William Elmo Collum
September 8, 2010
The funeral for William Elmo Collum will be today at 11 a.m. at Greenwood First Baptist Church with burial in Odd Fellows Cemetery.
The Rev. Joe Pate will officiate. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. until service time.
Mr. Collum, 90, died Friday, September 3, 2010 at the home of his daughter, Gloria, and son-in-law, John, in Starkville.
Elmo was born on February 4, 1920 in Webster County to Jim Willie Collum and Laura Safronia Peeples Collum. He graduated from Schlater High School in Leflore County when he was only 16 years old.
He married Meabelle Henderson in 1936 and was a loving husband to her for 73 years. He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army after serving as a sharp shooter trainer during World War II.
He spent his professional life as a farmer and a warehouse manager for sales transportation for Farmer’s Supply Cooperative.
Elmo was a longtime member of First Baptist Church of Greenwood.
He served the church as a deacon, deacon emeritus, an usher, secretary for the children’s Sunday school department while also teaching Sunday school.
He was an avid bird hunter and bowler. He bowled twice a week from the time Leflore Lanes opened in 1961 to early December 2009. He also traveled to tournaments throughout the country.
His game peaked with a high score of 285. On Jan. 31, 2010, he was the first inductee into the Greenwood-Grenada Bowling Hall of Fame.
Left to cherish his memory are his daughters, Gloria (John) Correro and Linda (Muse) Davis of Starkville; son, M. Elmo Collum of Jackson; grandchildren, Kim C. Fandel of Tupelo, Chris Correro of Madison, Eliska D. Counce of McKinney, Texas, Dr. James Muse Davis III of Atlanta, Ga. and Will E. Davis of Omaha, Neb. and great-grandchildren, Peyton, Jonathan and Drew Fandel, Jace and Mae Mae Correro and Jack, Jona and Juliet Couce and his brother, Murray (Martha) Collum of Brandon.
