Leon Paulette

On the third day of a very hot August in 1921, Lela Maude and William Napoleon Paulette welcomed their fourth child, Leon, into their family and their lives on the farm in Attala County, Mississippi.  Leon Paulette embraced his life on the farm and learned to love the land and the bounty it produced. As a child of the depression years, he knew the value of a good crop and healthy farm animals, the value of a dollar, and the value of family and friends to provide joy and laughter to the long days and nights.
Leon left his beloved family and farm to attend Mississippi State University in 1941. He moved into Ole Main where he swept the floors and kept the fire hose key to help pay his tuition. After graduation he taught vocational agriculture in New Augusta; he then joined the Mississippi Cooperative Extension Service in 1954 where he worked and served with pride and enjoyment until his retirement in 1984.
Leon loved his days at Mississippi State and supporting the bulldogs became his passion, a passion which filled each moment until the day of his death. A telephone caller to his home might be greeted with a "How 'bout them Dawgs" upon Leon's answer.
In 1945 Leon Paulette married Myrtle Aultman of Sumrall, Mississippi, with whom he shared 58 wonderful years of marriage. Leon and Myrtle loved, nurtured, and supported their daughter, Phyllis and later shared that same love and support with Phyllis' husband, Bill Lax of McComb, Mississippi, and Phyllis and Bill's son, Todd. Stacey Johnson joined Leon's family as the wife of Todd. Leon's family was then blessed with three precious great-granddaughters, Savannah, Summer, and Brooklyn.
Leon Paulette was a man who showed a quiet strength and faith to his family and friends and was also a man who loved to share a story or two with a willing listener. He was a faithful member of the Main Street United Methodist Church in Hattiesburg. And he was blessed with a long and healthy life.
During his 90 years he continued to know and enjoy his love of the land, the beauty of God's earth, the song of a bird, the gentle mountain breeze, and the music of a singing mountain brook. Leon's second passion was his little cottage in Highlands, North Carolina, where he enjoyed creating lasting memories with family and friends.
Leon Paulette is survived by his daughter, Phyllis and her husband, Bill, his grandson Todd and his wife, Stacey, together with the precious great-granddaughters, all of Tampa, FL. He is also survived by his adored sister, Margaret Ward of Lena, Mississippi.
Leon Paulette will be laid to rest in Highland Cemetery following the celebration of his life at the Main Street United Methodist Church in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, at 11:00 AM on Friday, January 6, 2012. The family requests that memorial contributions be made to the Aldersgate Ministry of the Main Street United Methodist Church, the Lena Methodist Church, or the 4-H Club Foundation.