If you were growing up in the Hyde Park and West Tampa communities during the 1960s, you know Mrs. Nell Pugh. Mrs. Pugh represented the type of woman that is missing from many communities today; a neighborhood mom who everyone respected and listened to.

Last Wednesday, Mrs. Pugh passed away after a long battle with diabetes and other ailments. She was 77.

The family has asked Ray Williams Funeral Home to assist them with arrangements.[private]

With eight children of her own, Mrs. Pugh was still capable of gaining the respect of other children in the community.

The Grove Hill, Alabama native came to Tampa in 1955 with three children and pregnant with a fourth. She worked as a supervisor at the Holiday Inn until her retirement.

One West Tampa resident recalls Mrs. Pugh and how everyone was drawn to her and her house.

“We lived a block over, and most of the boys were drawn to her house because of her lovely daughters,” said Bernard Jones.

“She was a task master, and you definitely had to deal with her before you could even speak to any of her girls.”

Jones said what he admired the most about Mrs. Pugh was her toughness and humility.

“She was a very humble woman. She would smile all the time, and never had a bad word to say about anyone. She was everyone’s mother, not just for her children.”[/private]