Remarks to be made at 85th birthday party.

Thoughts on my 85^th birthday.

I can not tell you how pleased and excited I am to see all of you here. I want to thank all of you for taking time out of your busy lives to be here for this party. I really appreciate your being here. You and others like you who could not be here today make my life a happy one. I like living in Ruston and you are the reason. I want to express my gratitude to my family for dreaming up this affair and putting it on. My Louisiana family is so good to me. I want to thank my daughter, Kerry. Kerry is my youngest daughter and the only blue eyed child that I have. You know brown eyes are dominant and my wife Jackie had lovely brown eyes. I really had a soft spot in my heart for that lovely blue-eyed blonde little girl. It is hard to believe that little girl is now a grandmother. I want to thank Kerry’s husband, John. John and Kerry have done so much for me. John and Kerry’s daughters have done so much work on this party. Thank you Joy and Katie and David and Justin.

When you are 85 it behooves you to be nice to your family. It is possible they will choose your rest home in the not too distant future.

In 2006 Jackie and I moved our fifth wheel trailer from Chimacum, Washington to Ruston.  Chimacum is between Bremerton and Port Angeles, about 8 miles from Port Townsend. Jackie and I had our summer RV home there in a Co-op for 17 years. This is the longest we had ever lived anywhere and we loved it.  The area is sort of a mixture of Ruston and the coast of Maine with snow covered mountains.

We moved here to enlist the help of John and Kerry in the care of Jackie. But in six short months Jackie passed away. I am sure that you all realize how much you miss some one who lived with you for 63 years. I knew that I had to stay busy and fill a big void.  I turned to Ruston and got involved in many activities and interests. You folks are a big part in filling a void in my life and I cannot tell you how much you have meant to me and mean to me every day.

I joined the Jefferson Corner Liars Club. Club President Tommy Boddie, vice President John Roebuck, and Secretary Lizard Howard welcomed me with open arms. They did look askance at me because of my weird accent and having moved from a tree-hugging environment. However the Treasurer of the Liars Club Rhonda Blakely has always stood up for me. I do not know how to talk her into not hugging me all the time. It gets embarrassing!

I joined the Louisiana Tech Aquatic Seniors. They tolerate me very well. Coach Miss Smiley does a great job and is a good friend. Her class is one of the best things that have happened to me. My lungpower and endurance have increased greatly. I have spent many happy hours in the water class.  I have met and enjoyed many in the class.

I started going for lunch at the Senior Center. I have met many wonderful people there. It is a very social place with many activities in addition to lunches.  There are very lively people there. Two of them cannot remember their 85^th birthday.  If you do not believe me just ask Dan Falon or Margaret Shadow.

I joined the VFW and started going to the monthly lunch and weekly breakfast at the VFW building. What a wonderful group of people. I enjoy the VFW. The current post commander J D Harper does a great job and cooks a great breakfast.

As a member of Smiley’s class I have a Tech University Student Body Card. This card gets me into all home games! I am busy studying how to be a sport fan! I am even learning the rules of baseball and what a power forward is.

I do research on genealogy projects. I attend meetings of the Northwest Genealogical Society in Monroe.  I am a history and political junkie. I love trivia and Google is one of my most used tools. I go to bluegrass festivals. Believe it or not with all of the listed activities I still have time to be lonely and to miss Jackie. I am dealing with this aspect of my life better as time goes by. It is true that time is a great healer.

Let me confess, it is I who is always hugging Rhonda and I am not embarrassed at all!  I am a serious fan of hugging. Please do not be offended if I hug you. Once again I want to tell you that I love you all very much. Thanks again for being here.

I love Ruston, it is a wonderful place to be until I join Jackie at Arlington. God bless you all!