Happy Birthday, Susan

 Departing from the format for today, I want to honor the birthday of a dear friend who meant the world to me not so very many years ago. Unfortunately, we lost touch and I was not aware until recently that she passed from this life last summer.

OBITUARY 

 

It is with joyous hearts that we celebrate the life of Susan Ezell Patin, who went home to be with her faithful lord and savior on July 1, 2025, at the age of 78, in her beloved hometown of Mobile, Alabama. Born on August 31, 1946, Susan embodied a spirit of love and warmth that touched the lives of all who knew her.

A devoted member of Loxley Presbyterian Church, Susan was a vibrant force within her community, where her unwavering faith shone brightly and influenced those around her. Her steadfast commitment to her church activities was just one reflection of her deep-rooted values and her passion for serving others.

Susan was a nurturing mother to her two children, Greg (Melinda) Patin of Daphne, AL, and Aimee Patin-Mizelle of Loxley, AL. Her love encompassed not only her children but also extended to her grandchildren and great-granddaughter, who were a source of endless joy and pride for her. She is survived by her grandson, Michael Benjamin (Courtney) Watson, and her cherished great-granddaughter, Margo Watson, who will forever hold the memories of their time with her close to their hearts.

In addition to her immediate family, Susan is remembered fondly by her brother, Norwood Bailey Ezell of Wilmer, AL, and her sister, Libby (John) Wright of Birmingham, AL. The love of family was paramount in her life, and she cherished her relationships with her siblings and several nieces and nephews, who will miss her gentle spirit and laughter.

Susan's legacy is also carried forth by her special family friend, Debra Allen of Mobile, AL, who stood by her side through thick and thin, a testament to the deep connections she forged throughout her life.

She is preceded in death by her beloved son, Larry Michael Patin, and her devoted parents, Elmer and Margaret Ezell, who laid the foundations of love and compassion that Susan so beautifully carried into her own family.

As we celebrate the life of Susan Ezell Patin, let us remember her kindness, her unwavering faith, and the love she effortlessly shared with everyone around her. She leaves behind a legacy that will live on in the hearts of her family and friends, and she will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege to know her.

* * * 

 

 The last time I talked with Susan, she was living with her mother, Beth Ezell, and taking care of her in the last few years of her life. Beth passed away in 2020 at the age of 100.

PHOTO: Beth Ezell, Susan Patin

Richard Thomas Memories

ROLLER SKATING AT THE BANK

 I remember when we wanted to roller skate we would all meet at the bank in Hartford because they had put in all new concrete and it was very smooth, but the people coming in and out of the bank were sometimes unhappy with us.

* * *

Here is a picture of the bank in Hartford, as it appeared in 1992. The picture was taken from Main Street. It looks pretty much exactly the same as it did when I was in high school. In 1992 it was still a bank, though not the same name. The parking lot is behind the building.

Here is a screen grab from Google maps of the building as it looks today (taken from Center Street). It appears to be a doctor's office or health clinic now -- Holy Family Healthcare. From this angle, the parking lot would have been to the left of the building.

This picture shows where the parking lot was, between the bank and the next building. It's still there, more or less.

Richard Thomas Memories

DELIVERING SHOW BILLS

 While we lived in the Carette house I got a job delivering show bills. This was a piece of paper about the size of 3” x 4” that advertised the upcoming movies for the month. We would go from door to door delivering them in Hartford, Watervliet, Bangor and Lawrence.  I got a free pass to the movie every time it changed, so I went to the show any time I wanted.

PHOTO: Main Street, Hartford, Michigan

Near the left side of the picture is the Heart movie theater.

That theater was still there when I was a teenager, and as far as I know it is still in operation.

Richard Thomas Memories

CARETTE HOUSE

 We lived in the Carette house on the east side of Hartford when I was 12,13, and 14 years old. This was the first house I remember having an inside bath room with a tub. It sure was nice.  When you went upstairs there was a hallway that led to a bedroom but in one wall was a built in twin size bed. This was my bed until my brother Bernarde got married and I got the bedroom. 

