If you've never had the privilege of meeting Possum Price, I'm sorry, because you're among the few who have been cheated out of a "priceless" treasure. He was known by many and loved by all.
Born James Richard Price, on July 28, 1939 in Vicksburg, he passed away on Feb. 16, but not before creating a heritage of memories, generosity and compassion during his 81-year lifetime.
He married his wife, Leigh Price, 61 years ago. They hit the ground running and have never turned back. Their two daughters, Latta Herring and Paige Price, blessed them with five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, all of whom are convinced that "Pa and Ma" (as they're affectionately known) hung the moon.
Price's grandchildren, Cole Price, Clare Trahan, Wayne "Hacksaw" Herring, Joshua Price and Sissy Price, are all living proof that these proud grandparents have clearly succeeded in their task of instilling remarkable spirit, respect and character to carry on their legacy.
From his early years growing up in the Mississippi Delta, to his outstanding college football career at Ole Miss, and through his adult life and successful business ventures in the insurance, land and oil and gas industries, Price always kept his feet firmly grounded and he emerged as an extremely humble, approachable and spiritual man.
Although he managed to ultimately build a life of success, things weren't always easy and, as a child, Price's life had very humble beginnings.
His daughter, Latta, recounted that her dad's family grew up in very hard times. She said, at one time, they actually lived in tents beside the levee of the Mississippi River in Vicksburg.
Price, the oldest of four siblings, was the big brother to his three younger sisters. Sadly, the oldest of his sisters died just one day before he did.
"They were extraordinarily poor back then and struggled to get by," she said. "He (Price) knew that, if he ever stood a chance at getting out and making a better life, it would have to be through his ability to play sports." And so he did.
Although he initially followed his high school coach and attended college in Texas, he longed to be closer to his family in Mississippi and soon transferred to Ole Miss, and, as they say, the rest is history. He earned a degree in physical education and was also drafted to play in the National Football League by the Oakland Raiders.
While at Ole Miss, Price was not yet aware that his soon-to-be wife had recently transferred there from an etiquette school, and they were about to meet.
During an evening out on Sept. 6, 1959, Price and a few football buddies decided to go see a movie at the Ritz Theater. That also happened to be the same idea shared by Leigh "Forbes" and a few of her friends.
Legend has it, Price caught a glimpse of Leigh and that's all it took. He immediately proclaimed to his friends, "I'm going to marry that girl right there." Exactly four months and three days later (on Jan. 9, 1960) they got married.
"It was the funniest thing to hear them talk about it," Latta said. "My mom was pretty popular at Ole Miss and her phone used to ring and ring with guys wanting to ask her out. But right after the night they met at the movie theater, her phone just stopped ringing completely. They discovered later that my dad had put the word out, she was his girl and nobody else's."
Latta said her dad was always fair but firm and he always treated everybody exactly the same, regardless of wealth or status or appearance, etc. He always believed that everyone deserved the utmost level of respect.
But, she said, her dad was known for having some wilder years prior to turning 33 years old, which is when he became a Christian and accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior.
"That's when things really turned around and we noticed what a difference God was making in his life," she said. "Then it just became second nature for him to automatically talk about his salvation and try to help lead other people to Jesus. We always had lots of gatherings with family & friends, and it always included devotion time -- always."
Price's entire family has glowing recollections of their memories over the years, but the main common denominator is his unwavering integrity and honesty. They characterized his life as always following the "Three F's:" Faith, Family and Friends.
Price earned nationwide respect and honor as a legend for his abilities on the football field, helping to lead Ole Miss to two consecutive national championships in 1959 and 1960. His most recent recognition was being inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in Jackson on Aug. 3, 2019.
Even in his later years, Price maintained his football talents and shared his experience as an assistant coach under then-head coach Perry Coggins at Columbia Academy. During his tenure, Price helped to lead the CA Cougars to their only state championship in the school's history. He later served as head coach and was actually an original organizer of that school.
He was also a major influence in personally coaching his grandsons as early as their summer league and pee-wee football years. Cole, Hacksaw and Clare said they can't remember a time when Pa wasn't there to help support them and keep them straight.
"He was absolutely the greatest man I've ever known," Cole said. "All the lessons of life he's taught us over the years are so incredibly valuable, especially now that we're grown with families of our own."
Although not related by blood, the Prices are quick to claim that another extremely close member of their family is their housekeeper, Tiny Smith, who has been with them for the past 28 years.
Smith, originally from Chicago, moved to Marion County and began searching for a job to earn money for her home repairs. She said all she wanted was to find a good, honest, Christian person or family to work for and, after several prayers, God led her to the Prices and she's been there ever since.
As his family can attest to, he never met a stranger and graciously touched so many lives -- so there will surely be a multitude of people who will miss him and be eternally grateful to the one and only, Possum Price.
The Price family would like to invite everyone to a special Celebration of Life Service this Saturday, March 6, 2021, at the Columbia Academy Fine Arts Building. Fellowship and visitation will be at 5 p.m., with a devotional service at 6 p.m. n
