I Always Knew I Would Some Day Marry
And I wanted a man who would be faithful to me all of our married life. I found that person in 1942 but it was a while before I fell in love with him.
He was a radio engineer at WFAA in Dallas. I met him at the drugstore where I was cashier. I went to work one day and he whistled at me and I turned around and smiled and he was hooked.
He wanted to make more money than an engineer so he sent a demo to several radio stations and KFDA in Amarillo wanted him. So off he went. He hated to leave me and Dallas but he wanted to get ahead. A little later he went to Goliad Texas to work on a seismograph group. He always would do anything honest to make money except manual labor. While he was gone I got sometimes 2 letters a day telling me how much he missed me and loved me. It was during WW 11 and we got 2 mail delieveries a day for the morale of the troups and their families. He finally had had enough of manual labor and he called me and told me to save April 24 for him as he was coming to Dallas and taking an announcing job with KSKY.
We went out that night with friends and we stayed in the car while they went inside. He pulled out a beautiful blue white diamond ring from Zales and asked me to marry him. I wondered where his old 26 chevrolet was. He sold it to buythe rings.I had to confess I didn’t love him but promised to keep the ring, date awhile, and then if I fell in love we would be officially engaged. He though that was good enough. When I got home I showed the ring to my sister, Norma, and she said,”When are you giving that back to him-you don’t love him.”
Valentine Day came around and he went to the drug store to buy me a box of candy and was going to buy the 5 dollar one. But my sister says,”Get her the 2 dollar one—she doesn’t care for you.” But he got the 5 dollar one anyway.Needless to say—she did not get any of my candy.
A few weeks later as I was listening to him on the radio I asked myself what love was and just at that time he said:”Now for a new song—At Last—-At last my love has come along, my lonely nights are over and life is like a song.” It was fate—-I was in love! We got married that year. I was 19 and he was 20. I told everyone I was old enough but he wasn’t. Since he was an honorable man he had his mother go with him to get the license.
Fast forward seven years. Happily married but no children. I wanted at least two and he would take any amount. My sister, Fae, who already had 4 kids by then remarked that she was going to “pray me up a baby.” The next month I called her and told her the good news.
I prayed that my kids would have musical talent to be used for the Lord and that they would be healthy. Connie Lavon was born in 1950 and was the apple of our eye. Von was so proud he ran up a phone bill of 80 dollars and that was a lot of money in 1950. We moved to Austin and that year Laurie was born and life was perfect—-well almost. Two wonderful and talented kids. Laurie had health problems but she has never let it keep her from doing most anything. They both graduated from the University of Texas and have good jobs. They don’t have husbands, but they are happy anyway. There just weren’t any more men like their Dad.
I married an honorable man, a good husband, and a wonderful father. I am so thankful that I know he is in Heaven and we are looking forward to a reunion.
