Barbara Grinder:
CLASS OF 1961
Howard High SchoolClass of 1961
Nashville, TN
Barbara's Story
Feb. 1958 my family moved from Bellevue to Nashville and my life was changed forever. A new life unfolded for me as a freshman at Howard High School. My closest friend used to be a half mile walk and now I had friends next door and all around me. Every one welcomed me and I loved my new school.
After graduation I was employed by National Life Insurance Company for 7 years. In March 1962 I married Eddie Justice. Like so many young girls in the 60's, I believed love and marriage would turn him into a loving husband and father. I was very wrong and we were divorced in April of 1967 with no children.
It took 3 months for a girlfriend of mine to talk me into meeting a friend of hers that was 12 years older than me. We had our 1st date Jan 28th, 1967. I knew that first night that he was very special. A very loving God had led me to this wonderful man, Leroy Thompson and we were married Dec. 17, 1967.
One of first places Leroy took me for a date was fishing on Ky Lake. That was the begining of my life as his fishing partner and I have the trophies to prove it. Our 3 kids grew up in a boat and camping tents. Well almost anyway. Leroy loved dancing almost as much as he loved fishing. We danced at all the local spots where any band was playing and joined the Elk's Club to have a better place to go dancing. When the kids got older they went with us.
We always saved up our fish for a big fishfry every summer and both sides of the family came as well as all our friends. Those were some wonderful times.
I was living the life I had always dreamed of as wife and full time mom to 3 kids. My life was so filled with love that I could not belive it would end so suddenly. We lost Leroy Oct 10, 1984 to a brain aneurysm. It was through the support of all our combined families that each of us survived his great loss. To my great suprise the sun came up each morning and life went on. Prayer from so many friends was one of my greatest support system.
After 2 years in our big house with only 1 son still home, I sold the house and bought a small condo in the same area and I am still there today.
God is good and once again...Expand for more
love came into my life. In Sept of 1993 I was married to Ed Grinder, another wonderful man now loves me. God blessed me with a loving, kind, intelligent partner who works very hard to help me to constanly grow and impove everyday. In May of 2008, he suffered his 3rd heart attack and was forced to retire. He now spends many happy hours at his computer with the online businesses he had started up. He is always there for me and does a lot around the house to help me while I am at work. We are true partners and love each other very much.
I work for an answering service that answers for over 900 Doctors, 6 medical clinics, 75 apartment complexes, 6 HAVC repair companies, 5 funeral homes and several lawyers. Our business stays open 24/7, 365 days a yr. We have a staff of 30 women that works in rotating shifts because we never close. Someday I should write a book about the people who have called the answering service with the strangest stories.
My daughter Paula is a school teacher in Litchfield Park, AZ, just outside of Phoenix. My son Larry works in the mental health field in Vancover, WA. My younges son Rick, lives in Nashville and works as a draftsman with a great architectural firm. He is also a talented singer, songwriter and plays several insturments as well as teaching others how to play. Last year his comtempary Christian group recored thier first CD and have almost completed a new one.
Leroy had an older son and daughter that stayed with their mother when we married so there is a total of 5 kids. I have been blessed with a very loving relationsip with all 5 kids. They in turn have given me 10 grandchildren and 13 greatgrand children. Ed's daughter Nicole lives in Arkansas and has 3 children, his oldest son Eddie Jr is married with 2 stepdaughters and lives in Memphis, TN. His youngest son Gregory remains unmarried and lives in Arkansas with his sister and her family.
I can truly say that my family is the most important thing in my life. My 2 brothers both live in Nashville and we try to get together a least once a month, usually to eat together.
My life is full of loved ones and Life is Good!!!
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