On July 1st, 2026 at 90 years old, Little Joe McCallum lifted his arms towards Heaven and took his final breath at the Mississippi State Veterans Home in Oxford.
Little Joe was born September 23, 1935 in Mississippi to Shields Earl McCallum and Georgia Mae (Goode) McCallum. He was the baby of nine children and affectionately named after both of his grandfathers- Shields Little McCallum and Joseph Hawkins Goode.
Joe graduated from Potts Camp High School and from there joined the Air Force during 1955 to 1959 and served in the reserves until 1963. He was known as J-Bird and did bodywork on vehicles. After his time in service, Joe returned to the North Mississippi/Memphis area where he met the love of his life, Erma Jene Baker. They married in March of 1961 and had two daughters: Trunetta Renee and Tammy Jolyn.
Joe was a highly skilled machinist who would be flown and relocated to different places- notably Canada, Texas, and Tennessee. After living in Memphis for many years, Joe and Jene retired and moved back to Potts Camp, Mississippi where they were closer to Joe’s family and the town he grew up in. He was a member of Holly Springs Baptist Church.
Little Joe was a quiet man who enjoyed tending to his garden, his dog Sam, and his cuckoo clocks that were not correctly set so at least one clock was chiming every ten minutes. One of his favorite pastimes was watching western movies, but his favorite was John Wayne’s “the quiet man”. During his recovery from multiple hospital stays, he and Renee watched countless westerns. Go ahead, quiz her on her knowledge. He had a fascination with eagles and the Ole Miss Rebels. He never seemed to have a lot to say, but he was always observing and listening. His family of girls thought he was hard of hearing until only a few years ago when his hearing test came back and showed it was more selective than anything.
Papa Joe would affectionately call everyone “Shorty” and every morning on his phone with his granddaughter, Amy, he would say “Well, Shorty, I hope you don't have to work too hard but que sera sera”. She loved it so much she got a tattoo of it in his handwriting and he gave her the side eye for it.
He had a special connection with each of his daughters, his son-in-laws, his grandaughters, and his one grandson, Jeremiah- who was a change of pace after having an all female bloodline. In fact, he would say “Whatcha know good, son?” everytime he saw him. He loved spending time with his great grandchildren who adored him. Susannah, age 5, has asked Jesus to tell Papaw she loves him. Her exact words were “Dear God, can you tell Pawpaw I love him. It’s Susannah. And tell him to have a good day” and Eli, age 3, has been wearing his Papaw pants (khakis) because that is what Pops would wear.
On the Wednesday before he passed, he was sitting outside enjoying a cup of coffee with Sara and Tammy when they noticed a hummingbird (Nana’s favorite bird) resting quietly on a tree branch. It wasn’t flying from flower to flower as hummingbirds usually do; it simply sat there, as if it had come for a purpose.
He left this earth on July 1, just one day before the anniversary of Nana’s passing on July 2. To our family, the timing and the hummingbird felt more than a coincidence. We believe it was a gentle sign from God and that perhaps Nana was there, waiting to welcome him home.
Joe was preceded in death by his parents Shields Earl and Georgia Mae, his loving wife of 54 years, Erma Jene, and seven of his eight siblings.
Little Joe leaves his two daughters, Renee (Ricky) Murk and Tammy (Rick) Eddleman who lovingly stood by his side and cared for him until the end. He loved seeing them and would reach up and open his arms for a hug when they came in.
He also leaves behind his older sister, Twilla Rutherford, she has been more than just a sister. She has been a companion and a true friend to him.
Papaw also leaves behind five grandchildren: Georgia (Clay) Barnett, Sara Eddleman, Amy (Aaron) Redmond, Jeremiah (Marissa) Murk, Amanda Eddleman and two Great Grandchildren: Susannah Jene Renee Barnett and David Elijah Barnett.
To his Nephew Lance and his Great Nephew Hutton- Thank you for helping care and spending time with him. He always spoke very highly of you!
To the State Veterans Home in Oxford, Mississippi- Thank you so much for your loving dedication to those who served and for caring for our Dad. We saw the kindness and gentleness you administered in handling delicate situations and we thank you for that!
In the words of Amanda, his youngest granddaughter: “One thing Papaw was gonna do was leave early and I intend to carry on that legacy“.
Our goal is to keep his mottos going. Here is to not working too hard and leaving early.
Whether the greeting was ‘whatcha know good?’ Or the farewell included ‘que sera sera’ we know one thing, he heard even when he acted like he didn’t.
On a final note, when Papaw was asked what he knew he would say that he “didn’t know much of nothing”, but we are confident that he has gained a wealth of knowledge that only Heaven can provide. “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:26
Bro. Alan Traller will be officiating the service. Pallbearers will be: Ricky Murk, Rick Eddleman, Jeremiah Murk, Clay Barnett, Aaron Redmond, Hutton Stephens, and Jerry Marcum.
Visitation will be held on Wednesday, July 8, 2026 from 11 until service time. The funeral will begin at 1:00 PM. Burial will follow in the Memphis Memorial Gardens where a graveside with Military funeral honors will be held.
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