Ova (Bill) H. Pile

Ben Franklin Wilson writes,

"In 1917, our parents took us (5 children, I think) to Mook to visit Mama's cousins in Mook -- Blanche Payne Alexander and family who lived in our house and Liza & "Bill" who lived in the house across the street (about which the article is written.) Later Liza & Bill both married & Bill stayed in the house."

Gary Pile writes, Wade Pile built the new general store in 1903. Uncle Victor took my father Ova “Bill” Pile to the 1904 World’s Fair in Saint Louis where the brothers vowed to become innovative farmers.

When the farming depression hit in the 1920s, the brothers nearly saw their dreams come crashing down. But thanks to my father’s renowned business acumen, Mook survived to become a bustling tobacco and trade center. When he was thirty-six, Bill married my mother Ora “Janie” Armes and started raising a family.

In 1948, Bill died suddenly. Even though I was only three when he passed away, I’ve come to know him from the stories I’ve been told: Mr. Bill Pile, a local folk hero, famous for his generosity.

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