TRILOGY: Life ... Death ... and I'll Be Seeing You ...

by Jennifer Johnston

Linda Bridges Cook, Raenell Wynn Smith, Jennifer Johnston and JoAnn Neel Lathram at dinner on the Bateuax Mouches in Paris, March 2008

As you know it has been a while since I have written for the blog ... since anyone has written for the blog for that matter. But after a recent request, Nicki has agreed to reopen the Voices blog for occasional updates of interest, and so I return with a sense of "visiting" an old friend ... or several, depending on how many may read this ... though the joy of again writing for this venue where I found so much wonder and delight for two years is bittersweet as we now remember and say farewell to some who have passed from us and from this life.  It is quite possible that more than these three have gone from us, and their lack of inclusion here is not intended as any slight to them or their memory, it is simply a fact that we did not know of their passing at the time of posting. If any of you know of someone who should be remembered and memorialized here, or if there is some momentous news of general interest which should be imparted, please contact me or Nicki as we strive to maintain an ongoing thread and record of the lives, and deaths, and times of the CHS Class of 1963.

JoAnn Neel Lathram

September 15, 1944 - February 22, 2011

I'll be seeing you in all the old familiar places
That this heart of mine embraces all day through ...

The beautiful Irving Kahal/Sammy Fain song I'll Be Seeing You, a standard from World War II, was movingly rendered by Jimmy Smith, our friend and husband of our dear Raenell Wynn Smith, at the services held for JoAnn nearly a year ago, following darling Joby's death from breast cancer after her valiant battle.  Joby's cousin, Shirley Neel Cromartie, told me that Joby had requested that the song be specifically dedicated to her grandchildren, whom she loved dearly ... but even as I felt tears filling my eyes as I thought of that, I felt such a strong sense that the song was indeed for all of us ... a vision, a promise if you will ... that though this life may be finite, eternity is not.

Most of the world's great religions and many philosophies posit the idea that there is something beyond death, differing only somewhat in their interpretations of what that "something" may be.  Some espouse beliefs in Heaven, or Hell, or transcendence, or multiple lives culminating in ascension to a higher plane. But for many of us, whatever our ideas of an afterlife may encompass, there seems to be a deeply rooted belief that we will once again find, will be reunited with, those whom we have truly loved and who have reciprocated that love.  And JoAnn told her friends, and her children and grandchildren, that she knew well that one day they would see each other again. I likewise embrace that belief.

Joby was the third (one third!!!) of our Naughty Nine to embark from this life on that ongoing journey through time and space, following our beloved Paula Leach Schubarth (2002) and Lynn Purcell Durham (2008), previously memorialized in the Reflections and the Voices blogs, along with others of our classmates also remembered there, who left before we or their loved ones were ready (as if anyone could ever be ready) to see them go.

I'll be seeing you in every lovely summer's day
In everything that's light and gay
I'll always think of you that way...

When I think of Joby I do see her in the golden light of summer, with the sun illuminating her dark hair, her eyes sparkling, full of humor and fun ... that brilliant smile and that low laugh ... loving and delighting in her friends and family, generous with her care and concern and kindness for others.  The last time I saw her, in October 2010, at lunch with Raenell and Linda Bridges Cook, I knew that I would not see her again in this life. But though the knowledge was heart-breaking, the reunion of the four of us was warm, and sustaining, and a beautiful testament to lifelong friendships, and to the singular bond of the Nine.  We were girls together sharing birthday parties and other rituals of childhood, then young women giggling over secret and not so secret loves, then wives and mothers and grandmothers, observing the phases and stages of each others' lives, reveling in the pleasures, sharing the sorrows, supporting whichever of us needed a boost when life became difficult.  We were the Nine, as I wrote at the time of Paula's death ... and as noted then, we will always be the Nine, even after all of us have departed this plane.... And I believe to the depths of my soul that we will meet again ... as Joby believed.

I'll find you in the morning sun

Or when the night is new

I'll be looking at the moon,

But I'll be seeing you.

Mike Spradley

1944 - March 17, 2011

Less than a month after Joby left us, we were saddened to hear of the death of Mike Spradley, who though he did not graduate from CHS with our class was our classmate through many years of school in Childress. I particularly remember his stories of one memorable if short-lived stint as a freshman cheerleader for the CHS Bobcats in 1959, a tale which Mike told with relish and with that wonderful deep laugh as he detailed the frustrations of Imogene Pannell (later Murray) in trying to inculcate the esprit of cheerleading into him and Don Seal and Jimmy Czewski.

Mike graduated high school in Lubbock, but always insisted that his blood ran Bobcat Blue, and I know from many conversations with him that he had a deep-seated love for Childress, which he maintained throughout his life.

