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.

Do you have a family story you'd like to share on the blog? Contact us here.

Family Stories: James and Pearl Barnes

In the third installment of the family stories series, we are sharing memories of Jonathan's maternal great-grandparents, James and Pearl Barnes. The story is told from the perspective of Jonathan's sister, Julie.

James Arther Barnes was born on April 1, 1904 and died on May 29, 1995. Pearl Fortner Barnes was born on August 22, 1906 and died on May 10, 2000. They were married for 77 years. Their love for each other and their love for their family and God made them the happiest two people I have ever known.

Each Sunday, my family would visit Mommie and Daddy Barnes in Blackland. They lived in a two-story house owned by Vester Coats. They were sharecroppers who lived and worked someone else's land for most of their lives, but they were always happy.

When I was seven, Mommie and Daddy Barnes bought an FHA home in Jumpertown, Mississippi. This was the first home they had ever owned. The joy and happiness on the faces of my great-grandparents was indescribable. They finally had a home of their own. I can remember going to their house and having Sunday dinner with all of the family. There was always a lot of family there, because my mother has four sisters and four brothers.

My great-grandparents had lived in the little house in Jumpertown for several years when Daddy Barnes passed away in 1995. Mommie Barnes moved into a nursing home in Corinth, Mississippi a few years later. I remember her telling me that she just wanted to see her little house once more time before she died. She was so proud of it and so happy the day they moved in.  I'm glad my great-grandparents were able to have a home of their very own, even if it was only for a short time. It brought so much happiness and joy to their lives.

Do you have a family story you'd like to share on the blog? Contact us here.

Family Stories: William Andrew Cannon

Bill, his wife Lucy and two of his three granddaughters, Crystel and Lauren.

We are excited to share  a new series on the blog called Family Stories. We hope that by telling these stories, we'll help keep these precious memories alive for generations to come. The second story is about my paternal grandfather, William Andrew Cannon.

William Andrew Cannon was born on August 25, 1920 (he would have been 93 this Sunday!) in Sweeny, Texas, but he was longtime resident of Mississippi. He passed away on February 28, 2002 after a brief illness.

Bill, as he was known to family and friends,  was the devoted husband of Lucy de Forcade de Biaix, a member of the Italian aristocracy, whom he married on the Isle of Capri in 1945; the loving father of a son, Fred, and a daughter, Tina Jennie, and the proud grandfather of Carlo, Crystel, Francesco, Elena, Lauren and Guglielimo.

Bill graduated from Corinth High School in Corinth, Mississippi in 1938 and attended the Western Kentucky University School of Business in Bowling Green from 1938 to 1941. He became a managing partner of the Van Bibber Lumber Plant in Fulton, Mississippi, after college and later joined the United States Air Force to serve in World War II.

Billy and his children, Fred and Tina.

He served his country with pride and distinction during World War II as a pilot, stationed in Foggia, Italy, from 1943 to 1946. He held the rank of 1st Lieutenant with the 463rd Bombardment Group of the United States 15th Air Force, and during this perilous time, he and other members of the 463rd Bombardment Group exhibited commendable skill, devotion, courage and determination, flying gallantly through in wing formation to reach designated targets while facing intense enemy opposition over the skies of Germany and Eastern Europe.

After receiving an honorable discharge in May 1946, Bill was the recipient of the Second Presidential Unit Citation for his extraordinary heroism and outstanding performance of duty in military operation against the enemy at Ploesti on May 18, 1944, and at the Daimler Benz Tank Works in Berlin on March 24, 1945. Upon his discharge from the United States Air Force in 1946, he returned to the Van Bibber Lumber Plant in Fulton, Mississippi, serving as a partner until 1954. On June 11, 1949, he and his wife, Lucy, welcomed their son, Fred.

He joined the United States Department of Defense in 1955 in Naples, Italy, where he worked as Maintenance Control Engineer for Public Works at the Naval Support Facility where he received many honors for his outstanding service. On October 31, 1955 in Naples, he and Lucy welcomed their daughter, Tina Jennie.

Bill with Fred and Lucy. 

In 1983, he joined the Naval Communications Mediterranean as Facility Manager, retiring from that position on March 31, 1990. Having received numerous awards for active service, Bill was also the recipient of the Department of the Navy's Meritorious Award for Civilian Service at the time of his retirement, and he also received a commendation certificate for 38 years of devoted service to the United States government. Shortly after, he and Lucy returned to Mississippi, where they lived happily together for the remainder of Bill's life. 

Bill's courageous patriotic leadership, ethics and integrity, congenial nature, constructive attitude, dedication to his country and forthright manner made a positive impact on those who had the pleasure of knowing him.

Do you have a family story you'd like to share on the blog? Contact us here.

Family Stories: Elzie Hardin Brinkley

Recently Jonathan's mother and sister shared some family stories with us that were so lovely that we decided to share them on the blog in a series of posts called Family Stories. We hope that by telling these stories, we'll help keep these precious memories alive for generations to come. The first story is about Gerald's mother (and Jonathan's great-grandmother), Elzie Mae Cooper Hardin Brinkley.

Elzie died on November 11, 1975, so she never met any of her great-grandchildren. She dearly loved her only grandchild, Jonathan's father, Greg.

When Greg was a little boy, he lived across the dirt road from his grandmother. Both of his parents worked, so he stayed with his grandmother every day. Each morning, he would put an egg in his pocket, walk across the road and his "Mommie" would cook his egg for breakfast.

One morning he fell down on his way to her house. Thinking his egg was destroyed, he was crying when he arrived at his grandmother's door. Elzie dried his tears, took the egg out of his pocket, wiped it clean and then cooked it for breakfast. Thinking back, Greg still isn't sure whether she was able to save his egg, or if she cooked one of hers just to make him feel better.

Elzie was a patient and kind woman who never raised her voice to her grandson and always turned a bad day into a good one. She cared for him with such a deep love that Greg said he can still feel the love she showed him every day. His childhood with her was one of the most important times in his life and shaped the person he became. Although his own children never met their great-grandmother, they know her love because he cares for them with the same type of love and generosity she always showed him.

Do you have a family story you'd like to share on the blog? Contact us here.