As we all get older, we begin to lose family and friends. We’re not made to be here forever, even though Social Security benefits have been discovered recently being paid to some folks well into their hundreds in age and even one 150-year-old. It hurts when we lose them, as it should. No longer do you get to talk to them, fellowship with them, enjoy their company. I’ve lost two good friends recently, Tom “Neighbor” Williams and Kenny Avery, The Great KAA, taken from the snake in Jungle Book and directly from his full name Kenneth Austin Avery, who I worked with for many years at both The Progress and later the Journal-Record. Kenny was like family. His wife, Pam, asked me to speak at his funeral, and I was honored to do so. Here is my tribute to both.
My “good friend, your good friend,” Hamilton native Tom “Neighbor” Williams passed away on Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, at the North Mississippi Medical Center-Tupelo after an extended illness.
We all thought he would live forever. He was a fixture in Hamilton, walking the streets, working on the City of Hamilton’s garbage trucks for many years. Everyone knew “Neighbor,” a name he’d given all of us who knew him. Tom always told me he didn’t want anyone to know when he died, he just wanted to come up missing. Those wishes of Tom’s weren’t fulfilled, however, and a funeral service was held at the Marion County Funeral Home in east Hamilton. I attended the viewing, and I saw local people from all walks of life there: the rich, the middle-class, the poor, all friends of his coming to pay their last respects. Every year I posted his birthday on my Facebook page, and I was simply amazed every time at the outpouring this simple man with a great heart received from the oh-so-many he had touched!
The following is a column I wrote about Tom “Neighbor” Williams as it appeared in the Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2019, edition of the Journal-Record. I think it’s still a most fitting tribute to the man I considered a “good friend,” as he liked to call me as well. Not to leave out the womenfolk, Tom always referred to them as “pretty ladies.”
Neighbor went ‘viral?’ 720 likes/reactions. 110 comments. 120 shares. Nope, that’s just what’s showing on my Facebook page as of 7:33 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 19.
I put Hamilton legend Tom “Neighbor” Williams’ photo on my Facebook page at 5:41 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 18, with the following, and added a little shortly thereafter:
My good friend Tom "Neighbor" Williams stopped by today, sporting his "Army" hat, a big change from his regular yellow hard hat. Neighbor says he supports and loves the Army! I meant to add, Neighbor celebrated his 76th birthday on July 16th!!! He told me he can’t walk like he used to be so proud to do, especially remembering the famous Walk-Off from Hamilton to Guin between Neighbor, Eddie Pearce and the late John Tuck. John, not too far down the road, climbed in my truck with me and rode the majority of the way to Country Corner in Guin. That John... Great times!!! Eddie made it, but there was no way that Neighbor was going to be outdone, and he easily beat Eddie to the store.
Manamighty, the reactions and comments began pouring in! And shares! I was amazed! Folks, this man is loved! And the numbers of quarters he’s handed out to children--and adults--over the years are probably uncountable!
...Again, more than a hundred comments--all good! (Great names from all walks of life, which made it even more interesting because all were touched by Tom.)
I’ve always kidded my friend Greg Ingram about his ability to put something on Facebook and then sit back, never adding anything to his initial comments/observations, and watch it take off like a big bass hitting a lure in the shallows.
Folks, Neighbor went viral!
He stops by to see me nearly every week at the Journal-Record, has for years now. We talk about several things, just whatever Tom has on his mind. I try to steer him clear of any insurance talk. He’s really not fond of insurance salesman--at all. He often talks about getting buried properly- -not dying, just getting buried.
Tom has told me that despite us being “good friends,” a term we all know he uses often, he doesn’t want me--nor anyone else, for that matter--to know when he dies nor where he’s buried. I’ve not made any headway in this regard, but I try.
We’ve even talked about Tom buying a cell phone, but me showing him how to use it? I can barely operate my own, though he did tell me he has a phone in his home he shares with his brothers.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the Neighbor stories posted. Most everyone had one, many involving Neighbor giving them a quarter as a child. He still gives adults quarters, too, so I read.