 This place had a two car garage. It also had an out building where we stored our bats and balls, because we had a big corner lot that all the kids from that end of town played ball on.  It was also used by one of our neighbors to train the dogs that they used at the circus. This was a Hartford Circus act that called themselves “The Happy Harrison Merry Makers” and were literally a dog and pony show.  

This picture is labeled "Carette house"

Richard Thomas Memories

STUCK ON THE BARN ROOF

This story is about the time I got stuck on the barn roof.  I was about 12 or so and we lived on the Straight place.  We had a silo next to the barn so I climbed up the silo and put a board across to the barn and went across.  That was OK, however, when I went to go back across the board would always slip to the point it would fall off. Soooo... I sat on the barn roof for a long time trying to figure out how I was going to get back across.  I was home all alone.  I knew that when Mother got home she would be mad and hysterical and she couldn't climb up the silo to help, so I figured she would call the fire department.  Well I decided that I would go across this time even if I fall.  Smart, huh? As you know I did not fall and all was well. I never told mother of this adventure until after I had been married several years. Even then, she got pretty huffy about it. 

This is not one of our family photos. I don't have a picture of the barn that is in this story.

Richard Thomas Memories

World War II ended while we lived here and I remember the night we heard the news on the radio, my dad got out his old shot gun and fired it two times in the air.  We could hear people going to town honking their horns so we got in the car and also went to town where we found people driving up and down main street honking their horns and yelling at each other.  Every one was so happy that the war was over.  My brother Bernarde had just gone into the army and was soon shipped overseas to Japan as part of the occupation force. 

PHOTO: Bernarde's 17th birthday, August 1944

L-R: Richard, Bernarde, Robert Goodrich, John Robertson, Russell Kime, Roy 'Bud' Davis, Bill Galbreath

Richard Thomas Memories

WAR TIME RATIONING

 During the war everything was rationed - gas, tires, sugar, meat and most other things. Everyone with an automobile was given an “A” sticker and a book of ration stamps. An “A” stamp was good for three gallons of gas a week.  If you needed your automobile for work, you could apply for a “C” ration and if you were a student who needed to drive to school you could apply for a “B” ration.

PHOTO: I don't know who this is, but this photo was among my dad's pictures. The gas station is the Crystal Flash, in Hartford, Michigan.

Richard Thomas Memories

WORLD WAR II

One of the memories of my childhood was during World War II, when the Hartford fair grounds was a prisoner of war camp. I remember going down to the fair grounds and watching the prisoners and the American guards in the guard towers on the corners. I was amazed and somewhat scared because the prisoners had their German uniforms on.

* * *

PHOTO: Hartford, Michigan. The racetrack was the site of the annual Van Buren County Fair. This is where the POW camp was established during WWII.

I wasn't able to find any pictures specifically from the Hartford POW camp, but here are some pictures that I got from the internet of WWII POW camps in Michigan.

And here is a link to an article about the camps --

https://www.hometownlife.com/story/news/local/birmingham/2021/11/25/michigan-history-state-home-6-000-pows-during-wwii/8746866002/

Alan Kessler

On this day in 1954, Alan Kessler was dragged kicking and screaming into this world.

(He didn't know it, but he was brought here just for me.)

He doesn't even know I have some of these pictures.

Richard Thomas Memories

WILLYS CAR

We had an old Willys car. I remember that in the center of the steering wheel was a button about 2” around, and if you pushed it the horn would blow, if you turned it the head lights would come on, and if you pulled out on it the car started. 

PHOTO: I have no idea if this is the Willys car or not. But it's a cute picture of Richard and his dog.

Richard Thomas Memories

Boots the dog

PHOTO: Boots

I remember the time that mother and I went to town to get some feed for our cow at Makilies Coal and Feed Store, we took our little dog Boots with us. Later that evening we noticed that Boots was nowhere to be found so we decided we would go down to the feed store and look for her. As we stopped the car, dad called for her and here she came running. I sure was glad to see her. We went from there to Bangor because Uncle George was dying.  

PHOTO: George Adams

George Adams was the husband of Kate Ford Adams. 

Kate was a sister of Nancy Ford Thomas (Richard's grandmother).

PHOTO L-R: George Adams, Christie Thomas, Richard Thomas in front of Bill Thomas, Kate Adams (front), Harry Wieland, "Mabel and Bill" -- I don't know who Mabel and Bill are, possibly related to Harry Wieland. Harry was the husband of Bill's sister Effie Thomas (not in the photo -- she probably took the picture).

