proof

Foreward
I
started this project back in 1979 when I was
required in genetics class to document my family tree.
I began by interviewing my grandma, Flossie (Markin)
Mohr. From the moment she started showing me
photos and telling about all the people in our family, I
became hooked on genealogy. I am so thankful that
she was able to share so much with me about her years
growing up, and the stories of family who came
before her.
I want to thank all those in the family who have
shared with me their stories and photos. Lola
(Randolph) Turiano was so kind to loan me all her old
photos to copy as well as provide me with additional
information on the Randolph family. I got an
Becky (Mohr) Anderson
incredible surprise in the mail one day as I opened a
box filled with old photos and momentos of my family sent to me by Freddie Harshbarger. Some
time after the death of her mother, Freddie gathered up the items she no longer wanted to store
and sent them to me. I was absolutely thrilled! The only disappointment was that the old tin types
were not labeled. Although I’m sure they belong to our ancestors, I cannot identify them. Thanks
too to Donald Neal who shares my passion for genealogy and is one of the few whose eyes don’t
gloss over when I start relating the stories, triumphs and frustrations that this hobby can bring.
This is an ongoing project. I spent many years documenting names, dates and facts about our
ancestors. I collected as many photos as I could and have converted them to a digital format. I am
in the process of compiling all this information in a way that is easy for the non-genealogy
enthusiast to enjoy. The Mohr Family History is the first in a series of books. I will begin compiling
the Markin, Randolph, and Stanley families. I also plan to include a document with unidentified
photos in case someone can name them.
I retain copyrights to this document, but feel free to make copies to share with your family. As I
continue to change and update these documents, I will change the date on the file name so that you
can tell if you have the most current copy. If you have additional stories and photos to share, or
corrections, please send them to me. I cannot guarantee that they will be included, but will include
all I can.
Becky Anderson
284 Englewood Drive
Mineral Wells, WV 26150
(304) 489-0805
[email protected]
© Copyright 2010 Becky Anderson.
Table of Contents
Mohr Family Origins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Frederick Mohr & Catherine Ripp(?) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Frederick Mohr & Jennie Randolph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Ernest T. Mohr & Flossie Markin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Jubilee Ranch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Paul F. Mohr and Lois A. Smith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Mohr Family Origins
The name “Mohr” was first found in Austria and the Rhineland. Even
though this spelling of the name is not seen much in the United
States, when traveling to Germany, I found it to be a quite common
surname. My own maiden name is “Mohr”, and because it was
different, I was always interested in its history.
There are many different ways that names originated; occupation,
relationship to someone, where they lived, distinguishing features, etc.
I located two such German origins for the name “Mohr”. “Some
family names designated an ancestor who had skin darker than his
companions. One such name in German is ‘Mohr’.” Another source
gave the origin of the name based on a geographic location, as in men
who resided in or near a marsh.
Mohr Coat of Arms
In a ranking of most common surnames in the United States, (as of
1969), “Mohr” was ranked 1554th with 18, 225 people bearing
the surname.
2
Frederick Mohr & Catherine Ripp(?)
(1835-1904) • (1838-1914)
S
ince I was little, the story I have been told about the origins of the Mohr Family was of two
brothers in their early twenties who left Germany to come to the United States. The reason they
emigrated was not mentioned in the family for many years. As today’s society is a bit more tolerant,
and the men long gone, having left their country to escape the draft no longer raises eyebrows. I think
it is important to note that there was no war ongoing in Germany at that time. The country required
all men to serve time in the army.
Frederick, the younger brother, and my grandfather’s
grandfather was born in June of 1835. No one knew much about
the older brother, not his name nor what happened to him.
I have spent a lot of time trying to trace back their origins.
Through census records I learned that Frederick came to the
U.S. in 1858 from Hesse Darmstadt, a region of Germany.
Further research revealed two brothers by the name of “Mohn”
who came to the U.S. from Germany in 1858. On closer inspection, I learned that one of the brother’s name was Frederick, age
23, and the older brother was Henry, age 26. I believe the
surname may have been incorrectly recorded by the ship’s
captain and in fact should have been listed as Mohr. They were
both from Retthausen, Germany. Even after obtaining copies of
the ship manifest, I could not confirm this.
Frederick Mohr
Frederick’s future wife, Catherine, also from Hesse Darmstadt,
came to the United States two years earlier, in 1856. Using the
maiden name of Ripp, that I was given in family notes, I could
not find any record of Catherine’s arrival into the U.S.
In my research I have found several instances where information was incorrectly recorded and caused
many extra hours of research to sort out. In most cases, I have tried to verify my facts with at least
two sources.
I am not sure of the exact reason that Frederick and his brother chose to join the thousand of German
emigrants, other than to avoid the draft, but it was perhaps because of the unrest in their country
following a period of several wars. Germany in the 1850’s was a result of many years of failed attempts
at unification. The land was overcrowded. The aristocrats and the rich ruled. The common people had
little voice in government and as a result the workers and farmers faced high taxes, required military
service, and had little hope of modernizing their industries and improving their station in life. The
lure of America, land of the free, and a growing economy led a wave of Germans to emigrate.
3
Many began their journey through the German port of Bremen. The wait of weeks or even months for
a ship was long and conditions were poor. People were often the victims of frauld and robbery.
Following are excerpts from “The German-American Heritage”, by Irene M. Franck, 1989, which tells
about the hardships faced aboard these ships during the fifty to sixty day voyage to America.
Swimming Coffins
The immigrant ships were, alas, still quite unsafe for human beings. In the holds of cargo ships that
carried tobacco or cotton east bound, temporary partitions were removed and bunks installed. This was
the area called “Steerage” because it lay near the ship’s steering mechanism. Into these holds, emigrants
were crammed by the hundreds. The ships were grossly overloaded. There was no privacy – men, women
and children all were housed together in steerage. Passengers with the money to travel first-class had
more comfortable accommodations, though still rough by today’s standards.
On cargo ships, emigrants generally had to provide and cook their own food. Even where food was
provided, there was too little of it, and that was generally spoiled. On the Bremen ship Johanna, one
passenger reported:“After two weeks the potatoes gave out; the peas were mushy, the meat and butter
spoiled and had to be thrown into the sea. The passengers lived on hard branny bread, prunes and
watery barley soup. In New York, the cook jumped ship.”
Sanitation was primitive and water was scarce. Emigrants emitted their own chamber pots and had to
provide their own bedding. In calm weather, emigrants might be sent up on deck for fresh air, but in
stormy weather they were kept in the stinking hold. Then as the ship pitched and rolled, they were
thrown about, sometimes breaking bones in the process.
