| Jenny's Page |
| Jenny, with husband Jimmie, '04. Looking good in red! |
Feb. 5, '08: I, Jan, called Jenny to wish her an early Happy Birthday (her day is
February 6) and interviewed her with our Questionnaire. We had a lively chat.
It was so good to hear her familiar voice!
She was born in Temple. Forgot to ask her which Elementary School she
attended; I'll work on that; maybe you classmates can tell me. Right after high
school, she worked for a while at the old Scott and White Hospital, then
attended Abilene Christian College (now University) for a year. Her first
marriage didn't work out. In 1967 she started her career as a Licensed
Vocational Nurse (LVN), which must have been Destiny, as it was while she
was nursing at Scott and White that she met Jimmie. He was her patient and
liked her bedside manner; they were married in 1979. She retired from
nursing in 2005.
Jimmie's career was in the oil fields, so Jenny has lived in Odessa and in
Louisiana twice. He traveled to Russia and Peru as an oil consultant.
They bought a 205-acre ranch near Hamilton, Texas, in 1983 and renovated an
old house. They run a few cattle. There's a trickle left off the Lampasas River
and some springs which have been fun for the kids to play in over the years.
Jenny and Jimmie have five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren,
courtesy of Jimmie's two daughters. A lot of their time is spent enjoying and
looking after the kids. Jenny likes looking for arrowheads on their ranch, and
volunteering any help that's needed in their close neighborhood. Jimmie had
by-pass surgery in 2005, then an aneurism, but he's up and caring for the
cattle again and doing fine. Jenny is getting second opinions about her own
back treatment, as she has a couple of bad discs and stenosis of the spine.
She's quite upbeat, though, and is enjoying life.
It will be great to see her in person and meet Jimmie at our 50th Class
Reunion!
February 6) and interviewed her with our Questionnaire. We had a lively chat.
It was so good to hear her familiar voice!
She was born in Temple. Forgot to ask her which Elementary School she
attended; I'll work on that; maybe you classmates can tell me. Right after high
school, she worked for a while at the old Scott and White Hospital, then
attended Abilene Christian College (now University) for a year. Her first
marriage didn't work out. In 1967 she started her career as a Licensed
Vocational Nurse (LVN), which must have been Destiny, as it was while she
was nursing at Scott and White that she met Jimmie. He was her patient and
liked her bedside manner; they were married in 1979. She retired from
nursing in 2005.
Jimmie's career was in the oil fields, so Jenny has lived in Odessa and in
Louisiana twice. He traveled to Russia and Peru as an oil consultant.
They bought a 205-acre ranch near Hamilton, Texas, in 1983 and renovated an
old house. They run a few cattle. There's a trickle left off the Lampasas River
and some springs which have been fun for the kids to play in over the years.
Jenny and Jimmie have five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren,
courtesy of Jimmie's two daughters. A lot of their time is spent enjoying and
looking after the kids. Jenny likes looking for arrowheads on their ranch, and
volunteering any help that's needed in their close neighborhood. Jimmie had
by-pass surgery in 2005, then an aneurism, but he's up and caring for the
cattle again and doing fine. Jenny is getting second opinions about her own
back treatment, as she has a couple of bad discs and stenosis of the spine.
She's quite upbeat, though, and is enjoying life.
It will be great to see her in person and meet Jimmie at our 50th Class
Reunion!
by Berneta Peeples , Associate
Editor, Belton Journal
Lois Garner (Mrs. Alton C.)
Martin is looking forward to her
birthday. She will be 100 years
old Sunday, Jan. 9. A resident
of Crestview Manor Nursing
Home for the past several years,
she is looking at the future with a
big smile and happy attitude.
She has been excited for
some months because she final-
ly got hearing aids that really
work, after many year of being
"stone deaf" in her own words.
The east wall of her room is
mostly big window and with the
natural light and a strong lighted
magnifying glass, she still reads
newspaper and any book that
happens to be handy.
