LOVE FOR THE AGES

Born in Flower Branch Ga, my Dad at the age of 3 traveling by train with his parents and younger sister came to settle in Coppell ,  Texas . Coming from a poor family of farmers , all my Dad knew was to work. He was given a plow at the age of 8. As for as I know he never had a childhood. 

 He grew up and attended church in Grapevine, Texas where he met my Mom. She was  a 17 yr old girl, raised as an only child by parents that owned a boarding house in the then small town of Grapevine . 

My Mom said that the first time she saw my Dad , she thought he was the most handsome man she had ever seen .   Their first date was taken in a horse and buggy.   I don’t think they dated long before my Dad proposed and they were married in a double ring ceremony by a Justice of the peace in Fort Worth, Tx. 

She was 17 and he was 22 they began their married life on a farm south of the town of Grapevine.  Way before I was born my Mother said she churned butter and made her own sausage and sold it in the ,as Mom would say ,the little village of Grapevine.  They lived on the farm for 23 yrs before they moved into a nice brick home in town.

I have fond memories of my Mom and Dad fighting and yelling at each other and then making up right in front of us. They would tell each other they were sorry and hug and kiss in full view all the kids.  I think because of that I grew up with a healthy view of life and marriage and learned that just because you get mad at someone , you can still love them. I know I came to understand unconditional love through watching my parents and their great and unswerving love for each other. 

My Dad became a huge producer of milk for Lucern and Cabell milk companies.just to name a few. I remember the big refrigerated trucks pulling up to the farm to collect the milk.  He was to say the least a very successful Dairy farmer.  He worked tirelessly. He always amazed me. 

My Dad not only worked 24/7 but also served on the Tax equalization board for the city . 

He served on the Grapevine City Council for over 16 years  and was President of the Tarant county Texas Farm Bureau for many years. . He served as Mayor of Grapevine for 5 yrs. He was part of the board that issued in the DFW Airport,and the Trinity River board. 

I write these things because my Mom was the woman behind the man. It is a display of the love that they had for each other. My Dad could never have done all the things that he did and had the extraordinary life he lived with out my Mom. She kept him fed like a king. His clothes were always clean and his suits were pressed.  In other words she kept the home fires burning.  

Every morning they were up early before anyone else. You could hear them at the kitchen table reading the Bible ,having a devotional together and starting the day with prayer. Every night of his life my Dad would watch the 10 o’clock news and then go to bed.  My room was at the opposite end of the hall from their bedroom .  I fondly remember hearing my Mom softly laughing at jokes  my Dad would tell her in bed. In 2003 they moved to an assisted living in Plano,Tx. They lived in assisted living for 5 years. Every night they would fall asleep holding hands. Every day he would brush her hair in the back so it would lay right.

They were married for 73 years.  Their anniversary made several newspapers. My Dad died in 2008 at the age of 95 and a week before he passed I was driving him to the hospital, he told me he knew he was dying and he said “ Jan I want you to tell your Mom She was the greatest thing in my life that ever happened to me”