Mike's parents, Jim and Lornadee Spradley, and my parents, Keith Johnston and the former Billie Harp, and Lyman and Neysa Davenport, Pat Davenport Shapiro's parents, were great friends when we were kids, and I have memories of childhood play and pranks (a fondness for which Mike never lost to my knowledge).  After Mike and his family moved from Childress we lost touch, but reconnected again in early 2001 when we were both coincidentally living in Houston.  

A few lunches and after work get-togethers, as well as conversations with Sheila Davis Martinez, led us to plan the wonderful October 18, 2001 Wimberley Weekend in Wimberley, Texas (just over a month after the horrors of 9/11).  A group of us including Mike and his beloved wife Ada and dad Jim, and Sheila, and Clara Robinson Meek, and Joe Don Hopkins took over a Wimberly bed-and-breakfast and spent a great couple of days reminiscing and catching up. We were also joined for dinner Saturday night by Jeff Jeffers, and placed a group long-distance call to John Danner in the Philippines (both CHS 1960).  Subsequently there was a memorable weekend spent with the Spradleys in Childress visiting old friends including but not limited to Najla and Mary Saied, Lynn and Dana Purcell Morris (CHS 1960), which was the last time I saw Mike.

Mike graced the Reflections blog with some of his wonderful cartoons and with some side-splittingly funny blogposts, and if you have not read these you have missed some wonderful offerings from a natural raconteur.

Yahn Smith

August 6, 1946 - August 28, 2010

Although not a member of the CHS Class of 1963, I have also been asked to post a notice of the death of my former husband, Yahn Smith, who also contributed many pieces of his artwork and some writings to the blog.  Yahn was an incredibly talented artist, a graphics designer and a much sought-after teacher at the Art Institute of Houston before he retired.  He graduated from Bossier High School in Bossier City, Louisiana in 1964 (though as we used to joke he was still older than I), later from the Dallas Art Institute, and took his Master of Fine Arts degree at Syracuse University.

Yahn and I had been married for 42 years at the time of his death, although there were many unforeseen changes in his and our lives during the last few years, and a reflection on those times reminds me again, as it should remind all of us, that the future is unknown and unknowable, sometimes taking twists and turns which cannot be conceived in the most fertile imagination. And that too is a part of life, and death.

I end this trilogy of remembrance by adjuring all of you to make the most of each and every day you are given, to freely love those whom you do love, and to tell them so with some frequency, to take pains that your actions match your words, to treasure your friends ... in the hopes that when we all take that inevitable journey we carry with us golden memories, and leave behind memories of love and laughter and blessed days, until we meet again.  And I share with you the beautiful thoughts of poet Mary E. Frye....

Do not stand at my grave and weep  I am not there. I do not sleep.  I am a thousand winds that blow.  I am the diamond glints on snow.  I am the sunlight on ripened grain.  I am the gentle autumn rain.  When you awaken in the morning's hush  I am the swift uplifting rush  Of quiet birds in circled flight.  I am the soft stars that shine at night.  Do not stand at my grave and cry;  I am not there. I did not die.  )O(

Time to Walk Away

Today, I have had the old Kenny Rogers song running through my mind, something to the effect that you gotta know when to hold 'em, gotta know when to fold 'em, and know when to walk away. 

What a great two, almost three years it has been.  I have accomplished the two goals I had so long ago (it seems) in that I have learned how to blog and with the help of a lot of other people we have reconnected with many of our classmates from Childress High School.  This was a real blessing and a rewarding time with the excitement of first hunting for as many of our classmates as possible and actually making contact with friends of the past.  It was never the original intent to actually have a reunion, however, the small 45th reunion in Childress was an added bonus!

Now it is time for me and others to move on to new challenges and new adventures without the responsibility of the blog.  We have opened the door for getting reacquainted with old friends and it is my wish that that door won't close.  Thankfully the All School Reunions in Childress are continuing and hopefully that will be a future venue for reuniting in person with one another.  

Facebook has become a meeting place for not only our former classmates who are interested, but for our families, and friends from all walks of our lives.  I hope to see more and more of you there if only to look at the photos of your sweet grandchildren and to read the small bits and pieces that you  choose to share in your own "voices". 

One last word regarding blogs--I truly believe that our original "Reflections" blog is a true testament and history to each person in the Childress High School Class of 1963.  For those of you who missed reading the posts in that first blog, I hope you will take time to visit some of these as I think you will be surprised and pleased to have the opportunity to once again have the chance to relive times and memories with people with whom you shared a special time in your life--that you will have the opportunity to remember some of the good times and good friends.

