Southern Comfort & Respect

I was reminded today at Gramp's funeral how much I appreciate the traditions of small southern towns. I was awestruck by the respect of strangers who still pull off the road and stop while a funeral procession passes. It was so great to see the presence of the Marines who honored my grandfather's military service by playing taps, folding the flag, executing that famous slow motion salute, and then presenting the flag and Bible to the family.

After the funeral, Ocmulgee Baptist Church paid their respects to their oldest member by preparing a delicious meal for this large family which included Southern comfort foods such as sweet tea, fried chicken, butter beans, deviled eggs and lots of pie: custard, apple, pecan, and sweet potato pie.

Then the family headed to Aunt Ann's farm for a relaxing day just being with family: aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. Since broadband cable & wi-fi are non-existant out here in the country, we headed outside and enjoyed this warm fall day (72 degrees). While some of us gathered pecans under the huge trees behind the house, others went out back with guns and clay pigeons for skeet shooting. Then there was the jaunt to the creek to see who could skip their rock farther than the rest. Heading back to the house I saw the model A parked in front waiting for Uncle Bob to take us on rides in it tomorrow. As the sun set behind the golden brown trees of fall, I saw a truck full of cousins with legs dangling from the tailgate riding around looking at the cows with happy smiles and laughter filling the air.

Oh, yes, and I discovered something new today. My Aunt Ann's first name is Billie! That doesn't sound so funny until you realize that before she married Bob and became an Edwards, she was know as Billie Twilley. Considering that her mom's name was Willie Grey and her father's name was Haddox LeRoy, I shouldn't have been surprised. Southerners certainly have a great sense of humor!

It was a good day here in the South.

Links to funeral videos:

1. Taps

2. Folding the Flag

Goodbye, Gramps. We love you!

Today, November 24, 2010, we bury my beloved grandfather, Haddox LeRoy "Gramps" Twilley (1915-2010). At age 95, he lived a long life and now I believe he is reunited with his son, my dad, and wife (Willie Grey). He had outlived his body which had become frail and this man who loved to tell stories could not longer bend your ear for hours on end. So, with his new body he will now be free to live eternity the way he would have wanted.

As we celebrate his life today, I am sure we will recall many memories of our favorite moments with him. Some of my favorite childhood memories with him have to be spending Christmases at his house, hanging out with my cousins on his farm, picking blackberries on his property, playing in his barn while he and Dad baled hay, and eating the best watermelon this side of the Mason Dixon line(he raised a field of the biggest!). And no one has tasted a better steak (he raised his own Black Angus cows) in the South than one grilled by Roy Twilley ("But don't dare ruin the flavor of a really good steak with sauce," he would say! I also won't forget those chocolate covered graham crackers always waiting for us on the top of the white cabinet by the side door (only strangers ever came through the front door). It was Gramps who taught me that it is never the wrong time of day for a good cup of coffee - his pot was always on.

After Dad, aka LeRoy Gayle Twilley (Gramp's oldest son) died too young at 59, and the family trips to Selma waned, I was fortunate to live in nearby Montgomery for 11 years when Terry was at Huntingdon College. During most of those years Gramps lived in assisted living but thanks to nearby Aunt Ann (Dad's sister) and Uncle Bob, we made many trips "home" to their farm and saw Gramps at the annual square dances and other family gatherings. My boys got a chance to see the cows that Gramps loved, ride in his favorite truck, and fish in his private stocked pond. And everyone in that part of the country knows that a ride in Bob's Model T and the bag of pecans gathered from the trees on his farm made the trips even more memorable and special.

I will share more Gramps stories later. But for now I'll just say that I will miss this man, the patriarch of our family. A simple well respected man who loved and respected the Lord, his country and his family with passion and pride. He faced many obstacles in life with quiet courage. He was not boastful nor critical. He seldom spoke without thoughtful consideration and was not afraid to speak his mind. He was practical and generous. I am so proud to have called him my grandfather and so thankful - on this day before Thanksgiving - for his life.

Godspeed, Gramps.