In Memoriam - May 25, 2026

It's another Memorial Day and our soldiers, sailors and air men and women are based around the world, on land and at sea, protecting the USA from those who would destroy us or rule us.  A total of approximately 631,000 American military personnel have made the ultimate sacrifice in conflicts around the world from World War I (The 'war to end all wars') until now.

My father was one of the many who sacrificed his life to protect our freedoms and our way of life.  Ronald Allen Myers was born in Jackson Michigan on April 2, 1911.  His parents were Frank and Mary (Cerrow) Myers.  The photo above is of my dad as a boy with his brother Clifford.  

This photo was part of a series of pictures taken upon Ronald's graduation from Jackson High School in 1930.  This was apparently his 'smiling pose'.  As you will see a bit further on, the photographer had his subjects provide different attitudes or poses.

My dad worked his way through college, meeting my mother in 1936 when he was working as a 'soda jerk' in a local Jackson drug store.  Ronald initially graduated from Jackson Community College.  Then he pursued a business curriculum at Michigan State Normal College (now Eastern Michigan University), and he decided that business wasn't for him.  Next stop were studies followed by his graduation from Michigan State College (before it became a university, now MSU).  He looked a bit more serious in this graduation photo than he did in that high school picture.  Graduating in 1938, his degree was in Soil Conservation and Forestry.  He soon went to work as a Conservation Officer for the State of Michigan.  This newspaper clipping announcing his graduation from MSC was from the Jackson Citizen Patriot.

He married my mother, Elizabeth Weed, on January 17th, 1939.  He was almost 27 and she had just celebrated her 23 birthday in January.  His Conservation Officer duties kept the couple on the move from area to area.  At one point, his job found him and my mother in the area around Carson City Michigan.  That was where I was born in July of 1942. 

The three photo shown above are of my parents and me.  With World War II underway, Ronald had enlisted in the Army, first training in officer's school, washing out due to color blindness, and then undergoing further training at Fort Hood in Texas.  The extended training delayed his deployment to the war in Europe.  He was ultimately shipped overseas in January of 1945.  By that time, I was 2 and a half years old.  

Sadly, due to my age at the time, I have no memories of my dad.  During my father's time in the military, we lived at my maternal grandparent's home (Estelle and Nathan Weed) at 124 East Prospect Ave in Jackson.  

                                      

This photo of my dad was taken just prior to his deployment to the European Front in the closing months of our battle with the Nazi's.  He looks like he was in good shape and good spirits...

This photo, taken by an Army photographer, was found in US Army archives by a citizen and historian from the Czech Republic.  He then forwarded it to me.  It shows Staff Sergeant Ronald A. Myers leading a column through Germany.  

The photo was taken about 3 weeks before he was killed in action.  The photo was obtained from the files of the 16th Regiment Association.  The label on the photo reads "Sgt. Ronald Myers advances down a road towards the German town of Riefensbeek, 14 April, 1945."

 

Ronald Allen Myers was killed on May 6th, 1945, just 2 days prior to the official end of the War in Europe, and 81 years ago this month.  As was the practice during WWII, my mother learned of my father's death via a telegram.  (It is worthy of note that another 17 residents of Jackson County Michigan were reported as KIA in the same Jackson Citizen Patriot issue as my dad's death was... 

Initially my dad was buried in Czechoslovakia but his final resting place is in the Lorraine American Military Cemetery near the town of Saint-Avold France.  He was part of  "The Big Red One", a famed Infantry Division which, in turn, was about half of General George S. Patton's Third Army that liberated Western Czechoslovakia.

FYI, the city of Pilsen in The Czech Republic holds an expansive festival or celebration of the area's liberation from the Nazis at the end of World War II.  Sadly, with the Russian occupation shortly following the war, the area's citizens were unable to celebrate their short-lived freedom until after liberation from Communist rule in 1989.  To learn more about Pilsen's annual WWII liberation celebration, go to https://www.slavnostisvobody.cz/en/. 

This photo includes a more serious looking high school graduation photo of my dad, the Purple Heart awarded for his sacrifice as well as the actual burial flag from his internment at the Lorraine Military Cemetery in France.  It had been sent back to the USA.  Family members found it and other memorabilia in a trunk in Ronald's father's garage in Jackson.  The family 'discovered' me via this blogsite on the Internet and I am grateful that they brought my dad's things to me...

Just a thought... Is the Purple Heart 'enough' for those who have died for their country during combat?  Military personnel receiving any wound, be it minor, critical or fatal, are all eligible for a Purple Heart.  Obviously, anyone wounded during a conflict was at risk for death...and perhaps that's why the parameters for the Purple Heart are so broad.

