Dad Married Someone Like His Mother...an Angler

 

Mamie Irene Tripp Gates, my paternal grandmother, was born in Cowley County, Kansas, to Rufus E. Tripp and Nettie Ann Venator Tripp on August 16. 1895, exactly 125 years ago today. She was the oldest daughter of her father’s three girls. She had younger twin sisters, Cora and Nora, almost 3 years younger than her.

Earliest Photo of Mamie Irene
                  Tripp Gates in our collection

Grandma related few family stories to me. My father said my grandfather, Edmund Gates, Sr., was the storyteller of the family. Dad even indicated Grandma would say to Grandpa, “Why do want to talk about that old stuff?”

Yet Grandma did tell me of saying “Good-bye” to her father as he died of a kidney disease at the age of 42. To access a blog posting about this time in her life, go to https://bernadeanjgates.blogspot.com/2013/09/one-of-hardest-things-for-little-girl.html. Soon after his passing, her mother married Robert Black. My father and his siblings loved their step-grandfather. He was the only grandfather they knew. At https://bernadeanjgates.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-marriage-of-robert-and-nettie-black.html, one can read what his youngest step granddaughter, Mamie Marie Gates Judkins Tice said about her dear grandfather.

Most of her childhood, Grandma and Cora lived in a blended family with their three younger siblings, Thomas Guinn Black, Ruby Black Gallatin, and Edna Jane Black. A photo of these three children can be seen at https://bernadeanjgates.blogspot.com/2014/03/calamity-in-tent.html. (Cora’s twin sister appears to have died just days after her father. To learn more about trying to solve the mystery of misinformation on her tombstone, click on https://bernadeanjgates.blogspot.com/2015/03/just-because-its-carved-in-stone-doesnt.html )

Grandma attended and graduated from eighth grade at the Belford School on the east side of the Bend at the present location of the home of Greg and Vonda Goad. At the turn of the 20^th century, her graduation represented an educational milestone. It was during one of her school days at that small school the horse her beau, my grandpa, had given her met a horrible fate. To read of that traumatic event in her life, go to https://bernadeanjgates.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-burial-in-school-yard.html.

On March 27, 1912, my grandparents pledged their love to one another, making the commitment to ensure it lasted until one of them died. Twelve children were born into their family and raised on the farm in the west Bend on the Arkansas River. To mark the centennial year of the ownership of the farm originally, this blog post was published. To access it, go to https://bernadeanjgates.blogspot.com/2017/07/100-years-of-memories-as-gates-family.html .

Grandma with "a fish caught out of 
Edmund's pond" 

A myriad of memories flooded my mind as I reflected on Grandma’s longevity full of creativity, frugality, stellar management, hard work, and most importantly, contentment. Her God-given musical skills and sketching expertise from her DNA have filtered down into those descending from her. I delight in hearing of some of her youngest descendants gifted with vocal talents and musical ability. When Dad married Mother, he chose a musically talented person in my mother. Yet he also selected an avid angler just like his own mother. Grandma loved to fish. Once Ben, my brother-in-law, began dating my sister, Angie, it seemed we planned a fishing excursion on most summer holidays like Independence Day and Labor Day. Ben, Mother and Grandma shared the same fervor for “wetting a hook” even though we only fished in our farm ponds. The irony of those outings was Dad expended more energy in mowing along the banks, pulling out of storage and loading the poles, tackle, rods and reels, chairs, and he didn’t even like to fish! He loved his mother and his wife.

One of Ben’s most successful and exciting days at Dad’s Big Pond occurred in July of 1986, when he, with Dad’s help, pulled out a 33-pound catfish. Our greatest regret was that Grandma was hospitalized and not there to enjoy every second of landing the big one. Mother snapped a shot of Dad, Ben, and the large fish with her Polaroid camera. The next day Grandma shared the thrill of the big catch when we took the photo to show her in her hospital room at Stillwater. 

Photo of Dad and Ben
with the big fish that
thrilled Grandma.

Finally, Grandma had faith and lived it out. One of the great examples of this was told by Dad as he recounted his memories from World War II. This paragraph below was taken from Okie Over Europe, Dad’s military memoirs.

                She (Mamie Gates) would later tell him that after he had completed his missions, she had met a local preacher in a store. The man told her he had heard that Edmund had finished his missions and remarked, “Edmund was lucky.”  Immediately, his mother, a very gentle and reserved woman, shot back without blinking an eye, “No!  God took care of him.”  Edmund knew her faith in God was her mainstay as she dealt with having two sons fighting in Europe.  Jess, Edmund’s brother, was based in Italy flying gliders for the Allied effort against the Nazis.

                In a time of uncertainty, filled with unrest in many areas of our lives, we can emulate Grandma’s actions during 1944, when her two oldest living sons were in combat in Europe. She prayed and trusted the Lord. Most importantly, she gave God glory and thanks, even correcting a minister when he contributed Dad’s safe return to luck. Grandma would have none of that.

May we give Him the credit, the praise, and the glory for every good gift He provides to us. That action will help curtail our complaining and ingratitude and give us strength to live a life honoring the God that Grandma served.

I will go in the strength of the Lord God: I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only. Psalm 71:16