My Parents’ Love Story
by Joann Peck, 2012

MY PARENTS' LOVE STORY
"I'll never forget the summer that I met your mom," Dad told me, just hours after Mom had passed away. "She was so beautiful. And she was so different from any of the girls I had known."

Seven years of dealing with numerous bouts of cancer and four grueling months spent suffering intense pain from shingles had taken a toll on her. A fall resulting in a broken hip a couple months earlier had sent her to the hospital for surgery. She never returned home. Mom spent her final two months in the hospital, nursing homes for rehab, and then my brother's home under hospice care. Dad was so devoted to Mom during those two months, spending the biggest part of each day with her.

None of their nine children ever had any doubts that Mom and Dad loved each other. It was not uncommon to observe them holding hands and kissing. Cousins had remarked to me many times that my mom and dad were the most loving "older" couple that they had ever seen ... so affectionate to one another, even in public. Even during those final two months, they were always holding hands. And one or two kisses were never enough when Dad was getting ready to leave her for the night ... there were always many, many more.

Dad's story was so sweet and interesting. While I had heard bits and pieces since I was a little girl, I was astonished that I had never heard the story in its entirety. It's so extraordinary that it must be shared.

IN THE BEGINNING: DAD'S RECOLLECTIONS

I was working at the Mano store on Friday, July 23, 1948 when Earl Eagleson came by and asked if I'd be interested in a blind date for that evening. An old friend of Earl's, Josie Munson, and her family were back in the area for their first visit since moving to California four years earlier following the death of Josie's husband. Earl had planned to take Josie and her family to the river for some fishing and swimming. My date was to be Josie's 17-year-old daughter, Genevieve. Anything involving fishing is right up my alley, so I readily agreed.

I just didn't hit it off with Genevieve. She had a strange attitude, as if she felt she were better than everybody else. Genevieve was definitely not the girl for me! But the fishing had been good, and the meal that Josie had brought was delicious. And I had enjoyed meeting the rest of Josie's family, all of whom were very friendly and talkative, not at all like Genevieve. The rest of the family included Josie's two sons, 9-year-old Kenny and 11-year-old Johnny, and her 16-year-old daughter Mary Ann, who was probably the prettiest girl I had ever seen in my entire life. So the evening definitely wasn't a total waste of time!

The next day was the Old Settlers' Reunion, an annual weekend event in Cassville that drew folks from miles around. I drove Mom, Dad, my cousin Nellie and her kids to town that Saturday morning, anticipating a full day of social events. That afternoon, Mary Ann came over to me asking about an Indian blanket that Josie had brought to the river the previous evening. We had used the blanket as a make-shift table on the gravel bar. When Earl and Josie had left, I noticed that they had left the blanket behind, so I had picked it up and put it in the trunk of my car. I enjoyed talking with Mary Ann as we walked to my car to retrieve the blanket. Walking together over to Josie's car, I realized that I wanted to spend more time with her. I suggested that Mary Ann sit with me at the rodeo, which was one of the highlights of the Reunion and always drew a big crowd. After depositing the colorful blanket in the back seat of Josie's car, we found Josie and told her where we were going, then we headed off to the rodeo grounds. We arrived ahead of most of the crowd, getting there early enough that we secured a pretty good spot in the bleachers, just a couple rows from the front. We spent the half hour before the rodeo actually began in conversation—she was so pleasant to talk with.

At the conclusion of one of the calf-roping events, one of the rodeo clowns pulled from his pocket a humongous pair of ladies panties and somehow managed to put them onto the hind end of the not-so-willing calf. The calf proceeded to kick and buck until it was able to rid itself of the unwanted garment. That clown, who had been an old army buddy of mine, picked up the discarded panties and looked right at me. I told Mary Ann, "Look out. He's up to something!" Sure enough, he was.