This is my favorite memorial to my dad.  A local citizen or perhaps citizens near the town of Tesov in the Czech Republic have erected and apparently still maintain this local and personal memorial to honor the sacrifice of Ronald Allen Myers.  Through my Czech contacts, I learned that my dad was the last member of his unit to be killed in action.

God Bless America and as well as all of the millions of men and women who have fought for, have been wounded or have died for our freedom!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave 

Moving On...Changing My Focus

It was on July 18, 2010, 15 years ago today, that I first posted something on my blog site.  I have regularly published posts regarding historical, food, family, travel and restaurant experiences for most of the past many years.  At one point I was posting to the site 3 times every week.   Most recently, it's been twice a week.

I've decided to cease any regular publications/posts to the site.  Not gone...still will publish something from time to time as the spirit moves me, but my focus is moving elsewhere.  I want to spend more time researching our family histories and I've gotten much more involved with a local Knoxville collector's club.  I do enjoy the time spent in that endeavor...even with the work involved. 

What follows are a scattering of the many photos dating as far back as last October...a sampling of those taken near the conclusion of our long road trip through parts of Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York and Virginia.  I'd never completed the Virginia portion of the trip...

This is the entrance to the Reeves Museum of Ceramics at Washington and Lee University in Lexington Virginia.  The Reeves collection showcases one of America's best collections of Chinese export porcelain as well as European and American ceramics made between 1500 and 1900.

FYI, Washington and Lee University is the 9th oldest college in the USA.  Originally known as Liberty Hall Academy, it was renamed Washington Academy in 1796 and Washington College in 1813.  A gift of stocks from George Washington had saved the school from financial ruin.  Robert E. Lee, who had led Confederate forces throughout the Civil War, had previously been the Superintendent of the West Point Military Academy.  A few months after the war, he became President of Washington College and he helped build the university for the future.

In today's highly charged political atmosphere, Lee's name being attached to this University has been controversial.  For the university's outlook on this subject, go to https://www.wlu.edu/about-w-l/university-history/university-namesakes.

During our visit, there was a exhibition of ceramics adjacent to artwork with blank spaces in the paintings that are related to the ceramics.  I still don't get it...but both Laurie and I do love ceramics and this plate was a stunner!

I just had to include this 'fowl' piece of porcelain in my post.  Love the brilliant colors involved!  

Then there was this gorgeous brown and yellow teapot with raised decorations.  This teapot from the Yixing Dynasty teapot dates somewhere between 1725 - 1775.

This stunning hard paste porcelain 'tea pot' from China didn't start its life as a tea pot, but rather as a wine pot.  The English later repurposed it as a teapot.  Note the 'bamboo bundle' shape that was created by a master ceramics maker sometime between 1700 and 1720.

Moving on down the road, it was time to find a place for dinner.  Research had revealed the possibility of a fine German dinner near Staunton Virginia.  The Edelweiss Restaurant is a log structure in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  The family that built it came from Karlsruhe Germany.  The menu is loaded with German specialties, something one doesn't see very often.

While Edelweiss is well rated on the Internet, Laurie and I weren't feeling it... The food was decent but not great and the service was rushed.  This restaurant is popular with long waits for customers so maybe our lack of enthusiasm isn't typical.  Check it out and give Edelweiss a try.  Let us know what you think... Website: https://edelweissvirginia.com/.

I love taking photos like this and imagining what might have been... Located at the eastern foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains on US Hwy. 60 in Amherst County Virginia, Forks of Buffalo refers to the place where the North and South Forks of the Buffalo River come together.

Since I like researching places, I came across this photo from the Forks of the Buffalo area, showing the Myers' Cash Store, United States Post Office and Esso Gas Station.  Perhaps the early to mid-1960s, the store opened in 1937.  Unfortunately, I also came across another photo from December of 2024, only 2 months after I took that first photo, now showing that the front of the old building had fallen down... Timing is everything.

This well preserved and restored railway depot is located at Amherst Virginia.  Amherst was founded in 1807 and it is the county seat for the county of the same name.  The town's population has never been much higher than its current level of about 2,200 residents.

Amherst was first known as Dearborn and the first depot here was completed in the late 1800s for the Orange and Alexandria Railroad.  It was replaced in the late fall of 1913 by the Southern Railway.  As was typical, the ticket booth extended outward from the center facing the tracks, with waiting rooms on each side...one for black folks and the other for white folks.  Three passenger trains stopped at the depot every day until the mid-1940s.  Passenger service was completely discontinued during the 1960s and finally freight service ceased in the mid-1970s.

