Elizabeth Martindale
Mother, Jean, and Anne became best friends in the 5th grade and that began a friendship that lasted for decades without them ever having any major disagreements. They both grew up in Edinburg during The Depression, graduated HS, and were both in college at Pan Am. I believe it was my dad, Raymond, that arranged the blind date with Anne and Roland, but she wouldn't go out with him unless Mom went. Dad had knew mom and they agreed to double date that night. Both couples married shortly before WWII broke out, our dads went off to war, and Ron and I were born in the middle of it. Our families vacationed together a lot growing up and one of our favorites was going to spend a week in cabins at Hunt. They always arranged for a "nanny" to help corral the kids, 4 at the time. One night, Anne and Mom decided to go into Bandera to go to a dance. One of those infamous Hill Country flash flood producing thunderstorms hit and they couldn't get back to us. The next morning a pickup pulls up and our moms got out. We were full of questions and were told they'd spent the night in the chicken coop. I couldn't imagine them in chicken poop, feathers. and a bunch of roosting chickens ever since I was a kid. Then, on FB one day, about a week before Jennifer, Kaleigh, and I visited her in Austin, I saw a picture taken in Bandera and lo and behold, there was The Chicken Coop, a bar and dancehall. I got a big laugh out of that and shared it with Anne that visit! Mystery solved! Anne was my "other" mother and always there for me my whole life. I really don't know what I would have done without her. She is the main reason I chose teaching for my career. She will be greatly missed and will always hold a very special place in my heart and many, many happy memories. The summer I graduated from HS and she had just completed the work for her teaching degree, we painted the whole inside of the house on 5 Mile Line, and on the day of her graduation, she broke her toe on a pipe sticking out of the wall close to the floor and couldn't walk across the stage to receive her diploma that night. Later that summer, I was invited to go on a Hass family vacation in Colorado. I believe that's when Jon "came" home with us. LOL!! Thoughts, love and prayers are with each of you in the coming days. "Bette" Elizabeth Peace