Jo H Stroud

My mom was raised a country girl on a peanut farm in Beattie, Texas. She plowed the fields, milked the cows and churned butter. She was the youngest of 7 children and the sixth girl. She tried to compensate for not being a boy by being her dad’s right hand man. Consequently, she could build and do carpentry, saw and hammer, with the best of them.

She also became a city girl. When her dad died, she and her mom moved to Odessa to be with her sisters, and she began her career as a bookkeeper at White House Lumber Company. That’s where the next part of the story begins. One afternoon, she opened the door of White House Lumber to walk across the street to the grocery store. My dad, Bill Stroud, was servicing the ice cream counter and saw her step into the sunshine. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She came into the store, talked to the store owner and walked over to get an ice cream. Dad was all thumbs. When she left the store, he walked over to the proprietor. “Mrs. Golightly,” he asked, “do you know that young lady that was just in here?” “Yes, I do. ” she replied, That is my baby sister. Her attitude said, “there’ll be no hanky panky or you’ll answer to me, buster.”

Their journey together has been a long and winding road that began with the “I do’s.” Dad’s dream was to sell advertising so they started BJ Specialty Advertising Company in 1964. Dad never saw a stranger and with Mom’s bookkeeping ability they made a dynamite team. They had Billy and me, they built a building to house BJ Specialty, they invested in rent property before it was cool. They worked hard, they worked long. They made bad decisions, they made good decisions. When they were in their early 40’s, dad became a minister with mom by his side. For the next 35 years, they were loving and caring shepherds of a church in Andrews and a church in Crane. They worked side by side, together. Did they do everything right? No, but they marked their path with smiles in the sorrow, strength in the pain and victory in the end.

Mom fell and broke her arm at work three weeks ago. Her little feisty spirit was not a quitter. Retirement was for the weak. Even though the last three weeks have been painful for Mother, it’s been so fun taking care of her and pampering her. Her independent nature didn’t allow much for that most of the time. I know her more as an iron lady but watching her with Dad and seeing portions of the past during this time has been awe inspiring. She is such a flirt with Dad. Who would have thought that.

While she was in the hospital, Dad held her hand for hours. As she was slipping away, Dad took her fingers in his, smoothed her hair and talked to her about when he first saw her; how she had blessed his life; how she was the best thing that had ever happened to him next to the Lord. He told her how she had given him two wonderful children, what a hard worker she was, what a difference she had made in his life. He told her that this was the moment she had lived for and believed in. This moment of passing was what she had based her whole life’s value on. She passed with Dad smoothing her hair and holding her hand. Sixty years of genuine love.

Mom’s two children, Billy and me (Rona), have now produced four grandchildren. My son, Randon, was the first and we got to pick Mimi’s name. Billy has three children; Trevor, Brayden and Chloe who was born April 11, and whom Mimi never saw. Our friend called Monday morning to tell us she had thought of a way to take Chloe in to see Mom and both would be safe. It was too late. We had already gotten the call to come to the hospital as Mom was slipping away. When we arrived, her eyes were looking beyond us. There was one small moment of clarity where mom turned her eyes and saw me. I said, “I love you, Mummy.” She said, “I love you.” And she did. I will treasure that forever.

This morning I sit writing her obit, feeling the breeze from the open door. The birds are chirping, the wind is gently blowing the chimes and the sun is soft and warm. It’s a beautiful day. I hope the day of her ‘going home service’ is like this. Mom has rejoined Lloyd, Jewell, Opal, Ruby, and Bessie, her siblings, as well as her parents, Lula and Snowing Halbrooks. Only Aunt Blackie is left of the original Halbrooks. It is a strong and wonderful family. Those seven young ‘uns have accomplished massive things and left a wonderful legacy.

Billy and Lori with Trevor, Brayden and Chloe Stroud; Randon Bowerman and I with our Dad, Bill Stroud; our wonderful Halbrooks clan arriving from Indiana and Dallas, and the staff from BJ Specialty Advertising, their business of almost 50 years, will say goodbye on Thursday, April 19, 2012, at 11:00 am at the First United Pentecostal Church, 17th and Texas at her ‘going home’ service. Her grandsons, Trevor and Randon, along with friends, Donald Ruppanner, LaMarr James, Marlin Overman, Michael Hooper, Pete Rueda, and nephew Randy Golightly will be her pall bearers.

I know Mom is loving Chloe for she most surely has seen her. Lori is sure of it. She knows how much we love her. She knows it all now. She is home, safe. We thought she would live forever, and she is.

Services entrusted to Hubbard-Kelly Funeral Home.