So...just where is this old structure located?  Our next significant stop was at the Appomattox Courthouse National Historic Park at the village of Appomattox Courthouse...redundant I know.  This is not the original Appomattox Courthouse, but rather a reconstruction.

In the 1800s the original courthouse gave its name to the village around it.  As many of us know, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his army here in 1865.  I always thought that Lee had surrendered to Grant at the courthouse but the courthouse was closed that day so the surrender took place in a nearby home.  In any case the village was already in a state of decline in the 1850s.  The original courthouse burned down in 1892 and the county seat was relocated.  This structure was rebuilt in 1964 and it now serves at the Visitor's Center for the more than 1,700 acre Appomattox Courthouse National Historical Park.

So this is the house...or an almost exact replica of the house...where Lee surrendered to Grant, virtually bringing America's long and painful Civil War to an end.  This is the McLean House at the Appomattox Courthouse National Historic Park and it was chosen for the surrender as it was the most substantial home or building in the Village.

The McLean House was originally built by Charles Raine in 1848.  It had served as a tavern/inn and it was sold to Wilmer McLean in 1863.  In an interesting historical quirk of fate, the First Battle of Bull Run (Manassas) took place on McLean's farm.  Seeking to avoid the war, and too old to serve in the Confederate Army, McLean moved here to 'avoid the war'.

This is a recreation of the setting where Lee formally surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant.  The original furniture is in the possession of the Smithsonian and the Chicago History Museum.

The terms of surrender were: "The officers to give their individual paroles not to take up arms against the government of the United States until properly exchanged, and each company or regimental commander to sign a like parole for the men of their commands,"... neither "side arms of the officers nor their private horses or baggage" to be surrendered; and, as many privates in the Confederate Army owned horses and mules, all horses and mules claimed by men in the Confederate Army to be left in their possession.

As for the McLean house, Wilmer McLean was broke as all his money was in Confederate dollars, which he'd accumulated by running sugar through the Union blockade during the war.  Ownership passed from one person to one scheme or another.  At one point it was disassembled and labeled for possible reconstruction as an attraction in Washington D.C.  That project never got off the ground and much of what was left of the house was pilfered over the years.  The re-built house was opened to the public on April 9, 1949.  Over 5,000 of the home's original bricks were used in the construction.

To learn more about the Appomattox Courthouse National Historical Park and to plan a visit, go to https://www.nps.gov/apco/index.htm. 

This is the Booker T. Washington National Monument near Hardy Virginia.  Booker T. Washington was born a slave on the 207-acre farm of James Burroughs in April of 1856.  Following the Civil War, he became the first principal of  the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial School.  Later, as an advisor and confidant of President Theodore Roosevelt, an author and orator, he became the most influential African American of his era.

Booker T. Washington (1856 - 1919)

To learn more about Booker T. Washington, you can go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booker_T._Washington.

This National Monument preserves portions of the tobacco farm where Booker T. Washington was born and where he lived for the first 9 years of his life.  The facility also provides interpretation of Washington's life and achievements as well as an interpretation of slavery and farming in the 1850s through the use of buildings, gardens, crafts and animals.

You can learn more about The Booker T. Washington National Monument at https://www.nps.gov/bowa/index.htm.  

The last stop on our long but interesting and relaxing road trip was of course, dinner on the last night of the trip.  We were tired and looking forward to getting home.  The decision was made that we should go casual for our final meal on the road so we picked JJ's Restaurant and Sports Bar in Abingdon Virginia from my list of dining options.  Laurie stuck to soup and cornbread and I went for fried catfish, beans, coleslaw and cornbread.  The food wasn't gourmet but it was tasty, reasonably priced and satisfying.

JJ's Restaurant and Sports Bar is located at 115 Charwood Drive in Abingdon Virginia.  Open daily for lunch and dinner.  Phone: 276-525-4999.  Website: https://www.eatatjjs.com/.

As I mentioned at the start of this post, I'll be back from time to time and I'll also check in on those who I've been following...

Just click on any of the photos you'd like to enlarge.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care...and, as the saying from the 50's (the era of 45 rpm records), "I'll see you on the flip side".

Big Daddy Dave

Memorial Day - 2025

 In Memoriam

Ronald Allen Myers

Born on April 2, 1911

Killed in Action on May 6, 1945, 80 years ago this month.

World War II in Europe officially ended on May 8th, 1945. 

Staff Sergeant Ronald Myers in a column crossing Germany just a little over 3 weeks before he was KIA in what was then Czechoslovakia.

This local memorial for my Dad is located in the Pilsen area of what is now the Czech Republic, near the town of Tesov, where he was killed.

