Sam Hallmark

On a hot day in the middle of August, 1917, Samuel Hallmark came into the world.  He was born to Ellick and Mary Hallmark and grew up on a small truck farm near Tupelo, MS.  He was part of a fairly large family of 3 brothers and 2 sisters.Through out his youth he pulled his weight by helping his dad and mom on the farm and performing his fair share of the work, however, his real love and interest lay in other areas, namely automobiles and music.  Through out his teens and into his early 20’s, he enjoyed playing music with other members of his family, especially his brother Ben.  He and Ben and a cousin or two eventually formed a band and performed around the Tupelo area at small dances and the like.  They even had one radio appearance to their credit, which was a big deal back then.  Sam’s love of music continued to flourish through out his life although he left off performing for several decades but then came back to it with great enthusiasm in his late 60’s.  He eventually formed another band which he called, “Back Country” (because they played a lot of the old country music).  The band played regularly at nursing homes, family reunions and other venues around Mississippi and Arkansas.  They rarely missed a week of performing and on his 90th birthday, Sam and his brother Ben gave a little concert for the family.  That was the last time he played publicly.As noted above, his other great love was automobiles and automobile repair.  His brother once commented that any time that Sam disappeared you could always find him with his head under the hood of a car or truck.  His love of cars led him to become an excellent auto mechanic.  He eventually became self-employed, owning his own auto repair shop in Amory, MS.  In later years he operated one of the most successful auto repair facilities in West Memphis, AR for over 30 years.  He was fondly referred to by his peers as the best mechanic east of the Mississippi.In 1940, Sam joined the armed forces.  He eventually became a member of the Army infantry division and drove the number 1 gun truck.  He served for the whole duration of WWII and fought in the Pacific theater for the latter part of the war.  He distinguished himself on several occasions by saving lives of his comrades.At age 19, Sam got a job driving a school bus.  One Sunday morning he picked up some passengers to take to church.  That’s where he met Lucille Boozer whom he married in 1942.  Their marriage of 53 years produced 2 children.  Lucille left his side to be with the Lord in December of 1995. Sam Hallmark’s full and blessed life ended on December 6, 2015 at his home in West Memphis, AR after a brief illness.
He leaves behind his daughter Cellia Plummer of Amory, MS, his son Stuart Hallmark of West Memphis, AR, his grandson Charles Plummer of Rome, Italy, his granddaughter Rena Hallmark of Hope, AR, and his great grandchildren Owen, Aislynn and Aiden of Hope, AR.Services will be held 2 p.m. Thursday, December 10, 2015 at W. E Pegues Funeral Home, 535 W. Jefferson Street, Tupelo, MS 38804.
Visitation will be 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, December 9, 2015 at W. E. Pegues, Tupelo.
In lieu of flowers, we would like donations to be made to LeBonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis or the Disabled American Veterans.
Expressions of sympathy may be left at www.peguesfuneralhome.com .