Joesph Daniel Hamby and Jereldine were married in their late teens. Joe joined the navy and was in active duty during WWII. While on a ship, out in the ocean, he looked up to the stars and prayed, “God when I get home, will you grant me a girl and a boy.” Soon after returning home from service, Jerri announced they were going to have a baby. March 21, 1946, she gave birth to their first daughter, Peggy Sue. Only a year later, Charles Donald was born, fulfilling Joe's prayer for a girl and boy.
Peggy was a young teenager when she gave her heart to the Lord in a Nazarene church. It was the old fashioned Nazarenes that got a bit excited in their worship and often ran the aisles shouting and praising God. The women wore dresses and kept their hair long in keeping with the Biblical standards set out by the Apostle Paul. The men often wore long sleeves and refrained from worldly places, such as the movies or sports games.
She would often sing with her mother and her Aunt Thelma. They would sing three-part harmony and when Peggy Sue would get off her part, her aunt would elbow her in the side. Peggy Sue was asked to sing, one time in a young people's service. The Holy Ghost came over her and she lost consciousness. When she came to her self, she was on the platform and a number of people were in the altar crying out to God. She never knew exactly what took place, during those moments when she was out in the Spirit.Prayer meetings had been started by a number of members of the Lanett Church of the Nazarene. These prayers were held in peoples homes. One evening, Peggy Sue was attending a prayer meeting at the home of Jack Britt. She saw a young man - who she later found out was a preacher, and said to herself, “One day, I'm gonna marry that man.”
Sometime later, she saw James Marion pushing a stroller with a young woman. Her heart sank. What she didn't realize was, that was his sister, Linda. It was only a few months later, while caroling with some other youth, she ran into Marion. Soon after, their courtship began. Unlike so many young people of her day, their dates consisted of going to church and prayer meetings together.
One day, Jerri was reading the local newspaper and saw a small article about a young preacher and his wife moving to town to start a church. Their names were Milton and Ann Bethune. Jerri pointed it out to Peggy Sue and said, “That man is anointed of the Lord. We should support them.” It was long before Peggy Sue and Ann became best friends.
Over the course of the next few years, Peggy Sue's mother began to suffer great bouts of depression. It became so intense, that she was admitted to Bryce's psychiatric hospital in Tuscaloosa, AL for treatment.
In 1968, while Jerri was staying at her sister, Margaret's house, she suffered a nervous breakdown and ran out of the house during the night. Her body was discovered in a nearby creek, only several days later, clutching to a branch. This was traumatic for Peggy Sue. She was certain that her mother had committed suicide and this tormented her for decades. Some years later, she was a someone's home when a vision came describing the very scene that her mother was found, even down to the detail of the gown she was wearing. The Word of the Lord came that it was not suicide, but a psychotic break. Peggy Sue never doubted again.
One day, Peggy Sue was driving her station wagon with Ann in the front seat and Sharon playing in the back with Ann's son, Gregory. Peggy Sue turned down an old road and when she crossed over the railroad tracks, the car bottomed out and was stranded on top of the tracks. They began to pray and cry, trying to rock the car back and forth off the tracks, before the freight train came along. God sent a mailman to push their car just enough to move along.
Her driving was never that great. One day, she had pulled in to visit her friend Ann. They had a visiting minister staying at their house and he had left his car door opened. When Peggy Sue pulled in to park the car, she didn't see the door opened and knocked the door off. She went into the house crying hysterically. He could only laugh trying to console her. Fortunately, his brother owned a body shop and repaired the car free of charge.
Five years after Rachel, they received their third gift from God. Jonathan David was born. God had blessed them with their two girls and now given them their first boy. For his first few years on earth, he suffered severe bouts with asthma. Peggy Sue would sit in a rocking chair in the middle of the night praying and singing over him until his breathing returned to normal. She would sing songs like, “Reach out and touch the Lord as He passes by.” or “He is Lord. He has risen from the dead and He is Lord.” God heard her cry and healed his asthma.
Marion began pastoring a church in Prattville, AL. Every Sunday they would drive about two hours to preach. When he wasn't preaching there, he would travel around different places in the South speaking for friends.
Peggy Sue was always nervous. Ever since her mother had been tragically taken from her, whenever she would hear a siren, she would take off looking for it. She was always afraid it would be her dad. In 1984, the phone rang. Peggy Sue felt uneasy, even before she answered it. It was about her father. Her stepmother had been awakened by the dogs barking and came into the bathroom to find Joe on the floor. He had already passed away from a massive heart attack.
