by Joyce Woods Cox
The Strange family reunion was
held Sunday Oct. 7, 2001 in the Commons at Moody High School.
Approximately seventy attended from all over Texas and the U.S. The
person who came the farthest for the reunion was Sherry Watson.
Brumbelow, who flew in from Boston. She is the grand daughter of
Hattie Strange. The oldest attending was 86 year old Gladys Burton of
Moody. Pepsi Cook of Waco offered a prayer.
Commodore son of Archelaus and
Celia married Laura Gorman. They reared Isaac, Archie, Walter, James,
and nine daughters, Ermine Amanda, Mattie Laura, Julia, Valley, Pearl,
Mary, Celia, Hattie, and Onie.
The Strange family came to
Texas from Kentucky in 1903 and lived on the John Mote farm in Spring
Valley. They moved into Moody in the 1920's when C.P. could no longer
farm.
"Our Strange Family of
Yesteryears," was the theme. Heirloom, and pictures were
displayed. A quilt pieced by Granny Strange and quilted in later years
was among the heirlooms. Autumn leaves and other fall decorations were
used for the occasion. Some family members told of memories many years
ago in Moody when Grandma and Grandpa Strange were still living.
Each year the family gives a
love offering to Old Perry Cemetery where Commodore and Laura are
buried. Perry, was a small community located two miles north of Moody
in southwestern McLennan County. In 1852 and 1853, pioneers decided to
build a village on land that straddled James Clement and Edward
McClain preemption claims. Old Perry Cemetery was established in 1852.
Later years, Perry was
bypassed by the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway. The pioneers
moved their homes and businesses to the new town of Moody leaving only
the little cemetery as reminder of the town.
Robert and Mildred Strange
gave an update on their son-in-law Astronaut James Reilly. Reilly is
married to their daughter Jo Ann. They have three children. Reilly was
assigned to STS-104 Atlantis, where he performed three spacewalks
related to the assembly of the International Space Station (ISS) in
July of 2001. This was Reilly second time into space. Space Shuttle
STS-89 Endeavor, (January 22-31, 1998). It was the eighth Shuttle-Mir
docking mission during which the crew transferred more than 9,000
pounds of scientific equipment, logistical hardware and water from
Space Shuttle Endeavor to Mir. In the fifth and last exchange of a
U.S. Astronaut, STS-89 delivered Andy Thomas to Mir and returned with
David Wolf.
After a lovely meal, Pepsi,
Lance, David Cook, Harvey Blankenstein and Lynn Wooley entertained
with their guitars and singing old songs along with the family.
Pepsi and Dorothy Cook, Joe
and Pam Cook, Harvey and Bobbi Blankenstein hosted the reunion.
Meeting place for next years
reunion will be decided later by committee members, Robin Ross, Evelyn
Richards and Judy Cullen.
Astronaut
James Reilly spoke on his trip into space on Space Shuttle STS-89
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