James Tillman Tapley, known as "Fella," was the son of Lusion Keman Tapley and Mattie Schwalls Tapley. He was my father's oldest brother and my uncle.
He died July 25, 1974. It is noteworthy that he never had any children. However, there are two "daughters" and a "son" listed in his obituary. I actually had to call my mother about this. I found out that this family was very convoluted... exchanging spouses and children, it seems. Maybe I'll go into more of that one day. Suffice to say these were not Uncle James's children - though he and his wife did raise Tammy. The other "daughter" listed is/was Tammy's mother and the "son" is/was Tammy's uncle. They were raised by Uncle James's sister-in-law. I told you it was convoluted! How did they come to be listed this way in the obituary? I do not know. Families can also be made up of those who are not flesh and blood.
Everyone who knew Uncle James said he had a heart of gold and would give you the shirt off his back. He was a good man.
No comments:
Post a Comment