State of Mind

On February 1, 2011, the day that mother's funeral was scheduled in Graham 

there was a big ice storm in North Texas and her funeral

could not be held.  Even the funeral director could not get from his home

to the funeral home.

 Mom was buried about 2 weeks later. 

Stan and I went to Graham

on Friday, April 5th and I was able to see Mom's headstone.  Dad is buried

next to her and our paternal grandparents are next to them.

 In 1949 we moved from Graham to Flour Bluff, near Corpus Christi. I was 5, Lanora 10,
Don, 12 and Stan 13.  Dorothy was born in Corpus Christi 11/23/49, Les on 5/29/53.

Stan, Don and Lanora spent most of their childhood's in Graham. I have only a few memories
from the time we lived there.
One memory is that Lanora and I had matching
coats with hoods.  We were allowed to go to the movies one afternoon and
someone dropped a dime in the hood of each of our coats. That was 1948 or 1949 and
that would buy lots of penny candy.


Dad had a plumbing company just on the other side of the theater.
Dad, Grandpa and Uncle James, dad's sister, Josie's husband.

 Young County courthouse in center of town square

 This theater is still active
There were several empty school buses parked downtown
and we couldn't figure out what they were doing there.
Then the movie got out and we saw that the little kids
had been on a field trip to the movies.

 

 My parents first date included  a hike up Stove Pipe Mt., the hill with the flag.

Henry and Ruth's first date on Stove Pipe Mountain

 This tree looked like it was growing out of the house

Oak Grove Cemetery, Graham, TX.

 Apparently they couldn't afford the final N on my grandfather, Stephen's name.

 

Stan Claybrook

Heading back to Canton

 A few hours before Mom died she was taken from the nursing home
to this hospital in Kaufman.  She died around 3:30 a.m. on January 28, 2011.
She still had another 200 miles to go before arriving at her final earthly resting place.
  

 Back to Stan and Margaret's in Canton

Long and wonderful day