Brenda Beasley recalled her days at Bargaintown when Neighbor would make regular stops to see the “pretty young ladies.” Keith Boyett said he remembered always seeing Neighbor and J. Hue White coming in for lunch at Bedford’s Better Burgers. Others noted how he would greet them with “Hey, pretty lady.” “Fine as cotton” is another of Neighbor’s sayings, the comments noted, in response to how he’s doing.
Comments shared included:
• Hard worker.
• Good man. True local treasure. Immortal.
• Kind soul. Nobody like him. Sweet fellow. Special person. Sweet and kind soul. Good friend.
• Good Neighbor to all. Sweet man. Blessing to know him. Good hardworking man. Special.
• Big heart.
• Regina McCarley Tibbs wrote, “He is still in the quarter-giving business. We saw him at the gas station a month or so ago and he gave both of the Tibbs kids one.”
• Kimmy Vinson wrote, “Loves his canned sodas room temp. I've watched this man all my life walking to town and home again, day after day, he worked. Boy, did he ever work. He always gave me a quarter. Harmless with the biggest heart. A true ‘figure’ of our community. I know if you ever worked in a local grocery store in Hamilton, you knew who ‘Neighbor’ was. With the passing of years, his steps may have become fewer, his figure more frail, but there is only one ‘Tom (Neighbor) Williams.’ If only there were people with hearts half as BIG as Neighbor’s.”
• Marla Avery Minter posted, “I think we should have a bronze statue cast of Neighbor in his coveralls and hard hat depicting his giving a quarter to a child.”
Now that would be a nice gesture--and most fitting. Who wants to take that up and run with it? Quarters add up--just ask Neighbor and those who’ve received them from him over these many, many years. (I note that with his passing, several have mentioned wishing that the City of Hamilton could realize a bronze statue of Neighbor, naturally in his coveralls and hard hat, giving a quarter to a child, just as Marla imagined it. Sure, I’d love to see it, but such a statue would be costly, but it would be well-received!)
As I posted later in all the outpouring of great comments about Neighbor: “I’ve got to chime back in on Neighbor passing out quarters. He gave me a silver dollar not too long ago. A really nice one!!! He offered me a 1922 silver dollar today, and I told him thank you, but he’d already given me one and he needed to give that one to another ‘of his good friends,’ as he always refers to ALL of us here commenting!!! What I’ve seen--and know, everyone loves Neighbor!!! A legend...”
Now, thanks to my “good friend” Tom “Neighbor” Williams, I can say I’ve experienced something “viral”--in a great, big-time way!
By the way, Neighbor’s pic has hit 809 likes/reactions and 126 shares..
I must add that Jimmy “Kickin’ Chicken” Holland messaged me and sent me some photos, recalling he and some friends carried Neighbor to the Talladega 500 in 2005. “We carried Tom to the Talladega 500 and stayed four days in the infield. If y'all ever talk to him, ask him about the fun he had! He loved it!”
Neighbor’s incredible walking record
(Please see the bottom of page 4 for the “Challenge Walk” and a photo of Neighbor. We are returning now to the 2019 column reprint.)
Neighbor was a young 42 years old back then. Just last week he admitted
he can’t walk like he could back then. I’m sure none of us can.
Let’s cipher...
Many of you give him a ride to or from town from his house on County Road 49, what’s known locally as the Old Hackleburg Road.
That’s 7.3 miles from the Hamilton Fire Station. In a car, it takes about 11 minutes; on foot, a good bit longer. Get out your pencil.
Tom worked for the city for 25 years, mainly in the street department on the garbage truck. But let’s stretch these years out to 50 years, and this may be a quite conservative number, and look at the distance Tom walked from his house to town (using the fire station as the stopping point, though this could be lengthened or shortened slightly or considerably, all depending on where he was going or more appropriately, where he ended up), and do some ciphering.
