MEMORIES OF RUTH KILGORE SPAIN by Ron McKeever

The memories of Ruth go back into the early '40s when the Spains and McKeevers would camp out on Clear Creek.  Mom and Ruth were almost like twins...probably due to the Spain's four and McKeever's six kids.  I remember when they lived up near Poplar Springs old school location, and Ted was off working, and I went up or was carried up to spend the night with them.  The highway was a block in front of their house, and Gypsies were bad to roam the countryside back then.  The night I was there resulted in Ruth firing a 22 rifle through the door because she heard a racket outside.  It was reported at the garage in Poplar Springs that you had better never walk past Ruth's house at night unless you were singing real loud, or you could get shot. 

 
When we moved to West Virginia in 1947, we always came back to Alabama as soon as school was out, and Pop would come when the mines shut down in July for vacation.  That gave the kids lots of time to be entertained.  Camping out all night on Clear Creek was a high point of the vacation.  We never had to worry about animals or varmits with ten kids running loose.  Ruth kept us entertained with ghost stories.  

When we moved back to Alabama, the Spains had moved to Guntersville and it was my privilege to escort Granny Kilgore up there during the summer as soon as the crops were ripening.  She was afraid of bridges, and to get to Guntersville from Double Springs, you had to cross the mile-long Arab causeway.  Granny always wanted me to get the bus driver to let us off and we would walk across.  Even if we did (which we never did) we would have been a couple of miles from the Spains house. 

 
Ruth was always laughing, telling jokes or wanting to hear them.She was a delightful person and I have fond memories of visiting with them when they moved to Graysville as Forest Ranger for ABC company.  I was honored to conduct both hers and Ted's funerals.  What sweet memories! ! !