| 19 | Summer | 96 |
|---|---|---|
| PO Box 522 | PAMPA, TX | 79066-0522 |
| Volume 6 | of the family, by the family, for the family | Issue 1 | 806 669 6009 | Cousin's Reunion | Rats | Good Turnout Idaho News | Keeping Informed | Life Goes On New Addition | Maurice Benton |
puzzler@pan-tex.net |
Cousins Reunion ‘96Were you there? If you were, you witnessed first hand the stories told of days gone by, and that quilt! Georgia’s son Steve was sure proud of it. To the tune of $550-. Yes, it does go to a good cause and it was a very nice quilt. Thanks Steve. And thanks to Georgia & Tommy who put the quilt together. Nancy Russell from Garland, Tx was the alternate bidder. Did anyone get an accurate head count? Bill estimates there were 120 of us there. Those tables were nearly loaded down when it came time to eat. Ham, Brisquit, chicken, corn, green beans, etc. and a variety of delicious deserts made quite a feast. Fred Rutledge, the cousin that resemble Saint Nick, has inquired about expanding the distribution of the newsletter to you all. What is the newsletter? Well, your reading it. Watts News is now in its sixth year of publication. However, to accomplish this task, I’m asking each recipient to subscribe. Five dollars per year will cover my cost of putting out the four issues. Also, letters from you of stories you remember plus current events keep this newsletter interesting. I have included my address in the title block just under "Watts News". Shari Measles volunteered to go to work on the ascendants-descendents chart of Richard Albert and Sally Cates Watts. Looking at all those names Fred put together makes me wonder if such a task is possible. We will know one way or another in about a year. By the way, Shari is asking for help from each branch to verify spelling and such. She can be reached at: Shari Measles Of Richard & Sally, I’ve counted 9 children, 35 grandchildren, 94 great grandchildren & 170 fourth genration children. If anyone is missing, Shari will need to know that as well. What has worked well this past year is the assistant editors from each section of our branch of the family. The assistant gets input from their segment of the family, ie from parents, brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews and relays it to me. I would like to have at least one representative from each of the eight branches. Mary had one child, Lester Rogers but no grandchildren. Here is a list of the branches I would like represented:
2) William Frederick Black 3) Richard Albert Jr. 4) Emma Lou 5) Dollie 6) Thomas 7) Minnie Lora 8) Callie Ora I realize some people naturally enjoy writing more so than others. Nominations are now open or shall I say the positions are now ready to be filled. I look forward to hearing from ya’ll. The family scribe, RatsAwhile back, I was eating some bran cereal for breakfast and the texture reminded me of the cow’s food I use to eat down at the old barn on the farm. I have to tell you, though, that the cow food was much tastier than what I was trying to choke down. Some of you may remember many happy hours playing in the old barn. There were lots of neat places to hide, and you had a snack right there handy-what more could a kid want? But, anyway, as I sat here eating the cereal, my adult mind kicked inot gear. I was beginning to put 2 & 2 together enough to figure out that most likely, where there is grain, there are mice. To put it mildly, I don’t do mice. I’m extremely afraid of anything that can run faster than I can. As I continually get older than Lowell, the list seems to get longer. By the time I finished breakfast, my feet were up in the chair with me and I had the shivers all over.Later, I was telling Monta Faye about my thoughts on the matter & asked, "Do you think there could have been mice in Grandpa’s barn?" "Lands yes, there were mice!" she exclaimed, "Not only were there mice, there were rats!!!" Oh my stars. That was just too much. I had heebie jeebies for sure. About three weeks had gone by when I saw Pete. I shared with him what I had learned. He verified what Monta Faye had said. "Absolutely!" Pete hollered, "and they were this long." He was extending his arms and all I can tell you is this paper is not nearly wide enough even without the tail. Needless to say, that night I dreamed that the rats ate up Grandpa’s cow and had the feed all to themselves. Speaking of the cow, how many of ya’ll learned how to milk one down on the farm? It’s definitely not something I could have made a living at. I couldn’t seem to get the hang of that pull & squeeze concept. And no matter how to milk one much Grandma seperated or stirred, I still had cream floaties on the top of my glass of milk. Maybe that is why Grandpa would crumble cornbread into his. Nancy Patterson Good TurnoutThanks to those of you who were able to attend this years reunion. This was the best turnout yet. Plans are underway for next years "Cousins Reunion." The date is set for Sunday May 4, 1997 at the Fair Park in Childress, Reunion Room (same location). Let’s make the next one even bigger and better.We are excited about our upcoming trip in August to Blackfoot, Idaho where we’ll be visiting with TJ & Virginia Patterson. Bill & Mary Watts IDAHO NEWSIt’s wonderful to have the Watts family Newsletter extended to other decendants of Richard Albert Watts, Sr. and Sally Cates Watts. Welcome to all newcomers.For the newcomers information, Southeast Idaho has been our home for 37 years. My husband transfered to the Atomic Energy Commission site near here from the Refining Debartment in Borger, Texas with Phillips Petroleum Company. We like it here very much but have had some regrets about being so far away from our families. The winters are a bit too long and the growing seasons are a bit too short. It is a beautiful part of the country and we would welcome any of you to come to see us. I was so glad to attend for the first time the Cousins Reunion in Childress on May 5 with our son Roger. I saw most of my brothers and sisters and some of my cousins I had not see since I was a little girl and met lots of people I didn’t know. Many thanks to Bill & Mary for the splendid job they do to make the Cousins Reunion so successful. Have a good summer, everyone. Virginia Patterson Keeping InformedThe family reunions are excellent, however, they hardly afford ample time to renew acquaintances. With this in mind, I would like to welcome the extended family to the newsletter. It’s a really neat way to stay in touch, keeping