Welcome to JOYFUL REFLECTIONS. Also welcome to MARCH!!!! My header picture this month is a photo I took of the pretty Crocus blooms in our yard... The Crocuses and Daffodils are the first signs of spring here in Tennessee. I am definitely ready for SPRING...

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Happy Father's Day, Daddy


On this Father's Day in 2009, I am thinking of my sweet Daddy. My Daddy was Simon Edgar Banks. He was born on October 5, 1889, and died in May, 1969, at the age of 79. If Daddy were alive today, he would be 119 years old! For you see, Daddy was 53 years old when I was born!!!! What a shocker! ha.. (Mom was 42.)

BUT---I was Daddy's little girl, and he adored me. I remember Daddy taking me to the local pharmacy where he would buy me some ice cream. We'd sit at the counter in that old drug store, and eat our ice cream in a cute little glass bowl. What GREAT memories!!!!

Daddy loved the New York Yankees baseball team. Back in those days, it was hard to get the scores of the games. Daddy would go to the local pool hall where they had a ticker tape ---giving the scores as they happened. One time, Daddy took me with him to that old pool hall to get his score. MAN---you should have heard my mother fussing at him for taking me to THAT place!!!! ha ... (He never did it again!)

One year for Christmas, "Santa" brought me a new sliding board to go with my swing set. WELL---since Santa couldn't get the sliding board down my chimney, he did the next best thing. He put the sliding board on our side porch--and left me a note telling me where it was. That was alot of trouble for Santa to do--but it made a little girl VERY happy!

I had Daddy wrapped around my little finger--as the saying goes. As I got older, I knew I could talk Daddy into anything. If Mama said NO, I'd go to Daddy--and he'd always let me have my way. I have said before and I'll say again, that I was spoiled ROTTEN... My wonderful husband spoils me now like my Daddy did then.

I miss my Daddy so much. He was such a gentle, kind man who worked hard his entire life to give our family such a great life. I wish Daddy were here today to meet George. Daddy would LOVE him so much, and Daddy would be so happy that his 'little girl' was so very, very happy.

The picture above was taken of my Dad from his office at the Interstate Railroad Company in Andover, VA. I'm not sure when it was taken--but I think it must have been in the late '50's. This is exactly how I remember my Dad. More pictures are below.





Daddy quit school and joined the Navy in 1909.. While in the Navy he got to sail around the world. He was in the Navy for four years. Once he returned, he attended Draughan's Business School in Knoxville. He went to work for the Interstate Railroad as Assistant to the President in 1915 and worked there for FIFTY years.






Dad met Mom sometime after 1915----and they were married on Sept. 6, 1919. If Dad had have lived a few more months, he and Mom would have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. He died in May of that year (1969).





Another picture of Daddy ---taken at his work place





Mom and Dad raised three children. I was the youngest and the only girl... This is Daddy with his Princess.





This is another picture of my Daddy ---taken in the '50's.... Like that HAT?????? He loved his hats!!!! Again, this is exactly as I remember Daddy.





Sorry about the terrible quality ----but this was my Dad's retirement party. Like I said, he worked for the Interstate Railroad for 50 yrs. and at age 75---he was forced into retirement. WELL--like so many people, Dad had no hobbies and didn't know what to do with himself after working for so many years. He was dead FOUR years later at age 79. Sad, isn't it????? But---he did live a long life, and will be remembered as a hard-working Christian man whom I adored.

For those of you who still have your Daddy with you, take a minute and give him an extra hug for me! Besides my father, I have many other wonderful fathers in my life (my husband, my father-in-law, and my sons). God Bless them all.




++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Today I feature this gorgeous white rose from our yard (SWEET FREEDOM) in memory of my father, Simon Edgar Banks (1889-1969). Daddy, I love you dearly and miss you more than life itself!

Happy Father's Day to ALL.
Hugs,

49 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a special daddy you had Betsy. Nice to see these candid snapshots of him exactly how you remember him. Wishing you and George a lovely day. This is a very pretty rose in memory of your Daddy.

Darla said...

