She Really Did Get Over It

The night Elmer and Mollie Childree celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary, Elmer pulled in a driveway on the way home from dinner and bought a motorcycle.

Mollie cried all the way home.

Mollie had been married to Elmer for 55 years when he passed away several years ago. They were special friends of mine. I visited them on a regular basis after he got sick. I also visited them on a regular basis before he got sick.

After Elmer’s retirement, I would just stop by out of the blue every now and then and we would sit in their den and talk about whatever came to our mind. I never called them ahead of time and told them I was coming. I would just show up.

Elmer was the Life of Georgia Insurance man. And he was very successful at what he did. Soon after Kathy and I got married almost 30 years ago he stopped by the house one night and sold us an insurance policy. Just for the record, I did not buy that policy because of anything special in the policy. I bought it because Elmer was selling it. It was that simple.

When he showed up to make an insurance visit at a house, he was always dressed to the nines. And he was never in a hurry. His customers loved that about him.

Elmer and Mollie raised two girls. Some of you who are reading this know Peggy Herbert and Diane Simmons. If not I will say it like this: Elmer and Mollie did a marvelous job raising their children. They just don’t get better than Peggy and Diane.

They have memories when they were little girls of their dad coming home from work and they would meet him as he got out of his car. He would pick them both up and bring them in the house.

Mollie remembers financial troubles in the early part of their life together. She has about 50 photo albums (not exaggerating) showing how immaculately and in style the girls were dressed in spite of their struggles. The parents did without so their girls could have.

Elmer and Mollie would later make vacations more than fun. The girls would have to pack for the beach and the mountains. Somewhere along the way they would find out where they were going.

Peggy and Diane never forgot their dad’s word to both of them when he was walking them down the aisle to get married:

“There is still time to get out of this.”

It turned out that Elmer and Mollie were always very happy than neither daughter backed out. Their husbands were always their sons.

I can tell you there are just not many families out there that are stronger or more close-knit than the Elmer Childree family.

Today I was driving home from my office and I thought about Elmer and Mollie Childree.

The reason I thought about them was the fact that I saw a motor scooter for sale on the way home. I’ve been trying to talk Kathy into letting me get one.

I remembered the story Mollie told me about Elmer buying the motorcycle.

So I have two purposes in this particular blog.

One is to introduce you to one of the neatest couples and families I have ever known.

The other is because I know my wife will read this and hopefully she will realize that a motor scooter will be a great addition to our family.

Mollie did cry on the way home that night.

But she told me she really did get over it.