Judy Mattair Sanders
I loved my Uncle Reed as did many others. He was a very charming, funny, and friendly man. I don;t think I ever saw him without a smile. I always loved the story about how he ran a race with Jesse Owens, who had just won the Olympics. He was in basic training, I think, and they were having a field day. Jesse Owens was there as a judge. He saw Uncle Reed run a race and said he'd like to run against him.The way I think Norma told me was that Jesse beat Reed by 3/10 of a second or something like that (and that was after Reed had already run a race or two.) My dad (James) had told me that Jonathan Mattair (Reed's uncle) was a very very fast runner, so I guess that is where he got that gift.He had a horse named Penny that taught me to ride as a very small child. Getting to stay with my grandparents for a few days in the summer was one of the highlights of my life. I too remember his 100th birthday party that Reeda and Steve gave him. I wanted so badly to be there for that wonderful time to honor him. I was afraid to drive by myself, so a very nice lady from my church drove me down. She had a wonderful time too and said what a nice family they were. It was wonderful and very well attended. He was sitting in his chair with the biggest grin on his face. I don't know if I have ever seen anyone look as good as he did at his age. We will say goodbye to a precious loved one who made us happy, but now he is where he wanted to be, with his beloved Norma and his mother and father and Norma's mother and Tessie, Norma's sister.
With love, Judy Mattair Sanders
P.S. I sat here for an hour or so and put in some pictures and information for his family tree. When I finished, I clicked on the X at the top, but all of the pictures and information was gone. I didn't see a button or anyway to "Save" it. There was a photo of his mother and his father on their wedding day and also a photo of his grandfather and grandmother, Henry Paul Mattair and Eugenia Caroline Mims. Sorry it didn't work out.
