All the fun stuff!

Cheers to You ROY

Johnny Cash once wrote a song bemoaning the woes of a boy named

Sue… I’d rather write about the life and times of a man named “Roy”.

Now our “Roy” was born Clair Edward Roy some 87 years ago. He

was raised primarily by his mother in the Oakland/ Bay area until he

went into the service in 1955.

1955 was considered the “Tweener” years or the times between the

Korean War and Viet Nam. It was a time of hope and prosperity and

soldiers (being manly-men) anointed our Roy with a name change

from “Clair” to just “Roy”.

After Roy’s basic service training, he was sent to Mississippi for

Electrician training. On Roy’s last night before being shipped out to

Alaska Roy found himself with some service friends at a local Drive

Inn Eatery. That is where he met the lovely Cece, the lady he would

meet, share a little time with and, start a long term correspondence

with.

By the time Roy’s service had been completed, he found himself

back in Mississippi, proposing to Miss Cece on Thanksgiving Day and

marrying her the following Valentine’s Day in 1959.

(* writers note: not a bad way to remember important personal

events that require gift giving - smart one Roy I’ll keep that TIP in

mind!

Roy and Cece ventured back to the California Bay area where they

raised 2 boys and Roy worked for Western Union as an Electronic

Technician for forty- seven years (until Western-Union went

Bankrupt ). Ironically, he found a job just around the block the

following week. ***Nice to have a job skill that people want, and how

different in today’s world to hear about someone who actually

stayed with a company their entire working life!

Roy and Cece spent their free time RVing through the USA from

border to border. They eventually decided that what they really

wanted to do was to retire and move out of “the city”. This

presented them with the opportunity to move to Eastern Madera

County in 2005 and eventually they chose to downsize further to

Oakhurst in recent years.

When I asked Roy how many states he and Cece traveled through,

the answer became a math quiz much like “How many years were

you married? (So we worked on the Married question instead )

By the end of the interview we finally were able to figure out that

Cece passed away in 2022 and they were married in 1959… so we

came up with 63 pretty dog- gone good years of marriage!

As a writers note: I got to meet Roy when he would come to pick up

Cece from BINGO at the Senior Center on Thursdays and Saturdays.

He would walk in, give Cece a kiss on the cheek and wait for the last

game to end before they would leave together.

When Cece passed away, Roy started coming to BINGO and would sit

in Cece’s (favorite) seat every Thursday and Saturday. It has become

a lovely tribute to Cece, a great social avenue for Roy, as well as a

wonderful addition to the Senior Center Community who just adores

Our Roy!

If you know of someone who would be a great (local) senior to write about, let me know Lori Howard- (559)683-7650

Welcome to Sierra Senior Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of senior citizens in the Eastern Madera County area. Our mission is to organize and promote education, nutrition, health, and overall well-being for our cherished community of seniors.

We go beyond just fostering well-being; we strive to create bonds of friendship, goodwill, and mutual understanding among our members, extending these values to all seniors in the region. At the heart of our mission is the commitment to open communication and the sharing of experiences.

As active community contributors, we take a keen interest in the civic, cultural, and social welfare of our area. Sierra Senior Center serves as a platform for open discussions on matters of public interest, creating an inclusive space for voices to be heard.

Join us in our journey to build a thriving community where every senior citizen can flourish, connect, and enjoy the richness of life. Welcome to Sierra Senior Center – where every moment matters!