"Red was more like a sister to me
than a sister-in-law. We were friends growing up. We went to the country
dances, hitching a ride on the running board of someone's car. This one time
at a dance, Red went up to the bar, held up 3 fingers, and said to the
bartender, "Three beers." We were only about 15 years old, and just as she
said it, she saw her folks sitting outside listening to the music. Red has
had a stroke and is unable to speak, but I can still get a laugh out of her --
all I have to say is "three beers" -- or even just hold up 3 fingers!
"Around that same age, on
Saturday mornings I had to wipe up the kitchen floor and Red's job at her
house was to make a pineapple upside down cake. When our chores were done,
I'd drive the Model A down to her house. We'd drive out to the edge of town
and I'd take the corners real fast with Red holding onto the brake! In later
years, Red would say I took those corners on two wheels!
"Red and Joe lived next door
to Don and I in Fairfield Bay, Arkansas in the 1970s. We had some real good
times."
Kathy Langdon
"Red and Mema
were so obviously good friends as we kids were growing up.
They'd get to laughing and couldn't stop -- at least one time their laughter
led to Red being unable to make it to the rest room. Their laughter was
infectious to the rest of us.
"Once when Mema was driving
and Red was in the front with her, Mema was stopped at a stop sign on a hill,
and was having trouble with killing the engine. Red was helping her, and on
the next attempt at getting the car to go, Red said to Mema, "OK -- Gun it,
Mama!" They had more fun, laughing all the time.
"Our family loved having 'Auntie
Red' at our family get-togethers. She was so much fun and so good to us kids."
Mema says:
"P.S. I was always accused of
being a big mouth, and this proves it!"