In these conditions, diseases like cholera and smallpox flourished. The result was that many of these
vessels became, in the words of an 1853 New York City newspaper editorial, “damned plague ships and
swimming coffins.” Few ships made the westbound passage without at least one death. Some had many
more, like the Howard out of Hamburg, which in its 96-day voyage to New York, lost 37 out of its 286
passengers to cholera. Over a third of the survivors were too ill to walk off the ship and had to be
carried off. As Freidrich Kapp, himself a German immigrant, said in a 1867 report to an immigrant
aid society, “If crosses and tombstones could be erected on the water, the routes of the emigrant vessels
from Europe to America would long since have assumed the appearance of crowded cemeteries.” Ships
from France and Britain were even worse and had a far higher death rate than those from Hamburg
and Bremen.
4
Conditions had improved by the mid fifties. Licensed government agents assumed the responsibility of
improving conditions. They helped to insure emigrants were not robbed or cheated. Housing in
dormitories and food was provided for a reasonable fee.
In the spring of 1858, the ship Hann Bark Aristides arrived into the port of Bremen to pick up
passengers and cargo en route to New York City. Two of the passengers were brothers, eager to start a
life in the new land. Henry Mohr was the elder of the two at 26; Frederick was three years younger.
Both were farmers. (Records show names listed as “Mohn”).
Frederick Mohr and Catherine (Kate) (possible last name Ripp) were married in 1861 and were living
in Pittsburgh during the time of the 1870 census. Frederick was 35 years old in 1870 and was working
at a roll mill in Pittsburgh, PA. He was a United States citizen, had real estate valued at $2,000 and
personal estate of $130. Both of his parents as well as Kate’s were born outside the U.S. They had four
children at the time, all listed as being born in Baltimore, Maryland. The children were: Caroline (8),
Mary (5), Frederick (Fritz) (1) and Kate (9 months).
This census gave a better clue of where in Germany Frederick and Kate lived before they immigrated.
The records list both as being born in Hesse Darmstadt, which was a small state in Germany, (see
map). Darmstadt was also a town in the state, so it is hard to determine if they came from somewhere
in the state or specifically the city of Darmstadt. Since they were both from the same area, and they
came to America within two years of each other, I wonder if they were acquainted in Germany when
they were younger?
5
The 1880 census found Frederick and Catherine (Catharina) in Baltimore, Maryland. Frederick was a
laborer, and they now had the addition of Lilla (8), William (6) and Kuhn (3).
Frederick Mohr
Catherina (Ripp?)
1835 - aft.1910
1838 - 1914
Caroline Mohr
Lilia Mohr
abt. 1862 - 1944
1872 - ?
Mary Kathern Mohr
William L. Mohr
1865 - ?
1874 - 1904
Frederick Mohr
Kuhn Mohr
1868 - 1924
abt. 1877 - ?
Catherine Mohr
1869 - 1914
Back in the 1800’s, the census taker would
typically go from residence to residence
collecting data. It can usually be assumed that
those families listed next to each other on the
census probably lived close to each other. Listed
next to Frederick on the 1870 Allegheny County,
PA census were John (38 years old) and Liza (30)
Mohr. He was a cooper and both were from
Hesse Darmstadt, Germany. Perhaps he was a
cousin who had immigrated separately or the
missing brother?
Both Frederick and Kate could speak, read and
write English. Family members say that
Frederick sustained an injury while working at
the mill which blinded him in one eye.
Frederick and Kate moved to Cabell County,
WV between 1880 and 1900, and they lived
there the rest of their lives. Both were in their
seventies in 1910 and died some time after that.
German song book handed down from Jennie
Randolph Mohr. Believed to have belonged to
Frederick or Kate Mohr. These books were in the
possession of Ruth (Mohr) Underwood and were
given to me after her death, by her daughter,
Freddie Harshbarger
6
Caroline (Mohr) Dialy
Caroline married a Dialy, Catherine
married a Nilton, and William
married Hattie (unknown).
Catherine (Mohr) Nilton
7
Frederick Mohr & Jennie Randolph
(1868-1924) • (1868-1933)
Frederick Ernest Mohr
Jennie Randolph
C
alled Fritz when he was younger, and Fred in later years, Frederick Ernest Mohr was the eldest
son of German immigrants. He was born in Baltimore, Maryland in April of 1868, the third of eight
children born to Frederick and Catharina Mohr. His siblings included Caroline (about 1862), Mary
Kathern (1865), Catherine (1869), Kate (about 1870), Lilia (about 1872), William L. (1874) and Kuhn
(about 1877). The family moved to Allegheny County, Pennsylvania and were found living in
Pittsburgh in the 1870 census, then back to baltimore by the 1880 census. There are few details about
his life growing up. It was not until 1888 that he next turned up in Cabell County, West Virginia
marrying Jennie Randolph on April 14.
Jennie Randolph was born April 1868 in Pennsylvania to James and Rebecca Malinda Spencer
Randolph. Her mother was /2 Delaware Indian and her father worked in a sawmill. The story, as told
my grandmother, Flossie Mohr, was that Jennie went with her father to a logging camp. She was raped
and was married to the man in a shotgun wedding. I could not find record of the wedding, or the name
or what happened to her husband, but a son, Ezra Sutton, was born of their union in 1885.
1
8
Jennie’s later marriage to Frederick resulted in the birth of several children. They were: Mabel Jennie
(1891), Mary Katheren (1894), Agnes Caroline (1897), Morgn M. (1899), Margaret (1900), Ernest
Theodore (1901), Carl Scat (1904), and Ruth Esther (1906). Morgn and Margaret appeared to have
died young. There were some conflicts in their records, and they may have been the same child.
My grandmother also said that Fred had a bad tooth that later developed cancer. He died in Cabell
County in 1924 of cancer of the face. Jennie died in 1933, and both are buried in Maupin Cemetery in
Cabell County.
Back Left: Mary Katharen,
Mabel Jennie, Jennie (Randolph)
Mohr, Agnes Caroline, Ernest
Theodore, Carl Scat and
Ruth Esther
9
Fredrick/Fredric Ernest Mohr
Jennie Randolph
1868 - aft.1924
1866 - 1933
Ernest Theodore Mohr
Mabel Jennie Mohr
1891 - 1985
1901 - 1989
Mary Katheren Mohr
Carl Scat Mohr
1894 - 1966
1904 - 1961
Agnes Caroline Mohr
Ruth Esther Mohr
1897 - ?
1906 - ?
Morgn? M. Mohr
Esther R. Mohr
1899 - 1899
1907 - ?
