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Buford “Hody” Childress

Born and raised in the small town of Geraldine, Alabama, Buford “Hody” Childress served in the U.S. Air Force for eight years, was a farmer for 50 years, and worked at Lockheed Martin’s Alabama Space Center until he retired. He continued farming until two years before his death.

For almost ten years Mr. Childress had a secret, and the few that knew this secret were sworn to secrecy themselves. Buford “Hody” Childress recently died , and so his secret came out.

From Epoch Bright:

His daughter, 58-year-old hairdresser Tania Nix, lives in nearby Ider, Alabama. When Hody suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other health issues, he had trouble moving around and was pretty much bedridden. He knew by then his end was approaching and he couldn’t keep his secret any longer.

“I was going to the drugstore one day and he told me, ‘I’ve been doing something for a while, and I would like to continue doing this as long as I’m alive,’” Nix told The Epoch Times. “I said, ‘Okay, what is that, Dad?’ and he said, ‘I’ve been carrying a $100 bill to the drugstore on the first of the month, I give it to Brooke, and she has the liberty to do what she chooses to help someone. I told her just to tell them it’s anonymous, and it’s a blessing from the Lord.’”

Nix told her father she would be glad to take the money on his behalf. She handed the bill in the pharmacy Geraldine Drugs but had no idea how long her father’s tradition had been going on until after he passed away, peacefully at home, on New Year’s Day 2023.

The family of the Alabama farmer discovered a moving secret on his deathbed: the 80-year-old donated $100 to a local pharmacy every month for ten years, in secret, to help people access the medicines they needed but could not afford.

Before the funeral, we gathered to reminisce about Dad,” Nix said. “One of my cousins was a personal friend of Brooke Walker [the pharmacist at Geraldine Drugs] … she immediately sat down and started telling the story … that’s how I found out about the depth and magnitude of what he had done.”

Walker had been “sworn to secrecy,” by Hody but felt the family deserved to know about Hody’s heartfelt mission.

“He never was one to be down and out, no matter the circumstances,” Nix said. “I feel very blessed that I was raised by a man that was so gentle and kind, and I feel very thankful that he was able to give back to the community.”

2/26/23

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