She takes daily exercises
designed for her by the rehab
staff at the home and "eats fair-
ly well for someone her age;"
according to nursing staff.
Mrs. Martin said the years
she spent as secretary to the
principal of Belton Junior High
School (Joe Pirtle) back in the
long ago "were an education
all its own, entertaining and
rewarding."
She was born on a farm
in Tennessee Valley, the eldest
daughter of Daisy Heartfield
Garner and Frank Garner.
The family lived in Belton and
Temple. She graduated from
Temple High School and married
Alton Martin Nov. 26, 1936,
in Temple. Her late husband was
a long-time officer in the First
National Bank in Belton. The
family moved from Temple to
Belton when he joined the bank.
A talented artist, she was
a "professional homemaker" for
her husband, son and daughter.
Now in fragile health because
of a long-standing heart
Editor, Belton Journal
Lois Garner (Mrs. Alton C.)
Martin is looking forward to her
birthday. She will be 100 years
old Sunday, Jan. 9. A resident
of Crestview Manor Nursing
Home for the past several years,
she is looking at the future with a
big smile and happy attitude.
She has been excited for
some months because she final-
ly got hearing aids that really
work, after many year of being
"stone deaf" in her own words.
The east wall of her room is
mostly big window and with the
natural light and a strong lighted
magnifying glass, she still reads
newspaper and any book that
happens to be handy.
She takes daily exercises
designed for her by the rehab
staff at the home and "eats fair-
ly well for someone her age;"
according to nursing staff.
Mrs. Martin said the years
she spent as secretary to the
principal of Belton Junior High
School (Joe Pirtle) back in the
long ago "were an education
all its own, entertaining and
rewarding."
She was born on a farm
in Tennessee Valley, the eldest
daughter of Daisy Heartfield
Garner and Frank Garner.
The family lived in Belton and
Temple. She graduated from
Temple High School and married
Alton Martin Nov. 26, 1936,
in Temple. Her late husband was
a long-time officer in the First
National Bank in Belton. The
family moved from Temple to
Belton when he joined the bank.
A talented artist, she was
a "professional homemaker" for
her husband, son and daughter.
Now in fragile health because
of a long-standing heart
| Jenny's Mom, Lois Garner Martin, Turns 100 on Jan. 9, 2011 |
problem, the birthday will be
celebrated with a family-only
dinner at the home of her son
Dan Martin, in Morgan's Point.
Her daughter is Jenny
Joiner, who lives on a ranch at
Star. She has one granddaugh-
ter, two great-grandchildren and
two great -great-grandchildren.
Her nephew, Dr. Billy
Wilbanks of Belton and Sun
City at Georgetown, supplied
the following information, two
8-l/2x11 handwritten sheets.
"My mama tells me I was
born on a cold January day during
a snowstorm. She said I had the
largest blue eyes she had ever
seen.
"Everything was fine until a
little sister came to join us. She
seemed to rule the whole family.
She even cried when she noticed
I had a brown "chicken spot" on
the side of my feet. She did not
have a spot! I was held out of
the 1st grade until she was old.
enough to go to school. She'd
have to have someone at home
to play with.
"One day Wilma and I
climbed the ladder in the barn
to play in the loft. On the way up
Wilma found a mice nest. She
dropped a handful of them down
the back of my dress. I already
had a mortal fear of mice.
"After a heavy rain Wilma
would gather a handful of long
earthworms and chase me with
them, to the delight of my par-
ents.
"My daddy took me to the
peach orchard to learn to shoot
his shotgun. The very first shot
landed me on my back in the
pecan tree leaves. No more gun
for me.
"One hot summer night
daddy put us out in the back
yard on 4 cots to catch some cool
breeze. During the night I dreamed
celebrated with a family-only
dinner at the home of her son
Dan Martin, in Morgan's Point.
Her daughter is Jenny
Joiner, who lives on a ranch at
Star. She has one granddaugh-
ter, two great-grandchildren and
two great -great-grandchildren.