Margaret Mohr
1900 - 1900
Ruth Esther, Carl Scat, Agnes Caroline, Mary Katharen, Ernest Theodore, Mabel
Jennie, Fredrick Ernest and Jennie (Randolph) Mohr
10
These bonnets and dress top
were in the possession of Ruth
(Mohr) Underwood and were
given to me, after her death, by
her daughter, Freddie
Harshbarger. We don’t know
if these originally belonged
to her or her mother,
Jennie (Randolph) Mohr
11
Mabel Jennie
When he was about 27 years old, Carrell Willmore
Randolph traveled to West Virginia to visit with his aunt and
uncle, Fred and Jennie Mohr. He visited with them for a
time, and when he had to leave, he asked if their 18 year-old
daughter, Mabel, his first cousin, could ride back with him
and stay to visit with his family for awhile. They agreed. On
the return trip the couple stopped in Portsmith, Ohio, and
on April 26, 1910 they were married without the consent of
either family. They continued on to
Houtzdale and informed his family
when they arrived. A letter was sent
to her family in West Virginia.
The rest of their story, told by their
daughters, can be found in the
Randolph Family Tree Book. Mabel
died January 19, 1985 and is buried
with her husband in Brisbin
Cemetery in Pennsylvania.
Carrell, wife Mabel and,
his sister, Ruth Randolph
Ruth was ornery, a teaser, a cat-bird with an
active imagination.
—Flossie Mohr, sister-in-law
Ruth Esther
Ruth married Sherman
Underwood.
12
Mary Katheren married Ira Black, a railroad engineer.
They had six children, Martha, Virginia, Lloyd, Cecil,
Earl and Gene. They were living in Huntington, WV
at the time of Mary’s death on December 5, 1966.
Mary Katheren
Agnes married
Joseph W.
Meadows and
had no children.
Joe & Agnes Meadows, Mary
Black & Family
Agnes Caroline
Agnes was a good, nice person. She never had
any children but was always ready to help
someone. She was the head of the family.
—Flossie Mohr, sister-in-law
13
Carl was born January 17, 1904 in Cabell
County, WV. He farmed 2-3 acres. He married
Mae Hicks, a school teacher, and had two
children, Richard and Jimmy. Carl died in 1961.
On his last day, he said “That was the best
dinner I ever ate.” Then he had a heart attack.
—Flossie Mohr, sister-in-law
Carl Scat
Carl Mohr, Walter Reynolds,
Brag Girl in front of tobacco shed
14
Ernest T. Mohr & Flossie E. Markin
(1868-1924) • (1868-1933)
Ernest Theodore “E.T.” Mohr
Flossie Esther Markin
T
he following notes are the memoirs of Flossie Esther (Markin) Mohr.
Early Years
I was born on October 1, 1901, the fourth child of Charles Henry and Elizabeth Jane (Stanley) Markin.
I had an older sister, Osie, two older brother’s Elsworth and Orlin, and a younger brother, Harry. We
lived on Fudges Creek, near Ona, West Virginia, and I have never moved far from there my whole life.
Although I had a sister and brother, I really didn’t have anyone to play with when I was young. Osie,
the eldest, helped Mother a lot with the work, so she didn’t have a lot of time to spend with me. My
brothers were closer to my age but didn’t want to have anything to do with me unless it was for
something like pulling weeds for the hogs.
15
School
I attended Beckett School at the head of Big
Fudges Creek. It was a small one-room building
with classes for first through eighth grade. I
remember several of my teachers; Edward Mays,
John Bledsoe, Edward Bledsoe, my brother
Elsworth, Luther Morrison, Vivian Gothard,
Francis Geiger and Oliver Beckett. My favorite
subjects were reading, history and geography,
although I liked spelling and arithmetic too. School
wasn’t all work. We had fun playing games like In
and Out the Window, Drop the Handkerchief,
ball, and house. My favorite school memories were
the last days before summer break. We would put
on a program for our families, and then everyone
would sit down for a good dinner and socializing.
Below: Beckett School Photo
1st: Marie Stanley, ?, Flossie Markin, Lillian
Weatherholt, Macel Bragg, Ruth Carter, Mable Bragg?,
Above: Flossie Markin’s Diploma from
Ruby Morrison, Ruby Carter?, Addie Weatherholt,
Beckett School 1920.
Trissie Carter, Basil Mays, Hazel Mays. 2nd: Melvin
Markin, Ralph Carter. 3rd: Elva Stanley, Myrtle Stanley,
Amanda Stanley, Randal Carter, Orriclle Weatherholt, Carl Stanly, Basil Carter, Caroll Weatherholt, Zinda
Chapman, Natella St. Onlry, Hattie Stanley, Luther Morrison. 4th: Marion Morrison
16
Christmas When I was growing up, Christmas celebrations weren’t the same as they are today. I don’t
remember ever having a Christmas tree, but we did get gifts from Mom and Dad. They
would leave them by our bed or somewhere else in the house. We would find one little gift,
some candy, an orange or maybe even a banana. I remember how excited and happy I was
with all the things I received.
— Flossie (Markin) Mohr
Courting
I married Ernest Theodore Mohr on July 12, 1920, when I was
eighteen years old. I don’t exactly remember the first time we
met; we just grew up together. A lot of people called him
“E. T.”, but he was always “Ernest” to me. We were very
different in looks. I was small with dark hair and skin, (I only
stand 5’ 1 ½ “) and Ernest was tall, 6’2” with light brown hair
and blue eyes. But we got along just fine.
Courting was different back then. Without transportation, we
were somewhat limited on the things we could do. Most of our
courting centered on the church where we would see each
other twice a week. Ernest would sometimes
come to my house to visit, and we
would also go to school and
Christmas programs together.
We courted for about a year before
he proposed. I don’t recollect when or
where Ernest proposed to me, but I
remember when I accepted. We were
walking together up a hill towards a
cemetery on our way to watch the
burial of some poor lady. I think her
name was Mrs. Mays. I couldn’t talk out
loud, for it wouldn’t’ have been proper,
so I just turned to him and nodded.
He understood.
Ernest
Flossie
17
We were married at the Huntington courthouse. I
wore a white dress trimmed with netting and fabric
rosebuds, that I’d made myself. We hitched a ride
into town with my older brother Elsworth and
stayed our wedding night in Huntington with
Ernest’s sister, Agnes. The next day we caught the
bus back to Ona and had to walk the rest of the
way home.