everyone informed of the happenings we wish to share. I know that I will enjoy hearing from and about all of you.Ed is doing surprisingly well. I use a few unorthodox home remedies, but along with many prayers and the loving care from home health, they seem to be working. He has a sense of humor that often catches us unawares. We call these events "Precious Memories" and thank God for every one of them. I made him some new hospital style nightshirts and one would think they were gold plated. One of the nurses remarked that it was nice of me to make them, to which he replied, "Yeah, she’s a pretty good kid, when I can keep her straight." He has a home health team that thinks he is extra special. A letter from me in the newsletter would not be complete without including the dogs. Ed doesn’t breath deeply, therefore congestion can be a problem. To exercise his lungs, we encourage him to holler. He does a good job. If Marmaduke thinks we are hurting Ed, he tries to root us away from the bed. Marm doesn’t like to be lifted, so Ed pets him throught the bed rails. Gretchen tries to climb my leg to get up there. I keep threatening to build her a ladder so she can get up there withoust climbing my leg to do it. Ed thinks that would be a good idea. She likes to take naps with him. When he is restless and agitated, I can put her in bed with him and after a bit, he will be calmed. Before long, they are both sleeping. They entertain him with their play and try to protect and comfort him with their love. I enjoy my dogs and they are a wonderful nerve tonic. I am still volunteering at the VA Medical Center in the lab. The supervisor holds the group together as a harmonious team that strives for the excellence for which he publicly praises. He makes everyone feel good about themselves and the job they are doing. At the lab meeting last month, he even praised my "upbeat attitude." I loved it. This is the smoothest running lab I have ever encountered and I thank God for the experience. He (the supervisor) gave me a list of federal educational requirements that would allow me to upgrade quite a lot (as a federal employee). I think all I lack are a few hours of Chemistry and I plan to take that in the fall. For all my past college credits to meet federal requirements, the subject must have been taught by an instructor with a Masters degree. I plan to talk with counselors about this and get a preliminary list of the other courses I need to complete my Bachelor’s degree. Whether or not I am ever employed at the VA, it has been a worthwhile venture and I am excited about my prospects. I received my transcript from Tyler- all looks good. All instructors had a Masters or above and I think 82 hrs will transfer. I still have to check that out. Monta Boyd Life Goes OnLouada says that life goes on after the exciting events in the lives of her daughters. She stays busy in her garden and is looking forward to retiring from gardening. Also, Louada is building her mending and alterations business by increasing her advertising. She is very much enjoyed the reunion recently.Sharon recently finished her RN degree and took her State Boards on May 28. She said that the test was very hard, but we all know that she did very well! We won’t know the results for a little while. Of course we all miss her boys and are waiting for things to work out there. Jeanne and Cecil had an enjoyable honeymoon in and around Estes Park, Colorado. They returned to a house full of Wedding decorations and gifts to attend to as well as the job of moving Cecil’s things in. Just about the time that’s done, they will depart with a group going on a mission trip June 8-15 to Acapulco (the old part, not the resort area). Jeanne Hart New AdditionGuess what? We have had another blessing from heaven! Connor Matthew White decided he wanted to discover America 2 months early, so he was born on Sunday, April 28th, 1996 at 9:00 pm to Sissy (Stephanie) and Herb White. He tipped the scales at 3 lbs. 7.8 ozs., was 17 ins long, has had a few set backs, but is coming along nicely.As of May 28th, Connor was facing at least 1 more week in the hospital, but Sissy was hoping the doctors would be giving them a definite go home date soon. Little Connor is a well built little boy with arm and leg muscles you can actually see. Sissy verified that he had worked out daily before he was born doing leg kicks and push ups. Grandma Linda even got to change a diaper during a recent visit! Grandpa Richie and Grandma Judy have gotten to keep their granddaughter, Chandler, several times now by themselves. Richie reports that she is a very good baby and is growing like a weed. By the time you get this newsletter, she will be 5 months old. Richie dropped part of a car frame on his foot the 1st part of April and was off work for 2 weeks. It didn’t break his foot, but bruised it terribly. Lindy is working full time now and Jerry Bob stays constantly busy with work, the kid’s activities and trying to finalize Mama’s estate. Randal & I painted our house this spring and then took a weeks vacation. That helped so much! We even got to see Heather while we were gone and she was doing well. Rhett just finished his junior year at college and is working at 2 jobs. Randal will have another MRI x-ray done on his leg in July but seems to be doing really good. Daddy has good days and not so good days, so it’s always really special to visit on a good day. Monta Faye is going back to school to pick up more chemistry to better her chances of getting on out at the VA Hospital. Everyone else is doing okay as far as I know. Love to all, Maurice Benton
Maurice Agnes Clifton Benton, daughter of Thomas James & Lettie Agnes Estes Clifton, passed on recently. Burial was in Hawaii June 10, 1996 where she and her husband spent 33 years. Maurice was born on June 22, 1925 at Childress, Tx. Married to Leslie Estel benton, son of Josh & Emma Lou Watts Benton. Maurice is survived by her husband Les of Mesa, Arizona, children Carol Eileen Benton Hatton of Montery, California and Brian Clifton Benton of Honolulu, Hawaii and grand children Lesley Louise, Mary Maurice and Brian Josh.
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I am Virginia Dell Watts Patterson, 5th child of Richard Albert Watts, Jr. and Annie Mae Hart Watts. Immediate family: My
husband, T.J. Patterson, two children and one grandchild. Our daughter is Barbara Kay Patterson Norwood, our son is Roger Lewis Patterson and our granddaughter is Shannon Lyn Norwood Jensen.