Aunt Lola Thompson Tarvin, Daughter of Reddick Smallwood and Mary McGahee Tarvin
ABOVE... Auntie as she is today. 90 years old and as she was around 1944 in the US Air Force.
Its around 1999. One day I get a phone call from the Post Master. She tells me a Woman from Bonham, Texas has called and is asking for my phone number. She wouldn't give any information to the woman, but took her phone number.
She gave me the number and I called to see what it was about, since I had never heard of Bonham, Texas.
It was a Nurse working at the Veterans Hospital there. She had a live in patient named Lola Thompson, and she told me all the patient talked about was her little nephew. She told me the patient's maiden name was Tarvin.
She then asked me if I was that little chubby curley headed boy the patient talked about.
Of course I was I told her!!, as I ran to look in the mirror and stroked what was left of my curls. ( Well I used to be many years ago )
WOW..We had found Aunt Lola, or she had found us. What a feeling! I had worried so many years, every since around 1944, when I went to the post office in Roswell, New Mexico and recieved a letter from her. It was several miles back to the house and on the way I lost the letter.
From that time on, she thought we had moved and we thought the same of her. So we lost track of each other.
I called her that day, and we relived old memories for hours it seemed, and I promised to visit when my wife was able to travel.
My wife was not able to travel and in the Year 2001 she died.
After a few months of hearing "Get out of town" from my kids, I decided to take a trip to Nashville, Tenn, and visit an old friend living there
On the way I stopped in Bonham and visited Auntie.
I walked into her room and said in my best Conway Twitty voice " Hello Darling".
She knew me right away and we had hours and hours of reliving old times.
After visiting with her the next morning, I went on to Nashville and spent Saturday night going to the Grand Old Opry. My friend took me on the grand tour that weekend.
On the way back I stopped in Bonham again and Auntie and I had another long visit. I promised to visit when I could find the time for the trip, as it's a full days drive from New Mexico.
After a couple of months I again drove down and decided to live in Gainesville for 3 yrs doing research on Tarvins and Mobleys. I no longer live there, but I have been back to see Aunt Lola;
note: Our thanks to Jewell Tarvin Rosas and Dianna King for the pics
note: Lola's only living family members are the decendants of her brothers Richard and Jim Mack Tarvin.