Ronald Allen Myers' final resting place is in the Lorraine American Military Cemetery near Saint-Avold France. (Rest in Peace Dad)

God Bless America and as well the millions of men and women who have fought and died for our freedom!

This flag was used on D-Day at Utah Beach as American forces fought their way ashore.  It is part of the Smithsonian collection.  It stands as a testament to the lives that have been sacrificed for our freedom...

What a Mess! A Challenging Event!

Everyone encounters challenges in their lives... This post is tied to the challenges presented by our accumulation of 'things', 'stuff', and 'excess' that we've gathered over 46 years of marriage.  Adding to our 'excess', are items that came from my mother many years ago.  In an effort to declutter a bit, we decided to participate in our local neighborhood garage sale.  So much effort already...and so much more to do before the sale in early June.  Hopefully our marital union will survive the stress and trauma!

The first step was to post larger items on Facebook Marketplace just to clear space for all of the other 'stuff' we want to sell.  We posted 6 larger items... 

First there was this 'loveseat' sofa.

Then there was this large buffet that came from Rich's Department Store in Atlanta.

Plus there is this antique cherrywood rocker that we purchased many years ago.  It's from the late 1800s.

This solid oak possum belly baker's table and hutch was purchased at the same time at the cherrywood rocker.  Both purchases seemed rational at the time...

This more rustic antique rocking chair came to us through my mother's estate.

While we have had a couple of inquiries about the baker's table/hutch combination, that's been all the action we've had in the first 3 or 4 days on these furniture items.  We have managed to sell three of the larger items so far.

Neighbors purchased two of these types of almost never used deck lounge chairs.  They were used once or maybe twice and had spent the rest of their life with us in our storeroom.

A master gardener who has done a lot of work for us snatched up this dresser as it filled a need for her.

If you've ever been to an estate sale or an auction, you will have noted that no one wants chinaware.  We have had this nice set of Mikasa for more than 40 years.  It was rarely used and since we retired and moved to East Tennessee it hadn't been used at all.  As expected, we didn't get very much money for the set, but we did manage to sell it through Facebook Marketplace.

Then there is the rest of the 'stuff' that needs to go...to find a new home.  It's an eclectic grouping of odds and ends, collections and past activities or hobbies.  

For years we've been moving and storing this assortment of dolls and doll clothes that my mother had acquired or actually made.  

For several years in a row, Laurie and I headed to Northern Michigan or Ontario Canada for backwoods fishing adventures.  It had been 20 years since we headed north to go fishing although I did go fishing here in Tellico Lake many times earlier in my retirement.  We found the slickers and wet suits in a box we'd been moving from place to place.

I have very little hope that we'll find buyer for these remnants of a set of Czechoslovakian china that my great aunt had willed to my mother...at least 65 years ago.  I suspect that we'll end up just tossing it out.

Antique canning jars, a nicely framed print, folders, a classic candle holder, a pair of painted antique candlesticks, a signed Brooks Robinson baseball, a collectors plate, a set of German steins, a Tiny Tears doll and boxed toy trucks for kids or collectors.  These are just further examples of the mish mash we'll be offering at the sale.

In the preceding photos you will note a couple of items that were also in other photos.  We keep moving things around looking for the 'right place' to display them for sale.  Disorganization is still our condition...although we have priced more than half of what we're going to try to sell.  I still haven't addressed my fishing tackle (4 boxes) or my 9 fishing rods and reels.  Then there is our golf equipment!  At least 4 bags with golf clubs, balls, etc., plus extra clubs.  In addition, there will be a lot of clothing offered for sale.  The question is, how much can we sell vs. how much do we end up delivering to local charities?

Just click on any of the photos...

Thanks for stopping by!  Wish us luck as we'll need it!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Family Visit from Michigan

In 2022 Laurie and I went on a road trip that was primarily centered on Michigan, my home state.  I was born in Carson City Michigan and lived in and near Jackson until I relocated for my career when I was about 25 years old.  I am now the oldest living member of both my paternal and maternal family lines.  

During the aforementioned road trip in 2022, we stopped and visited my cousin Nathan and his better half, Janice.  Well, ever since then I've hassled them just a bit.  It was past time for them to come down to East Tennessee and pay us a visit!  Despite a close family life and having two of their children, as well as young grandchildren living near them, us oldsters finally prevailed!  

But, before I start posting photos regarding Nathan and Janice's visit, here's a little family historical background.

This is Nathan's father and my uncle Nathan. (There have been 4 Nathans in the family to date) However, that beautiful little boy being held by Nathan's father is yours truly.  That dates the photo somewhere between late 1944 and mid-1945.  The photo was taken in front of my grandfather and grandmother's home on Prospect Street in Jackson Michigan.

