Daddy, the Glory of His Daughter
Today would have been Daddy’s 90th birthday. I’ve learned to live and to feel joyful without his hugs and smiles, but while I’m on Earth, I’ll never stop missing my Daddy, who died suddenly when he was only 72. I wish I could call him. I wish I could visit him. I wish he could give one of his wet, grinning smooches to our grandchildren.
Charles Leland Boyd was born on August 9, 1931. Except for a stint in the Army, he spent his life in Cheatham and Davidson Counties in Tennessee. Here is Daddy with his parents, Sue and Leland (my Mama Sue and Daddy Leland).
And here is Daddy with Mama Sue and her mother, Mama Head.
Daddy’s parents, his siblings, my mother, and almost all of his relatives and friends called him Charles Leland, though sometimes Daddy Leland called him “Buck,” a nickname they shared. Here is a young Charles Leland on a Florida vacation that his family took with Daddy Leland’s only sister, Christine. All of us, even down to us great nieces and great nephews, called her “Sister.”
In the next photo, Daddy holds his baby sister Mary Ann, while standing between his sister, Dorothy Sue “Dot,” and his brother, Ronnie. Precocious Mary Ann died during cleft palette surgery when she was two years old. My Aunt Dot told me last week about their first Christmas after Mary Ann died. In her grief, Mama Sue was unsure what to do about a Christmas tree. When Mama Sue sent Daddy and Dot to the store for necessities, they brought back something not on the list — Christmas lights. That settled the question.
My Aunt Dot likes to share school memories of Daddy when they were students at Sweet Home, the one-room school in the Sweet Home community in Cheatham County.
Daddy and his siblings helped out in Daddy Leland’s country store, which stood at a crossroads a few miles from Sweet Home. In this picture, Daddy, Dot, and Ronnie stand in front of one of its gas pumps.
Daddy followed Uncle Sam’s invitation to volunteer for the army (his other choice was to be drafted). I just submitted his name to be placed on the new Veterans Memorial in Ashland City.
This is one of my favorite pictures of Daddy from this time. The picture hangs in our pantry. While Daddy stands in front of the country store, Mama Sue peeks out from behind its screen door. It was the rare country store that had air conditioning back then.
When Daddy was almost 22, Mama Sue and Daddy Leland had a baby girl, Emily Camille. Daddy always loved children. Isn’t this a precious photo with his baby sister?
As I told you last week, my Mother came into the Boyd family via a visit to her aunt’s house when they were twelve and a later meeting at the South Side Drug Company.
I was one year old when my parents and I celebrated this Christmas at Mama Sue and Daddy Leland’s house.
My brother was born when I was almost three. Our happy family enjoyed many family outings and also a short vacation every summer. 
Daddy loved driving through Tennessee and Kentucky and (in spite of their unexplainable dour faces in the next photo), we all loved our many day trips to state parks and historic sites.
We also loved our camping adventures. If you look closely, you can see the white curtains Mother sewed for our Volkswagen bus when our parents turned it into a makeshift camper.
By the time Mother and Daddy celebrated their 25th anniversary, Ray and I were married .
Daddy loved being Granddaddy. Granddaddy and Grandmother made many trips to see us, and they loved our visits to see them. Here they are with our son John.
We spent happy times with my parents at Nashville’s Opryland theme park. Here they are several years later, getting wet with Bethany.
And here is an Opryland photo a few years before with our Mary Evelyn.
I love this photo of Mother and Daddy which Mary Evelyn took for the invitation to their 50th wedding anniversary celebration.
We had a wonderful celebration in the fellowship hall of their church.
When I turned 50, Ray asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday, I said, “Go see Mother and Daddy. Who gets to visit their parents on their 50th birthday?” Here we are that day.
I had no idea that it would be my last birthday with Daddy. Proverbs tells us that the glory of sons is their fathers. I believe that goes for daughters, too.
Grandchildren are the crown of the old,
And the glory of sons is their fathers.
Proverbs 17:6