Our first home was up in the hollow with Ernest’s
family. We soon rented some property (where my
grandchild, Tammy, lives now). We bought ten
acres and built our first house several years after we
were married. It was up behind where my son
Fred’s house is now. It was a Jenny Lindd style
construction, where the outside boards were
mounted vertically and additional strips of wood
were nailed on top to cover the gaps. There was no
insulation. In fact, we only had the strips up on
part of the house, so there were some pretty big
cracks for the wind to come howling through. We
didn’t have any curtains, so I used old quilt tops to
cover the windows and help keep out the cold. In
the winter, we put buckets of water and all our
vegetables up next to the fireplace to keep them
from freezing. It got so cold one night, the water
up next to the hearth froze solid and the ice split.
E.T. & Flossie on their wedding day,
July 12, 1920.
Ernest Theodore Mohr
Flossie Esther Markin
1901 - 1989
1901 - 1998
Frances Ruth Mohr
Betty Jean Mohr
1921 -
1927 -
Rebecca Colleen Mohr
Fred Ernest Mohr
1922 -
1930 - 1992
Eunice Lorene Mohr
Paul Floyd Mohr
1924 -
1935 - 2009
Faye Opal Mohr
1925 -
18
Raising a Family
Ernest and I had seven children, five girls and two boys. All
were born at home, most with the assistance of my
mother-in-law, Jennie Mohr, who was sort of a mid-wife.
Frances Ruth, my first child, was born May 2, 1921. My
mom and Ernest’s mom were there to help with the birth.
Rebecca Colleen was born on November 27, 1922. Ernest
had gone on an overnight trip into Huntington to sell
tobacco when I went into labor; Ernest’s mom and a
neighbor helped me with the birth.
By the time Eunice Lorene was born, on February 27, 1924,
we were living in the house behind where my son Fred now
lives. Ernest was working nights in Huntington at the time
and didn’t come directly home. I started into labor and went
to stand at the door hoping to flag down Ernest’s sister,
Agnes, and her husband on their way home. I can’t
remember what happened, but they didn’t see me. I decided
then, I was going to have to have the baby on my own. I put
the children in the kitchen with strict instructions not to
come out, got a pan of water, what I needed to cut the cord,
and settled down to wait. Luckily Ernest made it home
before the baby arrived and brought his mother back
to help.
Betty, Flossie, E.T., Faye
Colleen, Frances, Lorene
Our fourth daughter, Faye Opal was
born on October 14, 1925. Betty Jean
was born on July 15, 1927. Although
she was my smallest baby, weighing
only around five pounds, I had a hard
time with her birth.
Our first son, Fred Ernest, was born
on March 21, 1930. Ernest and his
mother were there to help. I
remember Ernest holding my hands
during the labor.
Our last child, Paul Floyd was born on
July 11, 1935. Ernest was deputy
sheriff at the time, and he took off on
his motorcycle to fetch the doctor and
my mother. Paul was the only one of
my children to be brought into the
world by a doctor.
Lorene, Colleen, Francis
Betty, Fay
19
We were poor back then and had to do without many things. I sewed all the girls’ clothes from feed
sacks or whatever I had. I made socks for the babies by cutting up Ernest’s and mine old ones. My
older children did not have their first pair of shoes until after they could walk. The first pair of shoes I
bought for my son, Fred, were doll’s shoes. They were all we could afford at the time but they looked
real nice. I hoped no one could tell the difference.
When Frances was seven and Colleen five, they started school together. It was a long walk. I had them
go with the neighbor kids whenever possible so they could learn the way and have some older children
to watch out for them. One day Colleen had an accident and the teacher sent her home. I cleaned her
up and sent her back alone, as I had several other little ones at home that I couldn’t leave. I wouldn’t
think of sending out a five-year-old child alone through the woods today, but back then we didn’t think
much of it.
Fred gave us a scare one time when he was around ten years
old. He was playing in a barn loft where we stored old
equipment. He was lighting matches and letting them drop
over the side, watching as they burnt themselves out before
reaching the ground. One didn’t burn out, and a fire started.
The fire spread fast, and Fred was quick to get out. Afraid he’d
be in big trouble for starting the fire, he ran over the hill and
hid. We saw the fire and tried to put it out. No one had seen
Fred, and we were afraid he was in the barn. About that time,
one of our neighbors came by to help. He told us he’d seen
Fred hiding on his way. We were so relieved.
20
Left: Colleen
Middle: Frances
Right: Fred
The Jubilee Ranch
Ernest bought some property along the
Mud River in the 30’s and built the Jubilee
Ranch. It had a stage with bleachers and
three cabins. We had different shows each
weekend in the summer. Such acts as Dot
and Smokey, Ken Maynard, Jack and
Eavie, Christie Money and The Tweedy
Brothers appeared there.
Betty Mohr
21
Smokey & Dot
Smokey
Ken M
aynard
amily
F
Ray Myers &
Christie Mon
ey
ers
y Broth
d
e
e
w
T
22
All my children were artistically talented in some way.
They could sing, play an instrument or draw. Faye and
Betty taught themselves how to play the guitar. They
started singing at the ranch and on The Dot and Smokey
Radio Show. The girls taught Paul some songs, and we
entered him in a talent contest when he was five. He won,
and his prize was a full size guitar. Since he was too small
to put his fingers around the neck to reach the cords, the
girls taught him how to play with it sitting flat on his lap. I
remember him singing “ The Old Country Church”, but
in his little voice it came out sounding like “The Old
Country Shirt.” He sang by himself on the Dot and
Smokey Radio Show, which was taped at the ranch.
The Store
We owned a grocery store for about twelve years. We
carried a little bit of everything including food, dry goods,
feed, dresses, and even shoes. One night I was sleeping in
the front room of our house with Paul, who was still a
baby, when something woke me up. I looked out the
window and saw fire coming out of the store. By the time
we got there, it was too late to do anything. We never did
find out how it started, and we lost everything. Since
operating the store was our livelihood, we couldn’t just
quit. We started putting groceries in our living room and
later enclosed the porch.
Paul, age 5
Fred, Colleen, Betty,
Lorene, Faye and
bably Paul
23
When WWII started, business was really slow, but
the main problem was with the gas rationing and
war restrictions. We were only allowed to use our
truck if we hauled items both ways. It wasn’t a
problem for us to haul back goods for the store,
but we had nothing to haul on the way to town to
get them. We were tired of running the store by
then anyhow, so decided to close it up.
Ernest went to work at the Nickel Plant in
Huntington to help out the war effort. It didn’t
take him long to determine that the company was
more interested in making a profit than supporting
the war. He also decided he liked working for
himself better. He quit working there on D-day.
Ernest & Flossie
24
Ernest and, then
Presidential Candidate,
John F. Kennedy in
1960. This photo
appeared in the book,
“The Kennedy Legacy,
A Generation Later,”
with photos by
Jacques Lowe.
