Letter from Rufe Thompson relating the passing of Clark Thompson
(C. Avis Catalog entry #747)
(Document ID #411)
March 17th,1952.
Dear Nora & Jennie:-
Well Clark passedd away at 4:00 A.M. Friday and was a great releif for him and also for the family as every one had done all that could have been done, I couldn't tell that he ever suffered, I got there Tuesday about 1:30, he knew me and knew me up until about Wednesday noon, Every thing was pleasant with him, it seemed that he went backinto the past and thought of all the good times and his friends, Once he said, Rufe, we have had a lot of good times hav't we,He mentioned of dreaming of fishing all night Wednesday night, after he became unconcious, he said Rufe do you see all those Prairie chickens out there,Once he wondered where the wagon was going to camp, just like we were on a hunting or fishing trip, He remembered you folks either writing or sending a cliping of Tom Lechners's passing away, he mentioned Chalie Featherstone, several times, The funeral was beautiful, flowers were banked up around the casket,The sheriff's force here and all the employees here in the court house went into gether and sent flowers, Lola and all thought that was wonderful that the folks here were so nice,
Cecil and Zonelle and Isabelle have nice homes, and all are doing well, Clark and Lola had some insurance and hospitalization, and I think the Company he was working for paid him an extra months salary, and they were both drawing social security,
Zonelle said Lola,was going to stay with her about two weeks,until she could get to feeling stronger and fix up or straighten up the house inside, said the boys were going to paint the house and clean up the yard for her, Lola said she was going to keep children or baby sit, she has a big back yard, just needs cleaning up, and fixing some play things for children, she can make a fairly good living that away, they had bought this place, about 3 years ago, its small, but is all right, seems like for her, they said something about getting her to sell at and get closer to all of them, but I think that would be a mistake,it is only a little over a block from a nice business center, and might be valuable property some time, Noel went down to Lubbock Firday, got there about 7:00 o'clock and that kepts me from having to ride the busses back, it was a pretty day saturday for the funeral and was pretty all day, we came home
yesterday(Saturday) after noon, Friday noon, the younger church workers and friends filled the kitchen full and food, and stayed and served it, some of the young men got in the kitchen after we a 11 ate and put on aprons and washed dishes, and yesterday after the funeral Friends of Loa's and Clark's and the older class of women came in and filled the kitchen again, I never saw so much food, Fried chicken and meat loaf and cakes and pies of all kinds, the tables and kitchen cabinet was loaded,Cecil's wife sure is a fine woman, she is a teacher, Zonell’s husband is a fine man and is certainly a leader, has a good job and lots of friends, Isabell’s husband is a quiet kind of fellow, but is nice and they say has a good occupation, he is a glass install-tion man, like around doors and trimmings in finer homes etc.,
I am sending clipping out of the Lubbock paper,Nora keep good care of yourself, They are all O.K. down there, and I feel a lot better now, that I went on down when I did, as I saw them all and know how well off they all are, and they are all happy and doing well and have a lot of friends,I know some of them are going to write to you,
Love
{signed ‘Rufe’}