Henry Ford Jordan

“Keep On The Sunny Side”…sang by the Carter Family

Some memories to share from his daughter Lisa Anonson…

One of my very first memories of my dad was seeing him drive up in his red Ford pick-up truck coming home from work. I would always run out to the front yard, swing on the gate until he got out of his truck, and run to him so that I could get a hug and a kiss. He would always wink and say to me, “You know better than to swing on that gate little girl!” He had to scold me for the sake of my mom that would be standing on the porch telling him to tell me she was going to get his belt after me if I didn’t quit swinging on that gate! Then he would give me a big hug and a kiss. As a little girl, I was so proud of my dad. I still am.

His mother had named him after Henry Ford, the founder of the Ford Motor Company. During his entire life, he had always owned a Ford, and would never have dreamed of owning any other make of car or truck. His favorite color was red, and many of his Fords were red too.

He was a fun dad! On most Saturday mornings, he would make his “specialty pancakes” which included all of the “fixins” for us, and it was always delicious. Both he and my mom were from the south, and were the best cooks ever! Over the years, the meals that they prepared and cooked together were so special. A lot of their love went into every single bite. One Thanksgiving, as we all started to arrive for dinner, he went to the fridge and handed each of us a can of whipping cream because he was tired of all of us running to the fridge to squirt it in our mouths, and then having none left when it came time for pie. My dad was also big on taking us to the State Fair in Puyallup. He would plan it so that we would go and stay all day there. He always made that trip to the fair special in every way. I still have a tea set that he bought for me at the fair as a souvenir. I would beg him to buy me one of those live little lizards that were on a chain that could be pinned to your shirt. My mom would beg him not to buy me one because she didn’t want to find it somewhere running loose in her house. He did manage to convince her one time that he saw no harm in letting me get one. Just days after going to the fair, my mom found my lizard loose in her drapes! That ended it for me right then and there of ever getting another lizard from the fair or anywhere else for that matter ever again. Her screams that day when she found my lizard brought my dad and the neighbors running. My dad would laugh and laugh whenever that story was told.

He had found this huge Army Surplus tent, and would pitch it on the side of our house as soon as the weather would start to turn warm. I would always have friends sleeping over in the tent. My dad had cap guns, and would come out to the tent and shoot them at the door and laugh like hell, and tell us that “Jake” did it! We would all run screaming into the house where my mom was, and she would be laughing at the whole thing. Then, we would have Orange Crush ice cream floats that he made for us.

In the summertime, he would always bring home the best tasting watermelons. I never ate a bad watermelon that my dad had picked out. Over the years, he grew the most beautiful vegetable gardens you would ever want to see. His knowledge on gardening was vast, and he was a master at it. He was the kind of man that made and kept friends wherever he went. For as long as I can remember, he would be out working in his garden, and strangers would stop in the middle of the street to tell him what a beautiful garden he had. The next thing you would see were those strangers leaving as his friends carrying bags filled with vegetables and berries. My mom would can just about everything he grew, and she also made jam for everyone every year. Together, they would lovingly supply us with all of with these treasures, and much more for many years.

You never knew what would be in his truck when he came to visit you. One time, he put a pony (yes, a live pony) in the back seat of his Falcon, and brought it home for his granddaughter. Another time, he brought a brand new go cart for my sons. He even brought his “Tom” cat that was in a cage to our house that he had just had neutered, and turned him loose after he got there. LOL! He was such a giving, fun loving human being.

Going to work with my dad in his garbage truck, was one of my favorite things to do. He would always tell me that I would have to get up with him at 3 am, and stay awake if I wanted to go with him. We would stop to eat breakfast, and then he would let me help him pack the garbage to his truck from various stops on his route. I was with him a couple of times when he picked up the garbage at Bleitz Funeral Home, which was one of his regular stops. I got to stand on the back rail of the garbage truck sometimes as he would drive his truck slowly down the alley to each garbage can. He even let me pull the lever that operated the blade that pushed the garbage back into the truck. Many times he took me to school in his garbage truck. The other kids teased me unmercifully because my dad was a garbage man. One day, he asked me: “What was wrong?” because I was acting quiet, and that was not like me at all as I was a talkative and rowdy kid. I didn’t want to tell him that the other kids were making fun of him because he was a garbage man. I loved him so much that I didn’t want to hurt his feelings if I told him what they were saying. I went ahead and told him anyway. He just laughed, and told me to ask those kids next time they teased me how much their dad’s made at their jobs?, and then tell them that my dad made more money as a garbage man than all of their dads made! Well, after that, I got teased again. I told those kids exactly what my dad told me to tell them, and I never got teased again. My dad was a hard worker. He would lift those heavy metal garbage cans onto his back, and pack them to his garbage truck to empty them. He would come home soaked to the bone in the winter, and tanned dark, dark brown in the summertime. For me, almost every day was like Christmas because of the things he would find in the garbage and bring home to us. My very first sewing machine was among those found treasures!

