How do you celebrate ninety years of living? My precious Daddy turned ninety last Tuesday, October 6. We celebrated him as he has lived…simply!
“Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers.”
Proverbs 17:6
I planned a small birthday celebration to be held outdoors at our home this past Saturday, but remember it is 2020! Plans had to be changed because the remnants of Hurricane Delta brought rain beginning on Friday and finally ending around noon on Sunday. We were able to celebrate on Sunday afternoon, outdoors as planned. Unfortunately because of rescheduling, my nephew (Daddy’s grandson) and family were not able to attend. My niece (Daddy’s granddaughter) and family live out West and could not be with us. All of them, including five great-grandsons, were certainly missed!
Rather than share the pretty table decorations and delicious food, I want to share the story of this simple man who has impacted hundreds of lives!
Without a doubt, EK got her Pawpaw’s red hair!
During the depths of the Great Depression, in the Foothills of the Appalachians in NE AL, my Daddy was born to your typical Southern, rural, working-class family. His early childhood was similar to all children growing up during this impoverished era. He simply attended school and played with his older brother and younger sister. That was usually followed by an afternoon of fishing at the nearest creek bank. At an early age, he discovered baseball which he loved to play with his friends.
Minor league baseball (pictured left)
When Daddy entered high school, he began playing and lettering in all sports. He was a halfback on the football team, forward in basketball, and a first baseman on the baseball team. Upon graduation in 1948, he was given an opportunity to try out for the Auburn basketball team for a scholarship, but since baseball was his passion and dream, he declined.
During the spring of his senior year, he was scouted by the Cleveland Indians and was offered a contract to play professional baseball. He signed later that year and was sent to spring training in Marietta, Florida. After two successful years in Class A, he was transferred to Class AA. The major league was now in sight!
But that was when the draft board notified him.
Camp Chaffee 1951
By this time, the Korean War was fully engaged and his country needed him. Leaving his beloved family and a promising baseball career was secondary to serving his country. Although he loved both, he left without hesitation. Early January of 1951, army recruits from Northeast AL were sent to Gadsden to board a train headed for Camp Chaffee, Arkansas. Before their long train ride, they ate at a local diner-the Star Cafe on Broad Street. Working the cash register that evening was a beautiful dark-eyed young lady, and in God’s sovereignty, my Daddy had been assigned to handle the meal expenses. They spoke casually as he paid and went on his way. Captivated by him, she wrote down her address and slipped it to the last man leaving and asked him to pass it on to the man who paid the bill.
With strong mathematical skills, Daddy was assigned to a surveyor team for artillery with the Seventh Infantry Division of the U.S. Army. He arrived in Korea in August of 1951. His unit was often assigned to work ahead of the front lines and was constantly in harm’s way. November 5, 1951, dawned a cold and cloudy day as my Daddy and two other surveyors climbed Heartbreak Ridge, slightly north of the Thirty-Eighth Parallel in North Korea. About 1:30 that afternoon, the first man tripped a land mine. The “Bouncing Betty” immediately exploded and all three men were seriously wounded. Daddy’s first memory was being transported by helicopter, strapped underneath, to Taegu Hospital. He received large amounts of shrapnel to his upper body and face and suffered significant loss of blood. While in the hospital, he was awarded The Purple Heart. Within a month, Daddy was back to his outfit seeing front line action on a daily basis. He left Korea August 1952 and was honorably discharged October, 1952. In addition to The Purple Heart, he was awarded the Korean Service Medal and two Bronze Stars.
Upon his return, he began dating the dark-eyed cashier at the Star Cafe. Daddy recently told me that he didn’t receive the slip of paper with her address until the train arrived at Fort Chaffee. The man had forgotten to give it to him. It was three or four months later before Daddy wrote the beautiful cashier. Upon receiving his first letter, she faithfully corresponded while he served and defended his country. After a short courtship, they married December 24, 1952. My parents established a loving home that was Christ-centered. I only have wonderful memories of my Daddy and Mother loving each other and my brother and me. Growing up in the 50’s and 60’s, my childhood was as perfect as you can have in this life. Discipline balanced with love, not material possessions, but the treasures that money will never buy.
Daddy, Butch and I, my brother and wife
Daddy went to work for the U.S. Postal Service in 1955 and retired in 1989, as an exemplary employee with many accolades and awards of service. As a faithful Christian, Daddy has served his church, his community, and others. I can truly say that his faith has been unshakable. He is always consistent and even tempered-never angry.
Grandsons sitting next to Pawpaw and granddaughter standing behind with spouses
Daddy loves his family. He was always a gentle yet firm hand as he and my Mother raised my brother and me. He has two grandsons and one granddaughter. He is the proud great-grandfather of five boys and two girls! Daddy’s beloved wife and my Mother went to her heavenly home in April 2007.
