Suzie Q

The Orneriest Person from Shidler - Susie

Uncle Mike and Aunt Lois and then Suzie and Bill Taylor are all living in the Kansas City area but those two girls have their roots in the Osage and Grainola and Shidler. Just a little about Uncle Mike and Bill before we talk about the girls. 

Uncle Mike, Aunt Lois, Susie (Snider) and Bill Taylor

Uncle Mike is originally from New York and I have no idea how he got hooked up with a girl from Grainola, Lois Lane (sounds like someone from Super Man and from what I know I think she was the reporter for Super Man). Now that I think about it I bet Uncle Mike was the real Super Man and just hid out when he retired from saving New York. "Anyway", he decided there was a better way to dress than in those stretchy stretch clothing and cape so he became a men's clothing expert at the Jones Stores in Kansas City until he retired from THE SUPERMAN GIG.  
Now Bill had some things to overcome and to deal with. Number one he was from Missouri so you had to show him everything and second he fell madly in love with Suzie Snyder, Aunt Gladys's daughter (he had a weak moment, just kidding). Bill is very talented and is creative and designs advertisement and marketing material for different companies around the country. He obviously has a great sense of humor and can handle stress, Susie and Lauren their daughter.

Lauren and Susie

Well, while we are at it we might as well talk about Suzie Q. Now that is my name for her but she calls me something which she knows is a problem and she and my sister, Debbie, refuse to stop. We will not mention that name. If you recall in one of my earlier blogs I mentioned Suzie owned every Beatles album and poster ever made. She was crazy about the Beatles which first appeared on the Ed Sullivan show back in about 1960.  I think Suzie even cut her hair like them.I should tell you I might be the only person from Grainola to meet and talk to Ed Sullivan and I do mean the real one. Have you ever met someone in real life and were shocked to see how different they looked? Ed Sullivan had the darkest tan I had ever seen and he was dramatically smaller than I would ever have imagined. I met him in New York City at the airport on my way to Holland to live for three months (another story). He was very kind and seemed to enjoy chatting with the 17 year old country boy.Back to Susie. Susie is one of the smartest girls you would ever meet and she definitely had the fastest tongue meaning she had a lot of wit.  I think that is what got her into trouble and I think it was why she did not blow the records off on good grades.  Actually I am assuming she did not have great grades just because I know her concentration in laughing and having fun should have prevented it. I think Suzie liked to joke around and just have fun more than study. She did like to read all the time just like her mother, Gladys Snyder. But her two greatest loves were The Beatles and her dogs. I don't remember her ever without a dog. My favorite two were the weenie dog (that is a real bread and you can look it up) and her beagle. If Suzie took care of Lauren, her daughter, like she took care of those dogs Lauren would be spoiled really bad. Now that I think about it she is spoiled.  Lauren is a spoiled doll and the spitting image of her mom, except for the white hair.  I am not saying Lauren has white hair.
 My fondest memories of Suzie was that she always laughed and everything could be funny. She could laugh at herself as easy as a good story. If we all learned to laugh at ourselves and not take things so serious this would be even a better place to live.  Take it from Suzie who is now a teacher.  What would she be teaching them based on her childhood?Now let me tell you about Aunt Lois. She was always tall and pretty and how she turned into a city girl is beyond me. She grew up in Grainola and I was told that she was about the greatest basketball player who ever came from that part of the country. She and Uncle Mike were always very faithful to their church and gave their hearts and life to helping my nephew who was confined to a wheel chair. I cannot say that I fully understood why they were so willing to give everything they had to help Billy Jim but they did. Because of their giving Billy became a super fan of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Kansas City Royals. They went to many games and Billy had more autographed baseballs and footballs and other memorabilia than anyone I know. Billy passed away early in life just a few short years ago but he touched my life because he Loved Life.  And Uncle Mike and Aunt Lois are the real Super Man and Lois Lane.Maybe the thing we can learn is that giving is the blessing. I heard a man say one time, "If you will give and give until you can give no more and then give some more you will receive more than you could ever image". I think that is true. The second thing I learned from watching Billy Jim was that my circumstances are not the issue but what I do with them is MOST important. The highlight of these two couples and Billy Jim is: They had great attitudes and could laugh and they give and gave all they had and have a great life. Thank you for being a part of my life.Over the years I have been blessed to go on mission trips with my church and I have found that I receive far more than I give. I dare you to try it, Pay it Forward.
Thanks for your time.
gary@thepioneerman.com