Richard Thomas Memories

HUNTING DOG

We had a good hunting dog but he was kind of unusual because when he was hunting alone and was on the other side of the railroad tracks and a train was coming he would head for home. One time he didn’t make it and was killed by the train. 

This is a picture of my grandfather, Bill Thomas, with his truck and his dog. I have pictures of several different dogs with my dad, so I don't know for sure which one he's talking about in this anecdote.

I found this picture recently that I didn't remember ever seeing before. It's somewhat the worse for wear, but my efforts to fix the wrinkles just made it worse, so...

Richard Thomas Memories

 FLOUR SACKING

My cousin Ralph recently reminded me of the time he and I went flour sacking.  This is when you would fill an old flour sack with straw, and tie a string to it and lay it on the shoulder of the road.  Of course this was when we lived in the country. Back then a lot of the older cars had fenders and there was a space between the fender and the hood, and people would lay their sack of flour on the fender. Well we would lay the flour sack along side of the road, lay the string from the flour sack to the ditch or a bush, something to hide us. We would then cover the string with dirt and wait for someone to stop to pick up the flour sack. Just as they were about to pick it up we would pull the string and the flour sack would jump away and that would scare the people. Most of the time the people would laugh but some times the people would get real mad and cuss us out. My brother Bernarde and some of his friends also did this years before we did. 

* * *

Here is an article from Bud Davis' column in the Tri-City Record newspaper.

PHOTO: Bud Davis is 2nd from right. This picture was taken on Bernarde's 17th birthday. Bernarde is 2nd from left. (The little guy in front of Bernarde is his little brother Richard -- my dad.) The other guys (L-R) are Robert Goodrich, John Robertson, Russell Kime, and Bill Galbreath. The adults in the background are my grandparents, Christie and Bill Thomas.

* * *

If you can't read the print in the newspaper article, here's the transcript:

Flour Sacking!

 

What a strange title!  I am not referring to the cloth feed sacks that grain used to come in and were used for making ladies’ and girls’ dresses back in the day.  No, I am talking about an adventure called “flour sacking” in which we used to indulge back then.  We were kids… studying for the gallows.  In other words, up to no good!  Our pranks were not really malicious, but we had this “game” we used to play.  We needed a place that was sort of country, with a cornfield that came right up to the road. Best to have a place that was not heavily traveled, because we needed time to get set and have all the arrangements completed.  We also needed a 25-lb. paper flour sack…Gold Medal, Pillsbury, or whatever.  Just so it was empty and looked new.  Our folks always saved those sacks for later use, so that was no problem.  And we needed about 50-100 ft. of binder twine. This was stout cord of a neutral color, which was also necessary for camouflaging.  Fortunately, we had such a place and situation that was ideal!  One of my friends, Bernarde Thomas, lived at the end of Linden Street, about two blocks east of our greenhouses.  On that same street lived Jim Tollar and Bill Galbreath.  Russell Kime lived out north, but often came into town for the day.  They were all part of our “flour sacking” gang.  Now, at the end of Linden, the north-south street ran from Main Street out into the country past Simpson’s woods.  This was where Bernarde lived.  It was at the edge of town; and they had a spacious, shady yard… just the right size to set up for a game of croquet.  It sounds like an innocent game… but can be played with malice.  We used to delight in getting a position so we could knock another player’s croquet ball clear out of the field!  On a summer day one of our gang did that to Bernarde’s Mom… too many times.  She chased him right out of their yard, threatening dire consequences!  And just south of their place was located an ideal spot for flour sacking… a cornfield that came right up to the gravel road.  We could set up our little scam; and when it was completed, melt way back in the corn… farther than any irate motorist would chase us.  Besides, we were all fast runners… and the fear of being caught lent wings to our feet!  We filled the flour sack with hay, straw, or something light.  Then we tied the opening shut with the end of our long length of binder twine.  We placed the pristine, apparently full, flour sack on the edge of the road.  Using all the skill we could muster, we covered the twine carefully with gravel and sand back into the cornfield.  And… gripping firmly the other end of the string, we settled down to await a victim.  Hot summer day, quiet country road… and there was a full flour sack, lying right where it had fallen off some unsuspecting farmer’s truck!  Who could resist such a freebie!  And we waited and waited… giggling, and occasionally looking up and down the road to spot an approaching motorist.  Then here came one… a farmer in a black Ford (was there any other color?).  He came roaring along the dusty road, spotted the innocent-looking flour sack, and shortly thereafter stepped on the brakes.  Meanwhile, we reeled in the sack and retreated farther into the corn, trying to stifle our laughter.  The farmer backed up… way past where we were.  He came along slowly past, then backed up again.  A few times the victim got out, looked up and down the road.  Then scratching his head, he shook it, as if he couldn’t believe what he had seen, and got back in his car to drive off.

