TOMBSTONE TUESDAY: SHUG

TOMBSTONE TUESDAY:  SHUG (1956-2008)

I have titled this Tombstone Tuesday a little different than the others I have written about, but there are people in this world who have such a big presence that they are known by just one name. If someone says Elvis, Cher, Madonna, Oprah, or Prince, everyone knows exactly who that person is. In Port Lavaca there was a man so charismatic and well liked that his name was known by one name too and that name was Shug. 

On January 10, 1956, Michael Neal Williams was born in Port Lavaca, Texas. His mother was Ora Mae Barefield Williams, his father was Robert Herron, and his stepfather was Howard Williams whose surname was bestowed upon Michael. Ora Mae was a cook for Calhoun County Independent School District for years. His father Robert Herron was a plant worker for Rexco, and his dad Howard Williams was a farmer and worked in fields for Kirby Martin, Lloyd Canion, and Mutchler farms. He also worked cattle. 

Michael was known as Shug, a nickname given him by his mother when he was a small boy, and that name stuck throughout his life. Shug grew up in Port Lavaca. He attended school here as well. As a boy he played sports and when not in school or at practice he worked in fields and worked cattle with his dad. He learned about cattle and horses from experience as a boy and developed a love for them that he carried that love his whole life. He was a true cowboy. 

During his years in Jr. High and High School he played Sandcrab football, baseball, and basketball. He was also on the Rodeo team. He was a good athlete too. In one of CHS football games in his sophomore year, he received accolades for his part in winning the game. “Michael Williams led the sophomore offense with 791 yards on 129 carries. He scored 6 TD’s, kicked 2 extra points, and scored three two-point conversions for 44 points.” For those Sandcrab football fans that still fill the stands today, many will remember how Shug’s son, Michael, took after his dad and tore up the field making the ranks every season he played. 

After graduation, Shug continued working cattle for Joe Ray Custer and Gary Shafer. He also was a rodeo bull rider. It was not long before he met the love of his life Estella G. Garza, the couple married on January 30th in 1985 and made their home in Port Lavaca. They had a blended family with Shug bringing two boys, Brady Williams and Tory Stovall, and Estella bringing three children to the marriage, daughter Gloria Moya, and sons Roger and Tony Atkinson. Together they had a son Michael Neal Williams Jr. who was often called “little Michael” and is one of the newly elected members of CCISD School Board. Shug and Estella were like peanut butter and jelly, just went together and complimented each other wonderfully. They were continually active in the community when it came to the kids of Calhoun County. Shug was instrumental in bringing Flag, Tag, and Tackle Football Little League to Calhoun County youths. With these programs our kids were able to grow into the sport giving our Jr. High and High School football teams more experience and better scoring games. He coached and worked with not only the football leagues but also Little League Baseball. My son played football for Travis and Calhoun with Michael, and he thought the world of Shug. He showed up to every practice to support the boys and never missed a game in or out of town. The Calhoun County Youth Rodeo was also an organization that Shug dedicated his time and support to. He shared the things he loved with any kid that was interested in learning and taking part in rodeo and sports. What was not widely known was that when a child wanted to participate in something but was from a family that couldn’t easily afford the extra costs of uniforms or equipment, Shug and Estella would make sure that child had what they needed to be able to play. To do things like this, without making a child or family feel ill at ease, or feeling embarrassed by mentioning it in public is a quality that deserves deep respect. 

In the last years of his life, he worked as Street Supervisor for the City of Port Lavaca. He was well known in this city and could always be depended on for getting the job done. City Manager Jody Weaver remembers Shug as being exceptional in his work ethic and a great friend as well. 

When he was not at a game, rodeo, or work, he enjoyed fishing, hunting, riding horses, or barbecuing for is friends and family. He was widely known for his amazing BBQ, often cooking for fundraisers, local sports, weddings, and local events, at no cost, and often he would find a case of beer sitting on his front porch for pay! He also had volleyball tournaments in his yard on the 4th of July while sharing that case with his friends, James and Mike Mutchler, Leslie Boyd, Robert Marek and his brother Howard. His wife Estella told me that he loved to cook and did all the cooking at home. He called Estella “money bags” because she was great at saving her money and Shug liked to buy lottery tickets! They had date night every Tuesday night, after work they would meet up at HEB and grocery shop together; after beer, cigarettes, and lottery tickets, his pockets were empty. Thank goodness “money bags” was the ying to his yang! 

During football season, Estella, Shug, and I would meet in the parking lot during halftime to have a cigarette and shoot the breeze. He would always make us laugh with his stories, and that was one of the things I missed after our boys graduated. He did tell me a story one time that I would never forget. He told me that the actor, Kevin Costner, had come to our small town wanting to hunt alligators. He called Estella and told her to come to the river bottom to meet Kevin. She was sleeping when he called and told him, “Kevin Costner hasn’t ever done anything for me and I’m going back to sleep.” I told him, “Why didn’t you call me? I would have gone down there in a New York minute!” One of the photos attached to this post is of Shug and Kevin. He liked funny jokes and stories, and his family shared some of their funniest memories of him. He was a true fisherman, the size of those fish got larger every time he talked about them. The river bottom was one of his favorite places and one time he and Estella were in the boat in the river, and a bird flew straight for Shug and planted his beak right on the top of his eyebrow. She said it left a good cut and if it had been just a little lower it would have taken his eye out. As a coach in little league, he had the police called on him a couple of times. Being true to the game he would get in a heated argument with the umpire. One memorable time the ump kicked him out of the game, and so Shug turned to his team and said come on boys and they all walked off the field leaving the ump standing there with his mouth hanging open! One other memory his family shared with me took place at the river bottom. They were camping and Shug, his uncle, Dennis Barefield, and his cousin Ray Harvey, were in a boat out in the river. It was getting dark and they could see the eyes and noses of gators raising up out of the waters surface. They started back to camp, and the boat ran out of gas right in the middle of the river. They were stranded and surrounded. Shug got out of the boat and into the alligator and snake infested water; walked to the shore and then to the camp. He got the gas and walked back out to the boat carrying the gas can in one hand, and a knife and fork in the other! 

On July 25th in 2008, Shug went over to help a city employee who had been clearing brush on city property on Newlin Street by Lynn’s Bayou. While he was clearing the brush he hit a bee's nest and they began swarming and attacking the employee. Some bystanders saw what was going on and called for help. Shug at once started over there and was able to get the employee away from the bees, they turned and attacked Shug. He did not survive the attack and passed away that day. Word of his death spread through the county like wildfire. Shug was the kind of person that people gravitated towards, and he was known by everyone. I can name the people who have had their funeral held at the Bauer Center. It is the only place in town that can accommodate the number of people that will be attending. It speaks volumes about a person and how respected and highly regarded they were. Shug was one of those few. He is buried in Port Lavaca Cemetery.

Researched and written by Sheryl Cuellar

Interviews from Estella Williams, and their family members