Tom’s round-trip from his home to town (fire station as the point of origin to Hamilton, mind you) is 14.6 miles.
Tom may have walked this distance, over 50 years, six times a week, and doing as the Good Lord allows, giving Tom a day of rest. This puts him at 87.6 miles walked over six days.
Now, crank up that pencil sharpener and find the multiply button on your calculator.
Plug in 87.6, times it by 52 weeks in a year, and you’ll get 4,555.2 miles he walked per year. Hit that number and multiply it by 50 (again, a quite conservative number) and BAM! up pops 227,760 miles. Let that number stick in your mind a bit. Again, conservative.
If you go once around the Earth traversing the equator, you’ve gone 24,901 miles. Neighbor has, at least, in my estimation, gone around the Earth 9.14 times.
That’s more than 512 million steps, based on thecalculatorsite.com’s figure of one mile equals 2,000 to 2,500 walking steps. Tom’s fairly tall, probably well over six-foot, so I went with his steps per mile at 2,250. Conservative, as this entire guesstimation has been, believe it or not (sounds like the old TV show, “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not,” doesn’t it?), I, along with Hamilton Fire Chief Tim Rye and Assistant Chief Matt McCracken and Hamilton High School teachers Kay Hanson and James Beasley, arrived at this logical conclusion. Tim, Matt and I talked it out, and Kay and James said our figures were correct. (Recalling the robot from the 1960s TV series “Lost in Space,” which seemed to be constantly telling its humans “It will not compute.” That’s why we went to a pair of teachers who could tell us if we were right or wrong. It also helped they both know Tom and yes, care about him.)
(Tom is now wearing tennis shoes, not his more traditional boots. No, I haven’t asked him why he changed, but if I think about it, I will.) I know what you’re thinking. Over these many, many days, heavy rains fell or snow was on the ground or perhaps Tom didn’t feel well.
For the record, our “good friend” has never been bothered by the weather, and when he was working for the City of Hamilton, he showed up, more often than not, many hours ahead of schedule, always ready to go to work. (Time was never factored into Tom’s life—when he woke up, he was ready to go.) He told me last week he’s never been to the doctor and no, he said he wasn’t going, either. Please continue to give your “good friend” and mine rides to and from Hamilton when you can. Neighbor, at his age, needs a lift from his many, many good friends.”
That was the end of the original column, but I offer a sidenote to this.
As noted, Tom often visited me at the Journal-Record. He would come in, usually I could hear him all the way to the back, shouting salutations as only Tom could do. But often, someone would come to me in the back and say, “Tom’s upset,” and they’d bring him back to me, and we’d sit and talk. Tom, you see, didn’t quite understand how home insurance worked. I believe someone in town would get him agitated about the insurance he was paying on his home, and he’d want to come talk to me to see if I could get the problem solved. We’d talk, and he’d explain that he believed the insurance company should furnish him a new home because he paid his house insurance. As hard as I could, I would explain to Tom that it just didn’t work that way. He’d come back with he paid his insurance and the company should furnish him a new home. After several minutes of this, I began easing Tom into more happy and peaceful topics. I guarantee you Tom went to his grave believing the insurance company should’ve bought him a new home!
Kenny Avery
The Great KAA
Pam told me I couldn’t just tell all funny stories about The Great KAA, as I often called my dear friend Kenny Avery, so named after The Jungle Book’s snake, KAA, on a takeoff of Kenny’s full name, Kenneth (Kenny) Austin Avery. KAA passed away on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, at his residence, and his funeral service was held on Sunday, Feb. 9th, 2025, at the Hamilton Funeral Home.
So he became KAA to me, more often than not. He was a dear friend, one who made me laugh nearly every day we worked together for about 20 years at the Progress and Journal-Record, both in Hamilton.
