The yearbook "Pantharama" 1964

My father was a freshman in 1963-64. He met Gloria Mears in February 1964. 

Here is what he looked like as a freshman in high school. 

He signed her yearbook:

He was such a "romantic", eh?

Well we know how it turned out. And here I am!

Aunt Sue and the ice storm of 1978

It was Easter weekend, 1978.  We lived in Decatur, IL.  I was almost 6 years old.  The ice storm hit and we lost power.  My father called his sister, Sue Kidwell.  Her and her husband, Terry owned an electric generator.  We packed some clothes and made the journey over to their house.  It was very exciting to get to stay over with my aunt and uncle.  At the time we still celebrated Easter, so my sister and I wondered how the "Easter Bunny" would show up even though the world was covered with ice.

I went to bed and slept on through the night.  In the morning, the "Easter Bunny" came and left us candy.  But my sister proceeded to tell me that she was awake when the "Easter Bunny" came.  It was our dear old dad, placing the baskets on the table.

That was the year I found out there was no such thing as the "Easter Bunny".

Great Grandpa Ray Mears

Ray Mears, the man my middle name comes from, lived in various places in the Midwest. But mostly he lived in Dewitt county, Il.

Here are some facts about Great Grandpa Mears:

He was a farmer. 

He had lots of kids. 

He suffered lost of a child.

  

Uncle Edward Reynolds

My Uncle Edward Dwight was the oldest of the Reynolds children.

He lived in North Charleston, South Carolina.  Married more than once.  I may have met him a handful of times. 

One wife was named Vivianne.  She went by Vi.  According to marriage records, she married Edward on 7/18/1969.  Once of the sources said that she got cancer and past away in 1981.

One of her friends who helped Edward through taking care of Vi, Betty Todd, married Edward on November 6, 1981.

Uncle Ed past way in 1993.

Betty past away in 2004. 

Timeline from graduation to end of service with the army--My Father

"Billy Joe" graduated from High School in June, 1967. 

He married his High School Sweetheart, Gloria Mears on May 4th, 1968. 

He got his draft papers for the army in August 1968

As a conscientious objector, he went from Fort Leonard Wood to Fort Sam Houston.  He became a medic.  

He was sent to Munich Germany in January of 1969. He was stationed at the 225th US Army Hospital as an ER medic and ambulance driver. 

On July 11th, 1970, his first child was born in Munich, Germany.  A girl named Robyn Rena.

He left Germany with his wife and child in July, 1971.  

My Father and his friends

My dad's name was William J. Reynolds.

When I was young, he worked at Staley's in the 44 building.  He would bring us home stuff that truckers would give him.  Like snack cakes, baseball cards with gum and other things.

He was nicknamed RJ at Staley's.  I am assuming it was a play on the Tobacco company.  I remember going to baseball games that Staley's had.  One of Dad's friends there was named "Ronald McDonald".  When I was around 5 years old, at one of the baseball games, he told me "If you unscrewed your belly-button, your legs will fall off."  I was smart enough to know that wasn't right, but not smart enough to not try to prove him wrong.  So a few days later, mom found me with a screwdriver attempting to discredit Ronald.  I actually had the screwdriver inserted into my bellybutton.

He also worked at JC Penney at the Forsyth Mall.  He sold jewelry.  He had a female friend who's name escapes me.  But one day she was sick, maybe cancer, but I don't remember that either.  I just remember that she had to cut off all her hair.  We got her a get well package with one of those gigantic combs.  My dad was such a jokester.

This is kind of sad, but I cannot remember any other friends he may have had.

Maybe you were his friend.  If you were, feel free to comment about him.

Genealogy

Genealogy is defined as a record or account of the ancestry and descent of a person, family, group, etc. or the study of family ancestries and histories.

I realized that most of the information about my family has been lost.  The purpose of this blog is to document stories about my family so that they can be captured for our descendants to read.