 One time when Bernarde was holding the string, he got to laughing so hard the farmer got out of his car, reached down and scooped up the sack before he could reel in the line. Bernarde snatched it right out of his hands and everyone ran off into the cornrows, dragging the flour sack behind.  The guy was so spooked he jumped back in his car and roared out of sight.  I’ll bet when he got home, he walked into the kitchen, sat down, and said to his wife, “You aren’t going to believe what happened to me today!”  Then tragedy struck.  One man came along, saw the innocent-looking sack, and had evidently been taken in before.  He swerved over, hit the sack with his front tire, so that sack and straw exploded all over the road.  Then he went roaring down the road… probably laughing his head off at how he had fixed those durned kids!  That was a million years ago… and it was just yesterday.  I can smell the hot cornfields, the dusty country road, and feel summer sun on my back from those days.  Russell and Bernarde have both slipped into the shadowed part of the Great Circle of Life: They each served our country:  Russell went into WWII about the same time I did.  He fought in the Battle of the Bulge, was wounded, and decorated.  After the war, he married a classmate of mine, Joyce Goodrich; and they lived their lives in St. Joe.  Bernarde, a little younger, went into service after we got home.  We saw him off on the train and met him again when he came home two years later.  He became a heavy equipment operator, married Eileen Rice; and they lived their lives over near Decatur.

 

Tri-City Record, April 9, 2009 Watervliet, Michigan

Richard Thomas Memories

Hitchhiking to Ralph's

PHOTO: Bernarde, Richard, Bill 

(and Boots the dog)

When I was 10 or 12 years old I would hitchhike from Hartford to Ralph's over by South Haven. Most of the people that came along knew me so I would get picked up but some times the rides were short.  I always had to walk from the Jericho store to where Ralph lived, about 2 miles. 

Richard Thomas Memories

Silver Beach

One summer Ralph and I  took the train to St. Joseph where the Silver Beach Amusement Park was and went on all the rides. We each had $2.50 to eat on and ride the rides and it was enough. 

PHOTO: Silver Beach postcard

PHOTO: Chesapeake & Ohio passenger train

(This is an older picture, but the trains looked just about the same as this at the time Richard and Ralph rode it to Silver Beach.)

PHOTO: Bangor kindergarten teacher Kathryn Linman taking her class for a train ride. The kindergarten classes did this every year. (This would have been in the 1950s.)

PHOTO: Chessie pin that was given to each one of the children on the train ride.

Richard Thomas Memories

My Cousin Ralph

My cousin Ralph lived with us a lot in the summer time and one year when the fair was on we walked down the rail road tracks to the fair grounds and jumped the back fence to get in the fair. We spent the day there and walked home that evening the same way.  

PHOTO L-R: Ray Treat, Christie and Bill Thomas, Ralph Till, Massie Treat, John Treat, Bernarde Thomas, Mabel Treat, Richard Thomas.

Massie Treat was my great-grandmother. She was the mother of Christie, Ray, and John in this photo. Mabel was John's wife. Bernarde and Richard were sons of Bill and Christie Thomas. Ralph was the son of Madge Till -- sister of Chris and Ray and John. (Madge is not in this picture.)

Richard Thomas Memories

MY COUSIN RALPH

This is also the place we lived when my cousin Ralph Till shot at me with the 410 shot gun. We were having an argument about something and he said he was going to shoot me, so I took off for the barn.  He waited until I had reached the barn before he shot and hit the barn door just after I went through it.  I remember lots of things about this place.