This family picture was taken prior to the two youngest great-grandchildren’s birth! I am so thankful for my loving family, a wonderful blessing from the Lord!
At the age of 90, Daddy’s mind is sharp even though his knees are failing him. He still has his quick wit and the ability to tell a funny or interesting story as well as anyone I know. Daddy has been an ardent fan of Alabama football for as long as I can remember. He never misses one of their games on TV and remembers players and scores back to the 50’s. We are grateful that Daddy is still able to live by himself in the house where I grew up.
A couple of years ago, celebrating his birthday with great-grands excited about the opening of presents!
Daddy is basically home bound, with a few occasional outings to our house or my brother’s. My brother and I see after him making sure he has everything he needs and providing meals. He is a pure joy, never complains, ask for nothing, and is grateful for everything. He received countless birthday cards from those who his life has impacted, cards from as faraway as Indonesia and Sweden!
The great grands love to sit in his lap and gather round him! His smile tells it all.
This photo was taken June of this year with the four youngest great-grands.
Daddy and his beloved sister, Jean. When the two of them get together, there is great laughter and wonderful stories exchanged. It was my pleasure to sit and listen on this particular day!
We took lots of photos this past Sunday, way too many to share. This very brief peek at Daddy’s life is an example of a simple life, but one worth emulating. He finds joy in his faith, family, and friends. Daddy has had many achievements in these 90 years, but he doesn’t treasure those things. His treasure is in heaven! I am deeply humbled that by the mystery of God’s mercy, He planned for me to be born to my wonderful parents. Life is not random as God always has a plan. If my Mother had not slipped her address to the last man leaving, an act totally unlike her, I would not be here.
I am grateful for, and do not take for granted each passing day that my Heavenly Father allows me to have my earthly Father. I am most proud to be his daughter!
Happy 90th Birthday, Daddy!
Linking with:
Pieced Pastimes, Between Naps on the Porch, Katherines Corner, Follow The Yellow Brick Home,
Imparting Grace,Life and Linda
Happy Birthday to your sweet Dad, Pam! What a wonderful life and legacy of love he has lead with a beautiful family! I so enjoyed reading about all his accomplishments and we are forever in his and others debt for his service. So glad you were able to celebrate and get together in this COVID day and age. ♥
Thank you Mary. He is loved by all who know him!
What a beautiful life story of your precious dad. How fortunate you are to have him and to know so much of his story that you can pass on to your family. You are not only an inspiration in your photo taking, Christian values, gardening, and a creating such lovely tables capes and bouquets, but you are also a great story teller. Please tell you dad we thank him for his service. He has a life well lived.
Ruthie, thank you for your beautiful comments. Readers like you are blessings!
Thank you for sharing this beautiful life story. My day is better for having read this.
How sweet and thank you Kay!
I have tears reading this most poignant and beautiful tribute to such a wonderful man. It made me love your Daddy and family. What a legacy of love and leadership. This is so beautiful Pam. God bless him on this birthday. And thank you for blessing us with your amazing gift! 💚💚💚
Karla, thank you so much. I love sharing my wonderful Daddy. He is loved by everyone who knows him.
My pleasure! Aww💚
Happy 90th birthday to your precious daddy Pam. What a true blessing to have him in your life. God is a good, good father. Love all the wonderful pictures and reading about this amazing man. Blessed my heart this morning. Hugs and blessings, Cindy
Thank you Cindy. Yes, God is a good, good Father! Blessings my friend!
Oh my goodness, Pam, what a testament! I know you’ve written about your father before, but this is truly a gift, not only to your family, but to us as your readers! You are absolutely right in that the simple life of family is one truly worth emulating. Yours is a wonderful example. I feel it a privilege to know you through our blogging, and wish all the best to your father in his 90 blessed years and in this special month of his birth. (and yours, too!). Thank you for sharing.
Rita, I tear up reading everyone’s sweet comments. I feel like the blog is a journal that our son, DIL, and grands will have when I am gone. I love to sit and ask my Daddy questions. He has only started speaking about the Korean War in the past few years. He is loved by all who know him.
Such a loving tribute to a very special person. Happy Birthday to your dad.
Thank you dearest Marty!
Beautifully written, Pam. Happy “90th” to your sweet Daddy!
Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him. Psalm 127:3
How the Lord has blessed your father and mother and you for your faithfulness.
We as readers are blessed by the way you live your life and sharing the reason for the hope you have.
Wishing your Daddy many more years of blessings.
I know he is tickled EK got his red hair.
Thank you Bonnie. Daddy loves EK’s red hair. He is the sweetest man and is loved by all who know him!
