Harry Weathersby Stamps__ left his legacy through a heartfelt obituary written by his daughter Amanda Lewis which was printed in southern Mississippi's Sun Herald. The 80-year-old passed away in his Long Beach, Mississippi home from heart complications, but during his time alive, he was a strong influence on those who knew him which drove Lewis to write about the man who was Harry Stamps.
The obituary went viral on Twitter and Facebook–something Lewis says Stamps would hilariously think was a contagious disease he contracted–and has touched many of those who have read it. The obituary is so well-written that Lewis told the Sun Herald that many people even thought Stamps wrote it himself.
Having read the obituary it brought a smile to my face as well as a tear because it showed a man who lived his life as simply as possible while sharing lots of wisdom with his loved ones. You almost feel as if you know Stamps personally after reading the deep, sort-of-cheeky, yet moving tribute.
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Lewis tells the Sun Herald how her father's story was hard to summarize because there was so much to tell. She also thought that her mother would be against her printing the obit, until she saw how well he was captured in the piece.
Stamps' daughter says his respect for women stemmed from being raised by his single mother, older sister, and aunts after his father passed away when he was a boy. He later married the love of his life, with whom he remained for the next 50 years, all the while managing to teach his daughters how to do practical things such as changing car tires and choosing a hammer.
Lewis even included some very relatable laugh-out-loud details about her dad, like his hatred of Daylights Savings Time (which he called the "The Devil's Time") his 1969 Volvo, and Martha Stewart, and his huge love for his signature bacon and tomato sandwiches and Fruit-of-the-Loom tees.
The daughter of the former teacher and dean at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College recalls what a true southerner her father was. Despite his many health problems, he could never give up his boiled peanuts, pork chops, turnip greens, or homemade canned figs. She said one of his favorite sayings was: "Life's not worth living if I can't have butter on my sweet potatoes."
It's no surprise then that Harry Stamps captured the hearts of many through his daughter's amazing obit. I couldn't think of a better way to commemorate a person that was so well liked and inspired those around him.
Image via NS Newsflash/ Flickr
