A Tribute to My Daddy - Part 1

I have gone back to work, which is currently the only place I have a computer. For this reason, I have not had sufficient time to sort through all of the pictures I want to post, so I have decided to do a series of posts in tribute to my Dad.

I am somewhat of a genealogy buff, so just in case someone out there in blogland does a search for the WEBSTER family of Robertson County, TN, I want to include information here that may help them find what they are looking for. Or, if a family member of one of the people that appear in the pictures I will be posting happens to do a search, I want them to find these as well. These pictures may not be posted in chronological order, but I will put dates on them when I know them.

I'll start with Daddy's obituary as it appeared in the Robertson County Times:

"George Dorris Webster, age 81, of Springfield, passed away Wednesday, May 12, 2010 at his home. Funeral services will be held Saturday, May 15, 2010 in the chapel of the Austin & Bell Funeral Home in Springfield at 11am with Brother Martin Babb and Christopher Webster officiating. Burial will follow in the Hillcrest Cemetery. Serving as pallbearers will be Zach Webster, Evan Webster, Michael Dickey, Steve Webster, Steven Wilson and Josh Miller. Honorary pallbearers are Wayne Webster, Joe Webster, Johnny Link, Vince Hester, Jim Roberts and the Unity Sunday School Class of Springfield Baptist Church. Visitation will be held at the funeral home on Friday, May 14, 2010 from 4-8pm. Mr. Webster was born June 4, 1928 in Robertson County, the second of four sons born to George W. and Mary Adeline Dorris Webster. He attended Mt. Pleasant School in grades 1-8 and graduated from White House High School in 1949, where he was a member of the first WHHS football team. Mr. Webster was a Veteran of the US Army serving as Staff Sergeant with the 452nd Armed Field Artillery Battalion in Munich and Neckarsulm, Germany during the Korean War and was honorably discharged in 1956. Mr Webster retired from the Tennessee Gas Pipeline/Tenneco in February of 1989 after 41 years of service. He was a loving husband and father, devoted to his family and was a member of the Springfield Baptist Church. In addition to his parents, Mr. Webster is preceded in death by his brother, Samuel Estes Webster. He is survived by his wife, Christine Alsobrook Webster; son, Christopher (Nancy) Webster of Huntsville, TX; daughter, Kathy (Johnny) Link of Fairview, TN; brothers, Wayne Webster of White House and Joe (Verma) Webster of Dickson; grandchildren, Riley Dickey, Talynn Dickey, Ava Hester and Zoe Hester. Memorial contributions may be made to Willowbrook Hospice or the Springfield Baptist Church Building Fund. Both may be sent in c/o Austin & Bell."

The following picture appeared in "the Line Tennessee Gas Transmission Co., February, 1958" a publication that was (is?) put out by Tennessee Gas Transmission Company/Tennessee Gas Pipeline/Tenneco, which I think is now called El Paso Corporation. Daddy is second from left, leaning back, with his elbow resting on the table/desk behind him. The caption reads, "ON THE JOB during construction were TGT's Eddie Tarver, George Webster, Jack Overton, and Tony Richter. Not pictured are Dick Knesek, plant foreman, and Wes Saunders, Engineering."

Perhaps You've Wondered Where I've Been?

I've been staying at my Mom & Dad's for the last couple of weeks. No computer access.

Daddy had a stroke in January and a worse one in March. The March stroke took out his whole left side. He'd been having a hard time getting around for the last 5 years or so because of the severe arthritis in his back and the spinal stenosis that was pinching off the nerves to the lower part of his body. Then the strokes. The trip to the hospital, rehab, the nursing home and then home. He finally got so bad that Hospice was called to help out. Taking care of an 81 year old man who can't do anything for himself is awfully hard for an 80 year old woman. It's been really tough.

Daddy died at 1:18 a.m. May 12, 2010. Mom, my daughter, a wonderful friend and I were with him. We buried him on Saturday. It's really, really, really hard.

This is my Daddy with my daughter at her wedding, June 2004.

I'm trying to put together a better tribute to him than this, but I thought you might have wondered where I've been.