Today is Monday January 23, 2012. The birthdays for the week are: Jan. 23: Dr. Steve Oates, Lisa Jones, Joy Miller, Shirley Cordray and Mrs. Travis Hughes.
Jan. 24: Bennie Owens and Elisa Windham. It was the birthday of Charles Poston. It is the wedding anniversary of Jerry and Wanda Samford.
Jan. 25: Loyce Watson. It was the birthday of Hugh Gamble, Maud Todd, Mrs. Weldon Rudd and John Darby Gramling.
Jan. 26: Shelia Bradshaw Jones, LaNell Snider Hayden. It was the birthday of Reba Watlington and Bill Walker.
Jan. 27: Laura Rainbolt, Jimmy Jones, Joanna Blackwell, Weldon Boles and Mary Helen Boles Campbell. It was the birthday of Paul Weaver.
Jan. 28: Cathy Hagler, Dana Fallen and Mrs. Bobby Nadine Jackson. It was the birthday of Ruby Dellinger, Mrs. F.L. Moffett, Mrs. Iva Hurst, Judge Harold Robertson, Prentis Sanders and Robert Harkrider.
Jan. 29: Grover Russell Jr., Charlene Denby and Allen Fancher. It was the birthday of Johnyne Bounds.
Jan. 30: James Forbes, Joyce Dockens, Louise Dalby, Alice Joy Livingston and Carl Hofmeister Jr. It was the birthday of Melvin Miller, Maye Satterwhite, Virgie Duke Taylor and Ione Middleton.
••••••• Suggested cards to Jerry and Wanda Samford on their wedding anniversary, Jan. 24.
••••••• My last column was written prior to the death of my son Dan. Dixie and I, along with Denise and Deborah, are dealing with our grief and feel the love of God and the love and prayers and support of our church members and friends in giving us strength that is needed in grief.
We do appreciate and thank everyone for their concern, prayers, cards, letters, flowers, food, funeral attendance, the contributions to the library, museum, churches, and scholarship funds.
Dan’s death was sudden and unexpected, but death is death no matter if our loved ones linger and are expected to go anytime.
••••••• My granddaughter Denise Oates and husband Shepherd said goodbye to their son Stephen early Saturday morning before they drove to Center for visitation that night for Dan. Stephen left on a yearlong assignment to Somalia. His wife and daughter will remain in Mesquite.
••••••• Kate died one week after Dan. She had been doing pretty good according to her letters to me and was going places with Joan, her daughter to concerts and anything relating to music.
Then she became sick and was put in a hospital at Sulphur, La. with fever of 104 and pneumonia. She remained in ICU until she died.
She and I wrote each other daily and had been close friends many, many years.
There were 47 in our ‘29 graduating class. Now, there is only Jack Barron and me.
Jack will be 100 Oct. 5 and I will be 101 Oct. 1. Jack was in the top five of our class and I probably was in the low 40s. However, I never failed a subject or grade.
Kate and her family were planning a big 100th birthday party for her on March 5 and she was looking forward to it. Now, one of my “famous ideas” is for friends to mark their calendars for March 5, and let’s cover Kate’s grave with flowers at Fairview Cemetery on that day. I wish her children could get some of her blue bonnets to grow around her grave. She had asked me to engage the TR Steaks and More for the next homecoming class party as she wanted Lynda Kay and Troy Hess and his mother Dorothy along with Dr. Hooker and Colleen to help her with the music. Now, I can say that the 1929 class has been declared officially over, as it fades into the past with all the other 1920s classes.
Opal Leim was our beloved teacher who was the leader for years of the class reunions and she told me and Kate to continue having class reunions as long as there were two left. So, we did, and we enjoyed every reunion.
••••••• Another sad episode in my life just eight days after Dan’s death on January 5 and Kate’s on Jan. 12, my devoted cat companion, Tuffy, died on Friday Jan. 13 at age 18-1/2.
Tuffy’s death was expected as he had lost weight but was alert and conscious up to his death that night at 9. He was a large solid white cat and was strictly a house cat. I’ll miss him too.
••••••• In December, three of my close friends died, Violet Joy Duke, Peggy Hutcheson and Fannie Hagler. There were several other friends who died too. Then January came and death touched closer. There’s no death loss compared to losing a child, as many know.
••••••• I called Susie Nelson about Dan’s death, and she notified her dad. He called me right away while on his bus going to Amarillo for a concert. He was very sympathetic.
A few days afterward, Susie mailed me several CDs of hers and Willie’s recordings. One was a recording of Susie’s gospel hour. She has a weekly Sunday program on syndicated radio. On the second song, Willie and Susie dedicated it to me. She also sent a CD of religious songs by Willie and his sister Bobbie. They are so impressive that I want to share, so I will lend them to James Paul to play at KDET.
I like to hear Bobbie play the piano.
••••••• Richard Hughes is putting in a new business in his former Carriker Cleaning building on the west side of the square. Right now, the west side has all buildings filled with successful businesses.
••••••• I’ve nearly gotten my Kodak album filled with people wearing my caps. My recent pictures were from Marguerite and Glen Lavender and Nancy Parker Pederson and her husband Paul.
••••••• Please bear with me as I go through the valley of the shadow of death. I will try to bring joy to your life by reading this column.
I love you all, and you have showered me and my family with love, concern, and prayers. I believe that our pet animals will be in heaven too. I often discussed it with Tuffy when I saw that his life was nearing the end. I’ll be alright, just keep loving me.
– Please continue to write me, Mattie