William Hutson “Hutts” Loveless Lived a Long Life
When my maternal great-grandmother (Lela Ann)’s brother, Hutts Loveless, died on 23 May 1898, he was 104 years old.[1] His birth was recorded on 1 September 1943 as 1 March 1894, to Ebby Loveless and Elzy Rodgers, both living near Greenbrier, Faulkner County, Arkansas.[2]
He worked as a farmer in Erath and Lubbock counties until 1949, when he moved to Fort Worth.[3] He worked as a produce manager in retail grocery, working 72 hours a week. Luckily, he was asked extra questions in the 1950 census, revealing that he didn’t live in the current house a year ago. What experience did he have to get this job at age 56?
They had three children: Dorothy Nell (1916-2008), Royce
Braswell “Buck” (1918-1988), and Erwin Marl (1920-2008). Because my grandmother’s
parents had siblings who also married, these children of Hutts were my
grandmother’s double cousins.
Several newspaper articles were written about Hutts and his wife. They celebrated their 50th Anniversary in 1965, while living in Fort Worth.
Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Loveless of Fort Worth
were honored with a golden wedding anniversary dinner and reception on August 12
at 8 o’clock in the evening in the home of their daughter, Mrs. Lynn Crossland,
605 SW 17th Street.
Assisting with the celebration were the
couple’s granddaughters, Mrs. Grady Crossland, Mrs. Herman Sales, Mrs. Travis
Crossland, and Mrs. Kirby Brasfield.
Out of town guests attended from Lubbock,
Slaton and Ropesville included a sister, Mr. and Mrs. Finis Weatherly and
family, a brother, Mr. and Mrs. Earl Lancaster, and two sons, Royce Loveless of
Lubbock and Erwin Loveless of Honolulu.
Mr. Loveless and his wife, the former Jo
Hazel Lancaster, were married on November 27, 1913 at Stephenville, Texas,
where he farmed for several years before moving to Slaton in 1926. In 1940, the
couple moved to Fort Worth, where Loveless became engaged by a food store at
which he is still employed. The couple has been active in the Baptist Church since
their marriage. The Loveless’ have three children, nine grandchildren and seventeen
great-grandchildren.
The reception table was laid in a white lace cloth and centered with an arrangement of white and gold. A tiered white and gold wedding cake, punch and coffee were served to guests.[4]
Here the article written 15 years later, the date of their move to Fort Worth was mis-remembered. He was still working at age 71! Their Baptist religion was mentioned, too.
Jo Hazel died about twenty years later 30 June 1983 in Gaines County, Texas. Her obituary was informative:
Services for Jo Hazel Loveless, 85, of
Seminole were held at 3 pm Friday in First Christian Church of Seminole with
Don and Buster Crossland officiating. Burial was in Seminole Cemetery under the
direction of Singleton Funeral Home.
She died at 8:45 am Thursday in Memorial Hospital
after a lengthy illness. The Dublin native had been a Seminole resident for
five years, moving here from Ft. Worth. She married William Hudson Loveless
Nov. 23, 1915, in Stephenville. She had been a church pianist for many years
before coming to Seminole.
Survivors include a daughter, Dorothy
Crossland of Seminole; two sons, Royce of Lubbock and Erwin of Laguna Beach,
Calif.; a sister, Pearl Smith of Lubbock; a brother, Bill Lancaster of
Muleshoe; eight grandchildren; 24 great-grandchildren; and 10
great-great-grandchildren.
Pallbearers were Wayne Crossland, Grady Crossland, George Shivers, James Groomer, Dick Loveless and Aron Gaines.[5]
Interesting the First Christian Church was the location of the funeral service. What happened with the Baptist church? Was it because she was a church pianist or did the 50th anniversary author get the church wrong? This obituary also mentioned that they had moved to Seminole five years previous.
Hutts lived another 24 years and celebrated his 100th birthday in 1994. The Seminole newspaper wrote up an article about him:
“W. H.
Loveless celebrates 100th Birthday
Saturday, W. H. (Huts) Loveless celebrated
his 100th birthday with a party in his honor at the home of his daughter,
Dorothy Lamm, 605 SW 17th. The party was hosted by his daughter and
granddaughters.
Out of town guests attended from Little Rock
and Conway, Arkansas and Stephenville, Lubbock, Ropesville, Odessa, Midland,
Waco and Dallas. In addition, friends and family in Seminole were in
attendance.
Mr. Loveless was born in Conway, AR, March 1, 1894 and moved to Stephenville when he was 12 years old. He moved to Seminole from Fort Worth in 1978, after his wife suffered a stroke, to be near his daughter and family. Mrs. Loveless died in 1983.”[6]
His move to Seminole matched what was written about his wife’s death and it gave the reason for the move. His wife’s cause of death is mentioned in this article.
