Happy Birthday Granpa!

When it's my time to go I hope that people still celebrate my birthday and try their best to forget the day that I passed.  Since that's what I would want I will do this for someone that is still very special to me.

Donald Wayne Marrs

February 9, 1926

Watonga (Blaine County), Oklahoma

My Granpa, my brother, and myself are the only members of my immediate family born in Oklahoma.


The three family Okies!


My granpa didn't really talk about his childhood too much, he didn't dwell much on the past in general.  I do remember him telling a random story when the situation would remind him or while reminiscing with family at our annual reunion.

Ward, Elmer, Zelpha (backrow), Vernon, Wayne, and Alma

If I had seen half of the things he saw in his 79 years in this world I would probably never shut up.  I like to think about how things must have been in that Western Oklahoma town and how scary it must have been to join the Navy during World War II...

My great grandparents and my granpa

Official Navy photo

...or what it felt like to lose a brother in that same war.

I'm beyond lucky to have known him for almost 24 full years, you see we lost him two days before my birthday in 2005.  Rarely do people know their grandparents that long and I cherish the moments I had with them and those that I can still share with my living grandparents in Kansas.

I think I have some good family genes, minus tragic situations both sides of my family have lasted a long time.  My granpa passed less than 6 months before his 80th birthday, my grandma lived into her 90's, and my mother's parents are still going strong in their 80's!  My granpa's brother and sister are still with us and are two wonderful people I'm blessed to know.



Granpa, Aunt Alma, Uncle Ward on the land in Watonga



He made a nice little life for himself, owned his own businesses...

in front of the service station in Neodesha, KS

He was married to my grandmother for 57 years...

celebrating their anniversary

He had a son that, in my personal opinion, grew up to be a great person and father...and he grew up to have some stellar kids, but I might be a bit biased...

He was very supportive of our family and tried his best to keep up with everything we had going on at the time.  He was always interested in my education and would ask countless questions about classes and tests.  I graduated from The University of Tulsa in May 2005, I was so proud to share this day with my family.



Me and my grandparents on graduation day!



I always loved this picture and I just realized that it's one of the last that I have with my granpa.  I think it's adorable that he reach over to put his hand on my back. 

Happy Birthday Granpa!!

We miss you!
We love you!




After I completed this post I got an email from my brother, Nathan, who is currently stationed in Kuwait.  He was responding to an email that my parents and I had going earlier today regarding my grandfathers birthday.  He said, "I opened this email and as soon as I finished reading it 'taps' started playing.  It plays every night here at 10pm...I cried."

I hope this doesn't embarrass brother, but his email made me cry so I had to share.