During my dad’s later years he and mother
came to Wood County for a couple years where
he worked for the Mineral Wells Public Service
District as an inspector of the new water and
sewerline. We bought a one-bedroom trailer,
and they lived in it behind the Ashland Service
Station we owned. Later we moved it to the lot
beside our house as the sewer line was installed.
After the sewer/water project was complete,
Mom and Dad moved back to Fudges Creek.
—Paul Mohr, son
25
Back: Greg, Lois, Ernest & Flossie Mohr
Front: Becky Mohr
Back of Ernest and Flossie’s home, (Mohr
homeplace) located off of Fudges Creek Road.
I remember visiting Grandma and Grandpa Mohr when they lived off of Fudges Creek Road.
The driveway to their house was so narrow, the weeds would slap against the side of the car as
we drove. I was sure it wasn’t wide enough for a car to fit, but we always managed to make it.
The house was old then, with weathered boards and a sagging porch. It was heated by a coal
fireplace in the main room. Grandpa had a chair close by where he would sit and smoke his
pipe. He was very strong-willed. When he was in his eighties his doctor told him he had to quit
smoking. Although he had smoked all his life, he set his pipe down beside his chair and never
picked it up again.
Grandpa collected silver dollars. It was always rumored that he put them in coffee cans and
buried them on his property. After Grandma and Grandpa died, the property went to their
son, Fred. He said there were holes all over the property where people would dig to try to find
the coins.
Grandpa was a surveyor and worked in Mineral Wells to help put in city water lines. He and
Grandma lived in a small blue trailer on Mom and Dad’s property. Grandpa drove a bright
yellow Hornet, and Grandma didn’t drive. Grandma loved to crochet and made everyone in
the family afghans or pillows.
—Becky (Mohr) Anderson, Granddaughter
26
One time when I was going to college at West Virginia Tech. my roommate and I went on a
weekend “expedition”. We ended up in Huntington at two o’clock in the morning. I told Dave
that since we are so far from school, we should stop at my Grandparent’s house instead of going
back to school that night. After we agreed to do this, we decided it would be best to telephone
first instead of just showing up at the door. The trouble was, we couldn’t find a quarter for the
pay phone! We totally searched the car but came up empty. So, we showed up on the back porch
of the old house “up the hollow.” I pounded on the door for probably fifteen minutes before I
heard noises inside. I backed off of the porch and when the door opened, I was glad that I did.
Grandpa came out half asleep with a shotgun. After about ten minutes worth of convincing, he
realized I was his grandson, and he let us come in the house.
I remember going “up the hollow” to visit Grandma and Grandpa Mohr. Grandpa used to
smoke his pipe and he used Prince Albert in a can tobacco. When I was there, one of the things
that I liked to do was take the stoker and knock the burnt coals from the bottom of the fire.
Another thing that I remember well was playing rummy with Grandma. She would always
hold a lot of spreads in her hand until she could lay everything down at one time and “go out.”
I don’t know how many times she did that to me! Another thing that I remember was the
manual push lawnmower that they had. It was kind of a novelty to push the mower and watch
it work. However, it didn’t take long for the novelty to wear off with me wishing for a gasoline
powered mower.
—Greg Mohr, Grandson
Ernest and I celebrated 67 years
together in 1987 with most of our
family. He died on June 18, 1989 at
the age of 88. Until recently, I lived
next to my parent’s old home. My
family continues to grow. In addition
to seven children, I now have 25
grandchildren and a growing number
of great and great-great
grandchildren.
This was by personal interview
documented by Becky Mohr
Anderson in 1994. Flossie passed
away in 1996 and is buried beside her
husband in Forrest Memorial
Cemetery near Ona, WV.
Back: Paul, Betty, Faye, Lorene, Colleen, Francis, Fred
Front: Flossie & E.T.
27
Paul F. Mohr & Lois A. Smith
(7/11/1935 - 12/10/2009)
I
was born on July 11, 1935 in Huntington,
West Virginia. I was the youngest of seven children
born to Ernest Theodore and Flossie Esther (Markin)
Mohr. I was their only child to be born with a doctor in
attendance. We lived on Fudge’s Creek Road in Cabell
County all my growing up years. My sisters were
Frances, Lorene, Betty, Colleen, Faye and my brother
was Fred.
My father’s grandfather, Frederick Mohr, and his
brother immigrated from Germany. Frederick
eventually settled in West Virginia and his brother in
Pennsylvania.
Paul Mohr
“One time when Paul was a little
fella, he got mad at Betty and
started biting her. I told Betty she
should bite him back, but she
wouldn’t. So one day, I did. Sure
enough that cured him.”
— Flossie Mohr, Mother
Parents E.T. and Flossie Mohr
28
We had little money
during those years, and
I recall my Mom saying
she even made our socks.
Mom had doll shoes for
me to wear in the winter.
We had an outdoor toilet
with magazines and
catalogs in it but I don’t
remember if we had toilet
paper then.
Fred, Colleen, Betty, Paul, Lorene, & Faye Mohr (Frances not pictured).
As the baby of the family, I received a lot of
attention from the whole family. Faye
and Betty taught me some songs so I could sing
with them and play a few chords on the guitar.
When I was five, I won a WSAZ Radio sponsored
talent contest at a Huntington theater. It was
broadcast on the radio. I won a guitar, which
I played through my teen years and have hanging
on my wall today. Mom said I received several fan
mail letters, but they disappeared over the years.
My sisters and I sang on a Sunday morning radio
program. I used to play my guitar with it lying on
my lap. I would chord with my left hand while
strumming with my right hand. Sometimes
I performed in an Uncle Sam suit they had made
especially for me. Some of the songs I remember
singing were, You Are My Sunshine, Grand Old
Flag and The Old Country Church (Mom said
I pronounced Church as “shirt.”)
Paul Mohr with prize guitar.
29
When I was small, my parents had a country store in a
building in front of our house. They sold groceries and
produce, feed, etc. Dad would go to the Farmer’s Market
in Huntington every couple of weeks for fresh fruit and
vegetables. I had a favorite dinner when I was little.
I would go into the store and get a can of pork-n-beans
and a loaf of bread. Boy, that sure tasted good to me.
After a few years, the store burned but was not rebuilt as it
was uninsured.
My dad was a jack-of-all trades. Some of the jobs
I remember him doing are working as a Deputy Sheriff,
drilling water wells, operating his own sawmill, farming,
raising tobacco and working at The Nickel Plant
in Huntington.
I attended Ona Elementary during my grade school years.
The school is still standing but I don't know if they have
school in it today.
