Weatherly Family Remembrances

When I married Roger Weatherly on Saturday, February 7, 1959, little did I consider the fact that my life would forever be impacted by his family. It's now nearing one-half century and the Weatherly legacy is still very much a part of my life as well as the lives of my two children Janis and Darryl and their families.
` The particular Weatherly I have in mind today on this 50th anniversary occasion is, of course, my sister-in-law Carolyn Weatherly Ash. Carolyn with the fiery red hair is now the Ash/Weatherly matriarch. As far as she is concerned she runs the family show - not just the Ash show but the Weatherly show as well and if you have any doubt just ask her.
Carolyn has full authority on Most every issue including Christmas, all other holidays, all family events, all menus, all gifts, all whatever - you name it and she has control. I say MOST every issue because, in fact, she does have one governing factor in the form of Augustus Claude Ash, who can tame her flaming red personality with little more than a look and a word.
Take it from me. I've seen the LOOK and I've heard the WORD and neither are pretty. To put it mildly, Augustus Claude has the ability to dampen her red hair and flaming personality to a mousy, drab brown putting her in her place in a matter of seconds. You can always expect a quick response from Augustus except when he is quietly sitting in his chair watching sports.
Now that we have the Ash family hierarchy in proper perspective with Gus really running the show as "Big Daddy Ash Patriarch," please indulge me with a few softer and kinder memories of years past.

Let's look back to the 1950's and 60's when all family events were loosely planned and controlled by Marie and Lewin Weatherly of Garrison, Texas. The center of activity was always the dining room table loaded of Marie's golden fried chicken, stuffed bell peppers, cream peas with chow/chow, peach hand pies and gallons of iced tea. Marie and Lewin loved their family and the way they proved it was to have mountains of food to last an entire weekend.
Back then it really didn't matter about the nature of the event. It could be Christmas, a funeral, bad weather, birthdays, homecoming or just because it was the weekend. Whatever the reason all of us hit the road to Garrison. And it didn't matter that Lewin and Marie's house had little more than 1, 000 sq. ft of living space with one bathroom the size of a Cracker Jack box. We all came anyway - Carolyn, Gus, Tina, Brad, Jeff, Roger, Emily, Janis, Darryl and of course there was Judi and Lewin and Marie. That's twelve people all eating, bathing, running through the house and spending the night - not just one night either. We stayed from Friday night through Sunday afternoon late allowing just enough time to get home and go to work on Monday.
There is another thing about those numerous weekend visits to Lewin and Marie's that I did not consider until I, myself became a grandmother and great grandmother. It didn't seem to matter to us whether or not Lewin and Marie had other plans and really didn't want company for the weekend. We still showed up on a regular basis to eat and laugh and play and have the time of our lives right there in that little house with the tiny bath room. We came because we knew that was the house that was filled with love and good food and the making of memories that have lasted a lifetime.
Many of those memories are associated with Christmases we all spent there piled on top of each other watching our kids rip into their presents as they spilled hot chocolate and cookies all over Marie's living room sofa. But most of the memories come from the everyday, ordinary family exchanges we all shared.
Those wonderful memories now repeat themselves each year when we gather together in Marshall the first Saturday in December to celebrate the Weatherly Family Christmas Reunion. The twelve I mentioned earlier in Lewin and Marie's little Garrison house have now exploded to 23 adults and 17 kids. That's a total of 40 Weatherlys and Ashes who all pile in on top of Carolyn and Gus to eat, laugh, rip open Christmas presents and generally have the time of our lives. Yes, our kids and their kids have made it to the fifth generation building their memories each and every year all over again.

This 50th Anniversary tribute is really little more than a very special Thank-You from your sister-in-law Emily Nail Weatherly Adams and her entire family. Thank you Carolyn and Gus for caring enough to assume the position of Family Patriarch and Matriarch. Thank You for taking the initiative to invite us all back year after year. And Thank You Carolyn with the red hair and red personality for planning the menu, cooking most of the food, organizing the day's activities, wearing a smile, cracking endless jokes, and cleaning up the mess. We look forward to Christmas 2005!