Her nephew, Dr. Billy
Wilbanks of Belton and Sun
City at Georgetown, supplied
the following information, two
8-l/2x11 handwritten sheets.
"My mama tells me I was
born on a cold January day during
a snowstorm. She said I had the
largest blue eyes she had ever
seen.
"Everything was fine until a
little sister came to join us. She
seemed to rule the whole family.
She even cried when she noticed
I had a brown "chicken spot" on
the side of my feet. She did not
have a spot! I was held out of
the 1st grade until she was old.
enough to go to school. She'd
have to have someone at home
to play with.
"One day Wilma and I
climbed the ladder in the barn
to play in the loft. On the way up
Wilma found a mice nest. She
dropped a handful of them down
the back of my dress. I already
had a mortal fear of mice.
"After a heavy rain Wilma
would gather a handful of long
earthworms and chase me with
them, to the delight of my par-
ents.
"My daddy took me to the
peach orchard to learn to shoot
his shotgun. The very first shot
landed me on my back in the
pecan tree leaves. No more gun
for me.
"One hot summer night
daddy put us out in the back
yard on 4 cots to catch some cool
breeze. During the night I dreamed
I saw a big white dog coming out
of the woods to catch us. That
ended outdoor sleeping for me.
"We lived about 2 miles
from school. Mama would climb
on old Charley and Wilma and
I would climb on the horse - all
three would ride to school. At
the end of the day she would
come for us. Charley was so
smart, he would go out on the
mountain and drive our cows
home to be milked - all alone.
"My mother was the daugh-
ter of Emma Wade and Harry
Heartfield of London, England.
Mama was born in Alabama and
had 3 brothers, twins Edward
and Edmond, and Rowland.
"My Bible teaching consist-
ed of my mama reading from
small Bible cards with a Bible
related picture. We were bap-
tized in a large metal container
of water kept under the dining
room table in the preacher's
home. I remember my mama
being baptized in the Leon River
a few yards from the location
of Lake Belton Dam. I was very
scared and excited. My Garner
grandfather was a Church of
Christ preacher.
"The female members of
my family rode with Dr. John
Pittman in the only automobile
in our community to celebrate
the end of WWI. I stood on the
fender all the way to Belton. On
arriving in town we stood on
the corner of Main and Central
and watched all the people acting
crazy. After all the commotion
my family all came home with
my daddy in our wagon.
"When I was about 9 yrs.
old my parents surprised us
with beautiful little rockers and
Efenbee dolls. My son Dan has
my little chair (No breaks or
scratches)."
of the woods to catch us. That
ended outdoor sleeping for me.
"We lived about 2 miles
from school. Mama would climb
on old Charley and Wilma and
I would climb on the horse - all
three would ride to school. At
the end of the day she would
come for us. Charley was so
smart, he would go out on the
mountain and drive our cows
home to be milked - all alone.
"My mother was the daugh-
ter of Emma Wade and Harry
Heartfield of London, England.
Mama was born in Alabama and
had 3 brothers, twins Edward
and Edmond, and Rowland.
"My Bible teaching consist-
ed of my mama reading from
small Bible cards with a Bible
related picture. We were bap-
tized in a large metal container
of water kept under the dining
room table in the preacher's
home. I remember my mama
being baptized in the Leon River
a few yards from the location
of Lake Belton Dam. I was very
scared and excited. My Garner
grandfather was a Church of
Christ preacher.
"The female members of
my family rode with Dr. John
Pittman in the only automobile
in our community to celebrate
the end of WWI. I stood on the
fender all the way to Belton. On
arriving in town we stood on
the corner of Main and Central
and watched all the people acting
crazy. After all the commotion
my family all came home with
my daddy in our wagon.
"When I was about 9 yrs.
old my parents surprised us
with beautiful little rockers and
Efenbee dolls. My son Dan has
my little chair (No breaks or
scratches)."