Palestine High School Alumni Association

10 / 22 / 1915 – 07 / 11 / 2016

Mattie Sue Sammons, longtime resident of Palestine, passed away peacefully on July 11. Mattie had been cared for at Sayre Christian Village Nursing Home in Lexington, Kentucky since 2013.
She was born October 22, 1915, in Montalba to Robert E. and Eula Ward. Mattie married Morris (Bud) Sammons March 28, 1938. Before he passed away in 2002, they celebrated 64 years of marriage.

Mattie was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Ezekiel, her sister Delta McCauley (Bryan) and three siblings who died in infancy. Mattie is survived by her son, Buddy (Liz) of Lexington, KY; former daughter-in-law Jamie Storm (Gary) of Urbana, IL; grandchildren Kate Sammons (Adrian Gottlieb) of Los Angeles, Ted Sammons (Nada Moumtaz) of Columbus, OH, Meg Sammons of Portland, OR; step-grandchildren Jennifer Legernes (Wayne Maynard) of Lexington, KY, Laura Legernes (Rudy Kopcke) of Chicago, and one step-great-grandchild, Benjamin Waynard of Lexington, KY.

Until moving to Lexington, Mattie was a longtime member of the First Baptist Church of Palestine and served as the church hostess for 20 years, retiring in 1993. Mattie was often praised for her cooking, especially her pies and cakes. She was best known for her friendly smiles and her quiet, enduring strength. Her gentle and kind spirit will be missed by many. No doubt her character stemmed in part form her childhood. She learned perseverance working alongside her father plowing, planting, picking cotton, and maintaining the family farm. Though you often had to pry them out of her, she took great pleasure in telling stories about the members of her family. Before she went to Lexington, Mattie loved to take rides with her visiting grandchildren through the hills of Montalba, pointing out the old homesteads of her extended family. They enjoyed learning what her life had been like growing up. While in Lexington, Mattie’s heart was always back in Texas and she dreamed of going home. She cherished the cards and letters she regularly received.

Mattie’s family is most thankful for all the expressions of care, especially those she received on her 100th birthday. We want to publicly thank those who wrote often. Among them are Nellie Blackwell, Betty Fitzgerald, Troy and Dede Clark and their children, Joann Ray, Marjorie Huntsburger, Jo Ann Smith, Eugenia Hightower, Dotsie Butler, Mary Jane Gibson, Paulie Sammons, Guilnndlyn Gunnels, and the late Meryl Beaudet.

All Mattie’s friends and relatives are invited to the celebration of her life at 2 p.m. on October 22, 2016, Mattie’s 101st birthday, at Herrington / Land of Memory Funeral Home.

Memorial donations can be made to the Concord Cemetery Association, PO Box 1492, Palestine, Texas 75802.