Wilson McClain passed away Friday November 26

                                                                Wilson McClain
Hinds County Gazette
Christiansen's comments
to be published, December 2 2010




Wilson McClain died of a heart attack Friday November 26, he was 81. Wilson was a man’s man, a strong, soft spoken, gentle, sort of guy. He was a tall man, the kind of fella that stood out in a crowd. Wilson always wore, boots, western cut kaki pants, and western shirts….and if the weather was cool he would be wearing his camel colored leather jacket, . When I picture Wilson in my mind he is wearing that camel colored leather coat…I had known Wilson 23 years…I believe it all of those years it was the same coat….it was a beautiful Jacket



Awhile back, Wilson had begun having memory problems. Trying to sort out what was happening currently….was his difficulty. But memories from the past, Wilson had no problems with those. One Sunday, I think it was last fall, Dave and Suzanne Harpole had Wilson, Peggy Hubbard Ditto, and myself out to their house for Sunday lunch. What a delightful meal it was, Peggy, Wilson and Dave had Suzanne and I in stitches as they recalled stories of Edwards past.



Wilson’s memory difficulties were worsening…causing his friends and family much anguish. Some hard decisions concerning Wilson were inevitable .



Then God reveled his plan for Wilson….Wilson was at his deer camp in north Mississippi, The Tennessee Bar, when he died, his son was with him. I can’t help but think, Wilson died happy , doing what he loved, deer hunting, at a place he loved, Tennessee Bar Hunting and Fishing Club..

Love to all

Call if you need me

                                     The processional to Wilson's Houston McClains grave....

Notice the the horse with out a rider.   Before 4 wheeler Wilson and his hunting companions, like John Hubbard and Ray Cannada rode horses into the woods to hunt.

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Wilson's obituary as it appeared in the Clarion Ledger.

Wilson Houston McClain, Jr., 81, passed away on Friday, November 26, 2010 at Tennessee Bar Hunting and Fishing Club, following a heart attack.

Born September 15, 1929 in Greenville, MS, Wilson grew up in Vicksburg, was a member of First Presbyterian Church, and graduated from Carr Central High School in 1947. He graduated from Mississippi State University in 1951 and was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.

He served as 1st Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force then returned to Vicksburg to work in the family business, McClain Gas Company and Texaco Distributorship. After retiring, he worked with Central Pipe Company in Jackson, MS.

Wilson moved to Edwards in 1978 and was a member of the Edwards United Methodist Church.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Jo Ruth Ragan McClain, parents, Wilson Houston McClain and Maxyne Mauldin McClain, sister Marcia Lynn McClain, and infant daughter, Anna Marie McClain.

Survivors include children Wilson H. McClain, III (Lee) of Coldspring, Texas; Kathleen McClain Jenkins Bond (Edward) of Natchez; and Marcia McClain McKinzie (Lee) of Baton Rouge; grandsons Wilson Buford (Buck) Jenkins and Scott Ragan McKinzie; nieces Ann Ragan Duncan and Kate Duncan Carlson; and nephews Robert Francis (Buck) Duncan and William Marion (Bill) Duncan.

Visitation will be held from 5:00 to 7:00 pm on Monday, November 29, at Riles Funeral Home in Vicksburg and at from 10:00 to 11:00 am on Tuesday, November 30 at the Edwards United Methodist Church Family Center.

Services will be held at the Edwards United Methodist Church, 200 Magnolia Street, Edwards, MS, at 11:00 am on Tuesday, November 30, with burial to follow at the Edwards Cemetery.

Pallbearers include Emmett Atwood, Dink Hataway, George Hill, Buck Jenkins, Keith Lewis, Scott McKinzie, Fred Newcomb, Ed Pace, Harold Soverns, and Dennis Wood.

Honorary pallbearers will be David Barnhart, Edward Bond, Richard Boone, Bill Duncan, Buck Duncan, Dave Harpole, Pat Hubbard, Pete Hubbard, Tim Hubbard, Mike Johnson, Jamie Lewis, Bill Montgomery, Jeff Montgomery, Monty Montgomery, and members of the Tennessee Bar Hunting and Fishing Club.

Memorials may be made to the Edwards United Methodist Church, c/o Church Treasurer, 1202 Deer Crossing Road, Edwards, MS 39066 or Edwards Cemetery Fund, P.O. Box 593, Edwards, MS 39066.

Christiansen Comments Hinds County Gazette November 18 2010

 I am Never first! Never! Never ever!

No matter when I set  my Christmas tree up…This year, it was in the wee hours of the morning ,Thursday the 11 of November that I brought the tree down from the attic, and put it together, That is early even for me.

Back in the day when the kids still were home and would assist in the tree’s assembly and decor (sort of) we put the tree up Thanksgiving afternoon. Then when they left home and had their own trees to deal with…I was on my own…. John had ballgames to watch, as I have no TV in the living room…he was no help. So to get the tree up and over with, I begin putting it up the first part of Thanksgiving week…now then I am up to two full weeks before Thanksgiving. Jacqueline says, I will soon be beating wal-mart.



I was so sure I was first this year…My friend Jo Gayle Reeves beat me by a hair last year. So soon as it got late enough in the morning, that I felt comfortable calling Jo Gayle, (that would be shortly after day break,) she, like me gets up very early. I called to brag….Jo Gayle answered laughing, not only did she have her tree up…she was decorating it…AND wrapping gifts. Mine was only up…I depend on the pity and kindness of my friends to come decorate my tree.