How I loved ready this tribute to your sweet daddy! His gentle nature and that of your mom too was definitely passed on to you & Mike and that wit that we’ve all come to know & love through Mike just carries on. I always remember your parents sitting in the back of Whites Chapel and looking for the visitors ( like us) and making them feel so welcome! All of us were so drawn to their warm smiles and kind spirits.
Getting to know your dad even better thru your blog makes me love & appreciate him even more.
How blessed you are to have him with you and to know his story. Love you all
Thank you Phyllis for taking the time to respond to my blog post. He is truly the sweetest man and loved by all who know him. I am so thankful for my wonderful parents.
What a wonderful story about your sweet daddy. What sacrifices they made for us during those trying times. You have a wonderful legacy for your children and grandchildren! God bless your daddy and hope you have many more years with him!
Thank you Linda for your sweet comments. He is a blessing to all who know him.
Pam, what a beautiful tribute to your Dad. What an amazing story. It is so reminiscent of my own life and that of my family. Some men gave up everything to serve this country. A day should not pass that we don’t think about that. Your Dad is such an accomplished man. They are the Great Generation. They worked hard, loved family, and loved our great God. I understand the simple life because I lived it also. What a man of deep faith who served his God, his country, his family and community. He looks like the sweetest grandfather in the whole world. I want to thank you for writing this. What a love story. What great children and grandchildren came from this union. What a blessing this story has been to me and your other readers. This is an extraordinary man. Happy Birthday and many more!❤️
Thank you sweet friend. Yes, my Daddy is of the Great Generation who worked hard, served their country, and loved their families. He is truly a sweet and loving man who is loved by all who know him!
Thank you for sharing your grandfather’s story! The photos were wonderful too.
I have grandparents and grandchildren on my mind and called this story your gandfather’s. Retelling our parents’s story is to honor their legacy. Some of my grandchildren are here right now…so blessed to have them close. My apologies.
No problem, I knew what you meant. I had my two granddaughters today and consider it a joy and privilege to have time with them. Thank you!
It was my pleasure to be able to share his story. He is a blessing to all who know him!
Dear Pam, what a beautiful and loving tribute to your precious Dad. He has been a blessing to so many and most especially to his family. Wishing him a Happy, Happy Birthday and many more. Blessings to your beautiful family.
Thank you Sandra. My sweet Daddy is loved by all who know him.
What a lovely tribute to your father.
I wish all wonderful days ahead.
A father is a blessing to his daughter.
I miss my father who has been with the angels for 3 yrs.
Thank you Maureen. I know you miss your father, losing a parent is hard.
Thank you for making my day. What a beautiful, heartfelt tribute to someone so deserving of honor. Please pass on to your dad a huge thank you for his service to God and Country. May God bless him with many more wonderful years. I love that you still call him Daddy. I came from a family very much like yours. I called my precious dad, Daddy for every one of his almost 86 years. It is such an honorable way to address our earthly fathers in the world in which we live today. God bless you and your family.
Sherry, thank you for your sweet and kind comments. Godly Daddy’s are to be commended. Their lives impact generations.
What a wonderful tribute to your precious Daddy! I am so amazed how much you know about your Daddy! What a wonderful listener you are as I’m sure he told you so many stories!
You told such a beautiful story of not only your precious Daddy but also your beautiful family.
Lovely family pictures! Happy 90th Birthday to your Daddy. And tell him thank you for his service.
PS … and how about that note from that dark haired gal… I love it! ❤️
Thank you sweet friend. Writing down her address and passing it to the last man leaving was totally out of character for my Mother. This shows God has plans for our lives and isn’t that comforting to know!!
It was love at first sight for her! A true love story!
Nancy, I never heard them argue or raise their voices to each other!
❤️❤️
How blessed your whole family is that they can enjoy the love and stories from your dad!! His life exemplifies what life is truly all about-God, family, and friends.My Daddy passed away 5 years ago at age 94. He was also a man of faith, integrity, and love for his family. He had a long, wonderful life, remarrying at the age of 80 after my mom died. His life still continues to impact all of our family’s life including his great grandson. Thank you for your story which reminds me of all the many wonderful qualities of my on Daddy The pictures are wonderful!
Barbara, thank you for sharing about your daddy. A Godly man’s life will impact many generations to come.
Good Afternoon Dear Pam,
Blessed is a family with a loving, God focused Father. I love the photo of your Mom and Dad and I enjoyed reading this snippet on your family legacy.
Blessings and hugs to you and yours,
Jemma
Thank you dear Jemma for your sweet comments. Enjoy the rest of your week!
Happy Birthday to your dear daddy! Pam, you have written the most loving, heartfelt, and precious tribute to your sweet daddy. I so enjoyed reading about your parent’s legacy. You are truly blessed, sweet friend!
Thank you Shannon and I am grateful for God’s rich blessings of family!