My grandmother’s brother, R.D. Lancaster, sent the above article to her,
writing “This is my mother’s
only surviving brother. You cannot believe how active he is and what good shape
he is in! Mom and I drove out to Seminole in far West Texas, 300 miles. Many relatives
were there. Many I’d never met. He, my Mom’s brother married Aunt Jo, my father’s
sister, so their children are my double cousins! Fairly rare relationship. She
died in 1983. Will all of you could have been there to meet him and all the
relatives. They were very fine people. We had a great time. Dad.”[7]
This photo was also sent from her brother taken on Hutt's 100th birthday. He is pictured with Lovetta Loveless to his right, R.D. on his left, and behind him are Weldon Loveless, Gene Loveless, Sue Loveless, and Fay Moon.
Also, during his 100th year, Hutts cut the ribbon which opened a history fair, as he was the oldest living person in the county.[8]
He died on 23 May 1998 at age 104.
“W.H. "Hutts" Loveless 1894-1998.
Services for W.H. "Hutts" Loveless were held
at 2:00 pm on Tuesday, May 26, at Roger Pool Funeral Home Chapel with his
grandsons, Don Crossland and Buster Crossland officiating. Interment
was in the Gaines County Cemetery under direction of Roger Pool Funeral
Home. Mr. Loveless died Saturday, May 23, at Memorial Health Care
Center of Seminole.
He was born on March 1, 1894, in Conway,
Arkansas, the son of the late Elsie and Ebb Loveless. On November
23, 1915, he married Jo Hazel Lancaster in Stephenville. They later
moved to Fort Worth, and from there, they moved to Seminole in
1978. Mr. Loveless was a member of the Grange, the Baptist Church,
and Retired Green Grocer who worked for IGA until his retirement.
He was preceded in death by his wife in
1983; his parents; a son, Royce; six brothers, Arthur, Mason, Rob, Cecil, Long,
and Zach Loveless; and two sisters, Ida Hester and Lelia Lancaster. Survivors
include a son, Erwin M. Loveless of Seminole and a daughter, Dorothy N. Lamm of
Seminole. Mr. Loveless' great-grandsons served as pallbearers.”[9]
He died at Memorial Health Care Center in Seminole. Now, he was listed as being back to the Baptist Church. He worked at the IGA store as a green grocer. This obituary gives the names of his parents. It is always a good idea to look for every notice about a death, as sometimes there is different information. Here is another notice:
“Loveless, Hutts. Age 104, of Seminole. Funeral Services 26 May 1998 at Roger Pool Funeral Home Chapel. Burial in Gaines County Cemetery under the direction of Roger Pool Funeral Home. Died 23 May 1998 in Memorial Health Care Center in Seminole. Born 1 March 1894 in Conway, Arkansas. Married Jo Hazel Lancaster in Stephenville 23 November 1915. Predeceased by his wife in 1983 and a son, Royce Loveless. Survivors: Son Erwin Loveless of Seminole; daughter Dorothy Lamm of Seminole; nine grandchildren; twenty-three great-grandchildren.”[10]
This obituary and two others that I found online many years ago are not now available online. I captured the URL but the links are dead. Neither give any new information.
The
Conway, Arkansas, newspaper, Log Cabin Democrat, wrote up a nice story about
him after his death. His niece, Odeal Loveless, gave the news to the newspaper.
“Remembering the life of W. H. “Hutts” Loveless
When his old
Chevy conked out, W. H. “Huts” Loveless wondered what he’d do with his driver’s
license that listed him as a 104-year-old Texan. The Chevy went to that Valhalla
of old autos, and Loveless on May 25 left this vail of tears for the celestial
destination he had plotted.
God gets
credit for the longevity of this seventh son of a Baptist preacher, born some
10 miles outside Conway at the Linder community. He told a reporter for a
Seminole, Texas, newspaper not too long ago that his dependence on God gave him
guidance throughout his long life. “The Lord puts us here for a short time to
get ready for eternal life and if you don’t have Him to guide you to the truth
you’re in bad shape. But not many people understand that.”
The news of
the demise of Loveless came from Odeal Loveless Adams, a niece living in Conway
with her husband, Gene Loveless [sic]. He leaves many relatives in Arkansas,
says Mrs. Adams. It was her understanding that the old transplanted Arkansan
often talked of life in the village of Linder and about his father, who ran a
store and post office.
