Thoughts on "Daddy"
My Father was a wonderful man. He was an amputee,
due to an accident, when he was 18, but he didn't let that
stop him. He was more educated than most in his area, he
didn't graduate college but did attend long enough to get a
teaching certificate. He didn't teach many years however,
for the laws changed and he was no longer qualified.
He met and married my Mother in 1926. At that time he was
still teaching in country schools, where the children were
all in one room, several ages and grades. Not long after
their marriage, they moved to Troy, a "city" to them,
being raised in the country, far from town. Both had been
brought up on a farm. Of course my Dad wasn't able to
farm with one leg missing. In those days, prosthesis
weren't anywhere near what is available today. He worked
in a cabinet shop first, and later was the radio operator
until retirement with the local Police Department.
He was a good man, a Christian man and I loved him very
much as did my children. I was an only child and born late
in life. They had not planned to have children. They were
married just prior to the "great depression" and while they
didn't have much to lose, times were hard for everyone then.
They didn't feel they could afford to support a child.
God had other plans however, and here I am. Daddy was 41
when I was born. All four of my grandparents had passed
away before I was born. I wish I could have known them.
There is Creek/Cherokee heritage in my Dad's family.
I had two Great Grandmothers that were Cherokee. It shows
in the olive skin of his family and the jet black hair most
of them had and a few of the Great Grandchildren still.
He was lively, but most of my life he was not well,
he had ulcers, high blood pressure and eventually
diabetes, but lived to be nearly 80 in spite of all
that. He enjoyed the simple things of life and found
fun and laughter in very ordinary things. He had a hard
time telling a joke, he would get so tickled himself he
couldn't tell it for laughing. I find myself doing that.
He came from a large family, but was the 'baby'
of that family, so my relatives were all old people.
Their grandchildren for the most part were near my age,
and are the children I remember from youth. His was
a good family and our small family was a good one too.
I never doubted for a minute how much I was loved or
wanted in their lives. One thing I will always remember
about my Dad, he would not allow me to put myself
down. If I remarked that I wished I could look like
someone else, or sound like someone else, he got
me straightened out quickly. He made sure I grew up
believing I was pretty, smart and as good as anyone,
anywhere on this earth. He encouraged me in everything
I tried to do and helped me learn to do them. Thank you,
Daddy, for teaching me to like myself and to treat "me"
well. You were a wonderful, loving and kind man.
Everyone who knew him would say "he was a good man".
He was, and, he was "my Daddy".
"Jean/Aquarius"
Father to My Children
No Fathers Day page would be complete
without mention of the wonderful Dad my
husband is to our daughters. He has helped
them in every area of their lives and continues
to do so now, even though they are adults.
He is much like his Father, a man respected
and liked by all who know him. I have never
regretted our marriage and love and respect
this man more today than 44 years ago when we
were first married. Life is strange, you think
you are so "in love", but love grows with each
year, each child and every problem you face
and live through together. That is what makes
a marriage strong as well as love and devotion
grow. Thank you Foy, you've been a great
husband and Father. We love you!
"Jean"
Won't you sign my guestbook please.
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