Pam wanted me to be sure to share his qualities, and they are many. KAA was a man of heart, a good person, who loved wholeheartedly. He dearly loved his wife of nearly 50 years, and his inspiration for his life were his grandchildren, who he was most proud of, sharing his sage wisdom whether they
needed to hear it or not. Still, much of it has stuck with them as you will quickly learn by just talking with them. KAA also loved Pam’s family, and the feeling was likewise.
I saw KAA change over the years, all for the better. He became a man of God who was a true believer. KAA was saved in August 1973 and rededicated his life to Christ in 1990. He wrote in a journal for his granddaughter Alexis Nichols, “If Jesus can forgive someone like me, He can forgive anyone.” KAA didn’t mind sharing his testimony. Perhaps KAA’s greatest tribute to his Lord and Savior was he knew where he was going, to meet Jesus and family and friends in Heaven. He’s there now, sporting a new body and enjoying the blessings for all of us who profess and believe in our Lord and Savior.
Pam said KAA had always wanted to either own a radio station or just do a talk show on one. Believe me, a talk show for KAA would’ve been no problem. He was as diverse a conversationalist as you would find. If any of you have ever listened to GOLD 97.7 WKXM-FM in Winfield on Friday nights following high school football games, you would’ve heard KAA and David Richards, the original crew of The Pigskin Roundup for many years, and the show is still going today. Both of them did a fantastic job!
Paw Paw Kenny shared many of his thoughts in a journal he gave his granddaughter Alexis on Dec. 3, 2010, when Alexis was 10 years old.
Here are some of the things he wrote:
What was happening when Paw Paw Kenny was born? Rock and Roll was in its infancy; Elvis Presley, Little Richard, and other stars were forging a style of music that is still heard today. Our nation was very Godly and very prosperous. Dwight D. Eisenhower was President of the United States when Paw Paw Kenny was born on Nov. 27, 1953, in Haleyville.
Paw Paw Kenny did not like conflict, writing, “We really didn’t have an outstanding argument—we discussed everything from God to girlfriends, but not to a point of letting our disagreements cause hate.”
Concerning his two dogs, Frank and Button, Paw Paw Kenny wrote, “Having an active imagination (and boy howdy, did he ever!), I pretended to plow them like mules by walking behind them, holding their back legs.” His sister, Doris, caught him and nearly died laughing at him.
Paw Paw Kenny considered his greatest strength as “Being able to find humor in most of life’s various arenas. Being able to laugh makes us not only happier, but healthier. You can read about a merry heart in Proverbs.” (Like the line from Tombstone when Wyatt Earp’s brothers noted they really didn’t like Doc Holliday, Wyatt responded, “I like Doc. He makes me laugh.” I was like Wyatt from the movie, KAA made me laugh, but I’ll admit, there were times I could’ve killed him for some of the things he did.)
The one thing which The Great KAA hated to do was noted in the journal: “Weed eating the banks at our house when others were enjoying themselves.” I’ll go on record as saying KAA didn’t do much weed eating.
As noted in the journal to Alexis, KAA loved to “write fictitious stories about fictitious people. And sometimes, write truthful things about average people to make them feel good about themselves.” I truly considered him a great writer who needed a great editor, me, to help him get over some of his rough spots. His imagination knew no bounds! Sometimes he did dummy front pages, with my favorite being the expose about Ed (Howell) being involved in a “love nest” and what was going to be done about it. Great stuff! He even had a super-hero team called Night Web, and he went on with that for a long time.
KAA wrote columns for us during our years at the Journal-Record. I always edited them, sometimes questioning what in the world he was writing about, and together, we’d get his meaning on the keyboard. Some of those columns got him in a bit of trouble, but we’d laugh it off and move on. KAA never intentionally tried to cause any trouble, but be that as it may, trouble sometimes followed him faithfully. KAA also enjoyed writing plays, and he says that I introduced him to this newfound hobby. He wrote the first two Mayberry plays and KAA and Nick Ray wrote the final one together. I thoroughly enjoyed all three. KAA was Barney Fife in all three. Quite fitting, I might add.
