Upton Lee (Buddy) Almon, Jr
Upton Lee (Buddy) Almon, Jr passed away after an eight month battle with cancer on April 14, 2020, at St. Dominic Hospital at the age of 73. A loving husband and father and a doting grandfather, he will be greatly missed by his family and friends.
Born November 24, 1946, to the late Upton Lee and Lottie Mae Almon, Buddy grew up in the small Delta town of Sumner, Mississippi. As a child and teenager, he loved boat riding with friends in the Cassidy Bayou, which winds through the middle of town, as well as water skiing with family and friends at area lakes. From a young age, Buddy enjoyed riding a mo-ped and a scooter. At the age of 15, he got his first Harley Davidson Sportster Motorcycle. It was the start of a lifelong passion; he continued to ride a Sportster throughout his life. He was a halfback on the football team at West Tallahatchie High School in Webb, Mississippi. After graduating from high school in 1965, Buddy went to Northwest Mississippi Community College in Senatobia for two years before finishing his college career at Delta State University in Cleveland, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Education. During this time, he pursued an interest in muscle cars, owning a 1968 GTO and also served in the United States Army Reserve.
Buddy married his neighbor and high school sweetheart, Eva Helen Jones, in 1970. They moved back to Sumner and Buddy joined his dad in farming. In addition to farming cotton and soybeans, Buddy owned a trucking and backhoe service. He was a skilled backhoe operator and also thoroughly enjoyed a career as an independent contractor, operating a backhoe for Illinois Central Railroad Company for 29 years. Proud parents of two daughters, in 1991, Buddy and Eva left Sumner and moved to Lyon to live closer to their daughters' school and activities. In 2012, after retiring, Buddy and Eva moved from the Delta to Madison to be near their children and grandchildren. Buddy was a member of First Baptist Church of Madison and was closely involved in his grandchildren's lives. He enjoyed having lunch with his granddaughter at Madison Avenue Elementary and attending his grandchildren's many programs and activities.
He leaves his wife of almost 50 years, Eva Helen Jones Almon, his sister, Patricia Ann Hancock (Tim), two daughters, Waverly Suzette Almon Harkins (Michael) of Madison and Dr. Wendy Renee Almon of Ridgeland, and two grandchildren, Anne Almon Harkins and Walter Wade Harkins.
At this time, a private visitation will be held at Natchez Trace Funeral Home on Friday, April 17, 2020 at 10:30 am. Graveside services will take place immediately after at Natchez Trace Memorial Park Cemetery in Madison, Mississippi. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Buddy's favorite charity, which he supported monthly: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, P. O. Box 50, Memphis, TN 38101-9929.