Paul and Friend
When I was little I used to go down to the river to swim and fish in a johnboat. I would never let my
kids or grandchildren do that now. During my preteen years, my dad had a one-ton flat bed truck, and
he bent some conduit into half circles and used a tarp to cover it all. We traveled to Chesapeake Bay
for a fishing trip. Dad rented a fishing boat, and we went out to where the fish were. I got a bite and
told Dad “I heard one.” He helped me reel it in. It was a sea bass. After that I bought myself a rod and
reel. I had seen other people using them and thought that it would
help me catch more fish, but it didn't work that way. I also
tried my hand at hunting. When I was 12 or 13 years old
my dad took me squirrel hunting up in the hollow. We
went with rifles before dark to a place where there was
a nest and the squirrels were all over the place. We shot
three of them.
I had many dogs but the
one I remember most was
Old Lead. He was a small
mixed breed hound dog.
30
Holidays were a fun time, but you had to make your own
fun. During Fourth of July our neighbor, Kermit, would
always put off fireworks. I remember going up on the hill
to help him. The fireworks would always draw a crowd of
people who lined up on the road to watch.
We were pretty ornery at Halloween time. We would
sneak down the road, drag a tree across it, then sit up in
the woods and wait for someone to come along. One
time the laugh was on us. A man who got stopped at our
roadblock had a shotgun. He fired it in our direction, and
you never saw a bunch of boys move so fast through the
briars and over the fence. We ran up and across that ridge
in double-time.
I remember coming home one day as a teenager. I looked
in the mirror and said, “Look at me. I’m fat. I’m going to
run it off.” I ran up the hollow and around the ridge until
I was worn out. That was the end of that. I decided the
weight was better than the diet and the exercise.
I got to chaperone my sisters when they went to the drive-in movies with their dates. I remember
seeing The Mummy and The Mummy’s Tomb and how scared I was. I remember watching some early
TV shows such as This Is Your Life with Groucho Marx, Cid Caesar, The Lone Ranger, Lum &
Abner, The Grand Ole Opry, The Little Rascals, Jack Benny and George & Gracie.
My first car was a 1940’s Willy. It ran on a 6 volt battery and
made a thump when you started it. I had some interesting times
with that car. We would take it to the drive-in movie and park it
uphill to watch the movie. We would push it over the hump to
go downhill and it would start while rolling. When the solenoid
went bad (part of the starter), instead of replacing it, we cut a
hole in the floorboard and put in a wood peg and it worked fine.
We junked the car up in the hollow behind my brother Fred’s
house. It’s probably still up there. My next car was a two-door
gray Studebaker.
My first money making job was baby-sitting for Lorene and
Homer. I was around 12-13 years old. My first smoking
experience happened when I went out on a date with a girl.
I didn’t get sick, but I got a little woozy. I smoked some off and
on after that for a few years before quitting completely. I also,
chewed some and smoked a pipe some but that was many
years ago.
Paul in tobacco field.
31
I attended Ona High School, and the friends I remember were Odie Crabtree, Olin Doddridge and
Myrtle Ellen something. I can’t remember her last name. Odie was an aspiring country singer, but
I don’t think he went very far with a career. I haven’t heard from him in a long time. Olin had owned a
garage before retiring, and he now lives on Fudge’s Creek. I quit school after the 10th grade. Mom
wrote a note that my dad was sick and I was needed at home to help harvest 30-40 acres of corn.
I didn’t go back, but I did obtain my GED after I married. When I was 16 or 17, I worked laying gas
pipe. It was 90 hours a week, seven days a week. I would leave the house at 3:00 am and not get back
home until 9-10:00 pm. I decided I didn’t want to do that for the rest of my life!
Jerry Hedenk, who worked for the DHIA, had a position of milk tester available in the next county
above Milton, but another boy applied. He was a chain smoker, but someone on the board knew him
and gave him the job. Jerry was disappointed I didn’t get the job and told me the next opening they had
they would call me. He hired me for the territory of Teas Valley before moving me to Wood/Wirt
County. I took a 2-week short course at WVU for training. I started Nov. 11, 1953 in Wood County,
and my first farm clients were Karl Bargeloh, Mason Bargeloh, Arthur Moellendick, Gene Wells, Bob
Matheny, Laura Weser, Bob Milhoan, Harry Newbanks, Rev. Westfall and a few others. I would go
and spend the night with them, and they would feed me. I kept track of the milk butterfat, and pounds
of milk per cow, etc. I then added up the expenses per cow and gave the farmer the results, showing
which cows were profitable. The farmer paid me for the work.
I was now 18 years old, “free as a bird” and had to mess everything up. I was working in Wirt County
and staying with Gene and Evelyn Wells. While attending Church with them, I saw Lois Ann Smith.
I met Paul Somerville and asked if he could fix me up on a blind date with he and his girlfriend and
Lois. We all went to a double feature movie at the Starlight Theatre Drive-in and got home about 3
a.m. I was lost — hook, line and sinker! I went home the next day and told my family I’d met the girl
I was going to marry.
Paul
Lois Ann Smith
32
I was completely smitten, and that started some late
night traveling with me getting home to Cabell County
in the wee hours of the morning. On dates we would
go to the drive-ins in Parkersburg or to play goofy golf.
We would go to the soda shop and play songs on the
juke box. You could get chocolate soda or cherry cokes
for about five cents. The shop had black and white tiled
floor and booths to sit in.
One time we went to a church social, and they had a
box lunch sale. Each girl fixed a lunch and decorated a
basket or box to put it in. They auctioned off the boxes,
and the winner got to eat lunch with the girl who made
it. The boxes usually went for $2.00 - $3.00. Lois had
made a box, and everyone knew which one, so they
kept bidding me up. I finally won it, but it cost me.
Wedding May 21, 1955
Lois was just sixteen when we met, but by the time she
was almost seventeen I had a ring on her finger and
plans for a May wedding after she graduated from high
school. We were married May 21, 1955 at Pisgah
United Methodist Church with the Rev. Carl Price
officiating. My brother, Fred, was best man and Paul
Somerville, Gene Wells and my brother-in-law,
J. W. McCallister, were ushers. Martha Douglas,
Lois’ best friend, was maid of honor.
We honeymooned at Old Mans Cave, in Ohio and went
on to our new home near McArthur, Ohio. My dad
owned this farm with an old house and barn. My brother
Fred and his wife Betty lived in it when they were first
married. It sat vacant until we moved in. It was not much
of a house. You could see daylight through the walls. We
nailed up cardboard for insulation and covered it with
thick commercial wallpaper. The floors were old
linoleum. My dad brought us up a mattress set for the old
bed. We had a coal stove in the living room and a wood
cook stove in the kitchen. Our outhouse set outside up a
hill in the backyard, and our well was in the front yard.
