Our Somers Family Heritage

  My niece shared this picture of my dad taken when we celebrated his 86th birthday last July.  He was laid to rest at Jefferson Barracks yesterday (02/07/2022) with full military honors.  Pastor Geoff Ingrum of Heritage of Grace Church in Columbia, IL presided over the service.  It was a beautiful day and Dad would have been proud of the service and respect shown to him.  Thank you to all who attended and those who kept us in their prayers.  Christ was honored and glorified. Amen.

  Jesse C. Somers  Thursday, January 27, 2022 in Cuba, MO.   Beloved husband of the late Peggy Geneva (nee: Wallace) Somers. Beloved father of Angela (Jeff) Wittman, step father of Terry (Linda), Kenneth (Valerie) Davidson; grandfather of 9, great grandfather of 16, great great grandfather of 1. Jesse was born July 28, 1935 in Neelyville, MO the third youngest of 12 children born to William Henry and Lillian May (nee: Weaver) Somers of Butler County, MO Jesse was a proud Korean War Veteran in the United States Air Force. Retired Chief Master Sargent in the Missouri National Guard. Jesse was much loved by all who knew him. He was baptized into the Christian faith in 1978 and a member of the Christian Church. Visitation at Kutis South County Chapel 5255 Lemay Ferry Road Monday, February 7, 9:30am until service at 10:30am. Interment Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions to Alzheimers Association, appreciated. Source:  https://www.kutisfuner

Taken in 1955 This photo was taken when Dad was stationed in Tripoli, Libya after joining the U.S. Air Force. He was 20 years-old. Dad was my first hero. Dad was a tough guy in his younger years and broke his hand while in the Air Force. He tells the story of going to the doctor and saying he broke it when he fell. The doctor replied that the guy he fell on was in the next room with a broken jaw. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dad has been living with my husband and me since August of 2018 and seems to be doing well considering his illnesses (Parkinson's and Alzheimer's Disease). A couple of weeks ago Dad told me he had asked the Lord to forgive his past sins. This confession of faith in Christ Jesus came out of the blue during a moment of mental clarity. Praise the Lord! May God bless those who have prayed for us or who are going through similar circumstances. In Lord Jesus Name, I pray. Amen.

Jesse (Jay) Somers - Early to mid 1950's. People often talk about standing for righteousness, but here is a story of my father literally taking a seat for what is right and good. Dad entered the Air Force in March of 1953 at the young age of 17 years. He tells the story of how hard it was for him to find work in his hometown of Poplar Bluff, Missouri, at the time. Prospective employers would tell him that they feared he would be drafted to serve in the Korean War when he turned 18 in July. So, Dad decided to join the Air Force instead of waiting for the draft. Dad was soon sent to a facility in Texas via a public bus. He remembers finding a seat in the very back and proceeded to relax and catch up on his sleep. Dad remembers crossing into Arkansas where public transportation was segregated. He tells of hearing the bus driver announce that all blacks were to move to the back of the bus. Dad stayed in his seat and the driver singled him out and ordered him to the front. Wel

Grandfather William Henry Somers (43 yrs. old) with my father, Jesse Cecil, (2 yrs. old) riding his horse named "Sunday." This photo was taken in May or June of 1937 at their farm in Neelyville, Missouri.

Amazon  A friend and I have been discussing the book " Cracker Culture " by author Grady McWhiney which has some controversy surrounding it, mostly due to his theory that the Southern states culture before the Civil War was based on the Celtic culture of it's settlers and the Northern states of the English Puritan founders and that these differences were destined to collide. According to some reviews I've read, the author reportedly states the Southerners were more pastoral and did not have the same Protestant work ethic as the Northerners: "According to Grady McWhiney, the North and the South were destined to develop incompatible lifestyles because of each regions’ unique ethnic roots. Whereas the North came from the stock of industrious hard working Englishmen, the South spawned from the pastoral and primitive society of the British Isle’s Celtic people. Written in 1988, Cracker Culture presented the broadest attempt at surveying the common white man o