Loveless’
tranquility was shattered in 1906 when his mother died. “She was my life,” he
once said. “It just about broke my heart.” Her death turned his life around. He
was sent to live with a relative in Stephenville, Texas, where he worked
picking cotton.
With the
outbreak of World War I, he was among the first men in town to be called up for
military service, but he never went to war. He had said that a rupture
prevented him from going. “It kept me from getting killed; everyone of those
first ones died in the war.”
To the
inevitable question about living a long time, Loveless pointed out that he wasn’t
any different than anyone else. “I’m still living and I still have things to
do. I’ve been blessed with pretty good health and my brain is still working.”
He might have added that his sense of humor was still keen at 104. He told
friends that he got up at 11 am each day in time to make sure he didn’t miss
his lunch. “I get Meals on Wheels and some of them look like they’ve been run
over.”
He kept
puttering around the house until the end came. He liked watching television,
sitting in a chair and jawing, chewing tobacco and singing songs he had
composed or reciting poetry he had written. He said within reaching distance of
the can that once contained Golden Delight Tomatoes into which he spit tobacco
juice, often singing and telling stories sometimes to an audience that existed
in his imagination.
“I used to play the piano; I liked jazz, but I quit about 10 years ago. I guess I still could play, but I haven’t tried it in years.” His fondest memories are of two women in his life, wife Jo Hazel, who died in 1983, and his mother.
In Texas
during the Depression, he worked picking cotton, which sold for 6 cents a
pound. “It took a lot of bales to make $100. But I was determined that it
wouldn’t get me down.” Refusing to accept charity, he brought his family of two
sons and a daughter through the crisis by the sweat of his brow.
When World
War II broke out he contributed to the war effort by working at Carswell Air
Force Base building bombers. Later he worked as a produce manager of a Fort
Worth grocery store. “I worked at the store past 83, and I could have worked
another 10 years but my wife suffered a stroke and we decided to move to
Seminole to be closer to her family.”
Again with a
joke. “I went on ‘social obscurity’ and those checks are not much, you know.”
He fended off attempts to get him into an ‘old folks home.’ “I like staying at
home. I wouldn’t trade this dirty, like place for any mansion.”[11]
The article is unclear how the author, Fred Petrucelli, obtained this information, and whether he actually interviewed him. It seems he met him in person. But this article is a treasure, as it gives us a feel for his personality and a bit of history about his life. I have a few more ideas for future research.
[1] “Death
Notices, William Loveless,” The Odessa American, 24 May 1998, p. 11, cols.
5-6.
[2]
Arkansas State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Delayed Birth
Certificate, no. 753, William Hudson Loveless, 1894, filed 1944. His older
brother George Lon Loveless gave the affidavit. He was 18 years old when
William was born.
[3] For
Erath County, see 1920 U.S. census, Erath Co, Texas, Prec 1, ED 4, p. 41
(stamped), dwel 38, fam 37, Hudson W. Lovelace. For Lubbock County, see 1930
U.S. census, Lubbock Co, Texas, Prec 7, ED 30, sht 2b, dwel/fam 42, William H.
Loveless. For Fort Worth, see 1950 US census, Tarrant Co, Texas, River Oaks, ED
220-5a, household 79, William H Loveless.
[4] “Golden
Anniversary Here,” Seminole Sentinel, 19 Aug 1965, p. 4, col. 4.
[5] A
clipping of the obituary of Jo Hazel Loveless, date unknown, likely in the
Seminole Sentinel; copy, Loveless Family Archive, held by Lisa Gorrell,
Martinez, California.
[6] “W.H.
Loveless celebrates 100th birthday,” Seminole Sentinel, 6 Mar 1994; digital
clipping, Loveless Family Archive, held by Lisa Gorrell, Martinez, California.
[7]
Note from R.D. Lancaster to his children, dated 6 Mar 1994, copy sent to his
sister, Pansy L. Johnston, which included the article about the 100th birthday;
Loveless Family Archive.
[8] “History
Fair termed a great success,” Seminole Sentinel, 20 Apr 1994, p. 1.
[9] “W.
H. “Hutts” Loveless 1894-1998,” Seminole Sentinel, 26 May 1998;
clipping, Loveless Family Archive.
[10] This
obituary was found at the Rootsweb site for Gaines Co, Texas, but cannot be
found today. Even the Wayback Machine captured it only one date (14 Aug 2012) and
cannot be found on their server even after clicking on the link (http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~txgaine2/Obituaries/Obituaries_1998a-l.htm).
[11] “Remembering the life of W. H. “Hutts”
Loveless,” Log Cabin Democrat, 29 May 1998, p. 9, col. 1.
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