Gaddies Givens, father of Barbara Givens Henderson and father-in-law of James Henry Henderson died Friday night at 11:57 pm in the St. Lukes Northland Hospital of pneumonia and complications from cancer.  Gaddies was my father-in-law for 45 years and lived with Barbara and I since 1994.  I affectionately called him Mr. G.  He was an avid sports fan and his love in life included the Atlanta Braves, Washington Redskins and of course, his beloved Alabama Crimson Tide.  We watched a number of sporting events together over the years and I always marveled at how calm and cool he stayed while I was usually huffing and puffing at the TV set when our teams were losing.  He very much missed fishing when he moved in with us and I was sorry that neither my son Dennis or I had the time or inclination to carry him fishing.  He really missed that.  He did love all of his relatives and you could not get him to ever say a bad word about any of them.  He especially loved being around his great grandkids and even though at times he suffered in pain, he was always willing to travel over to their houses for some of the family events.  He especially loved going to Dennis's house for fried catfish, hush puppies and home made beer.  I will especially miss the summer afternoon conversations when he and I would sit in the shade of the back deck and talk about his growing up in Alabama and all of the stories he would tell me concerning the farm life that he and his family lived back in his youth.  We also talked a lot about his time in the military and especially his time in France during the Second World War.  He had a great sense of humor and had a number of saying that will always stay with us the rest of our lives.  I will have more to say and publish over the next few months.

In the meantime, Barbara has written down some of her thoughts about her dad.  This is a very emotional time for her and it gave her some release to put these thoughts on paper

November 16, 2007

He was my father and friend. He was a favorite uncle to many nieces and nephews. He was a loving grandfather and great grandfather. He loved his parents and made sure that their needs were met. He loved his brothers and sisters. His memories of growing up with them were precious. He loved the Givens reunions.

His younger years were spent playing baseball and later on he loved bowling. He was a great bowler. He and I spent many afternoons bowling. His aim was so accurate that he could keep the blackbirds away by just walking outside with a slingshot in hand. He was an Alabama fan and admired Bear Bryant. He even wore a hat like Bear’s. He also liked the Atlanta Braves and the Washington Redskins.

He was a fiddle player, guitar player and harmonica blower. He loved to play music in the Givens Boys band.

He was a military man and served his country proudly during WWII. He was a truck driver for 45 or so years and he loved that job.

He was married to my mother for many years. (61) He loved her cooking especially sweet potatoes and dumplings and my Aunt Nell’s pound cake. He love to fish and eat fried catfish. Cole slaw was a must to have with fish or Popeye’s chicken. He could shell butterbeans like no one else. He loved collards and mustard greens. There were times in his life that he ate only once a day, meaning he munched all day.

He always had his little knife, that his grandkids gave him, handy just in case we needed to cut some string or pry something.

When ever we were out doing errands or doctors appointments, I would ask if he would mind if I stopped at a few more places. His reply would always be the same, "You go where you want, I’ll be right here beside you".

His eyes were the bluest of blue and his smile was contagious. He took pride in his appearance. His hair was cut high and tight with a small pompadour to the right. His favorite color was blue.

He was quiet and reserved. He allowed others to have their say.

He did not speak badly of anyone. His motto was Smile and be Happy. He pretty much had a smile on his face all the time.

His trophies were his grandchildren and his great grandchildren. He was always ready to dole out the M & M’s. He was the King of M & M’s.

He was the one we called when we couldn’t find something. He would find it and say with a grin, "It was in the last place I looked". He loved to say that.

His handwriting was a little on the fancy side. He loved cowboy movies and wrasslin’ and game shows on TV.

He was our "Lawn Ranger" He loved to drive the big mower and did most of the field grass cutting.

I would ask him what he wanted for his birthday, Father’s day, Christmas or on any other day and he would reply, "Give me cool water and kind words". I sincerely hope that I gave him that.

He never complained. He was very brave to the end.

He loved me and my husband and we loved him. He believed in heaven and I know that he is there now. I will miss him so much but my happy memories of him will help me through my sorrow. I will remember his motto whenever I think of him. Smile and be happy. He would want that.