My Daddy’s 85 Today!

Eighty-Five years ago today, a little red headed boy was born to his parents on the coast of Florida, down in Wakulla County.

How can it be that long? 

Since you all seem to have fallen in love with him, I thought you might like to know a little more about the man I call Dad.

The years are flying by and I can’t let today go by without talking about the man who has had the most impact on my life than just about anyone else (except my mama!).  I have the most wonderful parents in the world.  Not perfect parents, but they certainly are close to it.  We had an idyllic childhood growing up.  We were not wealthy by any means, in fact bordered on downright poor in my younger years, but we didn’t know that, my sister and I.  We were blissfully unaware of our social status.

We were rich with love from our parents and those were the memories that mean the most to me. Not what we had or didn’t have.  I always thought I had just enough of everything.

Dad was born down in Wakulla County, FL and grew up on the coastal waters, fishing and oystering as a young boy, with his large family.   With 10 children in the family, they were poor and lived off the land.  His dad got sick when my dad was around 12 and they moved to Panama City, FL where his older sisters had settled after marriage and that’s where he spent the rest of his young life growing up.  Back in 2008, our whole family took a trip down to my dad’s birth place to see it all, since we girls had never been down there.  That link above will take you to one of the posts I did from that trip, a very memorable one for all of us.  We are so glad we took the time to do the trip and see where my dad was born and raised, a place etched in his memory and shared with all of us over the years.

I got my crazy unruly, thick hair from his side of the family.

He met my pretty mama, also a native of Florida in the Plant City area.  They both attended Bible college in Lakeland, FL, (my sister and I also attended) where they fell in love and got married in 1953.  Mom got her MRS degree and has put that thing to good use.  🙂

This pic was in my mom’s home church in Durant, FL, 1953 when they got married.  Weren’t they a handsome couple?  Dad is a tall drink of water at 6’5”, red headed and full of life.  He can tell a good story and entertain crowds.  When we were young, I loved sitting around the table with the grownups, listening to them tell funny stories.  As a pastor for 40 years, the people (most of them, anyway) loved him and still do.   He’s thoughtful and kind-hearted, opinionated and stubborn,  all wrapped up into one loveable person.  We have butted heads more than once over this house renovation and I don’t imagine it will stop anytime soon.

Our family around 1960 or 61.  This pic was taken at a photography studio in Plant City, FL.  I was supposed to be a boy. I was such a tomboy and this pic makes everyone laugh, since I sort of look like a boy.  My hair was pulled back in a ponytail.  I was full of life and climbed on everything, including tall trees.  My life was spent outside having fun as a youngster, barefoot and loving life.  Mom was in her mid 30’s here.  My, haven’t we all changed our ways of grooming over the years.  That bun makes her look at least a decade older and check out the flower pin that she made herself.  She was a crafter back in the day!  You can be sure that she made those dresses we are wearing too.  She was and is a homemaker extraordinaire.

My 2 years older sister, Renee, was born a brunette and I was always the blonde.  Now we both are.

I love these people who raised me!

My dad’s family was a scrappy clan, fussing and fighting and not the classiest bunch around.   He determined when he got married that he wasn’t going to continue that in his own family and we certainly did not.  There was not fussing and fighting in our house and I never got used to anyone yelling and screaming to get their point across.  He was one of 2 preachers that came out of his large family and I think that was a shock to most of them.

Here you can see my dad surrounded by his girls.  These pics were taken around 1987 at Easter, when Lauren was about 5.  You can see she is the apple of his eye and still is.  She still sits in his lap and he adores her.  She quickly wrapped him around her little finger and almost 30 years later, that’s still the case.

Big hair ruled and in those days, my unruly hair was quite in style.   Renee had to get a perm to get hers big.  Mine was all natural curl.

Here’s that little girl, all grown up now.  The almost 30 year old is never too big to sit in her granddaddy’s lap.

Here he is surrounded by all the people he loves last Thanksgiving.  And we love him dearly.  He’s our daddy and grandaddy and there is not another one who does a better job loving his family than he does.

We are having a cookout today, celebrating 85 years of a good life lived by this man we call Daddy. Lauren is home with her hubby and we’ve invited some of their long-time church friends over to help us honor him and celebrate this big day.

He’s been known to call folks who are close to his age “old people”, as if he has not yet reached that far-off milestone.  And we laugh as we always do at his funny remarks. 

Here’s to many more years of laughter.

Happy Birthday, Daddy! We love you!

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