Great post Patsy. Thanks for sharing your memories of you Dad.

NatureStop said...

Daddy's are always special.What a great father you had Betsy and you are left with such warm memories.Lovely rose for a wonderful person.

Neal said...

Great post..it's always so good to hear someone's memories. I also loved your post below about your childhood home. I still love to go to my old home place even if there's no house there. It always brings back fond memories.

Jane said...

Wonderful post! Hope you and George are well today!

J

T said...

Lovely post, Betsy!

I hope you and hubby have a great Fathers Day today.

psssst......I left you a "little something" over on my site!

Dorothy said...

Good Morning Betsy! Happy Father's Day to you and George. You are blessed to have had such a special father!

Arkansas Patti said...

Beautiful post Betsy. You were blessed with a wonderful Dad. Loved the pictue of him and your Mom.
There is something about a father/daughter relationship that is so very special.
I loved mine to the hero worship stage and miss him everyday but especially today.

Busy Bee Suz said...

Your father has an amazing history and he did such a great job raising his little princess!!!
Have a nice day with your family!
Hugs, Suz

Rose said...

What a beautiful post! You were very blessed.

I Am Woody said...

Your father sounds like an amazing man. No wonder you are such a terrific person!

Small City Scenes said...

What a wonderful tribute to your sweet Daddy. You are so lucky to have such treasured memories.
My Daddy died when I was little. He worked so hard to raise a family and put himself through doctor school and then not survive. I remember when he died his last words to me were--:Don't forget to do the dishes"--I treasure that. I was Daddys little girl too. MB

Ruth's Photo Blog said...

Betsy.I too have only memories left of my dear Dad.He left us in July of 1991.Love the white rose,so pretty.
Blessings,Ruth

Loran said...

What a great tribute to a great dad!

NCmountainwoman said...

Great and loving tribute to your dad. I also miss my father who died when my daughter was 4 and my son was 18 months old. He was such a wonderful man and I am so sorry my children did not get to know him.

I forgot to tell George Happy Father's Day. Please tell him that for me. I suspect he is also a wonderful father.

Marge said...

Oh Betsy, what special memories. Thanks for sharing them. I'm missing my Daddy today too...

Becky said...

Betsy, we have so much in common. My mom was 42 when I was born. I had my dad wrapped also. I was the baby and I knew it ;)

It was great to have such caring and wonderful daddys wasn't it?

((Hugs)) to you on this Fathers Day!

Beth said...

What a great tribute to your Dad, Betsy! You were blessed to have had such a close relationship with your Dad and blessed to have such sweet memories. And, by the way, I loved the pictures of your childhood home. It was such a lovely place and obviously filled with love and laughter and light and all those things that make a house a home.

Jane said...

Yes, our dads do look handsome in their Navy uniforms! I thought of you when I posted that picture. Unfortunately, I no longer have a scanner and most of my old photos have not been scanned. Guess I need to check out Kinko's soon!

Jane

Diane AZ said...

It is wonderful that you have these photos of your dad. My favorite is the one of him and your mother. And such loving memories you have of your parents and your old house. Your parents raised a marvelous daughter!

Nina said...

Such a wonderful Father and such wonderful memories… and yes, enough to last a lifetime! He’s looking down today and saying “I love you my little girl!”
I know he’s so very proud of you and yes, I believe he knows his shoes were filled quite well by your husband. God’s Blessed you with His Love and Grace.
Love and Light,
Nina P.

Rosa said...

Your father almost looks like FDR! Love the old pics.

SmilingSally said...

My father worked on the railroad too. He died at age 61.

SquirrelQueen said...

The photos are absolutely wonderful. You will always have these memories, a special bond between you and your father forever.

Hope your weekend is going well and not too hot. Our first day of summer is cool and very wet. Oh well, the heat will arrive very soon.

Hugs,
Judy

EG CameraGirl said...

Your daddy DOES sound special, Betsy! You have wonderful memories of him. ;-)

Diane said...

Great memories of your dad. It's so wonderful that you have sweet, lovely memories. Hope you had a nice day, even though you're not a dad.

PCovi said...

Wonderful tribute!
I love the photos.

I lost my daddy 10 years ago to esphageal cancer. He was also a hard worker and just so funny and sweet.

Susie said...

That's a really sweet tribute Betsy! I wish I had had one of those father/daughter relationships. They sound so special.

Loved seeing the pics. Those things are priceless.

Mary Isabella and Kiley too! said...

You were blessed with a wonderful daddy. Hope your day was beautiful...m.

Kelly said...

Oh! What a wonderful Father's Day post. I loved it. From the photos here and the previous post I can tell you had your Daddy wrapped around your finger, and what a cutie you were!! A beautiful post I really enjoyed reading...

Tina said...

Betsy,
It's so nice you have all these photos of your Father. I DO love the hat! Such a nice tribute to your Father! You certainly had a nice Dad and you paid him a nice compliment today!!

Grammy said...

Hi Betsy, You have a wonderful dad. I love the photos. You look so sweet as a baby. I can see the charm in your face. What daddy could day no.

Tammy ~ Country Girl at Home ~ said...

Oh Betsy, what a sweet, sweet tribute post to your daddy! The pictures are fantastic! Your daddy looked like such a distinguished and friendly man! What wonderful memories you have! I can only imagine how he must have adored you being 53 when you were born!

I hope your hubby had a great Father's Day too!

Hugs,
Tammy

Lagean Ellis said...

Oh, sweetie! What a wonderful post about your father. I bet he adored you just as much as you do him.

And, just for the record, I suspected you must have been spoiled before George. heehee

Sorry I haven't been by for a while. Ollie is in until this coming Friday, so I've tried being there as much as I can, but my boy is having some troubles with his feet and legs. They've been running tests on him. Prayers, please. I hope it's nothing.

Oh, Ollie and I took a trip to Pea Ridge. I'll let you know when I get the pics posted.

Also, I tagged you for a picture post. It's simple and fun if you want to play: www.lageanellis.blogspot.com

Talk soon!

Jayne said...

What a sweet, sweet tribute Betsy. :c)

Cedar ... said...

What a nice tribute to your daddy,.. mine is gone now too. But I believe both he and Ma are with me every day,... in my heart for sure.

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Betsy: Wonderful memories of your Father on this special day.

Mandy said...

What a great tribute! I love the old pictures.Thanks for sharing your dad with us! I consider it an honor to know about his life.

Mandy

Leedra said...

I was just going to skim thru this one, but had to comment. You as Daddy's princess doesn't look that different than you today.

Shelley said...

You had a wonderful adoring father - and now you have a wonderful adoring hubby! :-)

Janie said...

That was a wonderful tribute to your dad. Mine has passed away, too, and I guess Daddy's little girl will always miss that special man in her life.

Chat with Kathleen said...

Betsy you are a very special daughter to your Daddy, and I am sure he is with you and close to your heart because I felt it in the words you used to describe your daughter to father relationship. True love and respect for a great man in your life. The old pictures are great. Love the one with your father wearing his hat, my dad was a Stetson softhat wearing man, he passed away in 1986. Do so miss him, too.
Happy Father's Day to George

Unknown said...

What a great Fathers day post.
It is wonderful that you have all of those vintage photos of your family.

Nice job!!!

Becca's Dirt said...

Betsy - what a special tribute to your father. Love all the photos and especially the princess in the car with daddy. I know he would be so proud of you and your hubby.

Connie said...

Such a lovely post about your father, Betsy. :) Those memories are so precious.

HWHL said...

What a sweet, beautiful tribute to an amazing and wonderful Daddy!

Small Kucing said...

You are one lucky girl to have such a wonderful daddy. 😊

Dee said...

A beautiful post, Betsy! My father was like yours but he wasn't born til 1915. We are very blessed when we have great fathers. Love the pictures!

Pat Tillett said...

Thanks for including this link in your latest post. This was a great tribute to your dad. Some people look good in hats, and some don't. I don't and your dad does. Great post Betsy.