Mona Hammons

Mona Louise Bennett Hammons of Mesquite, Texas, passed away August 18, 2006, following a courageous battle with cancer. Mona was preceded in death by her loving husband of 46 years, Palmer, and her brother, Frank Bennett. She is survived by her three children: Douglas (and wife Bettye) of Little Elm, Texas; Keith (and wife Ellen) of Grapevine, Texas; and Monica of Mesquite; granddaughters, Amey Gallegos and husband Lloyd, Laura, Leslie, and Josie; great-granddaughters, Olivia and Ava; niece, Kathy; nephews, Robert, Donald, Mark, David, and Johnny; and step-grandchildren Leah, Kim, Billy, and Marie. Mona was born February 12, 1929, in Doddridge, Arkansas, to Moses and Ona Bennett. Her family moved numerous times in her youth following her father's work on farms, lumber mills, and for the railroad. She graduated from Jefferson Davis High School in Houston, Texas at age 16. She loved to go crabbing in Galveston, doing the jitterbug with servicemen at the USO, and singing in the church choir. She met Palmer on a blind date, and they were married on October 14, 1949. The couple settled in Mesquite in 1961. Mona worked for several insurance companies, making long-lasting friendships in each. She retired from Southland Life Insurance Company in 1992. Many of Mona's interests centered on church-related activities. As a classically trained singer, she was a faithful member of her churches' choirs until the last few years. She was a member of the WMU, a long-time GA counselor, a mentor, and a Sunday school teacher. You didn't have to know Mona very long before you learned that she excelled at wordplay. An excellent grammarian and speller, she was often asked to write articles, proofread materials, and do all types of creative writing. She would often write a poem for a special event in a friend's life. As her friends shared their "personal" poem, she was asked to write poems for people she didn't even know by using a few facts from their lives. She sometimes entered contests and had several poems published in various magazines and poetry collections, but her poetry was mostly a creative outlet. Mona will also be remembered for her sense of humor. After her retirement, she combined her humor with her love for words and began making Erma Bombeck-type presentations as a guest speaker for civic and church groups. Her failing health in the last couple of years did nothing to diminish that sense of humor. When visiting her in the hospital, you could usually find her room by following the sounds of laughter. Of course, most moms have a positive influence on their kids' behavior, interests, self-esteem, learning and social skills, and the family members generally are aware of those influences at the time. For example, Laura credits Grandma with teaching her to read. However, our perspective changed as we grew up and we realized the more subtle impact our mom had on us. Each of us has a deep love for music that came not from forced music lessons, but from seeing the joy she received from singing and listening to all types of music. We appreciate the nimbleness of words and the clever turn of phrase - not from double-checking our English homework, but from the time she spent on rainy days playing long games of Password and Scrabble. Our house was the place our friends loved to hang out - not because there was no adult present, but precisely because she was there and had a way of making each one feel important. Regardless of when, where, or how you were touched by Mona's warmth and wit, the family wishes to thank all of you for your calls, cards, visits, and many acts of kindness. Mona was encouraged and strengthened over the last months by your faithful prayers. The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. on Monday, August 21, 2006, at New Hope Funeral Home, Sunnyvale, Texas. The funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, August 22, 2006, at Mimosa Lane Baptist Church in Mesquite, Texas. Interment will follow at Roselawn Memorial Gardens in Seagoville, Texas. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society.