The clown ran right over to our section of the bleachers, held up those panties (which appeared large enough to fit a 500 pound lady), said "Thanks for loaning them to me", and tossed them directly to Mary Ann. I was surprised at her reaction. I had anticipated that she would get embarrassed, but she was anything but embarrassed. In fact, she laughed as much as, if not more than, everyone around us. I thought to myself, this girl is certainly unlike any I've met before. And I knew that I had to see more of her.

After the rodeo ended, as I walked her to her mom's car, I asked Mary Ann if she'd consider going with me the next day when I would be taking my cousin Nellie and her kids home to Aurora. She agreed to accompany me. I picked her up the next morning, then drove back home to pick up Nellie and the kids. We had a good time going to Aurora and back again. I asked her for a date for the following evening, and I was thrilled beyond words when she said yes.

I could hardly wait until Monday evening. After working at the store, I went home and cleaned up. Then I headed out to pick up Mary Ann at her grandparents' home south of Golden. When I got there, Genevieve announced that Mary Ann had mailed Manuel's ring back to him that morning. It seems that Mary Ann had been engaged to the son of a wealthy dairy farmer in California, and she was breaking off the engagement before we had our first actual date. I was flattered, to be sure.

We saw each other every day for the next week or so, until that dreaded day that Josie and her family were to begin their trip back home to California. Oh how we hated for our time together to end! Before they departed, I told Mary Ann that I would be seeing her on my birthday on November 28. I had no idea how I would manage it, but I was determined that I would make my way to California, just as I had promised.

For the next three months, which seemed like an eternity to us both, we exchanged letters. Lots of letters! I got three or four letters each week, and I wrote to her just as much.

BACK TO THE PRESENT

"So were you able to keep your promise? Did you make it to California by your birthday?" I inquired.

His eyes sparkled, and he grinned really big as he continued his story.

REUNITED: DAD'S RECOLLECTIONS

During the fall I was working the harvest near Washburn. Among the harvesting crew was a fellow from California who was visiting his family in Aurora. When I learned that he lived not far from where Mary Ann's family did, I asked if I could hitch a ride with him after we finished the harvest. He agreed that I could ride with him and help him drive. On November 27, after all the crops were taken care of in this area, he and I took off. We drove the entire distance without stopping for sleep. We took turns driving, stopping only for gas and nature calls. It was the evening of my birthday when we pulled up in front of Josie's house. I went in and was greeted with passionate kisses from the girl that I had come to love so much. I had kept my promise, and she was waiting for me with open arms!

I spent a few nights sleeping on the couch at Josie's house, but soon I got in touch with my Uncle Caesar and Aunt Mildred, whom I had never met. Caesar was my dad's younger brother, and they hadn't seen each other since they were very young, shortly after their mother died during childbirth. Dad and his older brother, Henry, had stayed with my granddad. But the younger children were each placed in different homes—Caesar went to live with friends of the family, Jock was raised by his maternal grandparents, and the newborn baby, Rose, was taken in by her mother's brother and sister-in-law. Caesar had a rough upbringing in the home of his foster parents, apparently being treated more as a slave than as a son. He volunteered for the military during WWI, and he never returned to Missouri after leaving for basic training. Mom and Aunt Mildred had corresponded for years, and although they had never met, they knew of and loved each other's families as though they lived right next door to each other. I was the first member of Uncle Caesar's family that either he or Aunt Mildred had ever met since 1893. I grew very close to both Uncle Caesar and Aunt Mildred, and they treated me like one of their own sons. I worked a split shift at the airplane plant, and every evening when I came home between shifts, dinner would be waiting for me. Aunt Mildred was pleased to be the aunt that she had always dreamed of being.

Mary Ann and I loved each other so much, and we wanted to be married. But her mother wouldn't hear to it. I think Josie was perturbed that Mary Ann had broken the engagement to the wealthy dairy farmer's son. Or maybe she didn't want to lose the government benefits that she was receiving on behalf of Mary Ann. Most likely, she didn't want to lose the free babysitting, as Mary Ann was more of a mother to her younger brothers than Josie was.