Many times, Peggy Sue recognized that uneasy feeling. A young man had come into the church they were attending at the time and married one of their friend's daughter. Peggy Sue always felt unsettled about him, especially when the young couple invited young children to their homes. Peggy Sue often argued with Marion about allowing their children to go to that young man's house. Not many years later, it came to light that he was taking advantage of the children.
Peggy Sue learned to trust the leading of the Holy Spirit. Her faith was tested many times. Marion's mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. When she began to deteriorate and wander the neighborhood, it became obvious that they must move in with her. Peggy Sue gave up her house with where she was raising her three children to move into an old two-bed room mill house where she would be responsible for the 24 hour care of her mother-in-law. Their relationship had always been a little tense, but now with dementia to strain it even further.
It wasn't too long before Mother Hollis, (Peggy Sue's mother-in-law) started wandering the house at night. She was having difficulty sleeping and one night Peggy Sue discovered her in the kitchen holding a handful of steak knives, unsure what to do with them. Mother Hollis would often be suspicious of her son stealing her money and the children stealing her purse. All the while not recognizing that she was the one doing the “stealing.” When Mother Hollis would become agitated and aggressive, Peggy Sue would take her out to sit in a rocker on the front porch and read her the Psalms until she was calm, again. Not to long after, it became obvious to the entire family that Lou Wade was in need of a nursing home.
After Lou Wade went into the nursing home, God completed His answer to Peggy Sue and Marion's prayer. He blessed them with their final son. William Joseph was born only a month after Peggy Sue's forty-second birthday. He was their pleasant surprise.
Only two years after Joseph's birthday, God called Marion home. It was sudden and tragic to Peggy Sue and the children. She had always leaned on him to make the decisions and be the head of household. She had never dreamed this day would come so soon and sudden. Although her faith in God remained strong, she fought depression daily. God used her faith to keep her above the water.
Times were tough, as Marion had been the sole bread-winner and insisted that she remain in the home with the children. Now, depending on a monthly, fixed income her faith in God was truly tested and tried. Some days she would wonder how much more bare the cupboards could become, but God would send someone with a bag of groceries or money. And every time, she would sit down and calculate what the ten percent tithe would be and give it to a man of God.
Peggy Sue taught her children early in life to pray before meals, before bed and always show respect to the Word of God. She instructed them never to disturb someone in prayer or while reading the Bible. She so reverenced the Word of God that she would not even place her reading glasses on top of the Bible. One of her favorite verses was from the Psalms of David, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in the time of trouble.” She lived this verse as an example to others.
She would kneel down for prayer with her sons before school, after reading a chapter of the Bible. They would hear her pray for protection over them and for leadership and faith for herself. She always remembered others who were more needy than themselves. Finally, she would close her prayer with a quote from King David's prayer: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.
In 1995, Peggy Sue would be having a conversation with others and sudden fall asleep. She was easily aroused and would often be very embarrassed by this. She had difficulty staying awake while driving. Soon after, she became very forgetful of little things. She would make jokes and excuses like, “I've got a good memory. it's just short.” She went to the doctor, but everything seemed physically okay.
The spring of '96 rolled around and Peggy Sue started having lucid dreams. They were so real to her that she would insist the circumstances actually transpired. She had watched a film on the life of Corrie ten Boom. Afterward, she insisted that she had to purchase a type-writer for her book report or she would be disfellowshipped from her church. When her teenage son argued this point with her, she became tearful and anxious. This soon passed.
Finally, after observing a Passion play, she begin to perseverate on the crucifixion. She sent her teenage son with a church group to Canada. While he was away, she called her oldest daughter who now lived in Indianapolis, IN (640 miles away). She told her daughter in great detail how God had called her to be crucified on a cross in front of her church on Sunday. She said her goodbyes with great sorrow and tearfulness.
A week later, a psychiatrist and a neurologist both agreed. Peggy Sue had early-onset Alzheimer's. She gallantly faced this diagnosis like the ancient Christians faced the lions. Her faith did not waiver in God. She was certain that if God wanted to heal her, He was able. She was also certain that if He chose not to heal her, she would die trusting in Him.
On September 6, 2006, Peggy Sue lay in her bed surrounded by her children, who had been posted at her bedside for ten days. They had sang to her, thanked her for her example, wiped her forehead as she had done for them many years before. When she breathed her last breath at 4:45am, she awoke in a beautiful place. She was surrounded by her mother, her wonderful husband and many friends that had preceded her to that celestial shore.
This is the story of a graceful lady. Her children shall rise up and call her blessed.
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