We had a water pump in the front yard. We had electric
but no gas. I always started the fire in the kitchen, and
one day I was having trouble getting it to light so I
poured some kerosene or gasoline in it. It “blew up” in
my face and singed my eyebrows off. That was the last
time I ever tried that trick!
33
Forest & Bonnie Smith, Lois & Paul
Mohr, Flossie & E.T. Mohr
My car, when I married, was a yellow Henry J. Kaiser that I bought for $300.00. I think we bought it at
an auction. We bought a Case Cleo-track tractor at the Green’s auction for $300. It wouldn't work but
E.T., my dad, knew the air filter was stopped up. After he bought it he put in a new filter, and it ran
like a dream. It is still rusting up the hollow next to my old Willy. The cars I had later were a 56 Ford
sedan, and then an 8 cylinder Ford 500 that really ate up the gas. I thought it ate too much of my
money, even though gas was only .29 cents a gallon at the time. Next, I bought a Volkswagen Beetle
with 7000 miles on it. I got 29 to 32 miles a gallon. I had 2 new VW’s after that. The heater was bad in
all of them so we used a gas heater part of the time.
Our first child, Beverly Diane, was born February 3, 1956 at the
Clinic in McArthur, Ohio. The entire fee was $75.00. My
brother, Fred, owed me for something so he paid me the $75.00
to settle the bill for me. There was a flood during this time, and
so we left the Clinic by ambulance 6 hours after Bev was born.
Our road was flooded so we stayed with our neighbors, Marvin
and Bessie Houston and their four children for a couple of days.
We had already decided we were through with farm life and left
Ohio to move in with Lois’ parents in Wirt County until I could
get another job. While we were there, Lois’ dad, Forest, and
I contracted to make cement markers for the Government.
I was also the Government
Surveyor’s helper doing a survey job
in the area and when he moved to
Huntington for the next job, so did
Beverly Diane
we. We lived in a two-room
apartment with a screened porch
between the rooms, bedroom/living
room together and a separate
kitchen. Next we rented a one-room
with kitchen privileges from
Mrs. Deering. The job was over in
about 4 months, so we moved to
Parkersburg, WV.
Back: Adrienne, Jeremy, Nick - Front: Katie, Bev, Rick
34
My next job was Artificial Insemination
Technician. This was a seven day a week job,
year-round. I drove a VW Beetle during this
time, and I had a sign painted and installed on
top of my car that said “Have Bull, Will Travel.”
You can’t say I didn't have a sense of humor.
I worked at numerous farms in addition to the ones already mentioned such as Hubert Full, Cecil Full,
Clyde Cale, Frank Shears, E. A. Grow, C. A. Reed, Al Lane, Chuck Sole, Joe Corbitt, Ogden Buckley,
Selman Wells, Wilbur Hoffman, Lawrence Suck, Earl Hammond and many others. I made many
lifelong friends from those two jobs.
Our second child, Gregory Lee, was born
January 22, 1958 at Camden Clark Hospital in
Parkersburg. He was delivered by Dr. Fankhauser.
At the time we were living in a two-bedroom
garage apartment on 29th Street. Our rent was
$50.00 a month plus utilities. We lived there a
couple of years, renting from Chester Piatt.
Gregory
Lee
Jordan, Greg, Wendy & Noelle
35
House on Butcher
Bend Road
Our next home was a small house on Sam’s Creek Road in Mineral Wells. We rented from
Mr. Holleron for $50.00 a month plus utilities. We burned coal in the stove in the living room.
In 1960, we bought three acres from Mr. Schneider on Butcher Bend Road. Now there are many
houses around, but at the time we were the first new home. The Schneider’s had an old farm house and
Bud and June Pahl rented another old farmhouse. The road was gravel and we lived at the top of the
first hill. We got a loan from the Wirt County Bank and built a new four-room ranch. The outside was
covered with black tar paper, as we didn’t have enough money to put siding on at that time.
Rebecca Sue was born on January 31, 1962 at
Camden Clark Hospital, delivered by Dr. Auvil.
We were in need of more room, so we built on one
end of the house adding three bedrooms and a bath
and white siding to our home. We gradually
bought additional land adjoining ours from
Columbus Lockhart and L. Doral George.
Rebecca Sue
36
I worked for and received my Life
Insurance License and began working
part-time selling Life and Health Insurance
for Farm Family Insurance Company and
later Southwestern Life Insurance
Company. Later, I started a full-time Agency
and sold Motorist Mutual Fire and Auto
Insurance. Oscar Edwards worked for me.
I later sold the business to Dale Eaton.
I loved to garden. I had 4 gardens and I
enjoyed raising corn and watermelons the
most. It was always a race to have the first
crops, or at least I thought so. I tried to beat
neighbors Eddie and Darrell every year. On
good years I would have enough to feed the
whole neighborhood. I would make the kids
come out to help, which was really a chore,
especially when they became teens.
We, along with friends, Ray and Nancy
Kinser, bought an old Ashland Service
Station at the junction of Route 21 and 14 in
Mineral Wells from Leonard Eaton. We
operated it for a couple of years then Ray
wanted to sell me his interest. We took over
the whole thing, remodeled one end to add a
Dairy King serving sandwiches and soft ice
cream. Among our employees were Bev, Lois’
mom Bonnie, Maxine Smith, Helen Emerick,
Alice Sheppard, Jill Valentine, Betty Pryce,
Carolyn Barton, Danny Barton, Nina Allman,
Polly Province among others.
Alex, Jeff, Breanne, Joey & Becky
I bought some property in Summersville,
WV together with my dad and Fred. It had
been strip-mined and had dirt roads all over
it. We took the kids and went camping a few
times. Both dad and I bought Honda 90’s. We
took them to ride over the mountain.
Paul & Lois with Ray & Nancy
37
Back: Paul, Betty, Faye, Lorene,
Colleen, Francis, Fred
Front: Flossie & E.T.
M & W Tire
Center
Mineral Wells
After a few years we sold the Ashland/Dairy King business to Paul Bee. We built a block building next
to our house and relocated our tire business. That was the birth of M & W Tire Center. The business
grew and we added several buildings until we had quite a complex. We operated the tire shop for about
eighteen years. People always speculated about what M&W stood for, but we never told what our
original idea was. Some of our employees were: Helen Riddle, Roger Riddle, Eric Sheppard, Kenny
Townsend, Dwight Cochran, Bob Cornell, John Dye, Todd Life, Tony George, Ruth Ann Sheppard,
Bev Mohr, Greg Mohr, Gary Mummert, Jim Elza, Nellie Harmon, Tim Callihan, Ray Crew, Mike
Spaur, Willard White, Homer Curan, Roger Place, Dave Haverty, Roger Parsons and
Richard Whited.
