Troy and Vera Farr Gavin
We have only a few hundred years in our past history. Hopefully we will be expanding those years as our work and research bears fruit. We are going to start our reflection back by remembering our parents, and grandparents. I would like to introduce you to them now.
Troy and Vera Farr Gavin
Thomas Troy Gavin was born on October 05, 1905 in Rison, Bradley Co. Arkansas. One of eight children of George Washington (Tone) and Myrtle Ashcraft Gavin. Troy helped his Father farm and he also worked in a saw mill with his brother-in-law Millard Taylor. The timber was plentiful at that time. Troy was twenty two year old and wanted a change. He decided to go to Barber College.
Troy and his cousin Herb drove through Caddo Mills Texas in Jan or Feb. of 1927 on their way to barber school in Dallas. They went home to Rison AR. that summer. In Dec of 1927 he got on a train in Fordyce AR. And once again traveled through the little town of Caddo Mills Texas on his way to Dallas to work in a barbershop. He had always liked the looks of the town. While working in Dallas he noticed a classified add for a barber in Caddo Mills. He called the shop owner Red Bailey
and got the job on the phone. This was in Oct 1928.
Troy became friends with a couple of young men by the last name of Farr. In fact JW and Una Stanford Farr had six boys and one daughter named Gladys Vera. This is how Troy and Vera met. Vera was a beautiful athletic young lady that had to hold her own with six brothers. She was intelligent and was on her way to college and had plans to teach. She would accomplice her goals.
Troy and Vera were married July 17 1933. They were married 59 years when death parted them.
When
we think of Troy and Vera, many things come instantly to mind. They were
dedicated Christians. They worked hard all their lives, taking care of family
and anyone in the community that was in need. Their children and grandchildren,
and great grandchildren were a source of joy and pride. Their children’s
talents and good qualities always rose to the top above any flaw that others
might see. Vera taught school in the early years before her family started to
grow. The education of her children and all the children in the community were
very important to her. She served on the school Board for many years. She served
as Girl Scout leader and taught Sunday school all her life.
Troy
was a kind soft-spoken man with a quick laugh. His family was of upper most
importance to him. He worked hard, and he also worked hard to instill a good work
ethic in his children. He taught the qualities he thought were important in life
to his children by example. He was a generous, patient man that was liked and
respected by his community. I think my husband Tom has a lot of his Dad’s
qualities. I am thankful for that.
During
WWII, when some of Vera’s brothers were in the service, she and Troy worked a
brother’s farm as well as their own. Hard work was never a stranger to them.
During cotton season Vera would pick her children and a few other youngsters up
from school and they would pick cotton. She would get them picking and she would
go home to fix supper. The days
were long and busy. It was during this time Troy and J.W. Farr began
the House Moving business. The government bought and built an airport on
the land where they lived. Troy and Jay moved the house to a new location for
the family. House Moving along with the heave equipment Dirt Work were the
family business for many years.
She
sent them off to college with clean clothes and fresh baked cakes and food to
share. They came back home on the weekend with a sack of dirty clothes and an
empty larder. She would spend Saturdays getting them ready to go again.
Vera
was a good seamstress, making clothes for many members of the family down
through the years. She really found a hobby she loved when she discovered doll
making. She bought a kiln and poured the porcelain dolls and she became very
good at the entire process. She put her many years of sewing to good use making
clothes for the dolls. She sold a few, but it was like selling your child she
said. So she kept the majority of her ‘babies’ and today they reside in the
homes of her family.
They
loved to travel. When their children were young the trips were camping
relatively close to home. As their four children got older, the family trips
extended to Yellowstone, Yosemite National parks and Pikes Peak and many places
across the USA. When Troy retired they had the opportunity to travel with Uncle
Jay and Aunt Dorothy Farr to Alaska and down to Mexico a few times. They made
two trips to Europe. Troy always talked about going to Australia one day. I’m
sorry they didn't get to make that trip.
When Vera’s health began to go downhill she kept up all her activities long after most people would have called it quits. Troy was in faithful attendance to her to the end.
They
are both gone now. But they left us with a wealth of memories and lessons for
living and for dying. They left us with gifts we may not even know from where
they come. The gift of seeing and treating all peoples the same, to be slow to
anger, and to be generous to those that have less than us.