Today I walk away from the blogs, but I will hold the memories of each of you in my heart as will Jim, and I hope with time we will bump into one another on the paths that we have chosen to walk.

Nicki Sooter Wilcoxson

Another Voice of '63

When Nicki began the "Voices" blog, her really great idea was to showcase different people from our class and other Childress High School alumnus. Several people bared their stories at first, which was interesting to hear what our former classmates had been doing for the last 47 years.

I happened to run across one of our classmates on Facebook. When I read her information page I noticed she was interested in portrait painting. Anything from the art world piques my interest. I emailed her to ask about her painting. She sent me a photo via email of a portrait she had painted. I was, and still am, in awe. So I want to share this with you.

Ta da!          Charlene Bierschmitt Clouse-------portrait painter extraordinaire!

Charlene was 27 years old, living in Mineral Wells. She had a 7 year old daughter and a 2 year old son. She didn't know anyone, apparently feeling like a fish out of water. She took a walk downtown and saw a woman in a shop painting a strawberry. She was amazed at how realistic this strawberry looked----like you could pick it up and eat it.

Her mom had painted and sketched all her life. The next time Charlene visited with her in Childress, she asked her mom how you could make something look so real. Her mom told her to begin with circles, practice blending the paint until the circles became three dimensional and looked like balls. (This brought back memories of 25 years of Art I students with ebony pencils struggling to turn circles into balls.) SO-----Charlene says she painted a LOT of circles. She was very interested in realism. All I can say is----it definitely paid off.

The painting shown below is that of a cowboy named Furr Standrich. He was working at the Harrell Ranch just outside Claude, TX. Charlene worked from a photo she took herself as he posed in Palo Duro Canyon. He wanted to wear his hat for the painting, due to the onset of baldness. She thought she had run out of film and asked him to rest for a minute while she reloaded the camera. He took his hat off and said to Charlene as he relaxed, "Anyone who can look out across this canyon and not believe in God has to be crazy." That's when she snapped the pose that became the painting.

I am enclosing the photo she took. You can see that she left out the rocky background to give emphasis to her subject.

Charlene has not painted in the last four years. I truly hope she picks up those brushes. There's some serious talent that needs to be shared.

Please note that the portrait and photo were shared with us by Charlene and have been published with her permission.  Charlene maintains ownership and requests that any copies must be done with her permission.  We are very grateful that Charlene has allowed us to publish these items on our blog.

A Snowy Kind of Day

On January 28 the snow fell and fell, and fell.  I think we have about 10 inches.  Thankfully we did not have a blizzard since the winds didn't blow hard enough!


In a previous post, I talked about how much fun it was to play in the snow, but not this time. We have been in the house for two days now, but warm and cozy and well fed since I made the obligatory rush to the grocery store to make sure we had plenty of groceries and then off to Pet Smart to get bird seed and cat food.  We can't wait to get out of the house hopefully tomorrow!  Enough is enough.  I need to work out; I need to go to a restaurant!  We need a 4X4!! 

 

White out from the front yard

Looking down the street today.

 After a couple of hours of shoveling and with the help of a friend, we managed to clear the snow off of the driveway, but a layer of ice remains.    At least we can escape the house if we want to.  Jim is holding the shovel!

 

We are so grateful that the ice spared our trees and that the Austrian Pine and all the rest are standing tall and snowy.

I had to clear a path to all the bird feeders.  I can see one tiny bird in the snow and a cardinal in the tree.  They love me!

The birds love the deck because there is cat food there and they love that, too.

They also love the rest from the weather from time to time.  This little fellow is sitting on the metal pumpkin frame from autumn.

 

I couldn't bear to knock the snow off of the back porch.  I love the puffy tops because they look like snow cones or icing on cupcakes.

The happiest one to see the snow go will be our cat Chloe.  She sits at the windows or doors looking very sad, because she loves it outside and she hates the snow and cold on her paws.

Is there life beyond our house and the backyard????  Did I not write this same post at the beginning of January???  This is really sad!  We need a vacation-a change of scenery-new topics for the blog........

FISH DINNER

Before

After

I find this truly strange on so many levels.  Truly something to ponder.

Further thought on these photos leads me to the conclusion that there must be some symbolism here.


 A.  Is this representing the before and after the fall of the stock market earlier??
                                                                      
B.  Could this before and after be symbolic of the fortune of Tiger Woods after his wife gets through with him???

C.  Perhaps these photos are symbolic of the dangers we see lurking in our environment and ecosytem unless we take steps to correct what we humans are doing???


D.  or  perhaps I am over analyzing this before and after and they are simply representative of a really good fish dinner that someone enjoyed???


Thanks, Clara, for sharing this with us.

Nicki