Funeral services celebrating the life of Mr. William Jefferson “Bill” Humble, 97 years and 6 months, of Calhoun, Louisiana, will be held at 2:00 P.M., Saturday, July 25th, 2026, in the chapel of Mulhearn Funeral Home of West Monroe with Pastor Ken Phillips officiating. Interment will follow in the Calhoun Cemetery in Calhoun, LA.

The visitation will be held from 1:00 P.M. until the time of the funeral service.

Bill was born on January 7, 1929, in Calhoun, Louisiana, in the home his father and grandfather built, a place that would always anchor his heart. He passed away peacefully on July 16, 2026, in Asheville, North Carolina, with his family lovingly gathered at his bedside.

After graduating from Calhoun High School, Bill joined the United States Army in 1946 and served eighteen months in Korea. He often shared the story of crossing the international date line on the eve of his 18th birthday, missing most of the day but gaining a lifetime of memories and perspective. Upon returning home, he met the love of his life, Jane McClendon. They married in 1951 and built a beautiful life together, raising two sons, Jeff and Jim, who were the pride of his heart.

Bill and Jane began their careers in Monroe, Louisiana, before both joined LSU’s North Louisiana Experimental Station and returned to Calhoun. Over his thirty-five year career with LSU, Bill’s dedication and craftsmanship earned him the respect of colleagues and friends alike, culminating in his role as maintenance foreman.

Outside of work, Bill found joy outdoors. He loved hunting squirrel, dove, and deer, fishing in local waters, and tending to his legendary garden. Even into his nineties, he grew over seventy tomato plants each season, sharing his bounty and wisdom with neighbors and friends. His love for nature extended to birding and exploring indigenous American history, passions he passed on to his sons.

Bill was a father figure not only to his family but to many cousins, friends, and neighbors. His life was guided by kindness, humility, and respect. He lived by these values daily and instilled it in those around him. Though he never sought recognition, his quiet strength and generosity left a lasting mark on everyone who knew him.

He will be remembered for his gentle humor, his stories of simpler times, and his unwavering love for family and the land that shaped him. Bill’s legacy lives on in the gardens he tended, the birds he admired, and the hearts he touched.

Bill is preceded in death by his wife of sixty-three years, Jane McClendon Humble; son, William Jefferson “Jeff” Humble Jr.; mother, Sallie Scales Humble; father, Jake Humble; and all of his siblings: Thomas Humble, Jake Humble Jr., Eleanor Poole, Betty Humble, Mary “Bitsy” Vardeman, and Bob Humble.

Those left to cherish his memory are his son, James Bryan “Jim” Humble and wife, Phyllis; three grandchildren, Melinda Carol Shaw and husband, Colin of Fort Mill, SC, Rachel Jane Humble of Durham, NC, and Thomas Reed Humble and wife, Sydney Lierz of Raleigh, NC; and three Great Grandchildren, Paisley Shaw, Saylor Shaw, and Griffin Humble.

Also, very dear to his heart were his nieces and nephews: Dr. Lee Humble, Laura Culpepper, Larry Humble, Rob Vardeman, Amy Lawler, Mary Ellen Poole PhD., Dr. Carol Poole, Linden Poole, Tommy Humble, Linda Bush, Pat Bannister, Barry Humble, Marsha Kothmann, Carole Zesch, Sheryl McGlathery, Lee Wade Bodenhamer, Vickie Baxter, Ann Hardwick, Frank Hardwick, Brian Hardwick, Ellen Breed and Bill Haile.

Pallbearers will be Jim Humble, Thomas Humble, Colin Shaw, Bill Haile, Mike Breed and AJ Toms

Music provided by Mallarie Toms and Asa Bannister.