As you may or may not know, I am not from the south, but over the years I have worked hard at polishing my southern culinary skills and have more or less perfected Chicken and dumplings…. Kay Montgomery says mine taste, “just like the ones my grandmother‘s cook made. “ I don‘t know… could there be any higher praise then that? And after a few fits and starts…. I can now make quite agreeable Ambrosia.



Well, tomorrow is “Old People Club” I am baking a turkey and making Yankee dressing to take….We Yankees make our dressing with white bread, not cornbread…we will see if the gathered crowd goes to spitting and gagging. If they don’t like it, my dogs will. Peggy Ann said she would make cornbread dressing to bring to O P Club…I hope she doesn’t forget….



Next year I may try cornbread dressing. My favorite dressing is oyster. I shall make some to have for Christmas Eve this year. Yum! Me and the cats will eat it even if no one else does.



Becky Montgomery drove Peggy Ann and I to Bolton for the old time hymn singing at St. Mary’s Sunday…What a treat! I love the old hymns….we sang loud … real loud…a lesser building may have collapsed under the pressure of our voices. Lots of folks turned out…nearly a full house….Episcopal, Baptist, Methodist , Presbyterian…we were all there. James Anderson tells me they are planning a special event for every month. Looking forward to them all!

call if you need me

Life in a small Mississippi Town.: Christiansen Comments Hinds County Gazette Novembe...

Life in a small Mississippi Town.: Christiansen Comments Hinds County Gazette Novembe...: "Get your running shoes on! It has begun! …I am talking about the holiday season. The Holidays run from Halloween through Super Bowl Sunday ..."

Christiansen Comments Hinds County Gazette November 04 2010

Get your running shoes on! It has begun!

…I am talking about the holiday season. The Holidays run from Halloween through Super Bowl Sunday now. Not that many years ago, The Holidays began on Thanksgiving and ended, for many, early afternoon, very early afternoon, December 25. I have seen trees on the curb Christmas afternoon…Not just the real trees that may have become a fire hazard…but I have even seen artificial trees still fully decked out on the curd. I guess folks just get tired of them…so tired of them, they can not stand the sight of that tree even one more minute…so off it goes to the trash.




I was out and about Friday gathering up a few things to get me through the weekend, You all, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas merchandise were all mingle and scrambled together in the aisles of stores. Not only that, there were great batches of people everywhere…I was quite puzzled…then I saw an advertisement on the TV. Last Friday was to be the new “Black Friday”. Black Friday traditionally has been the Friday after Thanksgiving. We shall see if this New Black Friday thing catches on…I guess, there is no reason why it shouldn’t….we are easy…. We follow where ever Retail leads.



We abandon whole malls and shopping centers…Metro mall, Jackson Mall, Meadowbrook to name just a few….to follow….where we are led. We ran out north, to County Line Road, to shop til we dropped at Northpark, But the new has wore off Northpark…So, now then, we are choosing to ignore, Northpark in favor of “The Renaissance” and the other new shopping destination out on Lakeland drive. I have forgotten what it’s name is….it will come to me.



There is nothing wrong with commerce…the American economy needs us to buy and consume…Americans need the jobs. I just wish more of the jobs were in the manufacture of the merchandise we are buying. Remember Back in the day when Wal-mart proudly advertised they sold “made in America” products? My friend Isla maintains if Wal-Mart, would go back to Sam Walton’s way of doing business…our economic woes could end…if we manufactured what we purchased we could all be working.



Dogwood! That is the name of the mall on Lakeland! I knew it would come to me.

Gibbes Grocery Learned Mississippi  (Gibbs Grocery) 601 885 6833

Saturday night a great bunch of us traveled to Learned to pass out Halloween candy to the trick or treaters from Margret Sue’s front porch, she was working next door at Gibbes Grocery, but she had refreshments laid out for us…Some of the men were fussing because they were missing the ball games…. Margret Sue turned on her TV and settled them comfortably in her living room….Gibbes was very busy, so Margret Sue even arranged for their steaks to be delivered to them at her house…. so they didn’t have to miss even one down of the ball game…Now that is hospitality!

Margaret Sue Dozier on her front porch Halloween 2010  Learned Mississippi

I just love going to Learned for Halloween…I don’t think there were quite as many kids this year as last though.



Sunday morning I was telling daughter Angela about trick or treat in learned.. I was telling her I didn’t think kids are excited about Halloween as they use to be…she too had noticed. “But kids get candy all the time now…we didn’t have candy around when we were kids.” I paused didn’t say anything, she went on… “On Halloween we ran from house to house fast as we could, to get as much candy as we could carry, then we ran home, got another bag and took up where we left off…We didn’t have candy in the house when we were growing up.”



Well, they say confession is good for the soul…I didn’t want to but, I had to tell her, “ Angela there was always candy in the house when you were growing up….it was hid…and I never shared…it was usually Snicker bars.” I waited for her to fuss…she never uttered a word about me not sharing. Which, thinking on it later…lead me to believe she hid candy from Garrett.



There are times in many women’s lives that Chocolate is a necessity…like air and water….we have to have it…God knows, we would share anything we had with our children,….except our secret stash of chocolate, but I believe he forgives us.



love to all, call if you need me