This week, The Grenada Star spotlights 67-year-old Mickey Boyette of Grenada.
Q: When and where were you born?
A: I was born on Sept. 1, 1955, in Winona.
Q: Who were your parents?
A: My father was Buck Boyette and my mother was Mildred Boyette.
Q: What did your parents do for a living?
A: My father had a TV repair shop and also worked at a factory in town. My mother was a homemaker.
Q: Do you have any brothers or sisters?
A: I have five sisters. My oldest sister, Margie, passed away about three years ago, but the rest of them are still living.
Q: Where did you attend school?
A: I graduated from Winona Christian School.
Q: What do you recall most from your childhood?
A: My dad was one of those that was always very serious. I only saw him laugh probably one time. Now, my mother, she found humor in just about everything. Sometimes we would be sitting at the dinner table and something would come up that everyone thought was very funny, but dad didn’t think the same. He would always say, “I didn’t see anything funny about that,” and that would just make us giggle even more. He would make us get up from the table and stop ourselves from laughing before we could come back to eat. We may have to get up a few times before we would stop.
Q: Where have you lived?
A: I have lived in Winona, Indianola, West Helena, Ark., and Grenada.
Q: What do you like most about Grenada?
A: I like that Grenada is a small town. It takes a while to get established here, but once you get established, it’s a great place to build a business. If you don’t know where to find something, there is always someone that knows someone that can help. Everyone here is friendly.
Q: What is your wife’s name?
A: My wife’s name is Donna Duncan Boyette.
Q: How long have you been married?
A: Next August, we will have been married for 39 years.
Q: What made your spouse the one for you?
A: She liked my warped sense of humor. She is a very fundamental type person. She doesn’t have to have a whole lot of bells and whistles, and just likes things for the way they are.
Q: What advice do you give married couples for them to have a long, healthy marriage like you have?
A: Don’t fuss. It doesn’t make any difference if you are right or wrong or whatever, your wife is always right. It’s just like that old saying, “If mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.”
Q: Do you have any children?
A: We have three children, Wes, Holly and Katie.
Q: Where do your children live and what do they do for a living?
A: Wes lives in Mathison and works at the coal plant in Ackerman. Holly lives in Grenada and is a part-time stay-at-home mom and the other time is spent helping her husband run his business, No Way Jose. Katie is a dental hygienist for Dehart Dental and always helps run the office there as well.
Q: Where do you attend church?
A: We are members of First Baptist Church.
Q: Where did you work? What was your role?
A: I retired from the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure. I was an investigator. I got to make sure the doctors were doing what they were supposed to. We were called the doctor police.
Q: Do you have any grandchildren?
A: We have seven grandchildren. We have four girls, Ella, Allie, Ada and Gia and three boys, Charlie, Ollie and Jonah.
Q: Do you do a lot of traveling?
A: We love to travel every chance we get. We just got back from Branson, Mo., this week. We enjoy taking cruises. We love Orange Beach and Gatlinburg.
Q: What inventions have you witnessed that intrigue you? Why?
A: It’s got to be the cell phone. I had a friend that was a data processor and the main frame was as big as this room, but now it could fit in the palm of your hand.
Q: What keeps you busy these days?
A: I love to be outside. My outlet is yard work. Just give me my lawn mower, my iPod and a yard, and I could solve the world’s problems right there.
Q: What is your favorite TV show and movie? Why?
A: Right now my favorite TV show is “Yellowstone.” My favorite movie would have to be “Forrest Gump.”
Q: What advice would you like to give people on staying healthy?
A: Have a balanced diet. Try not to get overweight. Exercise. Don’t smoke. Get off the couch and go do something.
~ By Mandy Ayers
