Page 80 - Lubbock Senior Link Magazine Summer 2022 - Online Magazine

Tommy and Ruthie McCoy

God Was Behind the Tent

by Jane Bromley

ots of love
stories last a
Llong time, but
when they survive
seven decades, it's
worth a closer look.
Tommy and Ruthie
McCoy have been in
love for 73 years, and
from all appearances,
their love has never
waned.

In 1928, Mickey
Mouse and sliced
bread made their
debut, along with
little Tommy McCoy,
the seventh of nine
children born into
a preacher’s family
near Tyler, Texas. He
grew up during the served out his enlistment from believes that God detoured the
Great Depression, but the greatest 1947-51 and was discharged at the vector of his life, so that he would
depression hit the family when rank of EM-3. cross paths with a very special girl.
his brother, Seaman J.W. McCoy “When God gave me Ruthie, He
was killed when his ship (the He intended on going to work as gave me one of His angels.” She
USS Liscome Bay) was struck by a an electrician, but “God had other was just 16, but Tommy knew she
Japanese submarine in WWII. His plans.” He attended a Christian was the one.
father’s grief was so great that he tent campaign close to his mother’s
died shortly thereafter. home in Tyler and the next thing Fortunately, Ruthie had a job as a
you know, he was the “tent man” telephone switchboard operator—
Despite the tough times, Tommy for the traveling evangelist. “I’ve one of the few people left who
was a happy child, who often always liked big tents,” said the actually said, “Number, please?”
dreamed of being a circus man who used to dream of the Since Tommy was always on the
clown. He remembers vividly circus. road, their three-year courtship
the celebration in the streets of took place over long-distance
downtown Houston when the war Tommy traveled all over the phone calls. “I even proposed over
ended. After graduation from Sam country setting up and taking down the phone.”
Houston High School, he enlisted tents for the evangelist. Almost
in the US Navy “because I wanted like the circus, he traveled with the The young couple married Feb. 10,
to go to electrical school.” After crew and lived out of the “furniture 1952, and Ruthie adapted to the
boot camp, he was assigned to the trailer.” His most memorable stop nomadic lifestyle of a “tent man”,
USS Myles C Fox where he (mostly) occurred in Lubbock. He firmly living out of the furniture trailer

80 Lubbock Senior Link