The stories I could share about my friend would take page after page. I once posed as a doctor after I’d convinced KAA to go see Dr. Charles Pyle for a checkup. KAA and Pam went, were taken to a room, where a nurse told them that a specialist would be coming in first before Dr. Pyle. It was a pure setup as I’m known to do! Suddenly, wearing one of Dr. Pyle’s white coats, a mask and some sort of a lamp on my head and carrying a huge syringe with an extra-long needle, I burst into the room. KAA had been laying down on the table, and he jumped up like a jack-in-a-box, his eyes bulging! I was muttering gibberish as I approached him before I burst out laughing! He then got his first checkup since he’d been born.
We pulled all sorts of pranks on fellow worker Ed Howell. Ed was an easy mark, and he always took it well. One such prank went on for six months, because Ed, bless him, could not let the telephone ring. We would tell everyone not to answer the phone and various ones in the office, including KAA, would pretend to be one of my friends, starting out with LAAS, LAAS, LASS, whut do you know? That irritated Ed to no end! As Ed once told the caller, “I’m pretty snowed under right now,” and then the caller would begin “ED, LASS, ED, LASS.” Finally, when we were all gathered for our Christmas luncheon at the paper, I told KAA to get on the telephone speaker and repeat the LAAS, LAAS. Ed looked up from his meal and shouted, “It was you!”
KAA had an astounding memory. He would often tell me things I’d said that for the life of me, I couldn’t remember. Once, after I’d had to let an employee go, KAA said I told him, “She wouldn’t be any good in a shootout, but she could bring me my bullets.” He was a walking, talking history book of what went on at the newspaper and who all had worked there.
Another incident occurred when KAA, Nick Ray and the late Doug Puckett, “Snoops Dougy-Doug,” as I called him, went to Hardee’s for lunch to bring back to the office. Something went wrong with Snoops’ order, and the fiasco began. I don’t remember what Snoops ordered, but he said he’d never be back, which I don’t know if that was true or not. The trio came back to the JR office, and I heard it all. Hilarious! Later, Snoops received food coupons through the mail, but he wouldn’t use them. KAA happily did.
Often I’d lose many members of our staff who should’ve been working at the time. I’d hear laughter from the front on the couches, and there KAA would be, holding court, telling tales, and the other missing employees would be right with him, thoroughly enjoying themselves. I’d get the party broken up and off to work they’d go again, along with KAA, who was a good worker, I so note here. He just sometimes had his own time schedule.
Then there was the time he was keeping a secret stash of money for wife Pam. I asked him what he was going to do with it, and he said, eventually, he was going to give it to her. Pam told me following his death that he had.
Then there was the time he began passing out autographed photos of himself. He even sent one to my Daddy in Andalusia, framed, and Daddy placed it in the hallway with all the kids’ photos. But KAA took it a little further, at my urging. Then-Gov. Jim Folsom was in Hamilton for an event at Blue Harbor’s house. I told KAA he should send an autographed photo to him, and Rich Bailey, a crackerjack photographer and our sports editor at the time, took it with him to give to the governor. The governor’s response to Rich when he handed it to him: “What is this?” Rich found it later, pretty much where he’d given it to him. Rich brought it back to the office, and we sent it to the governor’s office. I thought that was the end of it. The night before KAA’s funeral, Pam told me Kenny later received a thank-you note from the governor, something he’d never told me.
And this, dear readers, is just a sampling, because there is oh-so-much more!
We all loved KAA, Kenny. We had great times, over and over. He will be missed by oh so many. We worked hard, and we enjoyed each other’s company. His final entry in Alexis’ journal reads, regarding his grandchildren: “You love them unconditionally! You always care for them. You are there in their pain and their joy.”
Jesus said, “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
The Great KAA, Kenny Austin Avery, is now at rest with our Lord and Savior in Heaven. He awaits us to one day join him.
See complete story in the Journal Record.
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