Please join us today as we mourn Angie’s great aunt Leoma Loucilla Green Hamrick, who was helpful and insightful as Angie and Dee opened The Custard Stand in the ’90s and when they took Custard Stand Hot Dog Chili to the market.

Aunt Loucille passed away Feb. 28. Her service is today (March 5) at Dodd-Reed Funeral Home in Webster Springs 6-9 p.m. The funeral is Sunday (March 6) at 2 p.m.

For years, Aunt Loucille managed Elsie’s Dairy Bar in Webster Springs, next to the bridge right before Main Street. Everyone called it The Custard Stand. “As Dee and I worked through opening The Custard Stand in 1991, Aunt Loucille was one of the first people we sat down with,” says Angie. “She talked with us at length about what worked over the years at Elsie’s and what didn’t. She also gave us the recipe for the chili for the hot dogs, as long as we promised never to share it and we have honored her wishes.”

In 2003, Dee and Angie met with Aunt Loucille again as they prepared to take Custard Stand Hot Dog Chili to retailers such as Walmart, Sam’s Club, Kroger and IGA. “We wanted her blessing and to find out the history of the hot dog chili recipe,” Angie explains. “Aunt Loucille smiled and said ‘Angie, did I forget to tell you that the recipe was created by your Grandpa Mack?’ ”

Dee and Angie and their families, along with the teams at Custard Stand Food Products and The Custard Stand restaurants, are grateful for Aunt Loucille’s guidance and great advice. She will be missed.