I was born and raised on Country Music. It is in my blood. My mom and dad had one of the best collections of Country Music that I have ever seen. I had hoped to include some of my dad’s favorite songs here for your listening pleasure, but because of the type of program being used, it is not possible. One of my mom and dad’s favorite songs that they sang all of the time is called “Keep On The Sunny Side” by the Carter Family. When I was working out the details for my mom and dad’s grave marker at Tahoma National Cemetery, I was told that their names, date of birth, and date of death would be put on their marker. I was also told that I could have a saying put on their marker, but it could only be 22 spaces long. Well, when I spelled out “Keep On The Sunny Side”, it was exactly 22 spaces long. So, it was meant to be! Among the many songs that my dad loved, here are just a few of his favorites: “Seven Spanish Angels” sang by Willie Nelson and Ray Charles, “Kiss An Angel Good Morning” sang by Charlie Pride, “If We Never Meet Again” sang by the Stanley Brothers, “Daddy What If” sang by Bobby Bare, “Footprints In The Snow” sang by Flatt and Scruggs, “Down In The Valley To Pray” sang by Doc Watson, “In The Pines” sang by Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys, “Jambaloya” (In the bayou) sang by Hank Williams, and “Today I Started Loving You Again” sang by Merle Haggard.

I would like to dedicate this particular song to my dad: “I Believe” sang by Brooks and Dunn. To me, if there ever was a song that reminds me of him, this would be that song.

Just before I sat down to write this, I thought to my

self: “How hard could it be to write something for my dad?.” Well, writing this has been hard, but it comes directly from my heart! I love that man! He was always in my corner. Always there for me. I always saw him as being there for everyone who needed him. He did not give me advice often, but I swear, when he did, it was right on the money every single time. One of his favorite sayings was: “I may not always be right…but I am never wrong”. He did not mince words when he spoke. He was stubborn and opinionated. He was the only person that I’ve ever seen that could eat a steak without having any teeth. Really! He detested wearing dentures, so he didn’t wear any. I believe he was the best father anyone could ever hope to have. God himself knew just exactly what I needed when he put that man in my life. My dad never could imagine abandoning me too. He told me that many times. He took me into his home, and his life without ever thinking twice about it. Both he and my mom gave me the best of what they had, and knew how to do. Thank you God for this precious blessing. I will cherish and honor my dad and my mom until my end.

It is impossible for me to imagine the rest of my life without him in it. There are many things that I’ve left unsaid here, but I do know in my heart and soul that he loved me dearly, and I loved him dearly back. I always will. Thank you dad for being my dad. Thank you for being in my corner. You saved me from foster homes, orphanages, living on the streets, and much worse. I never had to worry about any of that stuff a day in my life, because you loved me, and cared for me.

He was 91 years old when he passed away on June 27, 2013. Here are just a few facts and highlights among many about his life…

Henry Ford Jordan was born in Mississippi on January 18, 1922. He was the only son out of five children in his family which included his sisters: Virgie, Dell, Marvelene, and Bobbie. His father Walter, was a Southern Baptist minister, and his mother Notie, passed away from giving childbirth to his youngest sister Bobbie, when he was only two years old. When he was in the sixth grade, he quit school to help support his dad and sisters by going to the nearby packing houses, and bakeries each day to pick up the fruit, vegetables, and bread that was being thrown away so that he could sell it. He often said that his childhood was a pretty good one, but it was hard not having a mother around.

When he was 17 years old, he joined the Navy. This was something that he had always dreamed of doing since he could remember. He told all of us many times that being in the Navy was the happiest time in his life. He served in the Navy for 6 years. Henry Ford Jordan was also a Pearl Harbor Survivor.

He got married for the first time while serving in the Navy, and divorced after having had 2 biological daughters, Karen and Colleen. He met his second wife Vertie while he was working as a cook in a café in Seattle, Washington. Henry and Vertie remained married until her death in December of 1996.

Henry worked at many jobs during his lifetime, which included raising pigs, and working for the railroad. He worked for Seattle Disposal Company in Seattle, Washington as a garbage man for 33 years until he retired.

Henry was baptized in the name of Jesus Christ by our preacher, Scott Beyer from The Monroe Valley Church of Christ in 2009.

His favorite flowers were red carnations.

He loved watching sports on T.V., especially football!

He was from the decent of the Choctaw Indian Tribe.

He was lovingly nicknamed “George” by my mom, and that’s the name most people knew him by.

“Because you loved…Because you cared…”

A heartfelt “Thank You” goes out to the following individuals:

* Semida and Ray Moldovan who own and operate Queen Hill Adult Family Home in Bothell Washington

* The Evergreen Hospice Team at EvergreenHealth in Kirkland Washington

* Bleitz Funeral Home in Seattle Washington, Leda Westberg, and Nicole Scroggins