Page 29 - Senior Link Magazine Winter 2020- Lubbock Online Magazine

EXCEPTIONAL SENIORS

The Morton years were After Clay passed away, her children moved their
happy ones for the Bridges, mother home to West Texas. She found new and old
but when Ray passed away friends at Lubbock’s Senior Center on 19th and loved
when Imogene was 60, she the dances there. She spends her time working puzzles,
felt lost again, just like she playing games, and crocheting prolifically. Her four
had when her mother died. children have been her greatest blessing. “They are
And just like young Imogene all good.” She has 15 grandchildren, and 19 great
Imogene and Johnny Dugger
had learned from her teacher, grandchildren. Daughter Beverly says, “Mom is a
she pulled herself together people lover, and she really does always have a positive
and started a new chapter. She moved to Dallas to help attitude.”
out with a new grandchild and determined to enjoy life
again. Imogene was finding some success at that when “You have to
she suffered another terrible loss. Her oldest son, Nelson, choose to be
was killed by a drunk driver. He left a wife and four happy,” Imogene
children behind. says from
experience. It
Once again, Imogene had to find the strength to recover seems to have
from grief in order to find happiness. “Recovering worked for her.
from the loss of a child is the hardest,” she attested. But And maybe
eventually, she met Johnny Dugger, a fiddle maker, at a “spoiled” doesn’t
dance and soon became Mrs. Dugger. (He had also lost really mean what
a son to a drunk driver.) For a little while, “I was spoiled she thinks it means.
again,” she remembered with a smile. Still embracing life!

Sadly, Johnny passed away after only three years.
Once more, Imogene found herself dealing with
loss, but she knew better than to feel sorry for
herself. She always loved being around people, so
she moved in with her girlfriend and volunteered
at the senior center. When the girlfriend moved
on, God smiled on Imogene as He had before and
brought her a new companion, Clay Reasor. “He
was a very kind man. And yes, he spoiled me,
too.” Clay and Imogene were only married for
three years as well, but they were happy ones.

Imogene and Clay Reasor

Lubbock Senior Link 29