Sunday, December 1, 2013

Happy Birthday to My Daddy In Heaven!

                                           Today was my Daddy's birthday. He was born in 1917.


His troop.


He served our country during World War II.

 Dad and Mom met briefly when Dad was on a two day leave from Camp Polk, Louisiana. He wanted to marry her instantly. She refused, but offered to write to him over the next four years while he served his country.He came home from the war,stopped by his parents home for a brief time,picked up some money his Mother had been saving for him, and went directly to New Iberia, Louisiana to see if Mom was ready to marry him. Of course, she said "Yes", and he and Mom, Bercie Rita Theriot, were married in 1946 immediately after the war ended.They went directly back to Kentucky where they made their life together, until Dad retired in 1972.
He worked as a carpenter, along side his father and brothers for many years. He was a farmer. He became best known for his skills as a bull dozer operator throughout Hardin and the surrounding counties.
He and Mom raised nine children. In 1972,they moved to St. Simon's Island, Georgia.They stayed there and raised the remaining five children, since the four older children had already left home while in Kentucky.
Dad suffered a heart attack in 1996.
He got over the heart attack for the most part, but felt his health was declining, so he and Mom moved back to Kentucky and bought a nice house in 1999. Probably the nicest house they had had throughout their entire married life. He puttered around his garage, repairing lawn mowers for a lot of the local folks. It was nowhere near the work he wanted to do, but his hands were busy, so he was as content to repair mowers as anyone could be at 82 years of age. He contracted a cancer in his chest which was inoperable at his age, and passed away on September 5, 2001, just 3 months short of his goal. His father before him had lived to the ago of 84, and that was daddy's wish, to live as long as had his Father.
Daddy was buried at Mt. Zion Church Cemetery, the same church where he was baptized, along with his father,his brother, myself and my sister, Rita. We were attending Smithersville Baptist Church at the time and their Baptismal pool was not completed at that time, so we used a neighboring church's pool.
I love and miss my Daddy, and will until the end of time and we meet again.

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