Happy Birthday Grandpa!

Happy 102nd Birthday!

My maternal grandfather, Floyd Eli Poole was born 5 May 1910 in Magnolia, Arkansas, he would be 102 today if he was still living.  His mother,  Lula or Leola (Stephenson) Poole died in his birth. His father, John Poole was left with eleven children to raise on his own. My grandfather told me, he had a hard life, being passed among his siblings while growing up, and moving from Arkansas to Arizona, then finally settling in California, while looking for work. It was here in California, that he met and married my grandmother, Ethel Jones, and they raised seven children together.

Every summer, my sisters and cousins would spent the summer months at their farm in Lemoore. We have so many good memories of swimming all day in the irrigation ditches, riding bikes, and running bare foot around the farm. During the summer months, Lemoore could reach in the 100s everyday, so when it's that hot, there isn't much you can do to cool off, but spend the day in water. Some days, we would all jump in the back of Grandpa's old blue Ford truck, (long before seat belt laws of today), and ride to the "Corner Store," to load up on candy and junk food. The hot wind, as we rode down the highway, would dry us off enough to enter the cold air-conditioned store, so we could buy our treats. Once a week, we would make the longer trip to "Town," or Hanford, where we were expected to wear shoes and clothing, not just our swimsuits. There, Grandma, would buy the groceries for the week and we would go to Thifty's and get $.25 scoops of ice cream, that would melt in the hot summer day, before we returned to the truck.
Grandpa died 26 February 2002 in Marysville, California; at the age of 91. You are missed!

Floyd & Ethel Poole