September 21, 2015

WOW! Diboll is very fortunate to have an ACE Hardware store. Bobby Dubose is the owner and he has completely redone the Dixon Furniture building on Hines Street. The store is more than 12,000 sq.ft. packed with everything imaginable. I was looking for a small lightweight vacuum, which they had, and discovered coffee makers and a host of neat kitchen items. They have tiny screwdrivers for glasses and parts for sprinkler systems and shelves and shelves of paint and paint supplies. You need to see for yourself what a selection they have. The manager, Jared Rounsavall, was very helpful; he lives in Nacogdoches. Former Dibollian, Dennis Flowers, was also very helpful to bring me a buggy when I was overloaded with items. Other employees from Diboll include Juanita Esteves who worked at DISD for 17 years; Julissa Martinez who graduated in May from DHS and Raul Pecina, a Junior at DHS. Mr. Dubose said the grand opening is planned for October 23rd and 24th. The Diboll Business Association will have a Ribbon Cutting on Friday, the 23rd, there will be tons of sale items. Their number is 829-0330 but it’s best to go see for yourself.

Bobby Dubose told me the antique tractor displayed in front of the store belonged to his dad, Warren Dubose, who recently passed away. Bobby’s grandfather started the Dubose Ford Tractor dealership in Lufkin, a family owned business where Bobby and his brother Paul grew up and later owned the Outdoor Power Sports Equipment on Highway 59. Years ago Paul was delivering a new Ford tractor to a farmer in the country when he spotted an old tractor covered up in weeds. Paul asked the man if he would sell it. The farmer told him if he would haul it off he could have it.

Under the bucket of rust was a 1917 Fordson tractor that has been repainted a number of times and now sits in front of the new Ace Hardware store in Diboll.
We attended the wedding and reception of Shane and Crissy (Hall) Garrett last weekend and enjoyed seeing folks we haven’t seen in a while. Shane’s parents are Phil and Loretta (Shipp) Garrett of Diboll. Crissy’s parents, Charlie and Anita Hall, live near Atlanta, Texas. Crissy works at Ellen Trout Zoo and that’s where she and Shane met; that’s where he proposed and that’s also where their engagement pictures were taken with the giraffe posing in the background.

At the reception at JR’s Barn, I first sat at the table with John and Ruth Oates and their daughter Rachel and husband, Ryan Bloser. Rachel and Ryan live in Tyler where they met and were married in May of 2014. Rachel graduated from SFA and earned a master’s degree from UT at Tyler in Clinical Mental Health. Ryan is a chemical engineer at KP Engineering in Tyler. Rachel is a licensed professional counselor at the Crisis Center of Cherokee County/Children’s’ Advocacy Center. I remember Rachel loving to sing at her church and while in the 4th grade at Diboll, playing the lead in the awesome production of Annie directed by Nancy Trout. She also played the leading character in The Secret Garden at Angelina College with Dr. George Thannisch.

John and Ruth (Meriwether) Oates met at SFA and later married. Ruth is from Mt. Pleasant and majored in Kinesiology. She and her twin sister, Kathrine Stewart, were twirlers in high school and both were twirlers at SFA between l978-82. Ruth works at Lockheed Martin and is also one of Diboll’s finest First Responders.

Sitting at another table with David and Lisa Crager, I enjoyed visiting with David’s brother, Corry. I can’t believe it’s been almost 11 years since he and Sandy moved to Hewitt where Corry is responsible for keeping the school district in top maintenance and Sandy is an executive secretary with student services. Their daughter, Brooke Curtis, teaches in the Diboll ISD and she and Larry have two daughters, Kati, a senior who is the reigning Miss Diboll Day and Bailey. The Cragers’ daughter-in-law Kathrina (Trout) is the CFO for DISD and their son Eric loves his new job using his auto-cad talent working for Ref-Chem in Houston. He is very popular when he brings Blue Bell ice cream home, especially to his neighbor and uncle, David and Lisa Crager.

Didn’t get to visit much with Glenda (McGuire) Shepherd as she is a cousin to the groom’s mother (Loretta) and was busy keeping everyone happy at the reception. Her husband Mark sat down at our table with their newest 4-month old grandson, Heath, asleep in his arms. Mark and Glenda now live in Newnan, Georgia, near Peachtree City, where Mark works with Joe Rodgers, formally from Diboll. Heath’s parents are Paul and Elizabeth Shepherd and his big sister is Brie; they live in San Antonio. Also living in Newnan, Georgia is Mark and Glenda’s daughter Jane and her husband, Frank Wallace and 11-year-old granddaughter, Hazel.

P. E. “Buddy” Shipp was proud to have celebrated his 82nd birthday on September 17th with friends and family. That same day 39 years ago, Walter Sharry married Karon Register and Dennis Lenderman at the Burke Baptist Church. Dennis told us he carried Karon to Bass Pro Shop for their anniversary but later treated her to a luxurious room overlooking the river at the Horseshoe in Shreveport. The hotel treated them to dinner for the special occasion. The following Saturday, Dennis and Karon drove to Magnolia to visit with daughter Cassi, Stacey and 20-month-old grandson, Jace Davis. Cassi’s little brother, Texas Trooper Zach Lenderman, was also there to watch the Texas A&M game.

Maxine Jones shared with me how much she enjoyed this past weekend at the Rayburn lake home of her daughter, Marvana Cook. Also present was her daughter Lynda Bowman and Betty Sue Murry. Maxine was happy to visit with her stepson, Royce Grimes and his wife, Becky and son, Aaron who is a teacher in the Nacogdoches ISD. The view of the lake and perfect weather made a good day for visiting.

Don’t forget this Saturday, September 26th, is the Angelina Master Gardeners third annual Native Plant Sale starting at 8 AM at the Angelina County Farmers’ Market. The Master Gardeners will work with you at the sale to select just the right plant for the right spot in your landscape and answer questions to help you be successful in your gardening efforts. Check out their website go-lukin.com/mastergardeners/

The following Monday (28th) the Master Gardeners will have a Fall Native Plant seminar at 6:30. Peter Loos, Horticulturist, will present “Native Plants that Work for You”. Admission is $10 at the Extension office.
Come see us…’round the table.