Pam, this was such a wonderful, loving story and reading it made my day. All of you are so blessed to have each other and to have so many precious memories. As soon as the first picture popped up, I thought “that explains Emma Kennedy’s beautiful red hair” before I even read the caption!
Thank you my friend. I am grateful to have a wonderful, Godly Daddy!
Happy Birthday to your daddy, Pam! My Dad will turn 90 next year, in September. We didn’t have a party for him this year, but we did last year. Like your dad, mine worked for the post office as a mail carrier. He was also in the military (the Air Force) but he didn’t see action in Korea. Its interesting that there are some similarities between them. My Dad is also a Christian and not shy about it. 😉
Thanks so much Rebecca. It is interesting the similarities. Is your mom still living?
Oh, Pam, what a wonderful post! We’ve had a long work day and I just had a chance to really read this touching testimony! I have tears in my eyes. Your sweet Daddy sacrificed for all of us and we appreciate his dedication to our country. His sweet spirit has certainly been inherited by you as well as others we are sure. Thank you for sharing his life with us. Please let your Dad know he has admirers in TN! We wish him good health and happiness! Have a wonderful evening ❣️ Clara ♥️
Thank you Clara for your warm and touching remarks. I will let him read all of the comments.♥️ Wishing you and hubby a wonderful evening!
Pam this post is such a wonderful tribute to your daddy. You are so blessed to have such a great daddy. Happy Birthday to him and please thank him for his service to this great country of ours. Your dad and mother were a lovely couple. Sounds like they both were very kind people.Thank you for sharing his story. May God bless al of your family.
Thank you Della for your sweet comments.
Scouted by the Indians? That’s my team! Oh, Pam, what a wonderful life he has lived and is living. He’s done so very much in his life. Ninety — and still doing well indeed. I’m so glad you could all celebrate together. It’s such a wonderful occasion. Please add my Happy Birthday wishes to all the other to share with your darling Dad.
I have no doubt that he would have had a pro baseball career, Jeanie.
What a blessing you have in such a sweet godly father. I have tears in my eyes because of your beautiful story. I often wonder how my life would have been different had i had a father such as yours. What I know for sure however is that my Heavenly Father took my earthly fathers place when I need him most. May God bless him and protect him.
Thank you dear Alice. The Heavenly Father is always there. What a comfort you have in Him!
Dear Pam,Happy Birthday to your adorable Dad! Thank you for sharing this wonderful post…God bless you all! Sending hugs.
Thank you sweet Maristella!
Oh, Pam! This brought me to tears! Such a precious, kind soul – your Daddy. His birthday is one before my Daddy’s, so he has been on my mind even more than usual today. I miss him so much, and I found it ironic that today I came across pictures of some of his birthdays and the cakes I used to bake for him. Such precious memories now. So thankful you got to have a good day together, even though the rain kept you from being outside. The moments are beyond precious. God bless you with many more years with your Daddy. As I’m sure you heard, John McCain’s mother just died the other day at the ripe, old age of 108! May God give your Daddy the same number of years, and may they be good quality!
Thank you Cheryl. I am so glad as you are missing and reflecting on your daddy that you have such wonderful memories! Blessings…
Happy Birthday to your wonderful father! What a great life and legacy. I felt for him as you wrote about his baseball career and then having to leave it for service to his country. He has such a beautiful family and he must always be so proud whenever he is with them….and they proud of him. You are blessed to have a wonderful father and mother of whom you miss every day. Thank you for sharing Pam.
Thank you Shirley. I am so grateful to still have him as you are to have your sweet mom!
What a loving tribute to your incredible father Pam, thank you for sharing his amazing selflessness and all the photos of your beautiful family. It is so important that we pass on to our children and grandchildren the lives of their elders and for them to know how blessed they are. Happy Happy Birthday to your Dad, and please thank him for his dedicated service to our country.
Jenna
Thank you Jenna. I am so grateful to be his daughter and for EM and EK to have the blessing of spending time with him. They love their Pawpaw!
It is so gratifying to realize that the little Princess’s lives can yet be touched by your Dad in the flesh….no imagined image, but
Granddaddy’s persona being etched in immediate personal memory. And your memories of him, dear Pam, are redolent of great love, respect and honor… he is quite a special person. The pictures just exude the love, joy and dedication of your family for/to one another and how a very beautiful Mother and devoted “Daddy” stamped their unique, God-ordained love story on your family legacy. That we might all know such a magnificent “simple” life.
Thank you dearest Mary. His is truly a simple life that has been well lived. I am grateful to be his daughter!
Awww, what a delightful post about your Dad Pam. So interesting too!
Bless you sweet friend,
Jennifer
Thanks so much Jennifer! Blessings…
A belated happy birthday to your father, he sounds like a wonderful man. I know that he must have enjoyed the special celebration even if the whole family was not able to attend.
Thank you Karen. We enjoyed celebrating him!