When in-law means in love

One of the best things about living a long life is that you will have met and known and loved many people through the years. One of the worst things about living a long life is that you experience the loss of many friends and loved ones through the years. Last week, we lost our sister-in-law, Doris Ledbetter Thornton, from Theodosia. Doris and I became soulmates, even before she was officially my sister-in-law.

Lester and I had become engaged and he was leaving the University to go into the Army. We wanted to have the chance for me to meet his family in Taney County, so we went together to his parents' home. This was before Taney County became the tourist mecca that it is today. We were met at night, in Forsyth, by Lester's brother and new wife, Doris. Paul had recently been discharged from the Army and they had established a home near what is now Theodosia. It was called Lutie, then. Paul was driving a coupe so the plan was for the four of us to share the seat for the drive to the family home. But Ozark hospitality interfered. A girl who was from their part of the county had also arrived on the Sunnyland Stage bus and had no way to get home. So, this girl (who I later learned had been an earlier girl friend of Lester's) was invited to ride with us. Paul drove, Doris sat in the middle, and I was on the other end of the seat with this girl in my lap. Lester was delegated to standing on the running board and hanging on through the open window.

We were around 25 miles from their home on a gravel road. After a few miles, this war-time car's headlights went out and Lester was assigned the job of holding a flashlight on the road ahead for Paul to be able to see. There was little or no traffic, so we made it safely, delivered their friend and then, Lester and me to his parents' home. This first meeting with Doris bonded us forever. She often laughed and said she was sure that I would call off the wedding after that experience. We have shared laughs about that night for 68 years.

Any family events were made more special to me because of Doris' humor, generosity, and love. When we lived near each other for some short times, she was a friend to turn to and enjoy. When we lived a distance apart, we appreciated the times the family gathered and we could be together for a day, or a weekend. Lester and I enjoyed visiting in their home and Paul and Doris' two daughters became very special to us.

When we lived in Stockton and Paul and Doris and their girls lived in Springfield, I was due to have our daughter, Shirley, in the Springfield hospital. Our doctor, in Stockton, was to meet us at the hospital when the time came, but it happened that things were moving faster than anticipated, so he followed us (or maybe we followed him, I don't remember) the hour drive to the hospital. We did not have time to take our son, Michael, to the neighbor, who was scheduled to care for him, so he rode with us, on my lap. Lester left me in the doctor's care at the hospital and drove 2-year-old Michael to Doris' house. This unexpected babysitting role didn't faze Doris. She took Michael in her lap and rocked him to sleep. Later, when Lester returned with news of a new niece, she had a bed ready for Lester to stay the rest of the night.

Doris worked for Sears Roebuck, in Springfield, and was always seemingly willing to help us exchange Christmas gifts of the wrong size or to use her knowledge of the store's stock to guide us to good buys. Later when both she and Paul had retired and they had returned to their roots in Taney County (now with paved roads and electricity) she was a gracious hostess when we piled in on her with our kids, and later, our grandkids, to enjoy her great meals and fun times with their daughters and their children.

Their retirement home is now a resort area, but Doris enjoyed her longtime friends and relatives as much or more than the opportunities the lake brought for them. She continued having a garden, canning food and making jellies but enjoyed using more modern conveniences to do this.

As I reread this column, I noticed the many times I used the words enjoy and fun. I will always cherish the memories of the fun times we enjoyed together. She is my sister-in-love.