PHOTO: Ralph Till

Richard Thomas Memories

 HARTFORD HIGH SCHOOL

When we lived here I had to walk down our long drive way about ¼ of a mile to a paved road where I got the school bus to school in Hartford. This picture is how the school looked at that time. 

Richard Thomas Memories

Hudson Terraplane

For some reason, Aunt Renue and Uncle Erwin were staying with us. They had just purchased a new Hudson Terraplane car, but it came without the front and rear bumpers.  This was right after the war and the car factories were changing back from making war supplies and this was one of the first cars made after the war.  The dealer told them that as soon as the bumpers came in they would put them on for them.  I believe that Hudson came without a spare tire, but I’m not sure.

Richard Thomas Memories

When I was about nine or ten years old.  I remember going to Olds grocery store for our groceries. Mom had a list and would give it to the clerk, usually one of the Olds brothers, and they would get what ever was on the list, bag it and take it to our car.  

PHOTOS: Olds' grocery store

Hartford, Michigan

Richard Thomas Memories

 I remember lots of things about this place. One was the time I almost fell off the wind mill, I was playing with a handkerchief made like a parachute so I thought I would climb to the top of our wind mill and throw it up from there and it would go a long way. Well when  I was in the process of this I almost fell off the windmill. This scares me to tell this now.  

Richard Thomas Memories

 One time when my dad and I were getting some corn stalks from the field to the barn to feed the cows, a field mouse ran up my dad’s pant leg. My dad always wore bib overalls, and I remember Dad grabbing his overalls in the chest area catching the mouse and squeezing it until it was dead.  

Richard Thomas Memories

 I got my first shot gun here. It was a 44 caliber rifle bored out to a 410 caliber shot gun (single shot).  I got it from my cousin Ralph Till when he got a new one.  The first time I went hunting I got a pheasant.  I was in the corn field and saw the pheasant running down the corn row ahead of me so I ran after it.  When it took off I shot just as it was at the top of the corn stalks.

Richard Thomas Memories

 THE STRAIGHT FARM

When we lived here we only had an outside toilet,  It was OK in the summer time, but in the winter it was not so nice going through the snow, and the wind would sometimes blow through the cracks in the door and make little snow drifts.  I remember when my dad made a small room on the back porch and put in a toilet stool. but no running water so we had to carry water to flush with. This room had no heat but it was better than going out side.  I took my bath in a wash tub in the kitchen because it was the warmest room in the house and that was not the best sometimes.  We had a wood burning stove in the kitchen and a coal burning pot bellied stove in the living room and they would heat the whole house. We would close off any room that was not needed.  When my mother would build a fire she would put some fuel oil on the kindling and sometimes we would have a small explosion, and sometimes she would get that pot bellied stove red hot getting the house warmed up.  

Richard Thomas Memories

 THE GREAT TRAIN ESCAPE

One time when I was about 10 or 12 years old Dale Swinford and I were out at the railroad trestle north of Hartford throwing rocks down at the turtles in the mill pond. For some reason we did not notice that a train was coming and when we did see it we started for the end of the trestle but did not have time to get there. At the very last second we swung over the side and were hanging on the railroad ties. It was so close that the train men thought they had hit us and stopped the train.  With the train stopped we could not get back up on the tracks so we hand over handed to the end of the trestle and hid.  The train people told people in town that they hit some kids playing on the trestle and they came looking for us. Later we came out of hiding and acted like we were looking too.  Dale and I vowed never to tell anyone.  Years later, after I was married, one day I told Mom and Dad, and Mother remembered that day. 

Richard Thomas Memories

THE BRIDGE

While we lived there us kids would go out north of Hartford to the mill pond and go swimming at the bridge.  We would ride our bicycles out to the bridge and ride them off the end of the dock into the water.  After we were through swimming we would dive down to the bottom and get our bicycles.  I could dive off the cross bars of the bridge about 15 feet from the water but some of the older kids (I was about 10 or 11 years old) could dive off the top of the bridge about 30 feet to the water. The current was so strong and I was so small I couldn’t swim up stream so I would swim down stream until got to shore and would walk back up the road to the bridge.