July 22, 2012 marks what would have been the 100th birthday of Lynn Colbert Williamson. He was the middle child of Dr. Sam Williamson and Frankie Jones. Lynn's younger sister was my grandmother.
I only met him 2 or 3 times that I can remember. The first time was when I was 4 and the second time was when I was 19, and then maybe another. He and his wife lived in Texas most of my life, while I was in California.
Lynn grew up in Duncan, Oklahoma. He married the girl across the street. They had one son.
Lynn and his son, about 1940
Lynn was in the oil business. As with many people in that industry, he and his family moved often and all over the place.
Lynn, his mother, his sister (my grandmother), his nephew (my dad)
Lynn looking sharp during his oil days.
Lynn retired in the 1970's and moved to Houston. He played a lot of golf and was an active member of the community.
This looks like Pebble Beach to me, but I can't confirm it.
In the 1980's, Lynn was struck with Guillain–Barré syndrome and essentially paralyzed. He eventually walked again with the aid of a walker but never fully recovered physically. Mentally, he was sharp as a tack. When his legs quit working, he took to writing on his typewriter.
Lynn wrote about his life and his family. I am lucky to have copies of many of these pages, as he is one of the only people in my family to record history. I have few papers.
What I remember most about Lynn was his positive attitude. It was more than just being happy. It resonated from him. He wasted no time feeling sorry or sad. He was truly grateful for life.
When I talk on this blog about living each day and building memories with your family, it is because of the writing Lynn left behind. Life really is short, and you must treasure it. If you spend all your time dwelling on the negative things, you'll completely miss out on what's important.
Happy birthday, Lynn. Hope this crew is throwing a party for you:
The Fearsome Foursome:
My grandparents, Lynn and his wife Imogene
Nice post and pictures. Love the first one with Lynn and his son, so sweet.
ReplyDeleteAwesome story about Uncle Lynn Amy. Thanks for your all your work researching our family. If we had only known then what we knew now. We were all together on 9/6/80 for my wedding. It was the only time I remember being together with my 3 cousins. Sad we weren't all closer like you younger cousins are. Am going to look through my wedding pictures & see if I have one of all of us together. Surely someone thought to take a picture.
ReplyDeleteAs I look at these pictures again why is that back in the day no one smiled for pictures? Today we make such a big deal about saying "cheese".
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