Denise's family photos

My mother-in-law Denise is a very busy lady who spends most of her time taking care of her family and friends. Most women have a strained relationship with their mother-in-laws, but she is one of most selfless people I know. She spends most of her time taking care of her family, friends and neighborhood kids.

When she does have a free moment, she delights in the simple things -- a Sunday afternoon in her garden, a Saturday morning drive to the flea market to look for vintage treasures and a holiday spent with her children, granddaughters and soon-to-arrive grandson (!). She is an old soul, and many of her lifelong interests were formed during days and weekends spent with her beloved grandparents. Many of her family photos burned in a house fire years ago, so the photos she still has are very precious to her. Lately I have been working to digitize and create a photo book of her family photos. 

Here are a few of my favorites: 

Clovis and Arletta Geno, Denise's parents. 

Her adorable grandparents, James and Pearl Barnes. 

Denise (bottom right) and most of her siblings. 

Denise's grandmother, Mommie Barnes (third for left), and her sisters (Sarah Gann, Myrtle Thorton, Pearl Barnes and Mary Gann).

Denise's sweet sister Glenda who was killed in a car accident a few weeks before Jonathan was born. 

Baby Jonathan.

Jonathan again. 

Denise (top right) and her sisters. 

Denise (right) with her cousin Susan and sister Sandi. 

denise and clovis

My mother-in-law Denise lost her father, Clovis Geno, to a massive heart attack on September 11, 1977 when he was only 62 years old. She loved her daddy very much and still talks about him all the time, but sadly, she doesn't have many photos of the two of them together. I'm in the process of scanning and editing the few she does have, so she can enjoy them for years to come. 

Denise and Clovis Geno.

Little Denise with her father Clovis.

Denise and her parents, Clovis and Arletta Geno.

Denise with  a Christmas bow in her hair.

Family Stories: Clovis D. Geno

For the latest installment of family stories, Jonathan's sister, Julie, tells the story of their maternal grandfather, Clovis D. Geno.

Clovis was born on October 3, 1914 and died on September 11, 1977. He grew up in Tippah County in Mississippi. He had a brother, Vonnie, a half-brother, Frank, and three half-sisters, Lottie, Alice and Ira.

Not much is known about my grandfather's first marriage, except that he had two sons, Franklin and Jerry, who died of pneumonia when they were both one year old, in 1944 and 1948. Clovis also had one daughter, Evelyn, before his marriage ended in divorce. He later married my grandmother, Arletta Barnes Davis.

My grandmother's first husband died in a car crash in 1956, leaving her alone in Joliet, Illinois with seven children. She moved back to Prentiss County, Mississippi and took a job at Marathon Cheese Corporation. My grandfather worked at Kraft Cheese and brought cheese to Marathon for packaging. He courted my grandmother for a short time before they married. My mother was born a year and a half later in 1959.

My grandfather loved his stepchildren like they were his own. He was very proud of his family, and he worked very hard to be a good provider for them. He made sure all nine of his children had everything they needed, and he made sure they all knew how much he loved them.

Clovis' death from a massive heart attack came as a terrible shock to his family, because he had not had any symptoms. On the day he died, he had been playing horsey in the floor with one of his grandchildren. He had been so happy and full of life. My mother said he died happy, with family by his side and on his mind.

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