Eventually we decided that we would be married, despite Josie's objections. We rented an apartment. Then we went to the home of a preacher who lived just a few houses down from Uncle Caesar, with the intention of him marrying us. We had no witnesses, but this preacher gladly offered to have his wife and son serve in that capacity. The date was August 27, 1949, and we were finally married ... just a little more than a year after having met. That afternoon we went to Josie's house so that Mary Ann could pick up her clothes to move to the apartment. When Johnny asked why she was taking her clothes, Mary Ann told him that we had been married earlier that day. Johnny was so excited and happy for both of us! I think that he realized how partial Josie was to Genevieve, and now Mary Ann would be escaping that situation. (Genevieve was Josie's natural born daughter, and Mary Ann had been her step-daughter since the age of 4.)

Aunt Mildred arranged a wonderful wedding breakfast to celebrate our marriage. A lot of family and friends attended, but not Josie ... she hadn't even been invited.

We lived happily together in our little apartment until December 31, 1949. It was on that day that we set off for the long trip back to Eagle Rock, Missouri. Unlike the day we got married, Johnny wasn't so excited that day. He was very close to his sister, and he realized that the distance would mean that he would seldom see her. But we made the trip back to Eagle Rock, where Mary Ann was accepted into my family with open arms.

BACK TO THE PRESENT

"I still remember the dress your mom was wearing the first time I saw her. It was black and white, and it had a large lace collar. She was so beautiful. I wish we could find that dress for her to be buried in. I'm sure that it's somewhere in the house."

Dad's eyes sparkled whenever he talked of Mom. I know that this love story is absolutely true. I wish I had known the entire story much earlier in my life. Too late I yearn to hear Mom's narration of the events. But the important thing is that THEY both knew the story. They actually LIVED the story. For nearly 62 years, they lived as devoted husband and wife, in love to the very end. Actually, Mom's death hasn't changed my dad's love for her. You can tell in his eyes that he's as much in love with her this very day as he was 63 years ago this summer.

Biographical Information
Joe Stringer, Jr. was born November 28, 1925 in Eagle Rock, Missouri, the sixth of ten children born to Joe and Anna (Burris) Stringer. Mary Ann (Munson) Stringer was born June 14, 1932 in Florence, Kansas, the elder of two daughters born to Alfred and Bernice (Holbrook) Munson; a younger male child passed away in infancy. Shortly after the death of her mother when Mary Ann was only three years of age, she moved with her father to Arkansas, just a short distance south of Golden, Missouri; Mary Ann's sister remained in Kansas where she was raised by an uncle and his wife. Shortly after arriving in Arkansas, Mary Ann's father married Josie Davis, and to this marriage was born two children, both boys. Although living just a few miles apart for many years and having many acquaintances in common, Joe and Mary Ann never met until the summer of 1948.

Joe and Mary Ann were married August 27, 1949. To this marriage were born nine children: Joann (1950), Kenneth (1951), Ronny (1952–2000), Randy (1954), Karen (1955), Gail (1956), Nancy (1958), Phillip (1961) and Tony (1967). Many grandchildren and great-grandchildren were fortunate to have been brought into the family and loved by these two wonderful people.

Mary Ann's final birthday on earth was celebrated June 14, 2011, twelve days after breaking her hip in a fall at her home in Buckner, Missouri. The surprise party in her honor was held at St. Mary's Manor, a nursing facility in Blue Springs, Missouri, where she spent most of her final two months. She was under hospice care for a short time at the home of her son and daughter-in-law, Phillip and Kim, until her death on July 26, 2011. Her body was laid to rest at the Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Higginsville, Missouri on August 2, 2011, but her eternal home is in Heaven where she celebrated her first birthday with Jesus on June 14, 2012.

We all miss her immensely. I look forward to the day that I'll be reunited in Heaven with Mom, my brother Ronny, my husband Dave, and all my aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents.