rlucasmn

A-Love-Story

A-Love-Story
rlucasmn, Jan 29, 2023
Description:
Gina Miller: LoveShack
Kim Jensen: Snapshots Mashup Paperwords
Paislee Press: Daily Joys
Becca Bonneville: Little Houses, colorized
Scrapping with Liz: Hearts Galore Templates 6, pieces of template 1

Journaling: (for ease of reading)
This is the story of a young woman from West Virginia, who grew up to be a wife, a mother, a teacher and librarian, a grandmother, and a person of amazing courage and strength. And it is the story of how love endures even when life has a way of changing the narrative. This is Barbara's story.
Barbara was the middle daughter of Otto and Pearl. Through her youth, she lived on a simple farm homestead, in Harrison County WV, watching her father farmer/teacher and her mother, also a teacher, do their best to raise their family of three girls. Barbara was educated, and the family even had enough to send her to college. In her freshman year, she attended college at Davis and Elkins University. where she began a course of study in library science, teaching, and life away from the farm.
This is the story of a young man, also from West Virginia, who found the love of his life and raised a family with her. A young man who would have his love tested by the unexpected twists and turns that life would take and would remain by the woman's side. This is Dick's story.
Dick was the eldest son of Robert (Basil) and Estella (Ted). Basil was a union man and served as the president of the United Steelworkers Union. Ted was a teacher and a homemaker, raising a family of three - two sons and a daughter - among the blue ridge mountains in the upper northwest corner of the state. Dick was also educated and attended college at, you guessed it, Davis and Elkins college.
So yes indeed, college is where Barbara and Dick met. Dick was captivated by Barbara and when, at the end of her freshman year, Barbara transferred to Fairmont College, Dick changed his plans and followed her. After graduating college, the couple married. They each took jobs in education - Dick started his career as a speech and english teacher and eventually became a school superintendent. Barbara worked as a school librarian.
Upon a year of marriage, they welcomed their first daughter, Sherri. Sherri enjoyed only child status for several years while life expanded, jobs changed, and the family moved, settling first in Waverly and then in Chillicothe, Ohio. Two more daughters - Jan and Frankie - arrived within a year of each other. While the family built their lives, a pause in additional children occurred. There's little known about why there was a big gap in children in the family. Perhaps it was the stress of so much to do between jobs, kids, school, and moving households, or maybe there were other reasons. In any event, it wasn't until 8 years later that another daughter, Robin, arrived.
Shortly after Robin's arrival, Dick took a job with a publishing company as a school textbook salesman. He moved the family from Ohio to the suburbs of St. Louis Missouri. While in St. Louis, Dick and Barbara added two more to the family, another daughter, Wendy, and - finally - a son, Rick.
As Dick's sales job grew he began traveling and climbing the corporate career ladder. Dick's career would result in two more moves of the family. First to New Jersey, then back to the St. Louis suburbs, the final move home that let Dick give to Barbara a bit of happiness. She never liked east coast living - finding people to be rude and unwelcoming!
During the first set of St. Louis years, Barbara experienced undetermined health issues. Many doctors were consulted, and treatments tried. Eventually, a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis gave a pathway forward for treatment. Barbara had periods of time when the disease was all she could cope with. A nanny was engaged for raising the younger children, especially given Dick's travel schedule. However, there would also be periods of stabilization and general well-being. And while Barbara eventually was unable to walk and required a wheelchair, her mind, sense of humor and work ethic - like Barbara and Dick's love story - persisted.
Dick and Barbara also experienced trials with family. Frankie had her own health issues and was diagnosed as a Type 1/Juvenile diabetic. Jan became a teenage runaway, and while eventually was found and returned home, the stress of not knowing along with the timing of the event - happening during the planning of the move of the family from New Jersey back to St. Louis - added additional stress. Robin was asthmatic and would experience terrible attacks of breathlessness and trips to the emergency room. And still the family coped, and life went on.
Despite everything, the couple managed to raise all six children and build a home that most of the children would return to for holidays - Christmas and the 4th of July - every year. The older kids also sent their own children to Grandma and Grandpa for several weeks in the summer. There was a lot of fun, love, and joy in that home, and it was a centering place for the family and friends.
Over the years, the ravages of MS would continue to limit Barbara's mobility. In late 2002, Barbara passed away with Dick by her side. He never remarried. And while he mourned, he also enjoyed ten more years of life - traveling to Florida for the Cardinal's spring training and serving his church. Dick kept up an active and involved life including gardening, Sunday dinners with family, and parties and frivolity with out-of-town visitors for Christmas and summer vacations.
When Dick passed - after battling his own health trials of lung and brain cancer - he did so symbolically. He passed on Valentine’s Day. And in so doing, we all knew that he had a date with Barbara to keep. And what better way to go to that date knowing that all his children had arrived home to be with him and send him safely on.
    • garrynkim
      I so enjoyed reading this love story of Dick and Barbara. Your story told so much about these two wonderful people and their life together. I love the photos! Great layout. Thanks for playing along with the MOC 11 day 25 challenge.
    • rlucasmn
      @garrynkim I'm so glad you enjoyed the story! Thank you for your comments.
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  • Category:
    Month of Challenges 11 - Coming Home
    Uploaded By:
    rlucasmn
    Date:
    Jan 29, 2023
    View Count:
    90
    Comment Count:
    2

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