burst opened, room was flooded with bright light, an Angelic choir with orchestra sang, doves flew, rose pedals fell, and a red carpet magically rolled down the aisle!  Then this regal couple floated on a fluffy white cloud to the front and took seats directly behind me – Bloody Hell!

They introduced themselves as Mary Lou and Merrill Binford “Snooky” Williams from Water Valley.  Then greeted the band, introduced them to everyone in the room, and everyone to each other!  It was like Moses parting the Red Sea and these were divine beings sent to save the flamin’ planet!  

Like lamp oil to a wick, they sucked me out from under my massive, introverted rock and my life was never the same after that!  Regardless if you were a wallflower like me, or gregarious, you were drawn to their charm, warmth, and chatty personalities like steel to a magnet!

After each Thacker, Mary Lou insisted that I (and other friends) go to City Grocery with them, where she proceeded to introduce us to everyone in the bloomin’ place, even to people she didn’t know – oh Lord!  

My three sons are scattered, and like other Thacker friends away from home, gracious Mary Lou (Gay Graeber and Jack Stubbs) invited us to join their large family gathering for a private Thanksgiving at the Ravine.

Mary Lou from San Angelo, Texas, graduated Summa Cum Laude from Texas Christian University (TCU) in 1953, and the same year married her first husband, Paul Lassen, an architect and graduate of Texas A&M who died in 1956 and then Mary Lou taught Spanish at San Angelo College, and piano privately.  

In 1957, Mary Lou’s college roommate Barbara married Dick Hill and a year later, this bridesmaid married that groomsman, Snooky from Williamsville, MS.  Mary Lou and Snooky have two children, Charmie Lassen Weeks and Ben Williams – who equally inherited the personality gene.  

Becoming great friends with Mary Lou and that rascal, Snooky, he courageously and graciously battled dreaded cancer, before finally succumbing to this atrocious disease on November 13, 2018 and our world will never be the same. Understandably, Mary Lou quit coming to Thacker for a while but true to her personality and fortitude, handled it exquisitely.  

Then the pandemic hit, “ML” and I have always had long phone and personal chats, Thacker came back but I didn’t, as that fungus shoved me further under my rock, but Mary Lou kept trying to lure me to return, no luck, but we stayed in touch.

After not hearing from her for a bit, at 6:48 am on Thursday, September 19, 2024, received a text from ML’s daughter Camie Weeks telling me that her mom, my all-time superhero, confidant, who fought for me, had passed late the afternoon before…whew – no words.  I had just lost one of the most important, true friends who forever changed my life.

My take on all of this – God realized he had overdone it making this extraordinary couple and shelved the mold.  There will sadly never be another Mary Lou and Snooky.  

Steve is an Oxford resident and received his Ph.D. in Counseling from Ole Miss.