Tynsy Foster
500. S. Grand Street
Grove, OK 74344
April 27, 2006
Dear Tynsy,
I saw the enclosed article about your Memory Bears, and called you about making one for my father, Mood Bryan Price, Jr., who died almost a year ago. I am sending his favorite shirt; as you can see, it is stained and torn and almost worn out, but he never parted with it. It is the clothing I most associate with him, other than his military uniforms, and we have lots of pictures of him in this shirt. I don’t know if there are enough undamaged sections for making a bear; I have enclosed an extra $5 in case it is necessary to buy some other material to go with it.
My dad was raised in a tiny town in northeastern Tennessee, in Appalachia. He grew up in a one-room farmhouse without plumbing or electricity, taking a heated brick to bed with him to stay warm. He spent his winters in school and his summers working on a farm, helping bring in the hay and tending the cows. His mother, my grandmother, often told the story of him reading a book as he walked along behind the cows. He loved learning.
He gave up his dream of going to college when he was seventeen, in order to provide for his mother and sister through a Navy salary. He became a pilot as World War II was ending, and he continued his Navy career as a pilot of both airplanes and helicopters, and as executive officer for a number of bases and aircraft carriers. He married his sister’s best friend, and had four of us kids. His job gave us an exciting childhood, taking us from coast to coast, and to Guam and the Philippines.
After he retired in my senior year of high school, he and Mom traveled most of the U.S. by camper, and some of the world by tour bus. He finally finished his coveted bachelor’s degree and also his master’s, setting a goal that we his children have strived to equal.
In his retirement years, he was most happy puttering around the house, going to garage sales, reading, reading, reading, and the occasional cross-country car trip that he and Mom undertook. He was always there to help us kids as we made life changes, in particular helping me with handyman jobs around the house or with my car.
After some heart trouble in his 60’s, he became very health conscious, making every effort to eat as healthfully as possible, and to exercise. He lost the extra weight he had gained after he stopped smoking, and he was always encouraging us to healthful living. Unfortunately, he developed myelofibrosis which turned into leukemia. It took his life a little more than a year after his diagnosis. He was 2 weeks shy of his 80th birthday.
I sincerely appreciate this ministry of yours, and look forward to receiving my Memory Bear.
Sincerely yours,
Nancy Sliwa
Share this Post