Tribute to Jenny Ann Smothermon Fletcher Woodyard

I met David's cousin, Jenny, on our wedding day in September 2009, but it felt like I had known her forever.  We were Facebook friends first.  She posted so much I felt like I knew everything about her.  After the wedding, she helped us move into our house, organized social gatherings with the fam, and invited us to her house in Nocona.  (I got to hold a chicken!)  The peaches she gave us that weekend are still in my freezer.  She pasted away in a car accident on September 30th.  Her death is a horrible shock to everyone.  I feel like there is so much more that we didn't have time for.  We think about her everyday.

I am reposting the letter her sister, Amy Jermana, wrote for her Memorial Service.  Since Amy could not come from Canada, her brother, Billy Smothermon, read it.  I think it sums up how much everyone cares for her.

How do you say goodbye to the person who has been your best friend for over 43 years? I feel like Jenny and I knew each other as well as any two people could know each other.  We always felt like we were twins that were born 13 months apart.  We’ve been through so much together and I can’t believe it’s over so soon.

Jenny didn’t have an easy life, but she never gave up, and she did find happiness in the town of Nocona, where she made many good friends and found the man who treated her the way she deserved to be treated. I would like to thank the people of Nocona and Jared for loving my sister as much as we in her family love her. The day she died was the worst day of my life, but I know that Heaven was rejoicing as they welcomed her home. Some people say that we all die alone. I’m glad to know this isn’t true. The Bible guarantees every Believer an escorted journey into the presence of Christ by the Holy Angels. Jenny was carried to Heaven by angels and I know I’ll see her again one day for all of eternity. While I’m still on this Earth, my heart will ache for the sister I always loved and the closeness that we shared. I’ll wake up every morning thinking about her and I’ll think about her during the day and when I go to bed at night. I’ll miss her beautiful smile, her positive outlook, her generosity, her love. Her journey is over but there are many people left behind. I just hope that everyone sees her life as a witness to what God can do in a person’s life.

Although we don’t understand why Jenny died so young, God has a plan for all of us and none of us are guaranteed tomorrow. I told Jenny that I loved her and that I appreciated her and that she was beautiful and that she was my best friend every chance I got and she told me the same kinds of things every chance she got. I don’t feel that we left anything unsaid. That gives me a certain amount of peace. Knowing that she is with our Heavenly Father gives me a great deal of peace. Knowing that we’ll meet again at the end of my life gives me even more peace.

I just pray that God will carry all of us in His hands through this, bring us even closer together and give us peace. I know that Jenny wouldn’t want any of us to suffer. She would want us to remember the happy times we shared with her and she would want us to love each other the way that she loved us and the way that we loved her.

Jenny’s Big Sister and Best Friend,
Amy

In Memory of Jenny Ann Woodyard, Jan 21, 1967 - Sept 30, 2010.

The Big Move

Well, the big moved has finally happened. David and I are now residents of Krugerville, Texas!

We started off on Saturday morning with David being as sick as a dog! I got us breakfast and Sandy and Bobby came over to help move boxes. I felt so disorganized. The 1st load was in our cars. Sandy helped us moved so many little boxes. After the 1st load, Sandy had to leave. Bobby and I returned to the apartment with Jenny and Jared who came fresh from their honeymoon! When we got there, Tim and Melissa were ready to help. We really had an all-star crew. We loaded up a majority of the furniture and the rest of the boxes. After we unloaded those, we were so dead tired. We crashed at the Prairie House restaurant in Cross Roads.

Sunday morning we were right back at it. Bobby, Melissa and Tim helped me clear out the apartment. Tim took down the ceiling fan single-handedly. David and his friends, John and Aaron, cleared out some of the heavy stuff from the garage.


Scully is very nervous in the house still. David was convinced the house was haunted the first night we slept there. He said Scully was looking at something that wasn't there, just like in the Animal Planet show, "The Haunted." I think she is just a spaz. She has already crapped on the new carpet. David was so happy about that. Scully hangs out in our room and doesn't explore the other side of the house. Which is lame because I want her new cat box spot to be in the laundry room.

We are still emptying boxes and making adjustments. We painted and got new carpet. We took all the doors off. We are adjusting to the septic and aerobic systems. My 1st shower there was worse than any one I took at Camp Arrowhead. It will be nice when we have all our appliances in and can stop eating out. And now after the move is over, I am the one who is sick!

I know we are going to love it here!

Jenny & Jared's Wedding

We went up to Nocona for David's cousin, Jenny's, wedding. It was a simple ceremony at the Church of Christ. The reception was in the adjoining hall. We have chicken parmigiana and lasagna. The cake was vanilla and pineapple. The groom's cake was sooo good. I think there was Ecuadorian chocolate in there. It tasted like fudge! It was great wedding and it was nice to get out of town for a while.

Bobby giving Jenny away.

The vows.

More vows.

Cute topiary.

Pew bow.

Beautiful topper.

This cake was so good! It was like fudge!

So many presents!

Cute card box.

The guest book was their engagement photo.

Bobby's corsage.

Jenny & Jared with the aunts.

Bobby, Jenny, Jared, & Tommie.

Judy, Jenny & Jared.

The bride with David.

Chris, Jenny, and John.

Visit From The Canuck Cousins

David has 2 cousins that live in Burnaby, British Columbia. They were not able to make it down here for our wedding. But they came out a month later and we got to see them. They were dying to eat Kentucky Fried Chicken when they got here. It doesn't take the same in Canada. So we had that for lunch and sat around and talked. Melissa, Jenny and I played a few rounds of dominoes, but we didn't keep score. We found out that Jenny and Jared just got engaged! Their wedding will be December 12th.

Sitting on the curb.


A whole lotta cousins.

Melissa, Amy, Jenny, and David

Loving cousins.