Reclaimed Memories

elen Shumaker called us and said if we would come for a visit they would come and get us and bring us back home. We had not seen their new home in Bradenton. Marion drove us over and they insisted that they wanted to bring us home, although Howard was planning on coming for us.

Esther and Zoid Hawk picked us up at Shumakers and had us for a meal, as did Norma and Bill Phillips. After the morning service at Emmanuel Church we had a wonderful period of visitation with friends, who were in the church when we served there.

I had finally been able to convince Troy that it was time to sell the property in Virginia when we went back in the spring. We no longer would have any use for the car we had bought and left in Singers Glen. Lanny and Mary needed two cars and we told Lanny that if he would drive us home we would give him the Dodge. We started out at 7:00 am and arrived at home at 10:10 pm, April 27th. Everything was in good order and we were in bed at 11:30, thankful for a safe trip over the 900 miles we had covered.

On May 11th we left the Glen at 7:30 am. We visited in Elkins and Junior and attended the 50th anniversary banquet of the class that graduated from Belington High School in 1939. The class responsible for the banquet always invited any members who had graduated earlier to come. This was the 65th anniversary for Troy. After our retirement we had attended several of these banquets. Troy enjoyed them so much. It was a small school and he knew quite a number of those who came. There would be only one more such gathering for the school was consolidated and a new Barbour County High School was erected after the class of 1940 graduated. We knew we would not get to attend the last one. From there we went on for our visits to relatives and friends in West Virginia and Ohio.

Glenn Dove had called while we were still in Sharpes, about buying the house. Almost as soon as we arrived, Glenn and Kathy came to look at the house. They said they wanted it if they could sell their home. We had it appraised and they had it appraised and we let them have it for $5,000.00 less than the average of the two estimates. It would have cost us more than that to have placed it in the hands of a real estate firm. We liked the young people very much and wanted them to have it.

I made a list of the things we wanted to sell and everything was sold almost immediately. We had knocked off the $5,000 with the understanding that the Doves would take care of all closing costs.

We brought back to Sharpes a check for the full amount of the selling price.

We loved the beautiful Shenandoah Valley and Singers Glen was such a pleasant place to live. I felt like I had a lump in my throat all summer and Troy was probably even more sorry to see our life there come to an end. But painful decisions must be made as we grow older and we have been happy here in Sharpes.

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FROM THE DESK OF DAVID W. BILLHIMER, PASTOR

Dear Members and Friends,

Last month I wrote to you about Rev. & Mrs. Troy Brady, dear members o£ the Singers Glen community who have shared so much of themselves, reflecting God's love to others. Before Troy and Elizabeth left for Florida to take up permanent residence, they were honored during the Homecoming worship service at Cherry Grove on July 30 and then with a surprise dinner following worship at Donovan Memorial on August 6. I must share this. Paula and I invited the Bradys to have lunch with us that Sunday and as far as they knew, they were to come to the parsonage for a small get-together just with us. However, during the worship service, I broke the news to Troy and Elizabeth that we had invited a few friends to join us for dinner and that so many people responded that we would have to move it to the fellowship hall. Actually we had planned this event weeks before and no one 1et 'he cat out of the bag! The Bradys were truly surprised and we were very pleased. Elizabeth remarked, "No one can make me believe now that Singers Glen cannot keep a secret!" I didn’t know it at the time, but Elizabeth had planned on giving a little "farewell speech" including a poem, but we surprised it right, out of her. The poem, along with a letter of thanks was read the following Sunday during worship, I thought everyone would appreciate having a copy of the poem, so here it is:



Troy and Elizabeth, on behalf of all the people that your lives have touched, we thank God for you and pray God's richest blessings upon you as you continue to touch others with Christ's love and grace.

If anyone would like to write to the Bradys, their address is:

Rev. & Mrs. Troy R. Brady
135 Belmont Avenue
Cocoa, Florida 32927

P.S. I know that Elizabeth would want me to mention that the poem is a revised version of the original.

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Marion, Howard and Chena came north in the U-Haul truck they brought in order to take back the furniture we wanted to keep. Marion drove the truck back and Howard drove our car. While they were there we made a quick trip to Zylpha's. Glen and Kathy Dove and Annie Lucy and Donnie Moomow were with us the last evening we spent in our home. Glenn had come to help load the truck and the Moomows came to get my big shell picture, which will eventually be in Annie Lucy's museum in the log school building she is renovating.

We left the Glen at 9:15 August 17th and Lyn Tutwiler took all of us to breakfast in Harrisonburg that morning. Troy and I left them at the restaurant and went to close the deal on the house and pick up our check. So closed one section of thirty-three years of our lives.

Hurricane Hugo struck on the 22nd of September and left much destruction on the east coast. South Carolina was almost devastated and 60 lives were lost.

On November 6th we went to Eustis to visit Beulah and Buddy. Buddy said that he had good and bad days and that was one of his good days. He was his same cheerful, up-beat self and Frank and Gail Cook went with us to Stacey's for dinner that evening. Just one week later we got word that Buddy was in the hospital seriously ill. We went over to see him on November 16th. His condition improved some and he begged to go home. He died there December 5th. It did not seem possible that he had gone so quickly with cancer, but such a blessing that he did not have to suffer for months! He was able to enjoy life up until less than a month before his death.

The Brady Trilogy  I  Reclaimed Memories - (1991)  I  Pop Troy's Anthology - ( 1992)  I  Kinfolk - (1994)