Remembering Grandpa Leroy

 My Grandpa passed away recently. In the pictures that were shared during his memorial and viewing was a picture of my Grandpa with one of his teenage best friends standing in front of an old truck. I immediately thought of a letter Grandma had written to me on his behalf a few years ago talking about Grandpa's first truck. Sure enough this truck he was standing in front of was the very same she had written to me about. 

Grandpa is on the right. His friend Eugene Mchols (sp?) is on the left. 

I'll also include a copy of Grandma's letter as well as a link in case it's hard to read in this format. 

If this is too hard to read, try clicking here. 

I'm also going to include a few other pictures of Grandpa that were new to me and a few that aren't:

Leroy and Betty June

Young Grandpa (Leroy) with his Dad (OZ aka Trig) and their HUGE watermelons

Grandpa's first and only remaining cousin on his mother's side, Stanley, told us at Grandpa's memorial, that  Trig and Leroy had won the blue ribbon at the county fair for these watermelons and someone took their cane and jabbed it into the prize melon in order to get some seeds!

Grandpa holding baby Diane

Oz, Bondell, Betty June and Leroy

Reine on Leroy's lap, Michelle on Reba's lap and Diane

Obituary

Leroy Harrison Melson

Age 84, a resident of Prairie Grove, Arkansas, passed away Friday, June 18, 2021 in Prairie Grove, Arkansas. He was born April 13, 1937 in Oark, Arkansas, the son of O.Z. and Bondell (Bynum) Melson.

Leroy worked for the Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park for fourteen years.

He was preceded in death by his parents, one son Steven Melson and one sister Betty June Young.

Survivors include his wife of 65 years Rebecca Stepp Melson; three daughters Karen "Diane" Walls of Bismarck, Arkansas, Denise "Reine" Moore and her husband Steve of Prairie Grove, Arkansas, and Michelle Hyler also of Prairie Grove; six grandchildren Landon Patterson, Preston Patterson, Christy Hood, Becky Drake, Tyler Moore and Bradley Smith, thirteen great grandchildren and five great great grandchildren.

The family will receive friends Monday evening from 6:00-7:00 p.m. at Luginbuel Funeral Home.

Funeral service will be held 2:00 PM Tuesday, June 22nd, 2021, at Luginbuel Chapel in Prairie Grove, Arkansas. Burial will be Wednesday, June 23rd, 2021 at 10:00 AM in Evans Cemetery in Pettigrew, Arkansas.

The family would like to express their appreciation to the staff of Circle of Life Hospice for the loving care given to Leroy.

Grandpa will be missed by many. He left a legacy of many people who will cherish him and remember him fondly. 

Until next time, 
Becky

Strong Genes and Eyebrow Peaks

Today's prompt is FACIAL FEATURES 

Below is a collage I made of my great grandmother, Bondell BYNUM and her direct ancestors. 

First off, I consider myself incredibly lucky to have these pictures. The oldest picture dates somewhere around the late 1890's or early 1900's. There is one feature that stand out to me in all of these and that is the way their eyebrows all come to a very sharp point mid-arch. 

Left to Right: Bondell BYNUM, Kinchen BYNUM, Lou Elmer REYNOLDS, Arkansas WOOD

1. Bondell was the second child born to Kinchen BYNUM and his wife Ludia MOORE
2. Kinchen was the first child born to Lou REYNOLDS and her husband John Thomas BYNUM.
3. Lou was the third child born to Arkansas WOOD and her husband Thomas REYNOLDS
4. Arkansas was the youngest child born to Blount M. WOOD and Frances PARHAM

I did a little research and found that a person's eyebrows can tell you a lot about them. According to Chinese face reading, if your eyebrows have high, pointed arches, you are a fun-loving, outgoing person who thinks fast and talks faster. You love to be spontaneous and need near-constant stimulation to keep you entertained and interested. You also have a great sense of humor, but may be over-emotional, at times.

I've looked through pictures of my grandfather and I can sometimes see the same feature in one of his eyebrows but it's not always as prominent. I feel like my mother's eyebrows are both very round. And I feel like mine are more like my grandfather's -- one is sometimes pointy but this day and age with all the plucking and waxing, it's hard to say what my natural eyebrow shape is. But there's no denying the trait in the first 4 photographs.

Grandpa, Mom, Me

Until next time,
Becky 

Life on Little Mulberry

My maternal great grandmother Zula ACORD STEPP had two brothers that lived to adulthood. John and Joe ACORD. Below are more stories from 'Remembering the Ozarks' told by Vernon EATON that mention the boys and life on the Little Mulberry, where my mom and aunts have cabins sitting on about 5 acres and where my grandmother grew up. She wasn't born yet in 1937 but down there things have a way of changing very little. I hope it remains unchanged for generations to come.

Remembering The Ozarks: John Acord

Remembering The Ozarks: The Summer of 1937

Remembering The Ozarks: Gee Haw

My mom and daughters can tell you a story of snakes and the Little Mulberry, themselves.....

Looking across the Little Mulberry to the Road leading to Whiskey Creek

Mom's Cabin at Whiskey Creek

Brad riding Judy while Grandma Bondell holds her. 

My cousin Brad getting to ride Judy. I can remember Grandpa Trig and Grandpa Leroy plowing their gardens.