A DOCKERY FAMILY
REMEMBRANCE
By Opal Dockery
We are proud to be part of the Dockery
Family,
With this, I am sure you will all
agree.
In this family, I remember my childhood
days,
There were slower times and older ways.
Yes, I do recall these older days in
the Dockery family,
I was almost born at the home of Aunt
Lily.
Everyone always felt welcomed in her
home,
We had each other's company and did not
need a phone.
In these days, hardwood floors were in
style,
Everyone stopped and enjoyed each other
for awhile.
We were all we had,
But this did not make us sad.
Nobody worried about what TV program
was on tonight,
They would go hunting or fishing and
wait for a bite.
Sears catalogs served many purposes,
Such as paper dolls and lower services.
Aunt Nadine made everyone feel welcomed
at her home,
At her house you never felt alone.
Here I liked staying the night,
It was difficult for her to keep Jill
and me in sight.
We jumped from the hayloft into the
grains,
It was fun, but where were our brains?
The brakes would not work on the bike
that Vic had,
When the barn stopped you, it made you
mad.
Uncle Loren lived with Aunt Nadine and
Uncle Joe,
I remember his fighting roosters that
he would show.
Uncle Lee and Uncle Calvin were
mechanics like my dad,
This was hard, dirty work, and it often
made them sad.
Visits were rare from Aunt Helen, Uncle
Hank, and their boys,
This was one of the Dockery's unusual
joys.
Twins were born to Aunt Martha and
Uncle Stan,
This was a proud event for the Dockery
clan.
At Christmas and Thanksgiving Aunt Reba
would announce
The date of the next family event,
Looking back at these holidays, I know
they were times well spent.
Maxine worked at Ben Franklin's and
lived with us,
When I had my eye operation, she made a
fuss.
Leo came to our home one night for my
mother's advice,
That night their daughter Debbie was
born,
Which turned out very nice.
Howard Lee, Helen, Lonnie, Carolyn, and
Vic all arrived in 1942,
Mama, Aunt Reba, Aunt Lily, Aunt Mae,
and Aunt Nadine all said,
“Now, what do we do?”
In her class, Kay was the best,
She was smarter than all the rest.
Bill Wilson would play his fiddle,
He knew this instrument more than just
a little.
Uncle Guy and Aunt Edna have always
been good,
If they wanted to be better, there is
no way they could.
For my mother, Uncle Walt made a wooden
bench,
For him, things such as this were a
cinch.
Grandma Edna and Grandma Prudence I
never met,
Many hours with them I would like to
have spent.
Uncle Bud was always with Grandad,
They had lots of fun, but they were not
bad.
Grandad Beech raised eight kids by
himself
In my opinion, this made him a great
man.
His kids are Calvin, Reba, Nadine,
Howard, Lee, Helen, Loren, and Stan.
I remember the day Grandpa Aaron died,
We went to his house and everyone
cried.
Let's not forget from where we came,
Today our feelings, as then, should be
the same.
Let's remember these old days,
And do not let phone things get in our
ways.
These old days were real,
We knew how to love and were not afraid
to feel.
Do not think we are successful with
fancy houses and such,
Our real happiness was in the old days
when we needed each other so much.
All our families loved and needed each
other then,
Let's not forget those days when we
were all friends.
Someday it will be too late to say,
How we feel for each other today.
So let's remember these old days as we
all walk forward together in life,
And ask the positive forces to hold the
Dockery family together
Each day and each night.
