December 21, 2015

 

Fran McClain sent the following email about the successful Ladies Luncheon Bingo that was last week: We had another successful Ladies Christmas Luncheon Bingo. $570 was raised for Diboll Civic Club’s 2016 Christmas Blessings!!! Thank you to the ladies who joined us, making this possible. Thank you to the Family Literacy Center and Diboll Housing Authority. Of course we couldn’t do without our helpers: Sue Baker, Linda Cordell, Tina Jowell, Cathy Martz, Cecilia Mendoza, Jimmie Woodard, John McClain and Burlon Wilkerson. And the volunteers making sure we had a delicious lunch: Mona Adams, Allison Amason, Chasity Archer, Geneva Ard, Sue Baker, Justin Barkley, Theresa Burns, Peggy Burt, Betty Capps, Ginger Capps, Charlotte Carter, Cindi Clark, Patsy Colbert, Linda Cordell, Theresa Coria, Becky Donahoe, Daniel Dover, Dessia Fowler, Bessie Furgurson, Carol Gartman, Jo Ann Grigson, Margie Harrell & Housing Authority Ladies, Sandy Hendrick, Shirley Ivey, Tina Jowell, Nettie Mann, Clevette Mark, Cathy Martz, Linda Maxey, Melissa McCall, Carol Mettlen, Beryl Moses, Ruth Oates, Sarah Rios, Carolyn Schmidt, Hellen Schmidt, Susan Smith, Donya Stifle, Andrea Swor, Debbie Woodward & Kaye Wyatt.”

Also, a Big Thank you to the Businesses and Individuals who donated items for the bingo baskets and door prizes. KST Child Care, Diboll Free Press, Dessia Fowler, Phyllis Kirkland, Sue Baker, Fran McClain, Mary Hendry, Jimmie Woodard, His and Hers Trade Days, Sandra Pouland, Hal and Linda Cordell.
I can tell you I certainly enjoyed attending the Christmas Ladies Luncheon Bingo. The food was good and visiting with friends was great. I sat at the table with Carol Gartman, Becky Donahoe, Bessie Furgurson and her sister, Dorothy Barlow and Ruth Mullins who just happened to have photos of her newest red headed granddaughter who belongs to her son Ted. Ruth was excited she was able to spend Thanksgiving with Ted, his wife and three other daughters and looking forward to returning soon.

Clevette Mark was the winner of the huge basket of goodies given away by the alumni association. The proceeds benefit their scholarship fund.
Sandra Lee is married to Keith Lee and works at The Campbell Group. When she came in for pecans she told me about her father-in-law, Leighton Lee, who owned Lee’s Grocery years ago at the same location where we are today. I can’t believe it, but Leighton is 92 and up until last April drove himself to the mall every day to walk for exercise. He had a quadruple bypass in April and is doing pretty good. Keith is a policeman for the city of Nacogdoches. He and Sandra have two children and three grandsons: Gunnar, age 10; Max, age 8 and Tucker, age 3.

Longtime friends from Diboll High School, Ima (Riley) Weisinger and Mary (Telford) Sheffield came in to visit for a few minutes. Mary lives in Port Neches (I think) and drove to Diboll to spend the night with Ima and attend the retirement party for Robert Telford of Advanced Financial. The party was held at the Museum of East Texas and Mary and Ima both couldn’t believe the 133 decorated Christmas trees on display. That night at Ima’s these two talked themselves to sleep trying to catch up on everything since their last visit. The next day they drove from place to place reminiscing about the good times they had growing up here. Mary’s parents, Milton “Bill” Telford and her mother Mary lived at the south end of First Street in Diboll. The girls drove by the old home place, Ryan Chapel church and the Pine Valley area.

Sam Baker came in for some of our gourmet foods and bought preserves and jelly for the “cat head” biscuits he planned to make that evening. Andy Jarvis came in with his dog, P.J., who was rescued from the pound to be his wife’s dog but P. J. has bonded with Andy and they are inseparable. P. J. takes every step Andy does and rides in his lap while driving. He loves to take a shower and has his own soap and shampoo. P. J. is very well behaved and responds to Andy’s commands to sit, stay and sing. Yes, Andy and P. J. sang a “howling” duet and on some evenings P.J. attends choir practice and lays at Andy’s feet while he plays the piano at Keltys Baptist Church.

It always warms my heart when I learn that people love Diboll and East Texas as much as I do. One of our loyal customers, Dwain Brown, told me how he got here from upstate New York. Dwain was born in Ohio and learned the construction industry. He and his wife Cynthia had two sons, John Dustin and Jason Allen. The last winter they lived in Brockport NY area they had 190” of snow! That‘s when Dwain decided to move. Early in 1991 they borrowed his parents’ motor home and spent three weeks “exploring” through Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, East and West Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Oklahoma and Missouri. When they returned home, he asked his wife, “Where do you want to live?” She replied, “East Texas”.

Dwain headed for East Texas in June of 1991 he stopped in the Marshall area but his travels brought him south on 59 to Diboll where he stopped in at the Temple Inland office and applied for a job and was hired within the week. The family rented a house at first but eventually bought a house on FM 1818 in Shawnee Prairie with enough land to fulfill his childhood dream of raising cattle. Dwaine said this area and the great state of Texas have been good to him and his family. Both of his boys graduated from Huntington and college. John “Dusty” graduated from SFA with a BS in Music and attended UT at Arlington to work on a Master’s in music. He is presently teaching music in the Tomball ISD and plays in the Houston Community Band and other small groups. While in high school, Dusty was invited to play, two different times, with students from all over the US at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

Jason graduated from Texas A&M with a BA in Agriculture Systems, spent four years in the Air Force and spent time in Germany and Afghanistan. After completing his active duty, Jason attended Sam Houston and received a BS in Accounting, moved to Denver, CO to attend Colorado University and is graduating this month with a Master’s in Accounting and also a Master’s in Tax. His plans are to receive a Doctorate in Accounting. Cynthia passed away in 2009. In 2011 Dwain met Susan a Texas lady and airline attendant from San Antonio. They started a new life but continue to raise cattle and Susan is raising Foundation Bred Performance Quarter horses for reining, cutting and roping. They are blessed and thankful to live in such a wonderful place as East Texas.

If you receive the Free Press in time and still need a Christmas gift. We have autographed copies of Tom Perini’s TEXAS COWBOY COOKING. The foreword is written by his friend, Robert Duvall. The cost is $24.95.

The store plans to close at 1PM on Christmas Eve and will be closed on Christmas Day and also the following Saturday and of course, Sunday. We wish you a very Merry Christmas and Blessed New Year.
Come see us…’round the table.