After Dorothy died Ray was faced with three teenagers, two farms, and a full-time job as a division-level engineer for the telephone company along with his role in the church as the Sunday School Superintendent and later Sunday School teacher.
Multi-tasking was part of his life long before that term became popular. This photo was taken by his daughter, Mary, who had her camera always ready as the class photographer. She caught her dad arriving home from work in his suit on the tractor he had picked up from the mechanic and carrying a box of fried chicken for the evening meal. A typical day at that time.
Tommy continued helping in the fields and Peggy was taking on a lot around the house with Mary’s help.
After a year of getting life settled down and working to create fun times with the kids, he decided to buy a boat to go skiing and fishing. A good adviser for that purchase was Audrey Davis who still ran the outboard motor, lawn mower, and repair dealership left by her husband who had past away 15 years before. A boat was bought and many fishing trips ensued along with Saturday skiing on nearby Goode’s Lake.
About three years after Dorothy died he and Audrey were married by Cousin Huey in the house at the farm. Audrey had two children, Becky and Lanier. Becky had completed college and Lanier was in school. Lanier came with his mother to live on the farm with Ray, Peggy, and Mary but later moved back to their house in Escatawpa, Mississippi. Audrey soon was a mainstay in the community, active in the church, and respected and accepted by all.
Perhaps we should tell the rather complex story of why Audrey’s last name is Davis and she was this writer’s aunt before she became his stepmother. Yes, that means Becky and Lanier were his cousins before they became step-sister and step-brother. The story is a small saga about how families drift apart and then come back together. It takes more than a few minutes to explain so that explanation will have to be for another day.
Life was about working the farm and continuing his career at the telephone company. Tommy had graduated from the University of South Alabama, moved into an apartment in Mobile and Peggy was beginning her college work. Mary, like Tommy and Peggy before her, was very involved in extra-curricular activities in high school. Peggy graduated and later Mary graduated from “South”. Ray was very proud that all three of his children had college degrees.
Near the end of his career at the phone company, someone in upper management decided a good thing would be to rotate the District level managers. All of a sudden Ray was moved from being over the Engineering District to being the District Construction Manager. He knew that department’s role, but we think he saw himself as an engineer–not a construction guy. But he stepped up and took over a very different staff with a similar but very different role.
A big challenge came when Hurricane Frederick hit and blew down most of the telephone poles and wires serving south Alabama. Hurricane Frederic was the second major hurricane of the 1979 Atlantic hurricane season. Frederic was the costliest hurricane to have hit the U.S. Gulf Coast at that time.
As District Construction Manager Ray’s job was to lead the thousands of workers racing from other cities and states to restore telephone service. He spent many long hours during those weeks after the storm away from the farm that was also blown apart. Audrey was at home with no electricity and no telephone and a husband who had a very important job but could not be there as much as he wanted to be.
Retirement from the phone company had looked appealing for many years and he talked about those coming good days. He had often thought he would retire early to work on the farm. Finally, a deal was offered and he retired in the summer of 1981.