Page 28 - Senior Link Magazine Winter 2020- Lubbock Online Magazine
P. 28
Exceptional
SENIORS
Embracing Life
Imogene Reasor
By Jane Bromley
I
“ am in charge of how I feel, and
today I am choosing happiness.”
A person doesn’t have to spend Ray and Imogene Bridges and children
much time with Imogene Reaser to
discover her life philosophy. The
delightful conversationalist will relocated to Memphis (TX) before in WWII. She was 16 and planning
celebrate her 90th birthday next she started school. “My favorite to graduate from high school, but
April, but the way she embraces life memory of my childhood was first Ray was ready to get married. After
makes her seem much younger. Like grade, when I met my best friends, an attempt to settle in Arizona,
everyone else, she’s had her share Mary Nell Evans, Charlotte Parks, the couple moved back to the
of tragedy, but she chooses to live in and Patsy Foreman. Patsy’s family small Panhandle town of Griffith,
the moment and dwell on her happy owned a dairy, and she had a on what had been the Campbell
memories. featherbed.” Ranch near Morton. Ray worked
for Karl Griffith, who owned all the
But Imogene did not feel deprived,
The former Imogene Kutch was businesses in the small town.
born in Clarendon, TX, the youngest despite growing up during the
of five children, and the family Depression. “I was spoiled,” the Imogene reminisces fondly about
baby of the family freely her husband of 43 years. “He was a
admits. When she was 10, hard worker, and he spoiled me.”
she was hit by a car while She recalled how Ray suffered
playing a game of “shadow terribly from nightmares as a result
tag” and fractured her leg. of serving on the frontlines in
But the first real crisis of Italy and Germany, “but he never
her life blindsided her at complained. He would just work
age 12, when her mother harder. Besides driving a service
died. “I was feeling pretty truck for Mr. Griffith, he liked to run
sorry for myself until my the suction at the cotton gin and pull
teacher gave me a talking to bolls. He loved to pull bolls. It was
and told me to pull myself almost like therapy for him.” The
together.” couple had four children: Nelson,
Beverly, Anita and Chris. According
The family moved to to Beverly, all of the children
Hedley, and Imogene’s inherited a strong work ethic from
father remarried, but their dad. Around 1967, the family
Imogene didn’t stick around moved to Morton, where all four
long. She met Ray Bridges, graduated from high school. Even
who was ten years her Imogene earned her G.E.D. after her
senior and recently back
Indomitable Imogene fourth child was born.
from serving his country
28 Lubbock Senior Link