This photo is from the wedding of my cousin Nathan's father Nathan and his bride Ruth.  The person at the left is unknown but the second from the left is a photo of a very young (pre-US Navy) Uncle John.  Then Uncle Nathan, Aunt Ruth, Ruth's sister Billie and my mother Elizabeth's second husband, Hugh Thomson. (My father Ronald was KIA in Czechoslovakia on May 6, 1945)

Another wedding photo.  Aunt Ruth and Uncle Nathan were cutting the cake...with my mother, Elizabeth watching the action. (Wearing the hat at the left)

One more family photo tied to Uncle Nathan and Aunt Ruth's wedding.  From the left, Ruth's parents, William and Ruth (yes...a second Ruth too), then Uncle Nathan and his bride, then Nathan's parents (my grandparents), Estelle and Nathan (Sr.) 

I've accumulated a lot of family history with a number of old photos.  Thanks to my cousin Nathan for sending his parents wedding photos.

Speaking of my cousin Nathan...that's him above...headed straight for my mother's camera.  Whatever happened to that cute little tyke?  That's his mother Ruth at the left and his sister Susan is playing at the right of the photo.  This was at their home in the Detroit area.

This photo was taken during our visit to Nathan and Janice's home back in 2022.  As you can see, he's all grown up and chilling with a cup of coffee.

This photo is of Nathan and Janice (center) with most of their clan. (so far).  From the left is their daughter Elizabeth with her husband Justin and their children Ian and Craig.  At the right are daughter Nadine with her husband James and their children Charlie and Sherman.  Nadine and James are expecting a third child...a girl to be named Elliot.  

The photo was taken at the Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport at Oscoda Michigan.  This airport used to be owned and operated by the United States Air Force and today it's owned by the local community and it hosts a small museum and aircraft maintenance operations.  

The one person missing from the preceding family portrait was Janice and Nathan's son 'wee' Nathan as he is referred to.  He's the fourth of the 'Nathans'... This photo was taken during our Michigan road trip in 2022.

...and now, ready or not, I'll take you through a part of Nathan and Janice's visit to our home here in East Tennessee.

We did some cooking and a lot of eating during their visit.  Nathan took the photo and he likes his photos to be unposed or impromptu.  He captured Laurie serving apple crumble for dessert and Janice struggling to open a container of gelato.  At least they were both smiling!  

Nathan also snapped this photo... I'm not known for my big smiles but this is the extreme opposite look.  I was studying one of the items in the gift basked that Janice put together for us...and Laurie was in motion doing... It was a great gift basket with a Scottish theme...appropriate because Janice is from Scotland and Laurie and her sisters are headed to Scotland later this year to visit relatives.  Janice is headed for Scotland again even before Laurie's trip.

Note: If you have a chance to visit Scotland, don't pass it up!  It is one of our all time favorite places and we've been there twice.  

So, when we have visitors, we do have a number of automatic and preferred destinations listed that are entertaining and speak to the area.  Tellico Plains Tennessee with the Tellico Grains Bakery and Bald River Falls were destinations when Janice and Nathan visited us a few years earlier.  But we hadn't taken them to the Everhart Lumber Company or the local museum in Tellico Plains.

Our first stop was at Everhart Lumber...  The particular piece in the photo above is part of the company's collection of wooden folk art creations that they've accumulated from families living or who lived in this mountainous area.

Although Everhart Lumber specializes in 'natural wood furniture', slabs of wood for woodworkers and specialty building products such as wood mantles, they have expanded a bit, adding a very nice collection of gift items for the discerning shopper.  Janice did make a purchase...

Laurie took this photo of Nathan as he perused some pottery, examined that nifty stag wine holder and admiring the shelving itself.  

Nathan turned the table on Laurie and took this photo of her as she scanned the shopping opportunities.  I'm not a shopper but I do like this shop.  It's even improved recently with the expansion of the non-wood but classy gift items.  

Everhart's is a wood specialty and furniture store.  They offer ready-made and custom-made furniture made from a variety of unique woods.  Reclaimed wood is made into furniture, charcuterie trays, frames and more.  Fireplace mantles are available for builders, homeowners and  interior designers and beautiful slabs of wood are on display for purchase by craftsmen who want to do their own thing. 

The Everhart Lumber Company is located at 911 Veterans Memorial Drive in Tellico Plains Tennessee.  Phone: 423-253-2323.  Website: http://www.everhart-lumber.com/.  There are lots of photos of the lumber related products/furniture that is possible on the website. 

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them... More about this visit, including food of course, will follow.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave