In Memoriam

Orville and Lavada Clevenger

I knew Orville and Lavada Clevenger as "Grandpa and Grandma". What a very lucky child I was to have these wonderful people in my life, and to have them long enough to know them as adults. If they would not have been my grandparents, they would have been very dear friends.

Married during WWII, they met in Texas when Grandma was a "Rosie the Riveter" and Grandpa was training to be a pilot in the Army Air Corp. Like their counterparts in this "Greatest Generation", they were honest, hardworking, ethical and compassionate. They were wonderful grandparents who taught by example that you can have a successful business and home life without compromising ethics; and that kindness is more important than financial gain. I try to live every day by their example.

Reading through the cards on the flowers at Grandpa's funeral in 1999 showed me a greater truth: A family friend who worked for him many years before addressed his card "To my last great hero". Another card read "To our Triple Crown Winner". I share these because this man meant the world to not only me, but also those whose lives he touched.

Even though I was in my early 30s at the time of his death.. the little girl inside me who still believed that "...my Grandpa can do ANYTHING"... was buried with him that day. Grandma passed away 3 years later, a shadow of her former self - she missed him terribly, but faced life bravely after his death. Her loss was tremendous, but it was comforting to know that they were together again after 55 years of marriage.

Zippin Muscles

"Zip" was the love of our lives for the brief time he was with us. Even though losing him was terrible, we remain grateful and humble to have had him in our lives.

Zip was almost the perfect horse, steady and compliant, with a little spark of humor - and he LOVED to get out on the trails. You could see his eyes come to life, ears prick forward, and his body swell with contentment when he was trucking along out in the woods and creeks. He had a little quirk of giving a little squeal and hop the first time you asked him to trot for the day, and was extremely pleased with himself when he got away with it. In our short time with him, he became Jeff's horse, and Jeff transformed into a confident and assured rider with him. I rode him bareback all over the place. Zip was priceless - we learned so much from him, and he was our darling.

In November of 2004, Zip suddenly came down with a fever of 105.1.. and numerous veterinary visits, 3 antibiotics, many tears and prayers, and intensive care by us could not save him. We lost him three long, sleepless weeks later. That horrible, foggy morning will remain forever in our memory as our once strong, perfect boy could not fight the illness any longer... and we made the agonizing decision to have him humanely euthanized.