Daddy

Start children off on the way they should go and even when they are old they will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6

Our Daddy had many nicknames and just as many personalities that fit them! He was John Jr. to some, Bubba (a good southern name to the family), Captain (because he always drove the boat and ran a farm), Flash (because he never could get past snow plowing on the slopes), Running Bear (because he always baited duck ponds and dove fields, but never got caught when he ran from the game wardens even though they knew exactly who he was), Mr. John (because our friends held him in high regard or were scared of him, don’t know which), Honey (to my mother), Daddy (to his three girls), PaPa (to his grandchildren), and Big John (to his sons in law who to this day hold that name reverent). Most people in town just called him “a character”.

Daddy grew up in Donalsonville with his mother, father, sister and two younger brothers. As the eldest son, a lot of the responsibility of the family farm and business fell to him. Although farming was his main job, later in life, he got into real estate when Lake Seminole was created, and he sold land around the lake. He loved the land and was always quick to say, “There’s one thing God won’t make any more of and that’s land.”

During the week, he was up early and out driving the 18 miles each day to the farm outside of town. This is not to say he was working all this time. He followed a strict schedule which usually included a stop by Johnson’s store where he visited with the locals, another stop by Harvey’s to chat with his manager about the day, and usually a stop by his Mama and Daddy’s house to chat late in the afternoon. He visited his brother, Wallace, at People’s Supply and his brother in law, Hudson, at Firestone at least one day a week, along with his brother Bill at the Egg Plant. Conversation, family and people were important to him. My mother always said “Your Daddy could talk to a post.”

No matter where he went, he usually had three things with him; his hat, his gun and his pocket knife. Except for church and in the house, he always wore a hat. He removed it when he entered a house and replaced it on his head when he left! He carried a pocket knife to open letters, bills, and for incidentals. He carried a gun because you never know when the opportunity to hunt might arise in South Georgia.

Daddy drove fast, knew everybody in town, had a temper, had a great sense of humor, washed his car about the time he expected us home from a date, and was present when the Alday murderers were captured. He smoked cigarettes until one night when all the stores were closed, and he couldn’t buy any. That made him mad, so he quit smoking and began to eat peppermint candy instead. Until the day he died, you could always find peppermints in his front seat.

As a farmer, he lived and died by the weather and there were many times when he watched crops literally burn up in the field. He and our family dealt with a lot of stress which still plaques our farmers these days.

Every weekend in the spring and summer, would find us on the lake skiing with Daddy driving the boat. Many times he would drop us in the middle of the lake while he went to talk to someone he knew on shore. His parting words were, “Hold your ski up, I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Daddy was in church on his pew every Sunday morning, and we sat in the same section with his Daddy, brothers, and sister and their respective families. Church was a family affair and everyone knew if you weren’t there. My Mama sat in the choir and her family attended the Baptist church as they were outnumbered by Drakes at the Methodist.

He loved his family fiercely, and he would do anything to protect them. He was tough, but tender hearted, and the day I married Randy as he walked me down the aisle with tears in his eyes, he was heard to say very loudly, “Sugar, you don’t have to marry this boy! You can live with us forever!” After the vows were taken, and we were pronounced man and wife, Randy kissed the bride three times. My Daddy was heard to say, “Oh hello, we are going to be here all day!”

We miss his humor, his laughter, his antics, but most of all we miss his love and his hugs! As our family celebrates this Father’s Day with all the special Dads in our family, we are grateful for Daddy’s influence in our lives.

Happy Father’s Day to all our Dads!