Who Are These People?, August 1, 2013

“Fred, you next," the plump woman said.

"I'm not Fred, I'm George," said the boy. 

"Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother?

Can't you tell I'm George?"

"Sorry, George, dear."

"Only joking, I am Fred," said the boy and off he went.”

~J.K. Rowling

Happy Birthday Lloyd! Today is the birthday of Lloyd Gower, the third Ggrandchild of Leroy and Nola Shannon Gower and the son of Hershell Gower. Lloyd was married back in early May to Tammy Turman of Mississippi. This summer they moved to Lloyd's old stomping grounds of San Marcos in San Diego County, making Lloyd one of just a handful of Gower descendants left in San Diego county. 

Lloyd's ancestral namesake was Lloyd W. Gower (1896 - 1918), the brother of his Ggrandfather (and my grandfather) Leroy Gower. Lloyd W. Gower was born in 1896, 3 years before his younger brother Leroy. Lloyd W. was killed in 1918 in World War I in Lorraine, France when he was just a 22 year old soldier. From the hills of Stone County in Northern Arkansas, Lloyd W. Gower is one more in our pantheon of ancestors who gave their lives in service to their country and to whom we owe a great debt. He is buried near Mountain View, Arkansas in small Cooper Hill Cemetery, the final resting place for just 43 people, 22 of whom have the last name Gower.

Baby Logan Update. Pat and Nicole Shepard's baby Logan, who was born last week, remains in the hospital in Seattle but seems to be improving each day. Our prayers and best wishes continue to be with Logan, his parents, and his whole family. The second picture shows Pat, Nicole and Logan in the hospital when the three of them were able to be together for a short while last weekend.

James and Kelly. This coming Monday, August 5, is the wedding anniversary of James and Kelly Shepard Sauvage of Weatherford, Texas. James and Kelly were married in 2000 in San Diego, just before they moved to Weatherford, Texas where they live today with their two boys Nate and Kyle.

Chris and Amanda. This Tuesday, August 6 is the 7th wedding anniversary of Chris and Amanda Clark Farrell. Amanda is the daughter of Jerry Clark and Jane Clark Brock of Lubbock, Texas. Chris and Amanda had a destination wedding in Austin, Texas back in 2006 and live today in Frisco, Texas near Ft. Worth. Happy anniversary to both these young couples!

Who Are These People? August 10, a week from this Saturday, is our 2013 family reunion in Anacortes, Washington. A picture of one of our previous Anacortes family reunions is shown below. It was taken in front of the family home on Wildwood Lane on a beautiful day. (Will we be so lucky?)

How many of these people can you identify? (There are 28 in all. My guess is no one can name every one.) What year was this picture taken? And who was taking the picture? You can click on the picture for a larger view of it.

The one who sends me the most correct answers to those three questions will qualify as a family historian extraordinaire and will receive my most flattering praise in a future blog post. (Hint: check the "labels" below.)
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Steve Shepard