38
During my dad’s later years he and mother came to Wood County for a couple years where he worked
for the Mineral Wells Public Service District as an inspector of the new water and sewerline. We
bought a one-bedroom trailer, and they lived in it behind the Ashland Service Station we owned. Later
we moved it to the lot beside our house as the sewer line was installed. After the sewer/water project
was complete, Mom and Dad moved back to Fudges Creek.
The Board of Education auctioned off the old
Slate Elementary School building located close
by on Route 14. We bought it. Our three
children had attended school there and
thought it was neat that we now owned it. A
few years later, we did some extensive
remodeling to the building, closed the tire
shop and opened M & W True Value
Hardware. Our family and friends thought we
had lost our minds learning a completely new
retail business in our 50’s. It was quite a
change from just selling tires and oil and was a
lot of hard work.
Several of our Tire Center employees moved to
the True Value with us such as Helen Riddle,
John Dye, Gary Mummert, Todd Life and
Nellie Harmon. We added new employees
Butch Starcher, Mike Fields, Nancy Eaton,
Wanda Townsend and Ellen Griggs, along
the way.
We joined Chesterville United Methodist
Church. Lois played piano, and I renewed my
interest in singing. I sang in the choir and would
sing solos regularly during services. I also joined
the Gospel Music Reunion Choir and enjoyed
many happy hours with others who shared my
interest in music. Lois’ cousin, Mendy Kemp
spent many hours with me listening to music
and singing. I loved my visits with Mendy.
I also really enjoyed the children at church.
For years I would take chewing gum and candy
to hand out each Sunday. Some call me “The
Candy Man.”
39
After operating the True Value for several years, Lois and I sold to Hardman’s Do It Best, and retired.
In 2006, we moved from our home of forty-six years and built a new house on the farm we owned just
up the road. My daughter, Becky, built a house beside us. Lois planned the house, and I planned the
garden. I made sure we hauled in plenty of good manure to work into the dirt. The grandkids would
always question me about the difference between good manure and bad manure. They thought manure
was manure, but we farmers know better.
I have one nice-sized garden, and we built a high fence around it to keep the deer out. We had some
issues with coons and skunks. My granddaughter, Adrienne begged me not to kill them so we set live
traps, and she would re-locate the skunks when we caught one. After she moved away, and I was unable
to release the varmints, my son-in-law, Rick and grandson, Nick took over the chore.
This fall I kept asking Rick when he was going to get the winter wheat sown for a cover crop. He did
and, just this week, we had 4 deer inside the fence eating away. I guess we are raising deer this winter.
I haven’t been able to garden the past two summers, but the kids and Lois took over and they can’t do
it either. One day, when I didn’t think they were doing it right, I told them I was going to raise my
own garden in a pot out back. They will all tell you that I enjoyed eating the crops “they
couldn’t raise.”
The past few years have been rough for Dad. He was always such a personable guy and loved to talk to
everyone. Parkenism, Alzheimer’s and Vascular Dementia robbed him of the ability to be the friendly
guy he’d always been. He tried to avoid crowds or situations where he might be engaged in
conversation. The one thing his illness couldn’t steal from him was his sense of humor. Always the
jokester, he continued to whip off one-liners right to the very end. His favorite joke was, “What would
I do with a million dollars? Why, farm of course, till it was all gone!”
40
This past spring dad told mom one day that he had seen a varmit in the house. She looked around and
couldn’t find anything and told him he was probably dreaming. The next day he told her again, and she
insisted he was dreaming. By golly, when the third day rolled around mom was scared half out of her
wits when a baby rabbit scooted across the floor. After they caught him and put him outside, mom told
dad that he was right about seeing a varmint. His reply was, “Well, you convinced me I was dreaming
so I didn’t believe myself.”
Becky Melrose spent time caring for dad, and she was always insistent he perform his exercises to stay
limber. During his last 2 weeks with us, he just plain refused to do them for her. Later that evening he
informed us that from now on he would only do what Becky Anderson said and so it was. Whenever
Bev would try to get him to use his walker, he would comment that she acted more like her mother
every day.
Since the middle of November, Dad has been
wanting to stop at the Mineral Wells Fire
Department so he could buy candy. Mom kept
telling him they did not have it until after
Thanksgiving. Every morning as they were driving
to McDonald’s drive thru for iced coffee and a
sausage biscuit, he kept reminding her to turn in for
the candy and at times got rather upset with her
about not stopping. The Thursday before they
started selling candy, and she passed the road, he
admonished her about not stopping and said she
would have to turn around and go back, so she made
a u-turn through the 7-11 and drove out to the Fire
Department parking lot so he could see there were
no cars there. After that he was quiet and didn’t say
anything more. She told him they would be open on
Monday, and they would stop. Monday, he again
reminded her when they went by Fruth’s, and she
asked him what kind he wanted. He said the chocolate nut clusters. Mom said, “OK, so how many do
you want?” Six pounds was his answer.
“Six Pounds! Why don’t we get three pounds now and three more next time.”
“No,” he said, “they may be out.”
“How about getting one pound with the cream centers because I would like one or two,” said Mom.
“Well, then you will have to get another pound,” said Dad.
When they pulled up at the door he wanted to go in. He had his house shoes on and no walker. She
helped him out of the car and into the building. Someone assisted him back to the car with their seven
pounds of candy. He was very happy.
41
Our dad was a chocoholic and several of us have followed in his footsteps. He bought Russell Stover
Chocolates, Holl’s Chocolates, Dove chocolates and chocolate candy bars from Aldi’s. His philosophy
was everyone should like chocolate candy and chewing gum and his seven grandchildren were always
treated to chocolate candy when they visited, even though Mom protested about him giving them so
many sweets. His last meal was appropriately a bowl of chocolate ice cream.
Front: Joey, Katie, Paul, Adrienne, Alex, Breanne
Back: Jeff, Becky, Greg, Noelle, Wendy, Lois, Nick, Bev, Jordan, Rick, Jeremy
42
Dad will be remembered for a lot of things; a devoted husband, caring
Dad, doting PaPaw, farmer, businessman, Christian, and friend. Above all,
we will remember his quick wit and infectious smile. We will miss him,
but know he is going to a better place. We are sure that Heaven for Dad
will be filled with good song, humor and endless chocolate.
43